I am absolutely thrilled to announce the dates for six food photography and styling workshops just before Cook Republic’s 10th anniversary in 2015. These workshops have been months in the making, trying to get some amazing talent on board and preparing the venue, props and course structure. The tickets went on sale two days ago and have had a number of people book their spots already. I am thrilled with the response as these are intimate workshops for small groups and places are filling up fast. We (my fellow hosts and me) have some amazing days planned for you that cover a wide range of creative channels like food photography, food styling, food writing, cookbook creation, market excursion, cooking demonstration, film making and a whole world of inspiration that will enrich your knowledge bank and free your mind to a new way of seeing things. The courses are open to everyone from the novice to the expert. The workshops, most of them heavily hands-on practice based start in mid March and continue on until June 2015 after which a new set of workshops and special events will be announced. These are fun, convenient, half-day workshops in Sydney so go on and grab your spots. Email me (sneh[dot]roy[at]cookrepublic[dot]com) with any queries.
FOOD WRITING + FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY/STYLING WITH KATRINA MEYNINK & SNEH ROY (SYDNEY) – 20 MARCH, 2015
A super creative and engaging food writing, food photography and styling workshop. 60% Practical and 40% Theory. Challenge your inner foodie by learning to write for a blog, a newspaper or a magazine. Learn to create fresh new content. Hands on writing and photography practice for different styles and medium whether it is a blog or print publication. Explore the art of travel food writing, food reviews and shooting accordingly. Learn to style food with props to create an atmospheric story of travel and culture.
Date – 20 March, 2015 (Friday)
Time – 10:30am-3:30pm
Venue – The Cook Republic HQ in Hornsby Heights, NSW 2077 (Address emailed once booking confirmed)
Who – Brimming with ideas and inspiration, this creative half day workshop in Sydney will be taught by Katrina Meynink and Sneh Roy.
What
– What exactly is food writing.
– The key differences between blogging and commercial work and what to look out for.
– Styles of food writing and finding your voice.
– Developing and refining your pitch.
– Tips and tricks for improving your food writing.
– Food Photography styles to suit different styles of writing.
– Shooting for a blog and publication. Challenges and demands of editorial food photography.
– Spot briefs and exercises to create food stories and shoot them with the use of props, people and surrounds.
Food – A lovely morning tea will get you started as you eat, shoot and acquaint yourselves over cups of tea and baked goodies. You will also be able to sit down to a delicious lunch with Katrina and Sneh and discuss all things related to food writing, editorial writing, food photography, styling or anything under the sun. Nourishing juices and smoothies from Pressed Juices will keep you fuelled through the day.
Requirements – Workshop is open to everyone from the amateur writer and camera novice to the expert. Please bring your DSLRs, favourite lens and smartphones. You may bring your tablets or laptops for note-taking if you prefer.
Book Here >>
100% HANDS ON FUN FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY & STYLING WORKSHOP WITH SNEH ROY (SYDNEY) – 27 MARCH 2015
100% Hands On (Messy!) Fun Food Photography & Styling + Creating Scenes & Visual Storytelling With People Food & Props.
Date – 27 March, 2015 (Friday)
Time – 10:30am-3:30pm
Venue – The Cook Republic HQ in Hornsby Heights, NSW 2077 (Address emailed once booking confirmed)
Who – Brimming with ideas and inspiration, this creative half day workshop in Sydney will be taught by Sneh Roy.
What – A 100% Hands On class where we will learn the fine nuances of making food look good by having fun and experiencing a whole new style of food photography and styling. There won’t be any complicated boring theory or technical terms in this class, instead we will learn by interactivity, engaging all our senses and getting our hands truly dirty. We will learn to master our DSLRs and shoot in true manual mode. We will also shoot on our smartphones and use them to assist our cameras.
We will learn to shoot in small spaces, with and without tripods, using and maximising what we have around us in our homes. We will shoot in natural light and explore dark dramatic and moody food photography as well as fresh crisp and light styling. You will have access to several tables laid out with props, heaps of photography surfaces and a delicious array of food to play with and experiment.
We will learn the art of creating scenes to tell a story, produce content out of thin air and tackle the issues faced with shooting solo. We will turn the camera on ourselves and explore the art of framing and photographing ourselves as we cook and produce beautiful process shots using our hands and torsos. We will explore the art of directing other people in our food shots and learn to style tables, gatherings and people in food portraits.
We will indulge in fun fake photography briefs, spot exercises and visual training to explore our cameras, lenses, lighting, framing, composition, vignettes, textures, perspective and mood.
During photography and styling demonstrations, heaps of really fun insider secrets and tricks will be shared to make your photos and styling stand out.
Food – A lovely morning tea will get you started as you eat, shoot and acquaint yourselves over cups of tea and baked goodies. You will also be able to sit down to a delicious lunch with Sneh and discuss all things related to blogging, food, photography, styling or Downton Abbey if you prefer. Nourishing juices and smoothies from Pressed Juices will keep you fuelled through the day.
Requirements – Workshop is open to everyone from the camera novice to the expert. Please bring your DSLRs, favourite lens and smartphones.
Book Here >>
PEOPLE AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH LUISA BRIMBLE (SYDNEY) – APRIL 24, 2015
A 90% practical and 10% theory workshop that will explore people and food photography.
Date – 24 April, 2015 (Friday)
Time – 10:30am-3:30pm
Venue – The Cook Republic HQ in Hornsby Heights, NSW 2077 (Address emailed once booking confirmed)
Who – Photography workshop taught by Luisa Brimble.
What – The workshop will be 90% shooting demonstration where you will shoot scenes with food, people and gathering. 10% of the workshop will be theory which will include composition, lighting and planning your own photo shoots. Your storytelling will range from singularity and taste to gatherings and feasting. You will be able to apply what you learn in incorporating human elements in your images.
You will learn about the elements involved when planning your own editorial photo shoot. You will also learn to create content for online and print editorial.
During demonstration Luisa will go through the thought process in the act of taking the frame from composition to lighting and the type of lens she uses to achieve the images she needs for the story.
Food – You will enjoy shooting and sampling the delightful morning tea prepared by Sneh Roy. Sneh will also be cooking a delicious long table lunch that you will all share over questions and laughs. Nourishing juices and smoothies by Pressed Juices will keep you fuelled through the day.
Requirements – Workshop is open to everyone from the camera novice to the expert. Please bring your DSLRs and favourite lens.
Book Here >>
HOW TO PITCH, WRITE, SHOOT & PUBLISH A COOKBOOK – KATRINA MEYNINK & SNEH ROY (SYDNEY) – 15 MAY, 20
A super creative and informative food writing, food photography and styling workshop that will take you through the entire process of creating a beautiful cookbook and getting it published. 60% Practical and 40% Theory. Starting with brainstorming and researching a viable topic for the cookbook, to pitching to publishing houses, using book agents, writing the manuscript, exploring writing styles, styling and photographing your own cookbook, recipe writing, recipe testing, self publishing or publishing via a publisher. The whole nine yards!
Date – 15 May, 2015 (Friday)
Time – 10:30am-3:30pm
Venue – The Cook Republic HQ in Hornsby Heights, NSW 2077 (Address emailed once booking confirmed)
Who – Brimming with ideas and inspiration, this creative half day workshop in Sydney will be taught by Katrina Meynink and Sneh Roy.
What – In this relaxed interactive workshop, you will learn the art and process of creating a beautiful cookbook for publishing. You will learn the process of pitching a book idea to a publisher (with and without an agent), creating a proposal, writing a manuscript, creating recipes that adhere to standards, recipe testing and writing and cookbook design.
You will also learn hands on the art of styling and photographing a cookbook, creating a visual story that flows seamlessly through a 300 page book with the help of props, surfaces, textures, light and food. You will learn the difference between shooting food for a cookbook and shooting food for a blog or magazine. You will learn about taking shots worthy of a book cover.
You will also learn about the ins and outs of getting a book published, the demands of self publishing and the challenges of dealing with a publisher.
Food – A lovely morning tea will get you started as you eat, shoot and acquaint yourselves over cups of tea and baked goodies. You will also be able to sit down to a delicious lunch with Katrina and Sneh and discuss all things related to food writing, editorial writing, food photography, styling or anything under the sun. Nourishing juices and smoothies from Pressed Juices will keep you fuelled through the day.
Requirements – Workshop is open to everyone from the amateur writer and camera novice to the expert. Please bring your DSLRs, favourite lens and smartphones. You may bring your tablets or laptops for note-taking if you prefer.
Book Here >>
MARKET TO TABLE COOKING EXCURSION & FOOD VIDEO WORKSHOP WITH HAYDEN QUINN (SYDNEY) – 28 MAY, 2015
A day of sourcing fresh produce from the farmer’s markets with Hayden Quinn and his filmmaker Sam Evans followed by communal cooking of an impromptu beautiful autumn feast and sharing it across a long table table. Accompanied with brief segments and demonstrations on styling an autumn table, taking beautiful still shots of produce, cooking process and final dishes and shooting food videos.
Date – 28 May, 2015 (Thursday)
Time – 10:00am- 3:30pm
Venue – The Cook Republic HQ in Hornsby Heights, NSW 2077 (Address emailed once booking confirmed). Excursion to Hornsby Farmer’s Markets (transport provided and included).
Who – Food adventurer, cookbook author, ex-Masterchef contestant and celebrity chef Hayden Quinn will charm your mittens off with his enthusiasm and passion for good food when he helps you pick the freshest autumn produce at a local market which you will bring back and cook along with him and your host Sneh Roy (food photographer, cookbook author and blogger at Cook Republic). Hayden’s filmmaker Sam Evans will be at hand to show you the process of making a food video following our adventure from the market to a generous long table lunch.
What – An intimate sensory workshop that will start with a quick delicious morning tea and getting acquainted with Sneh Roy, Hayden Quinn and Sam Evans (your hosts). You will then go on a brief local market excursion to source some delightful autumn produce while Sam shoots the little trip on film. You will return back to the workshop venue and get your hands dirty cooking and shooting an impromptu feast that you help come up with. Hayden will lead you through the cooking while Sam shoots a food video of the process and Sneh guides you through styling the cooking process, setting up a generous feasting table, photographing the chef and shooting the final finished dishes.
Over a leisurely long lunch you will have the opportunity to ask questions or just have a good old chat!
Food – A lovely morning tea will get you started over introductions. You will help cook an autumn feast that you source and that you will share across a long table. Nourishing juices and smoothies from Pressed Juices will keep you going through out the day.
Requirements – Workshop is open to everyone from the camera novice to the expert. Please bring your DSLRs, favourite lens and smartphones. Aprons will be provided.
Book Here >>
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY/STYLING – A STUDY IN LIGHT SHADOWS & TEXTURES WITH BILLY LAW (SYDNEY) – 12 JUN 2015
A hand-on practical food photography and styling workshop with food and travel blogger, cookbook author, food photographer extraordinaire and ex-Masterchef contestant Billy Law.
Date – 12 June, 2015 (Friday)
Time – 10:30am-3:30pm
Venue – The Cook Republic HQ in Hornsby Heights, NSW 2077 (Address emailed once booking confirmed)
Who – The inspirational food photography and styling workshop will be taught by Billy Law.
What – In this workshop we will study the importance of light and shadows in food photography and how we can bring the most out of it. We will talk about white balance, how light and shades changes the genres in food photography, different shooting techniques in different lighting conditions. We will have hands-on practice using natural and also studio lighting. We will also explore post processing in Lightroom with a brief demonstration.
Food – A lovely morning tea will get you started as you eat, shoot and acquaint yourselves over cups of tea and baked goodies. You will also be able to sit down to a delicious lunch with Billy prepared by Sneh and discuss all things related to blogging, food photography, styling and travel photography. Nourishing juices and smoothies from Pressed Juices will keep you fuelled through the day.
Requirements – Workshop is open to everyone from the camera novice to the expert. Please bring your DSLRs and favourite lens. Mirrorless cameras welcome.
Optional – Please bring your laptops (preferably with Lightroom installed) for a spot of post processing.
Book Here >>
About the hosts
Sneh Roy is an award winning food and lifestyle photographer, stylist, recipe developer, designer and creator of the highly popular blog – Cook Republic. Sneh is also the author of the Tasty Express cookbook published by Random House on 2014. She is ELLE Australia’s ex-food columnist. Her work has been published and featured in many leading publications throughout the world and she has worked with many leading brands including Feast, ELLE Australia, Taste Magazine, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, The Simple Things, Campbell’s, Vitamix, I Quit Sugar, Coles, Lavazza, Nespresso, Inside Out, Ford and Huffington Post. When she is not shooting and styling for apps and cookbooks, you can find her at a local market sourcing for unusual ingredients or creating handmade ceramics at a studio nearby. Sneh lives in Sydney with her husband, two boys and an odd assortment of furry feathery creatures.
Katrina Meynink is a freelance food writer and author. She regularly contributes to national and international food magazines and writes weekly for Fairfax’ Daily Life. Katrina has published two books, most recently Bistronomy: French Food Unbound with Murdoch Books and her first book, Kitchen Coquette (Allen & Unwin), was awarded Best First Cookbook 2011 (Australia) at the Gourmand World Food Cookbook Awards. Katrina has a Masters in Gastronomy through Le Cordon Bleu and the University of Adelaide, an Advanced Diploma in Taste through Hautes Etudes du Gout, Paris, as well as qualifications in business journalism; and culinary training through Le Cordon Bleu. She has received numerous scholarships from the James Beard Gastronomy Foundation and the Culinary Trust, USA. Most recently, Katrina was awarded the Julia Child Grant via the Culinary Trust, USA. www.thelittlecrumb.com.au
Luisa Brimble is a Sydney Food & Lifestyle Photographer and Founder & Creative Director of Alphabet Family Journal. Her gorgeous photography has been featured in Kinfolk, Frankie, Cereal, The Simple Things, Broadsheet and The Design Files. She shot the Arthur Street Kitchen Community Cookbook published by Pan McMillan, Australia and takes great pride in capturing the essence of small businesses with honest and heartfelt photography. She has recently shot two cookbooks for publishing houses in Australia and is found globe trotting and conducting food photography workshops. She has an innate fondness for flowers and is a great collaborator of people. www.luisabrimble.com
Operating under the mantra “live life, eat well, travel far” has worked a charm for Hayden Quinn. After capturing everyone’s attention on the 2011 series of MasterChef Australia, Hayden has taken great strides in developing his personal brand by doing what he loves most – cooking and sharing good food. While he has been juggling projects like his down-to-earth “Dish It Up” cookbook, two eBooks and the innovative“UNREFINED” and “Baking with Nutorious” YouTube series of visual food adventures, Hayden has also somehow found the time to pop back into the world of television with The Dinner Project in Australia (LifeStyle FOOD) and Hayden Quinn South Africa (SABC3) for some on-screen action. The qualified Marine Biologist and former Cleo Bachelor of the Year hasn’t forgotten his roots – after holding an enviable day job as a Professional Lifeguard for nine years, Hayden still hits the surf whenever he gets the chance. Naming his mum as the source of his love of cooking, he also squeezes in plenty of quality time at home in Sydney when he’s not roaming the globe in search of his next epicurean exploit. www.haydenquinn.com.au
Sam Evans is a freelance Filmmaker based on the northern beaches of Sydney. He works on all aspects of production from early stages of pre production and concept development, to capturing photo and video content and then postproduction, editing and doing all VFX in house. Sam Evans Interview
Billy Law is one of Australia’s top food and travel bloggers. A Table For Two (www.atablefortwo.com.au), features some of the best eats from Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to whet your appetite. Billy is always on the move, with his camera, travelling to different countries, exploring cultures, submerging himself in the sights and sounds of the culinary world. His passion for cooking led him to Masterchef series 3 in 2011 ultimately hitting the top 7. Since leaving the competition, Billy has submerged himself in the food industry. His approachable demeanour and his cheeky personality make him a joy to work with. Billy has been working closely with clients like Coles, Nespresso, Hunter Valley Tourism, Tasmania Tourism, Ocean Spray, Mirvac, Malaysia Kitchen, AirAsia, Qantas, Breville, Home & Décor Malaysia Magazine and a whole lot more. Billy published his debut cookbook, “Have You Eaten?” in 2012 and he has just released his second cookbook “Man Food” in August 2014. Billy is also a food/travel writer for Expedia Travel.