Passion Forward: Food Styling

Food styling is what I'm most passionate about.  I get to cook or bake the dish/es (if the client asked me to do so), style and shoot it for my clients, or to you who frequents this blog.  It's like putting all my interests into one.

What made me different from other food stylists in the metro?  I don't use too much ingredients (like hoarding sacks of ingredients for a couple of frames).  Food waste is a no-no for me.  So I do edible styling, which simply means, we can feast on the dish/es of the shoot.  Again, no food waste + happy tummies!  I also refrain from making the product/s too commercialized (looks fake), and I use available lighting for more personal approach towards the consumers.  It's like giving them the feel of having the dishes at the comfort of their homes.  Thus, I'm less expensive.

I don't mind working with start-up businesses, or kiosks.  Your product/s should to be the star of your business!  Rates are flexible for your kind of shoot.  I can just simply do the styling and someone you know will shoot.  Or I can prepare/cook your products and style it, or just simply stick to styling.  Your choice.  We can have a thorough discussion about the details.  All you have to do is communicate with me by sending an e-mail:  curlyscribblings[at]gmail[dot]com and we'll start from there.

P.S.  I'll be posting samples on the next few days.  It's time to hit the sack because it's two in the morning!  :)

Food Photography

Food + Photography = Love

That's how equal they are to me.  As much as I want to be a professional food photographer, I do lack skills and equipment, most specifically the camera.  Can't wait for last week of March to come so I would be able to hold onto my DSLR, a gift from my mom.  Oh dear.. Pride is kicking in.  I'm thinking of paying it in the future.

At this age, I still wasn't able to save a single penny.  Circumstances are the probable 'cause' but I can't blame those.  I had to shell out.  I had to sacrifice for so many personal reasons.  Been doing jobs that I'm not really interested at were really tiring but I had to suck it in to make ends meet, yet I'm still a laughing stock at the end of the day, most specifically my former mentors, because I wasn't able to practice the skills that I'm good at.  They just don't understand and I won't let them do so.

Now, since the food business I was trying to put up didn't come out as positive as I thought it would be, I have to find ways for me to be able to practice my culinary skills not by being a kitchen staff, but something that has to do with art like photography.  That's where my love for food photography comes in.

my first bread attempt prior to my culinary studies
Oatmeal Bread, 2007
I used Nikon digicam and shot this in available light.

I always tell myself that I don't need a great camera to be able to capture great photos.  I do know that I have the "eye" for the craft so that is what's most important, though I lack equipment and some technical photography skills.  That's why my Nikon digicam became my best friend back then, but suddenly it broke for unknown reasons in 2010 that left me using my dad's camera phone in 2011, but, unfortunately, I got mugged October last year, so I'm now relying on my Logitech HD webcam for recent product shots.  From time to time, I borrow a friend's point-and-shoot camera just to be able to capture the beauty right in front of my eyes.

Leche Flan, 2010
I named my made-to-order business as Cafe Julita, but I was told that there's Cafe JUANITA
existing in the metro so I have to put the business name down to avoid confusion.
I used Nikon digicam and shot this in available light.

Thanks to Google, I was able to come across ABeautifulMess, FoodComa, PhotoKitchen and Tartalette's blogs who still inspires me to put up my own cafe and take food photography seriously.  But inspiration isn't the only ingredient needed in this career recipe.  People who believes in me, who will work with me seriously to bump heads with, and who motivates more than words are what I need most right now.

But the question is, where do I start?  I badly wanted to be an apprentice of a food photographer even if I won't get paid for the meantime instead of enrolling on their series of workshops that I can't afford.  I'm also thinking of buying a book instead.  I saw a couple of food photography books in National Bookstore.  They are way cheaper than enrolling on workshops, though, if I enroll on one of their classes, I'd instantly create a network, thus, future food photography paid gigs.  Sigh.

Well, what I can do now is save up, buy a food photography book, study, and execute.