Food Styling and Photography Workshop in France

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

A picnic in the garden

THE ORIGINAL IDEA behind finding ourselves in the south of France in May for our food styling and photography workshop was to enjoy beautiful weather and time outside. Both Lara and I dreamed about it. I had traveled to the Languedoc-Roussillon region before and felt comfortable with it. I kept memories of the scenic Canal du midi with its plane trees, poplars, and barges; luscious markets; and generous sunny days with an everlasting feeling of being on vacation.

I found the area and landscapes as attractive as I remembered them. Even better in fact when, on the day of my arrival, I was able to catch sight of fields of gorgeous bright red orange poppies tossed by the wind along the way. A perte de vue….

I wasn’t the only one to have noticed. “We need to take pictures of the poppies!” was one of the first things Lara and I told each other after we hugged and met at the château.

It was simply breathtaking.

But the weather….was another story.

Who could have imagined that being where we were at that time of year, we’d feel cold and wet, and that the wind would never stop to blow?

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

Styling and Photographing–Marta at the vineyard’s

I suppose that, in a way, this unfortunate twist in our well-thought plan has created a story that I now find funny. While we were feeling cold in the south of France in May, my parents who live in the French countryside in the northeast were telling me that they basked in the sun, enjoying meals in the garden.

BUT THANKFULLY, despite the rain, cold and wind, we still had a wonderful time. Because truth being said, Lara and I were surrounded by a pretty incredible group of people.

So there you are.

We had the privilege to spend four days with a group of twelve students that had traveled from every corner of the globe to learn more about food styling and photography.

So we styled and photographed and talked about camera and light. We visited a few markets and traveled to hills nearby to see a vineyard and taste wine. We shared stories and laughed. We ate inspiring foods and drank local wine–did you know that Languedoc is one of the largest wine producing region in the world?

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

Leigh and Sandy focusing–
Marta’s beautifully styled breakfast egg

I want to let my images show you what we did and what we saw. I want them to tell you the story of our intense food styling and photography workshop in Ventenac with a spectacular group of people.

Lara and I are lucky to have been given the opportunity to teach them all.

AND I feel lucky to have teamed with Lara–besides being friends, we work well together.

Les coquelicots, jolis, jolis!

Students at work–Anna’s lovely risotto composition

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

Me (photographed by Marta)
Marta (photographed by me)

food styling photography workshop france tartine gourmande beatrice peltre

On the last day, I took a bike ride after lunch to the field of poppies. WHAT I DIDN’T EXPECT was to find myself face to face with a young girl horse riding with her two dogs running by her side. That moment with her and me alone in the poppy field felt completely surreal and magical. She looked intrigued by my standing there with my camera, and I just could not believe how lucky I was to have found her sitting on her white horse.

Béa et les coquelicots, Photo courtesy of Marta Muñoz-Calero Calderón


Sandy is caught with her pretty blini

The sun was finally back on the last day! So we drove to the neighboring village to visit a market where we purchased beautiful produce that our students used to prepare and style a gorgeous picnic lunch. I was really inspired by the amount of creativity that came out of them!

The market

Beautiful pavlova styled by Marta and Paula

Shooting in the wind (self), Photo courtesy of Marta Muñoz-Calero Calderón

The girl, the white horse, and the poppies

SO YES, perhaps the weather was not favorable. For sure, we all wished it had been warmer and sunnier. But in the end, we made do. AND I REALLY felt lucky to be in my country to share this workshop with Lara and such talented people.

We could not have hoped for a more amazing group.


You can check out more about the workshop by reading the stories written by Sandy, Magdalena, Leigh, and Lara.

67 comments

  1. Oh Béa, what a wonderful time we had! And who cares about the weather? When Steffen and I think of the workshop the weather isn’t something we really remember. To be part of this great group of interested people and learning from Lara and you was fun and it encourages me to step forward! Merci bien et à la prochaine!

  2. Thank you, Béa, for sharing your wondrous days in France with us!
    The images are magnificent, the poppy images among the most beautiful i ever say (that first one ought to hang in a museum!).

    Merci,
    Merisi

  3. Great post Bea!!! Thanks a lot for such a wonderfull workshop. We had an amazing time!

  4. Incredible! I adore your photos and they actually brought back some amazing childhood memories. Horseback riding, climbing trees and picking fresh almonds. I can almost smell the ripeness of the fruits when I focus on your photos. Merci!

  5. Absolutely beautiful!! I adore your work. Are you going to be holding another one of these workshops in the near future? I would LOVE to attend!!

  6. Absolutely stunning. The photo of the girl riding her horse in motion through the poppies is simply breathtaking. A little over a year ago I spent a few months living in Lacoste, and all these photographs bring back som many happy memories of my time in France. I can not wait to go back, maybe the next time you teach there 😉

  7. You definitely cannot tell about the weather from these photos because they’re incredibly sunny, bright and beaming with light. This is such an inspiring post~ thank youuuu. I hope one day to attend one of your lovely workshops!

  8. I just find your work beautiful, where can I find out details of any future workshops? Thank for sharing what you do in your blogs. Clare x

  9. What a… delicious post, Bea. You really made my day 🙂 (et maintenant, bien sûr, j’ai une terribile envie de coquelicots!)

  10. bonjour,
    super ça donne vraiment envie! ou peut on s’inscrire à ce workshop s’il vous plaît?
    merci!

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  12. Thank you for a super posting. Would love to visit some day. As a rider especially appreciated the young girl riding her horse amidst the poppies. The food all looks scruptious.

  13. Ah Bea, your photos and the foodstyling. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You leave me breathless. Actually this post gave me goosebumps. How I wish I was there part of all that magic! x

  14. Hiya Béa
    I’m relatively new to your blog, not very good and enthusiastic about cooking, but I love your photographs and the stories you convey with them, this might even inspire me to try some of your recipes 😉 Thanks so much for sharing your talents with us.
    H

  15. What a beautiful share Béa – I remember you speaking about this at our NYC workshop last weekend. I wasn’t prepared for such breathtaking photos – from landscape to food. Absolutely spectacular.

  16. Pictures are amazing. Wish I was there with you to learn and take such beautiful pictures. The nature and scenery are breathtaking. Any plans of giving a course in Montreal. I could pitch in and help. Just give me the green light. 🙂

  17. Thank you for sharing this truly wonderful set of photos. Your students look so focused. I really like seeing all the behind the scenes at practice shots of the students. And the poppies! OMGoodness are those not the colorful eyecandy flower pics I’ve ever seen! Would love to see you do a Chicago workshop in the future. Always a joy to see a new post pop up from you, Bea. Have a great wkend.

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  19. My friend sent me the link to your page. I’m enchanted. It’s all too beautiful. Thank you for sharing your many gifts.

  20. I am green with envy! Wish I’d be able to attend one of your future workshops! So many beautiful foods also – wild asparagus, cherries, wild strawberries, radishes…absolutely fantastic! Glad to hear the workshop was a success despite the weather.

  21. ♥ Mais que c’est beau !
    Quel appareil photo utilisez-vous pour obtenir de si belles photos ?

  22. What a dream…this post captures every hope of an aspiring food photographer!! Lovely spread Bea, congratulations on what I’m sure (and know from experience) was a perfectly inspiring and educational workshop!

  23. Ciao Bea. Ti contatto per un progetto in Italia. Ti scrivo meglio una mail se mi mandi l’indirizzo
    carpi.meris@libero.it
    Grazie

    Hello Bea. You contact for a project in Italy. I write better if I send an e-mail address
    carpi.meris @ libero.it
    thanks

  24. Si lo llego a saber.. VENGO!!!
    Tan cerca que me queda… y con las ganas que tengo de aprender!!!
    No hablo el francés pero soy capaz de entenderlo medianamente bien…
    Espero la proxima vez enterarme con tiempo ; )

  25. What an amazing holiday. I usually go cycling(this year Burgundy) but I’m thinking about doing one of these courses next year. My only thought is that there seems to be wine missing!

    Very inspiring.

  26. You look like it was the happiest of times… Fantastic photographs… and those poppies… sublime… Much better than those near me this year… xv

  27. These images are breathtaking! I closed my eyes for a minute and pretended that I was in France, taking the class too. 🙂

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  29. Thank you so much everyone! I hope I’ll be having many more in the future.

  30. J’adore votre blog et vos photos! J’ai achete votre livre.C’est formidable! Salutation!

  31. Stunning images, tantalising food, this has really inspired me to join your next workshop. I’m a big fan of your fabulous work. J’adore your acrylic colourful vintage style cutlery that you use, love to know their make and where to order from? I’m in London UK. Merci

    Xe

  32. Awesome pictures! Makes me wish I were there….perhaps next time! Jilly

  33. Awesome photos…wish I had been there…perhaps next workshop! JillyQ

  34. I can’t even begin to say how beautiful and stunning these photographs are! Food styling is definitely an art, and you are by far one of my favorites! I’m working on improving my skills, because food is honestly such a beautiful thing 😉

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  36. Félicitations Béatrice…vous avez une sensibilité très spéciale…si jamais vous faites un atelier comme celle ci en Espagne je pourrais m´offrire pour vous aider gratuitement,j´ai étudié Beaux Arts…Comme j´aimerais faire un atélier de photographie comme le vôtre!!!
    Merci beaucoup de partager vos photos aves nous!!!

  37. Dear Bea. I am amazed with your talent of presenting this beautiful world on pictures. I am a polish girl who studied for a few months in Toulouse and travelled all the Languedoc-Rousillion. I was there when you made this workshop and wanted to join you sooooo much but for now it is simply too expensive for me. Hope to join you some day! 🙂

  38. Hi
    Our names are Ana and Gaby and we are from Mallorca (Spain) .We have been reading your posts for a couple of months now. We,ve just received your book and are getting more and more inspired to cook. Gaby, my husband is an amateur photographer and we both share a passion for cooking. We have a long way to go. We would love to attend any events you get to organize in Europe. That work shop must have been an amazing experience as well as the chance to shot such beautiful pictures. Let us congratulate you for your artistic yummy work. Thank you for sharing all that beauty.

  39. Hello! I am in love with your style and can’t wait to get your cookbook. But also, I am wondering when you’ll be doing another one of these workshops again?

    Thanks
    Caitlyn

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