Food Styling & Photography Workshop with Beth Kirby (of Local Milk) & Signe Bay - Copenhagen
"I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression"
~ Maya Angelou
Food Styling & Photography Workshop with Beth Kirby (of Local Milk) & Signe Bay - Copenhagen
I left Gothenburg at five thirty in the morning and drove south towards Skåne. The sun was already up thanks to the Swedish midnight sun which made getting up at such an unsocial hour somewhat easier. I sped along the highway passing several large wind turbines and lush, green farmland. Once I arrived in Helsingborg, I boarded the ferry which would take me (and my trusty little rental car) on a short crossing over the Öresund Strait to Helsingor, Denmark.
I arrived at Signe Bay's studio just before ten in the morning and settled in for a day of food styling, photography and inspiration. The studio space was beautiful - the pastel decor and natural light gave it a warm, cozy feel. There were so many beautiful props strewn throughout the room - copper pots, fresh flowers, ripe red strawberries, lovely pieces of pottery, well-loved wooden cutting boards, and charming porcelain plates. We sat down to a breakfast of coffee, Danish cheese, blueberries, butter and crusty sourdough bread as Beth informally began the workshop. Throughout the day, we learned how to style a food photography shoot (which takes a lot more practice than one might think), how to shoot on manual using natural light, and how to edit our photos in Lightroom. And, for the piece de resistance, Beth made us the most fabulous lunch with garden fresh peas and pretty pink radishes served on a bed of what tasted like fromage fraiche, sprinkled with her signature spice mixture (which from what I can recall, was a blend of toasted quinoa, fennel and sesame seeds). Simple, but so good.
I drove home later that evening full of inspiration and a renewed sense of community, energy and creativity. I felt so lucky to have been able to spend the day with such cool, kind, and very talented individuals. Signe was warm, welcoming and super chic! She is a creative force to be reckoned with and her work is stunning. Beth was charming, personable, smart and very authentic (it was hard not to love her!). If you ever have the chance to attend one of Beth Kirby's (Local Milk) workshops, by all means, go!
