Use Your Noodles - Food Photography + Business Learning
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A closer look at the retreat location
Hey Reader, I wanted to share a bit more about why we picked Portugal for this retreat. It all started with Sophie. She lives there and knows the place and the specific location very well. It is also going to be my first time in Portugal, and I canāt be happier to have a local along the way. That kind of everyday familiarity changes everything, since you stop having to orient yourself all the time. You basically just land somewhere and start noticing and enjoying things instead of planning...
š· Portugal retreat registrations are OPEN š
Hey Reader, No more waitingā¦ we're heading to Portugal for a one-of-a-kind food photography retreat, and I'd love for you to join us. This is the only retreat where weāll combine slowing down, cooking regenerative food together, and capturing everything in beautiful photo stories. Imagine yourself spending 7 days in the scenic Portuguese countryside. 3, 2, 1ā¦ šøš
šæ Check out the retreat As food photographers, we spend so much time chasing the next thing. A better lens or a new editing trick....
One year in my studio
Hey Reader A few days ago I realized itās been one whole year since I built my studio. Which feels super strange, because I still vividly remember the chaos before I had my own creative space. Props in the bedroom, living room, under the bed, in the atticā¦. Backdrops leaning against stairway walls. I had to move everything around every single time I wanted to shoot something. Extremely annoying and tiring. Let me know if youāre in the same situationā¦ I thought building a studio would mostly...
3 creative summer exercises for photographers
Hey Reader! Itās getting warm over here, and the garden is getting lush. I am almost impatiently waiting for all the summer produce, which I photograph every year, and I find those garden photoshoots so creative, but also easy to do (since thereās no styling involved). Today, I actually want to share a few of my favorite creative exercises you can do this summer, to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. And, of course, grow! Much like the produce in the garden. So here are the...
BTS: how this āboringā setup became my favorite shot
I nearly didnāt take these photos below, because the setup felt almost too simple to be worth giving a go. Coffee has always called me from a photographic point of view (not so much the drinking part, although I do drink it sometimes). I just find it so pretty! Iāve had the same jar of coffee beans in my prop/spice collection for years, and Iāve always wanted to photograph it. So, I started shooting. I realized I just needed a type of light that would make it inviting and memorable, and I had...
The shadow mistake I correct every week
Hey Reader, Let's talk shadows and a mistake you're probably making. Almost every week during student reviews, I notice the same thing. They focus so much on light and how it should look that they completely forget about the shadows. I believe that shadows are just as vital a part of a composition as everything else. Sometimes, they are even the main character. So how do I decide what the shadows look like and where to place them? A few things: 1ļøā£ A shadow should not overlap the main...
Style isnāt found. Itās built.
Hey Reader, Have you ever felt that choosing your style is much harder than it sounds? Do you get caught in the paralysis of overthinking, what style to choose, resulting in you feeling inconsistent, or maybe even thinking that everyone else's style looks cohesive, but yours doesnāt? Well, let me be the one to tell you youāre not the only one. The problem with overthinking your style is, that as creatives we often try to find ourselves in our style. But itās not the only way to do it. I...
A look inside a private 1:1 workshop in my studio
Hey Reader, This is my first email of 2026, so happy (slightly belated) New Year š Last December was filled with private in-person workshops, so I wanted to give you a small glimpse into what it actually looks like behind the scenes. One of those workshops was with Anna, who came over from Italy for two full days of focused hands-on work. She already had a clear vision for where she wanted to go creatively as she's starting her photography business. What she needed was guidance, structure,...
Capturing Magical Lights is back āØ
Hey Reader, December is the month of lights for me. They are everywhere, and I canāt say I hate it š
Last year, when I was searching for photos to post on my social media and creating, I often saw Christmas lights, candles, sparklers, and such, which got me thinkingā¦ Why not create a guide to help everyone feel confident when photographing these types of lights? Because I wanted to see more photos like that. I wanted my feed and also my personal photo collection to be filled with warm cozy...
Feeling overwhelmed by lighting setups?
Reader I donāt know about you, but when I first switched from natural light to flash my brain almost exploded š
Everyone online shared their best softbox lighting setups. And I was sitting there like: Okayā¦ but WHY? And why does my shutter speed suddenly not matter? And why are my shadows doing whatever they want?? I honestly thought I was doing something wrong for months. But hereās the thing nobody really says out loud: Knowing lighting setups is niceā¦ but UNDERSTANDING light is what...
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