Photo by Liz Crowe
Talk about a whirlwind trip. With so much good food, inspiring information, and of course, lovely people, all crammed into the space of a long weekend, it was stimulation overload for an introvert like myself. It may take me twice as long to fully recover, easing back into the normal routine, but that disruption was more than worth making time for, to say the least.
Until I can gather my thoughts on Portland at large and the amazing eateries I managed to visit, I wanted to share some details from my workshop on food styling. Thank you so much to everyone who made it into the room! I’m sad to have suggested a cap on attendance, having heard so many people were turned away, but that’s one mistake I won’t make again. In case you missed out or managed to sneak in but couldn’t get a handout, here’s the list of the tools that go into my kit. Print at will and use it well!
It was a bit crazed, compressing so much information into just 45 minutes, although I did go over a bit (Sorry, Isa!) which is why I’m very grateful that Liz managed to get a nice shot of my fully styled Pad Thai. To recap, a few of the tips that went into converting that mountain of noodles from sad leftovers into the above blog-worthy plate are as follows…
- Put dots of sauce on the plate (or pour a bit into a small, separate dipping bowl for a less fancy presentation) if you’d like it to really stand out from the dish. Apply this with an eyedropper for better control.
- Deconstruct your dish and pick out the key elements. I really homed in on the baked tofu cubes here, since that seemed like the most interesting ingredient in the mixture. As you build the plate, strategically weave them back in so that they’re front and center, without looking as if you specifically placed them there.
- Dab soy sauce onto foods with a paintbrush (never used on paint) for a darker golden-brown hue.
- Toss noodles with oil so that they glisten and pick up eye-catching highlights.
- Add color- Reach for bold, contrasting colors to brighten up a drab dish. Fresh herbs and vegetables are always a good route to go down. (I used scallions, purple cabbage, and microgreens in this case.) Make sure it makes sense, too! Don’t just add ingredients for the sake of design, if they have discordant flavors with your dish.
- To make a citrus zest spiral, pare away a long, thin strip of zest from any citrus and trim the sides so that they’re even. Wrap the strip around a plastic straw in a spiral, securing the top and bottom each with a straight pin. Let it sit in the freezer for at least 15 minutes and then use it quickly! It will uncoil as it thaws. Since I didn’t have a freezer handy here, I simply went with a little lime twist on the side. For that, cut a thin round out of the widest part of the lime (or any citrus) and then cut a slit at the bottom, between two segments, stopping at the center. Twist the cut edges in opposite directions and set it on the plate.
- Remember, food styling is about controlled chaos. When adding cashew halves on top, I let them fall where they may to keep it looking realistic. Make a plate look too perfect and it won’t have the same appetite appeal.
- Add the most perishable ingredients last. That meant the microgreens here, which I did add one by one for equal distribution.
- On that note, be patient! Build each plate carefully and deliberately.
Thank you to everyone who saw it happen in person! I couldn’t have hoped for a more gracious, engaged audience. It was your feedback that has encouraged me to seek out future demo opportunities in the future, so you certainly haven’t seen the last of me yet.
I loved your class, Hannah, and learned so much. If anything, I’m inspired to take my food photography to the next level…hoping for less blobs of tired-looking food and looking for vibrant, inviting images. We’ll see, ha ha. You did a fantastic job with the class!
Thank you so much, Carrie! It was really wonderful to meet you, and I’m so happy you made it to that class. If you ever have any styling questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. :)
This Pad Thai looks so flavorful. I’m hungry :-)
You are such a gem for sharing these pointers with we who couldn’t get to the session. Also, you’re a genius. Miss you already. xo
this looks incredible, and it’s funny how dots of sauce can make something look elegant :) i always wish i had more time to work on styling… often i’m crunched for time and try to get a quick decent shot.
Hannah,
Do you have any other classes/workshops coming up? I would love to attend one!
Nothing planned just yet, but now that I see there’s interest in it and the first one went so well, I’ll definitely work on creating more classes in the near future. I’ll be sure to post about the next opportunity to sign up! :)
I’m pretty much kicking myself for having decided not to go this year. :(
You’ll just have to go to the next one! I know I’m signing up as soon as the details are announced…
You are such a food styling whiz! This looks amazing. I so want to take a class from you!
Love the little snippet we got here! You take the best shots!!
Loved the class so much! Thanks for the tips. I still can’t believe how great you managed to make takeaway Pad Thai look!
I’m so happy that you made it to the workshop enjoyed it! I really appreciate your feedback, it gives me some hope that I could do another class like this in the future. :)
Looks amazing, Hannah! Wish I could have been there.
janet
A class! Ooo I wish you were in my area! I would’ve loved to join a class like that! Thanks for the tips you posted though :) I’ll be sure to use them!
I am so proud of you (and my plate!) <3
i would have hugged you so tight if i was there. hopefully we will be able to make it next year. Such simple ideas to make everything look so elegant and professional!<3
Looks awesome and now I am hungry :P Good job!
This looks delectable!
Nice Hannah…thanks for sharing the bullets of the class, I really enjoyed reading them.
Hope you are having a great week :)
I bet your class was awesome! Love the finished styled plate :)
Let’s do it in CT!
I’d love to! Just gotta figure out the time and place now. ;)
Would have liked to go for the session you had and also meet you in person.
What great tips! Love how that plate looks! You are a genius! That pad thai looks absolutely gorgeous and I feel like digging into it.
You expert, you. :D Sounds like you had an amazing, memorable weekend. Love the styling tips, too! It’s all about controlling chaos sometimes. Delicious, delicious chaos.. !
[…] When reviewing a recipe, put a twist on it to show it’s adaptability. This came from the incredibly talented Hannah Kaminsky from Bittersweet who I also got to meet! I didn’t get to see her first talk on food photography, but she put a recap on her blog. […]
Oh how I wished I had made it to your talk, so thank you for sharing your secrets! I am so happy that I got a chance to meet you (and your mom :-) !) at the conference. I’m looking forward to the next one already.
Wish I could have been there to see that – awesome job! :-)
Oh me too! You’ll just have to sign up for the next Vida Vegan… Pretty please? :)
[…] Hannah Kaminsky’s class on Food Styling, was definitely on my list of must-sees; if you have never been to her site, Bitter Sweet Blog, you must! She has beautiful photos and imaginative recipes and her writing is a great read. We had a printout on each of our seats, once we entered the room, which had a list of items for a styling kit, plus some miscellaneous supplies. I felt pretty good about having 99% of the items on the list! Overall, her class was very informative and great for people wanting to know more about Food Styling. She even did a hands-on demo with a very brown-looking vegan Pad Thai, and turned it into a gorgeous and appetizing dish. She has some cliff notes of her class on her site! […]
Your food styling is really quite outstanding! I started a vegan lifestyle blog a few months ago, and recipes are certainly a part of it. I’ve been hesitant to post my recipes, however; because my food photos don’t do my dishes justice. I just bought an expensive Canon camera and took a two-hour food photography class. This helped, but I’ve still got so much to learn! Thank you for posting these wonderful food styling tips. I hope to get to Vida Vegan next year, so maybe I’ll get to meet you in person then. And I hear you about being overwhelmed by conferences like that. I’m an introvert too, and crowded events like that are a challenge for me. Your books look wonderful too! Celeste :)
Your workshop sounds really fun and informative, and thank you for sharing your tips on here for those of us who weren’t able to attend it in person! That’s an impressive list of tools – some of them I would never have associated with food styling, but I can see how they would be helpful. I like how the drops of sauce instantly make the meal feel more fancy :)
[…] written Hannah to thank her for posting a recap of the food styling presentation she gave at Vida Vegan Con. She wrote back and told me that for the first year of her blog, her […]
[…] a unappetizing looking pad thai in a carton into a beautiful plate of food. Fortunately she posted highlights of her session. Hannah was so nice and she brought her mom along to the […]
I loved your workshop Hannah! It really was the perfect start to the conference and I will definitely be tryin’ to use your mad styling skills soon!
[…] When reviewing a recipe, put a twist on it to show it’s adaptability. This came from the incredibly talented Hannah Kaminsky from Bittersweet who I also got to meet! I didn’t get to see her first talk on food styling, but she put a recap on her blog. […]
[…] Vida Vida Vegan, Bittersweet Blog […]
[…] session led by Hannah Kaminsky, who discussed the basic principles of food styling, and watched her turn an ugly takeout box of pad thai into a beautifully styled work of art. Food styling is a pretty solitary experience, so seeing someone else’s techniques in action […]