Food bloggers who want to take their photography to the next level should seriously consider taking the Pinch of Yum Food Photography Workshop in Minneapolis.
At the end of last month, I was able to travel to Minneapolis for the Pinch of Yum Food Photography Workshop put on by Pinch of Yum’s Lindsey Olstrom. These workshops are so popular that they sell out rather quickly. I was lucky and snagged a ticket to the last summer workshop.
Whenever I travel for a specific purpose, I always add on a day or so for sightseeing and eating all the foods. This trip was no exception. I’ll share everything I ate and did in an upcoming post. But for now, let’s talk about all the feels I had for the Pinch of Yum Food Photography Workshop.
Pinch of Yum Food Photography Workshop
I put a lot of expectations onto this workshop and I did not leave disappointed.
At the beginning of the workshop, Lindsey had us write down our three goals in attending and I was able to check off all three of my goals: 1) leaving auto mode and shooting in manual mode; 2) help with lighting; 3) styling styling, styling. Score!
This two day Pinch of Yum Food Photography Workshop was held at their amazing, amazing studios. The photos do not do it justice. This is the most adorable space and Joanna Gaines herself could have decorated it. There was inspiration at every turn and I just want to recreate everything in my own tiny space. I went antiquing this weekend and found a small ladder like the one pictured and had to pick it up for my napkins!
Both mornings started off with breakfast from Lindsey and the super sweet and helpful POY staff.
The banana muffins and muesli were exceptional. I’ll have my own muesli recipe coming up next.
Lunch each day was phenomenal as well. Such great places to eat in Minneapolis!
DSLR Mastery
I’ve taken a photography class before but when I left it I went right back to auto on the camera. With Lindsey’s style of teaching, it was like a light bulb clicked and I was able to understand the functions of my camera. I used Manual for the remainder of the trip and I was able to adjust my settings for whatever elements I was in. That in itself was worth the trip.
Artificial Lighting
I like to use natural light for my photos but always plan my recipe testing and photos for when the light will work best for the photos. Now I feel I can manipulate the camera settings so I’m not so rigid in when I test cook.
Food Styling
This is the hard part for me. I usually want to just plop the food down and shoot it but that doesn’t make for the prettiest or eye-catchiest photo. But sometimes the food is all that is needed if you can take a great photo.
I also realized that the first photo I take is not the one I usually use. I have to look at something then add a little here and there. In order to be pleased with the photos, I need to take more time and thought into what I want to get out of the picture and write down my needs before I start shooting.
Photo Editing
I won’t event tell you what I use right now for my photo editing software. But now that Lindsey has shown me how easy Lightroom is to use I will definitely be using this for my editing tool. I never downloaded it before because I thought it would be too hard. It’s really not! And Food Blogger Pro has a tutorial on it so score again!
In case you couldn’t tell, I highly recommend taking the Pinch of Yum Food Photography Workshop if you have the opportunity. It is worth the price of admission. Plus you get to be with other foodies and bloggers.
A big thank you to Lindsey and her POY team for being great and gracious hosts. Thanks for the breakfast, snacks and lunch everyday. It was all amazing, amazing, amazing. And a special thank you to Lindsey for your words of encouragement as I was leaving. You are truly as wonderful in person as you are online and I wish all the best for you and Bjork!
