the 2016 farm to table workshop...in leavenworth!

I've said it before and I'll say it again-- this is, hands down, my favorite workshop to teach. It combines some of my favorite things; telling a story though photographs, good food and great people.

I'm thrilled to annouce that we're changing things up a bit this year, and taking the workshop to Leavenworth, Washington! Students will stay at the amazing Sleeping Lady Resort where, in their off time, they will be free to take advantage of the Sleeping Lady's day spa, dry sauna, fitness room or spend some time outside, renting a bike or strolling through the resort's organic gardens. The group will enjoy all their breakfasts and dinners at the Sleeping Lady's award-winning Kingfisher Restaurant and Wine Bar.

The workshop begins on Thursday, September 15th in the late afternoon. We will spend a little time getting to know one another, and then will have our first lecture/pdf, covering how to tell a story through images, (which we will be doing the next day!) Afterwards, there will be some time to get settled in our rooms and then dinner. PLEASE NOTE THAT ROOMS ARE SHARED.

On Friday, we will visit and document Oh Yeah Farms, a sustainable, organic vegetable and grain farm. We will also visit and photograph a second farm, (still TBD.) Much the day will be spent taking photos, but there will also be free time before we meet again for dinner.

Saturday will be all about food photography! Students will see how the food they documented on the farm the day before gets used in a restaurant setting. I am so happy to be collaborating with Colin Patterson from the former Sutra restaurant in Seattle at his new restaurant in Leavenworth, Mana. Students will practice their food photography on location at Mana, as well as documenting Colin in the kitchen. Afterwards, we will enjoy a delicious lunch together.

Saturday afternoon will be spent working independently on post production, before we gather again for a group critique and dinner.

The workshop ends on Sunday morning at 10am.

To register: go HERE

workshop recap: farm to table 2014

I am embarrassingly late writing this recap. I blame the baby. He is a thief of time and sleep. At least the cuteness saves him.

The 2014 farm to table workshop was held in early October on Whidbey Island. As with past workshops, I totally scored with my students. They were truly awesome! It was such a fun, easy-going group.

This year, students visited and photographed one of my favorite Whidbey farms, Willowood Farm, and we added a new farm to the workshop: the gorgeous Glendale Shepherd. You can see some Willowood photos below. Unfortunately, I was unable to shoot Glendale Shepherd on this particular trip, but you can check out the photos from my previous visit. It's truly one of the most spectacular pieces of property I have ever seen.

 

The entire group (13 students plus me, my brother who cooked for everyone and my husband and mother who took care of our baby) stayed at the lovely Quintessa.

I have had the pleasure of staying at The Quintessa twice before-- once to celebrate my ten-year wedding anniversary, and once earlier this year. Both times were SO MUCH FUN. The property is beautiful, the house has 9 (NINE!) bedrooms plus a guesthouse, and the owners, Tessa and Carrie, are truly two of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet. It's a perfect spot to rent for large family gatherings, workshops or small events. It's also located on the southern part of the island, which is my favorite area-- near Langley, great beaches and the ferry dock.

My students did an amazing job with both the farm documentary and the food photography. It's always inspiring to see the creativity that emerges over the few days together. Each person's perspective is so unique!

This is truly my favorite workshop to teach. Stay tuned for info about the next one in 2015!

{farm story} glendale shepherd

I recently got the opportunity to visit Glendale Shepherd, a small dairy on Whidbey Island, specializing in delicious sheep's milk cheese.

I'm having a hard time coming up with words to describe the beauty of this farm. The property, which has been in the Swanson family for 3 generations, is magical. Gorgeous, tall pine trees cover the grounds, with a winding pathway that leads down to the lower pasture and waterfront. There are numerous buildings on the property-- a tall, fort-like house that the family built themselves, a wood shop, a metal shop, a cheese-making facility, a greenhouse with a root cellar, a sewing room, and various barns. There are ample spaces for creativity, in addition to areas for practical work.

In short, I want to live there. :)

little brown farm- a sneak peek

Joe and I spent a really great weekend on Whidbey. The past few days were filled with photo shoots, antique shopping, wine tasting, beach walks, and a lot of doggie play time.

While over there, one of my missions was to pay a visit to Little Brown Farm, one of the places participating in my Farm to Table workshop in May, (the other one participating is Willowood, a great organic vegetable farm on the island.) Little Brown produces a wide range of goat cheeses, goat yogurt, and a limited selection of goat milk caramels, toffee, and cajeta.

It's currently "mud season"on the farm, but during the workshop it will be a bit greener, drier (hopefully), and will have a whole group of little baby goats, in addition to a bunch of mama goats, bucks, dogs, cats, and a llama. The cute animals and the lush, beautiful 5 acres of farmland make for some awesome photo opps.