a month of blogging

Happy (almost) New Year!!!

I have to admit, I am really REALLY happy to see 2015 come to an end. It has been quite a (harrowing) ride. Amidst the broken and sprained foot, 2 wrist surgeries, never-ending cold viruses, keeping up with a very active toddler and working, I really didn't get around to blogging all that much.
So, to make up for it, I will be blogging every day in January! For real! With photos!!
Cross my heart-- I will not let you down.

Please stay tuned and check back in each and every day next month.

And, CHEERS TO A JOYFUL, HEALTHY AND INSPIRING 2016!!!!

fine art for sale...just in time for the holidays!

Hello friends!

I have recently taken all my personal work off my website and transferred over to an external site and, guess what? It's all for sale! Even better, it's priced affordably, just in time for the holidays.

All the photos are printed on canvas and ready to hang. Go take a look!! 

food styling tip: heat guns

See those sad looking cookies in the first photo, there? That's what they looked like, straight out of the package. And then see that second photo down there? That's after using my trusty heat gun on the chocolate, (and, I won't lie, doing a little Photoshop touch up for some of the harder blemishes.)

A heat gun is an awesome food styling tool for melting butter or softening cheese on set, or for my favorite-- giving chocolate a nice shine. The trick is not over-melt things, which can happen pretty easily, so you have to be careful. Also, heat guns blow hot air, so if you have carefully placed crumbs or lighter objects in your shot, you may want to cover them while you use the heat gun or they will blow away.

Now that you have learned this little trick of the trade, I guarantee you will start noticing the melty shine on chocolate in books and magazines everywhere.
Go forth and melt! :)

 

mobile mavens

Have you heard? Seattle has some awesome new food trucks! From buttery, flaky biscuits smothered in various toppings to meatball sandwiches, Mobile Mavens has you covered. And they cater!! Who wouldn't want to rent a bar housed in an adorable vintage VW bus? Or a bike that carts around delectable frozen treats? I'm already thinking up excuses to rent one of these babies for my next party.

place pigalle

A few images from a recent shoot at one of Seattle's little gems, Place Pigalle, located in the Pike Place Market. 

 

food photography tip: plates

Have you ever looked at a food photographer's prop collection? Have you noticed the size of the majority of their plates? In most cases, there are a whole lot of salad and dessert plates. You know why? Because smaller food tends to photograph better.

So size down those plates!!

food styling tip: cool whip

I am going to be starting a few new repeating topics on this blog, offering easy tips about food styling and food photography every now and then.

So, here's the first official tip about food styling, (which, by the way, I only know because of my kick-ass food stylist, Julie):

You want to create that perfect-looking dollop of whipped cream? Use Cool Whip. Mind you, I would never actually EAT fake whipped topping, but it works wonders in food photography. It moves beautifully and holds it's shape much better than actual whipped cream.

:)

march of dimes

I was recently hired by The March of Dimes for a shoot to promote the various food events they do to raise money throughout the year. They wanted a selection of small bites, along with an ingredient shot showcasing the foods that contain folic acid, since it was The March of Dimes that has actively promoted the link between taking folic acid during pregnancy and helping to prevent birth defects. Pretty awesome, huh?

It was an honor to work for these folks!

2015 farm to table workshop!!

Since I have posted about this beloved workshop several times now, you already know that it holds a special place in my heart.

Well, this year, we are doing things a bit differently.

In past years, this multiple-day workshop has involved all the students staying in one house together. Honestly, that's always been one of my favorite aspects of the experience, because it really ends up feeling more like a retreat than just a workshop. However, it's also a very expensive workshop to teach, which makes it cost-prohibitive for a lot of people who would like to attend. And, while I will definitely go that route again in the future, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately and thought I'd revise the plan for this year.

So, here are the details:

When: September 17, 2015- September 20, 2015

What: This is a workshop for people who are passionate about food, photography and documenting where your food comes from. Over the course of 3+ days, students will visit and photography Jubilee Biodynamic Farm, Red Feather Farm and one of Seattle's awesome farmers markets. They will also learn natural light food photography and styling, play with Clare's huge prop collection and take a whole lot of photographs.

Proposed Schedule: 

Thursday, 9/17- Meet and greet at Clare's studio in Seattle, overview of workshop and discussion

Friday, 9/18- Students will meet at Clare's studio and travel together to Jubilee Farm and Red Feather Farm in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley. Transportation provided.

Saturday, 9/19- Workshop instruction covering natural light food photography and styling at Clare's studio. Lunch provided.

Sunday, 9/20- Farmers market visit*, and then downloading of images at Clare's studio, followed by group critique and closing reception.

(*farmers market visit may happen Saturday instead.)

Cost: $1050
This includes all workshop instruction, meet and greet reception on Thursday evening, snacks and beverages throughout weekend transportation to farms on Friday, lunch on Saturday and Sunday and wine and nibbles during final critique on Sunday evening.

Students must bring a DSLR and a laptop or tablet.

To register: Go HERE

nate's wings and waffles

Food stylist extraordinaire, Julie Hopper, and I recently completed a very cool shoot with Nate's Wings and Waffles.

Located in Rainier Beach, but soon adding a second location near Seattle University, Nate's is comfort food at it's finest. Julie and I loved glam'ing up waffles, chicken wings, mac and cheese, sliders and fries for this shoot. So much fun!

 

snaps from a recent cookbook shoot

A few months back, I had the pleasure of shooting a cookbook for a local company. The book focused on employee's favorite family recipes that ranged from simple comfort food to fancy and traditional holiday fare.

I worked with a couple different food stylists on this project: Julie Hopper and Patty Wittmann, who were awesome, as usual.
Due to the huge volume of recipes to be shot, my husband, Joe, and I did the food styling on about 30 recipes. This was a first for me and SO fun. That being said, I'm not giving up my food stylists any time soon! It's a ton of work!!