The address said, “The Summer House Studio, Jaynagar”. The sign on the building announced, “The good folk company.” We had arrived. After weeks of planning and re-organising schedules, I was looking forward to my first food photography workshop.
This wasn’t just any food-styling workshop. I had signed up especially because I found an emotional connect with fellow blogger, Madhuri Agarwal. Her food pictures did not just make you hungry; they also offered little insights into her life. The photographs spoke of togetherness, sharing, zest for life, and an impossible-to-ignore appreciation for food. I had stumbled upon her blog, MAD About Kitchen, accidentally and been hooked. I had just decided that I had to meet the woman behind the camera, an advertisement for a food-styling workshop popped up on my Facebook newsfeed.
We were a group of 15 individuals from diverse backgrounds. I was both surprised and delighted to have two other Coimbatoreans with me. As we introduced ourselves, the room resonated with laughter and wit. Radhika, a home baker from Singapore, was in Bengaluru for her mother’s 80th birthday. She had decided to bring her along so that she could spend the day with her doing something she loved. Many loud birthday wishes followed setting the mood for the rest of the day!
A slideshow of Madhuri’s favourite food shots were projected, as she described the difference in each shot in terms of layout and style. I knew I was in the right place when she said that she wasn’t very technical and never used artificial lighting, filters or fake food. We were shown how the same ingredients could be showcased in different settings without altering its inherent deliciousness.
The huge table was loaded with a variety of fresh produce, milk, eggs, breads, spices and lots more. The “props”, as we like to call it, were mostly pieces of cutlery and crockery lovingly collected over the years. There were some brass utensils, which had obviously been inherited. Regular packing boxes, plywood, driftwood from a hill station holiday, marble and stone in assorted colours and textures — each hand painted by Madhuri — offered a fantastic base on which the food could be displayed.
While we were settling on our individual choices Madhuri added the most important detail. Photography skills could be taught but the styling had to come from the heart. “Do what makes you happy,” she said. Hot cups of strong coffee were downed and it was time to put theory to practice. What a time we had. We stood, crouched, bent over, squinted and lay down in our efforts to get the perfect shot. No one thought about crumpled clothes or hungry stomachs, as we worked well past the lunch hour. Rekha finally got us to put down our equipment and have a bite. Between mouthfuls of delicious corn-and-lettuce sandwiches and chickpea salsa, we plied Madhuri with questions.
She gave all the participants the same attention, whether they used a DSLR or a phone camera. That sort of took away the intimidation of not being technically sound. Amateurs shared the space with a few professionals. That allowed us to relax and not feel the need to compete but also helped form a bond without any awkwardness about age or gender.
Once the raw ingredients were shot, we had to use our new skills on cooked food. With many of us being passionate foodies, it was a good thing that we had already eaten lunch. The green pesto begged to be licked off the spoon. After having tossed the spaghetti, I had to will myself to wash the bits of white feta off my fingers. I had to fight the temptation to pop ripe cherry tomatoes and pine nuts into my mouth and don’t get me started on the plump red strawberries. This food-styling workshop certainly fed my hungry soul.
