“I cannot believe it’s s been already four years since the first Food styling and photography event,” I told Lara who was sitting next to me. We agreed. It seems like yesterday. Although we know a lot has happened between now and then. She and I were lucky to attend all three conferences organized at Boston University so far.

Last year, I was petrified to speak at the conference.

This year, Lara is presenting a session entitled “The secret behind effective photos for food blogs “. Diane and Todd are going to speak about Video and multimedia for blogging and clients. It was lovely to meet them and Penny even if it was brief.

The highlights?

Meeting old and new faces.

Being inspired by talented people like Jeff Kauck and Clare Ferguson.

Chatting with professionals that have the same passion for food styling and photography.

Enjoying shaking hands and hugging silent readers from all around the world that were oh so nice to say hello.

Merci! You really made it special for me.

Events like this one add an important human touch to a large virtual world.

The transition into beautiful Spring, with its blooming trees, happened while we were away. As we were driving back the airport, I could not help but notice pretty tiny pink and white flowers cheering up the streets. The display is the same every year, but it’s invariably as pretty. And I am always feverishly waiting for it to happen.

This week flew by and as came Saturday, I realized that I hadn’t done much beside trying to catch up. I didn’t spend much time taking pictures either, but the few I took, I wanted to share, especially because they had Lulu in middle. It was such a joy to see her run in the park. Last year, she had barely any idea that all this beauty was there.

But now she can enjoy.

In the meantime, while I get back onto my feet, I have a few pieces of information for you, if you allow.

First, I am excited to have been asked to do a photographic job for Boston Magazine. The photograph, an Egg Benedict dish shot on site in a restaurant, is printed in the April 2010 issue.



Then, I will be speaking at the Food Blogger Connect Conference in London in June of this year. Thanks so much Hilda for having extended this invitation to me. Along with Meeta and Mowie I will be talking about food photography and styling. Check more details as described by Hilda. Of course, any recommendations on what to do and see in London while I am there, please feel free to let me know. It will be the first time I take the train between Paris and London, so I am really looking forward to that too.



I’m also honored to have received the award for Best Special Interest Blog held by Saveur Magazine, in their 1st Annual Food Blog Awards. Many thanks to all of you who have voted for my blog. See the list of all the winners here. Merci !

Voilà…this is my weekend news.

And when I am back from enjoying the gorgeous weather we are having at the moment–better do it as long as it lasts–I will have more recipes. That’s coming soon!

You are not going to be mad, are you? I mean, I am not coming to talk about soup or dessert, two things I actually love to prepare. But instead, let me tell you about a special event you might like. It is still very tasty, I promise.

Do you remember two years ago, when I was lucky to attend the International Food Styling and Photography Conference in Boston? It was so much fun — creative and rich in information. I remember how shy it felt for me to be there, amongst all the professional stylists and photographers — and how I felt so glad that my friend L. attended with me! I remember keeping my eyes and ears wide open in order to grab as much information as I could.

And I did.

They had already talked about another conference back then.

“In two years,” Lisa had told me when I asked. Deep inside, I was already looking forward to 2009.

Then, of course, I was also far from imagining that 2009 would bring me two other wonderful events: a beautiful baby daughter and a cookbook deal. Needless to say that je n’ai pas le temps de m’ennuyer, as we say in French. (I do not have time to get bored!)

But here it is. Two years later, the conference is about to take place again for the second time in Boston.

Exciting!

What I was far from imagining though is that I would be speaking this time. Another new reason for me to feel shy and nervous.

Seriously!

I will be part of a general discussion:

You can find the detailed program by following this link, and if you are interested in joining, check the full details here.

Fun, non?

What happens when you put sixteen women, a few men and a Peanut dog in a photography studio in L.A. for a 3-day class? You are intrigued and curious at first when you arrive, you start the class somewhat shy, but by the end of the three days, you are feeling so at ease that you actually ask whether there is a spare bed somewhere in the studio for you to crash on. You are not too fussy, anything will do. Because you have so much fun that you wished you could stay a little longer.

This is what I was lucky to experience this past weekend in Los Angeles, when I attended a three-day food styling workshop at Food Fanatics with Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannigan. We talked and laughed — you know, the kind of laughter that really comes from down your guts — we listened to amazing food styling stories they shared with us, we dug in and styled food; in a few words, we learned a ton. I had never been in Hollywood or even L.A. before beside flying through the city a few times on my way to Australia and New Zealand, so I had everything to discover. But can you really see this massive American city in three days? So you wish again that you could have stayed somewhat longer, especially after you meet such a bunch of nice people, including wonderful Matt and Adam, who both came to visit for a few hours, and Karine from Le Carrefour, whom I knew through her lovely blog and was delighted to find at the workshop. The world is getting smaller!

Let’s start with the beginning, shall we?

I do not remember the last time I attended a class that captivated my attention as much. Our group was composed of really fabulous people. Our hosts, Denise and Cindie, are two special women who have so much energy that I seriously wonder what they eat for breakfast every morning; the students, fourteen of us coming from all parts of the world, from Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, Costa Rica, to the United States, all coming from different backgrounds, wannabe professional photographer, personal chef, caterer, graphic designer, event stylist and food bloggers; and Victor Boghossian, a talented and friendly photographer: together, we formed a happy bunch. We had come to the studio to work with Denise and Cindie with the same purpose: learn about the tricks of the trade of the food stylist profession. Amazingly interesting!

The first day was devoted to speaking about logistics. Denise started by showing us what a typical food stylist kit looks like — think one or several plumber-looking bags full of stuff, des trucs et des machins — making us realize that a food stylist really has to be a jack of all trades. Food styling is not an easy job: it requires patience, precision and focus. You are not convinved? I was when I saw Denise pull a magnifying glass out of her kit. What a clever tool to have!

Imagine hours spent to perfect that unique plate of rice or noddles that a client has asked for, making sure that not a single detail is going to be left out. Is the shape of the garnish herb on top straight? Does it look fresh enough? What about the background used against the food, does it distract the eye from focusing on the food? Balancing the picture is obviously key; using the right amount of props essential. In fact, as a general rule, making it simple can become even more challenging. “What are you trying to sell?” is the question to keep in mind while styling any food project.

We also learned about the business side of the profession, and received precious information about pricing, insurance, taxes, how to build a portfolio, how to get clients and mainly, how to keep them happy. A food stylist is going to work with a photographer to make the food look beautiful; he or she will offer suggestions according to his or her sensibility but in the end, both the art director and the client will be the ones to decide. Normal, c’est le client qui paie ! As Denise and Cindie pointed out, there are a lot of good jobs but there are also a lot of bad ones. There are those that have a very small budget, and those with bad products. Some jobs pay well while others pay little. And for some jobs, you can have a fully-equipped kitchen, when for others, there is not even a sink or a stove. In short, you as the stylist need to make sure that you receive as much information about a job from the client beforehand. C’est vital ! The more prepared you are, the better off you will be.

During the workshop, we received the opportunity to practice on building an image for our portfolio. We were divided into five groups, and each group was assigned a project to work on. Our task was to style the food we chose, and work with the photographer to produce a food image. Could you guess which one my group worked at?

“Is this the hero?” Victor asked with a cunning smile when he saw us bring the first plate to our shooting set. “No, not yet,” I responded. “We are preparing it.”

You see, every single time you prepare a dish to be shot, you are going to have one preparation dish, and a final one, called “the hero“. It has to be a winner, hasn’t it?

Shooting tethered (that is with the camera directly connected to a computer screen) is a great advantage since you receive immediate feedback because you are able to see every picture detail right away, and can decide whether you are happy with it.

We learned how to use a blow torch, how to keep herbs fresh and crisp*, how to prepare and pamper a chicken to make it camera-ready — a food stylist’s holy trinity is Pam, Kitchen Bouquet and water — or how to plate rice or noodles (wet paper towels stuck under help to give shape). Since most food shoots last for hours, the food will almost always not be consumed. Would you really want to eat lobster that has been sitting on a table for two hours under bright spot lights or eat a chicken that has been painted with Kitchen Bouquet and is hardly cooked? A food stylist will be much better off if he or she understands the mechanics about food very well. Having a culinary background helps tremendously, but is not necessarily essential.

* Put the fresh herbs in iced water, then wrap them in a wet paper towel. Place them in the fridge until ready to use.

I loved working on our project. With the help of Jaz and Karine, my two adorable teammates, we prepared the concept of our image the day before we shot with Victor. What props would we use? What spacing would we have between the food and props? Would we use one or two plates? What kind of depth of field would we want? What type of mood would we give to the picture? Answering each one of these questions helped us choose the colors, size of plate and arrangement of the photo. We wanted a minimalist, simple and clean image. Then, with the talent of Victor, the magic tricks he played with the lights and his fancy Hasselblad camera (hear, jealousy here), we produced a picture together. Et voilà !

What do you think, do you think that we managed?

Three days passed quickly and I learned plenty. I left with the memory of many faces and people that I wish to meet again. I was sad to leave them — and my friends S. and J. who had to cope with me while I stayed at their cute house — but then, I was happy too: in January there is two-day Master’s Food Styling Class. I do not know about you, but I am planning to be there!

PS: Tell me that I am not alone in this situation here, and I will feel better. When was the last time that you forgot to change back a setting on your camera until too late? Will you believe me if I tell you that I shot most of these pictures with a 1000 ISO?

Sigh…

Check Karine‘s and Sabrina‘s stories too.

On Friday morning, I woke up at 7 am, had breakfast and got dressed, ready for an exciting day. My sister-in-law lives in a condo on the 34th floor of a tall building downtown Chicago, close to Division Street. This is where I stayed for a few days this past weekend. It is quite a convenient location, I must say, offering magnificent views of the city, a lovely outdoors pool on the 8th floor where I swam every day. In truth, the whole experience seemed surreal.

“Walk to the lake, turn right and then continue on” she told me when I asked her the best way to reach Navy Pier, where the Blogher conference was held. “It is only one mile and a half.”

So I did.

It was only a few blocks before I reached the lake and when I arrived, I realized that I had forgotten how pretty it is, and how pleasant it is to walk along its white-sanded beach early in the morning. Lake Michigan is massive, like an ocean. Looking at it, you forget that you are still in a big city like Chicago. Un vrai poumon, a breath of fresh air next to miles of concrete. I really enjoy visiting this Midwest city, the “windy city” as it is referred to, perhaps also because this is the first place I lived close to when I moved to the States.

The conference is now over, and I’ve just returned to Boston. Can I really summarize the weekend?

It went fast and was full of great moments. From meeting food bloggers in person, finally being able to put a face on a name or hear a real voice instead of imagine it through words — my friend Lara of course and Elise whom I knew already and was delighted to see again, new people like Nicole, Kalyn, Alanna, Jasmine, Nupur, Catherine, Katie, Ruth, Susan, Gemma, Shuna, Claire and more names that I am sure I am forgetting — hanging out with P.’s sister whom I rarely see, to catching up with my great friend M., an old roommate from the time when she and I lived at the French House in Champaign. It was a collection of many good things.

On Sunday — the last day I had in Chicago before heading back — I had a few hours to wander around. The city’s wide streets were busy with people enjoying a gorgeously sunny day. At the beach, I caught a glimpse of people swimming, playing volley ball or running. Some were also sun-bathing. Again, I had to shake my head to really believe that this was all happening so close to downtown. I managed to steal a few snapshots here and there ( and was so bummed to have missed a lovely farmer’s market on the Saturday, just one block away from my sister-in-law’s condo. The only day I did not bring my camera with me!)

Both Lara and I were nervous before our food photography presentation. But it went well (from our point of view) and we hope, of course, that it met the attendees’ expectations. Within only one hour, there were so many things we wished we could have said and shared. There is so much to say about food styling and food photography. Hopefully, there will be other times. Thank you for attending!

While Lara discussed some technical aspects of food photography, white balance, aperture and depth of field, talking about the differences between manual and automatic focus, shooting with or without flash, and Jan gave useful Photoshop tips, I focused more on the prep steps involved before a food shoot, giving tips that I learned along about food styling. Because to me, no matter how advanced a camera is, or how technically skilled a photographer is, without a good composition, a food image can be disappointing.

How to compose an image is obviously something that varies from one person to another, according to our sensibility. We all have a different style and opinion of what looks good. For me? It is intimately tied to my strong attachment to Visual Arts. With slides supporting my presentation, I tried to give ideas on the how-to to make what I consider a well-balanced food photograph.

In my food pictures, I typically want to create a story and produce an emotion. Here are some of the things that I tried to convey and share, from my personal experience:

And so the recipe in this post will come as an example to try to explain my choices in deciding to style these savory muffins.

I discovered savory muffins while living in New Zealand, in the many cafés found everywhere in Wellington. I will always remember the first one I ate. What a great discovery it was. Since then, I have enjoyed experimenting with different flavors and ingredients.

I am suggesting here a vegetarian version using parsnip — a too often forgotten vegetable, yet so tasty — sun-dried tomatoes, chestnut flour and basil.

Easy to make, great for a party when cut in finger food bites, these muffins also accompany well any type of soups or salads, and make a treat at brunch. When I brought them as an amuse-bouche at our friend R.’s house, they did not last for a long time. I took it as a compliment.

These muffins would also have been perfect as travel food. Airport food, I have said before, is not my best friend, especially this time when, on my way to Chicago, I was stuck for a few hours at the airport after my flight had been canceled. I hope to remember next year.

The Blogher conference was great. A big thank you to all the Blogher organizers and attendees. It was an honor to attend and speak.

Technorati Tags: Food Styling, La Tartine Gourmande, Food Photography, Chicago, Blogher 2007, Savory Muffins, Nigella Seeds, Parsnip

Not much time to blog over the coming days. Bear with me. I am off tomorrow to the BlogHer conference held in Chicago where I am honored to speak about Food Photography with my talented friend Lara from Cook and Eat, and Photoshop expert Jan Kabili. We will try to explain how to make pictures like above (was quite yummy, by the way!) I am a little nervous, to tell the truth as I am not so used to speaking in conferences. Well, it is my first presentation at a conference, ah! There needs to be a first time. If you are around, make sure to come and say hello. Our session takes place on Saturday, July 28th.

A bientôt !

Technorati Tags: Food Styling, La Tartine Gourmande, Food Photography, Chicago, Blogher 2007

How lucky am I?

Not only there is an International Conference on Food Styling and Photography held this weekend in Boston, from Friday June 1st to Monday June 4th, but I will be attending this fabulous four-day event — oh, I just cannot wait! Then, I will also be able to catch up with talented Lara for a few great days of fun! She and I are planning to be at Upstairs on the Square in Havard Square for drinks (and food?) on Sunday night, June 3d at 7 pm. We have a table reserved! If you are interested in joining, let me know (leave a comment). We look forward to meeting you!

You can check out the conference agenda if you like. I will do my best to take plenty of notes. Maybe I will see some of you there?

On a similar topic, I am also happy to, once more, have recently worked with the photographer Stretch Tuemmler and his fantastic team on a photo shoot where I was hired as the food stylist! Yeah! If you want to see what we did, check Stretch’s portfolio and look for the cheese platter pictures, in the New section. It is quite interesting and different to work with a whole team, including an art director from the advertisement agency guiding us — the photographer and stylist — to meet the client’s requirements! Quite different from working on one’s personal portfolio. Finally, I also finished a few photo shoots and recipe design for new clients. Can I say it? I am really enjoying this! Bring it on and may it continue!

Technorati Tags: Food Styling, La Tartine Gourmande, Food Photography