Saturday 8 September 2012

Food styling minus the food


Remember my mentioning a while back about the food styling and photography course? It was today.

I went to bed last night like a kid on Christmas Eve. The alarm was set to go off at 5.45am at which point I was going to leap out of bed, shower and dress, grab my camera and catch the train to Sydney.

I was going to arrive on time, shake hands with interesting people, swap stories and learn from an expert. I imagined beautiful ingredients, an array of props and the sound of everyone's camera click-clicking away.

The hours would fly by and I would be dancing around silly with someone watching over my shoulder suggesting ways to improve my exposure, pointing out the shadows dancing on the food and helping me compose the shot in such a way that a little light bounces off here and there.

I was to come back inspired, giddy with ideas for shooting the next lot of recipes I'm working on for a magazine, with lots of images to show you.

I'd feel like I had a great day out. Worth every penny. Worth the time away from my husband and children.

You know what's coming, don't you?

The alarm did go off, I did leap into the shower and I enjoyed a peaceful journey into the city. Oh, I did arrive on time and there was some shaking of hands.

The rest was very different.

I was conned. And so were the other five people there. Someone out to make a fast buck and stroke his own ego in the process.

I realised today that most of us are trying to make a worthy living out of something we love doing. Maybe from home, from a studio or from the shed out the back. That's what I did for years in the UK and what I'm trying to do here.

It is honourable thing to do. What isn't honourable is when you take someone's money and offer very little in return, which then sullies the integrity of everyone else's work. But I won't let it. 

I only took a handful of pictures. This was one of them. A food photography course, and my best shot has no food in it.

I did, however, get an awesome welcome from my three boys when I got back. And we do have some giddiness resulting from one or two glasses of red...

How do you handle disappointment? Does writing it down help you too? Wine?

7 comments:

  1. so disappointing - I can't believe that! I would love to know whether you asked where the food was! and what the response was?!

    Yes venting will help. and once that is done, just breath it out and let is move on. x

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    1. Well there was some food if you can count an orange, a couple of apples and some wrinkly old beetroots. It wasn't what I was expecting to shoot nor did it inspire me, so I just focused on the jug! I'm awaiting his response as we speak...

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  2. well that's just poop on toast. sorry you had a miserable experience, hope you get a satisfactory response! :)sarah

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  3. Wow! That's such a disappointment. If it's any consolation, the jug pic is beautifulx x

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  4. Oh Vanessa that is so disappointing. Your photo of the jug is just gorgeous. x

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  5. Such a disappointment for you. Seems like you were able to lift yourself up though. Thank goodness for family. And yes a glass of wine is good.

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  6. Im crushed for you, Vanessa. Disappointment is tough on any level, but to throw a con into the mix as well... Nothing worse.

    Perhaps you just need to learn more and start the perfect food styling / photography course yourself!! x

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