Playing with your food is allowed and encouraged during our hands-on workshops.  While we have some lecture, most of the workshop is about doing.  We will guide you through the process of using your camera (basic photography 101), working with natural light, angles, composition when shooting food as well as styling that mouth watering shot, and finally basic editing skills to make the photo pop.

The kids are back in the office, figuring out schedules, editing photos from past classes, looking for new instructors to add to the agendas and exploring new opportunities.  Our instructions/photographers/videographers are taking a much needed break.  I guess you could say, they are the ones playing now!  While they are having a swell time, we decided it would be a good idea to take care of a little neglected housekeeping (aka … questions we get all the time).

• When is your next class this year?  Unfortunately, we will not be offering any more group classes until 2013;  but, we can offer private hands-on instruction.  Shoot us an email and we will see what we can do for you.
• I really want to learn how to shoot food videos for my blog, will you have a class in December?  Lenny Ferreira (the other half of the Playground and our video expert) will be leading an informative session at the MIXED Conference in Virginia from November 30 – December 2, 2012.  There are a few spaces left.  The conference is geared towards food bloggers, and the agenda is packed full of informative talks.
• How can I find out about upcoming classes?  If you are interested in keeping up-to-date on our events, sign up for the newsletter and/or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.  All the options are located at the top this website, and it is better then leaving a comment on a post.  Remember, don’t be shy, we love to hear from folks.

Experience Level: None, this is a beginning workshop
Equipment: A video camera is recommended (any kind), as you will shoot and edit a short story

Agenda:

1. Getting Started with Gear
1. Camera Selection
2. Tripods
3. Lights
2. Pre-Production
1. Creating a Storyboard
2. Writing a Script
3. Production
1. Location
2. Staging
3. Framing
4. Shooting & Lighting Techniques
5. A-Roll vs. B-Roll,
6. Audio
4. Post-Production
1. Editing Tools
2. Editing Techniques
3. Title Treatments
4. Color Correction
5. Exporting
5. Publishing
1. Youtube, Vimeo, Metcafe, etc..
2. Posting to your blog
6. Dealing with Fame, Fortune, and the Paparazzi

Photo Credit:  Danielle Tsi

Here is the skinny:

Danielle Tsi will leading this hands on workshop which is all about shooting delicious food.  Danielle’s workshop has been structured with the beginning food photographer in mind.  Maybe you are exploring new career paths, or you are a food blogger struggling with adding photography to the list of must dos, or maybe you just like playing with your food;  whatever the reasoning is, this is the workshop for you.  Danielle will show you have to make your food look pretty for the camera and still be able to nosh on it afterwards.

Experience level:  Beginner
Equipment:  Digital Camera – please bring your camera and laptop as this is a hands on workshop

Objectives:

-       Understand what makes a good food photograph (light qualities, composition, bringing out the best in a dish).

-       Learn how to manage available light to achieve the effects you want.

-       Knowing the different camera angles and perspectives for photographing food.

-       How to style your food and eat it: basic styling tips for the home photo studio.

-       How to tell the story of a dish through pictures.

Agenda breakdown:

Brief overview about the creative process behind a good food photograph

Shooting exercise 1 – Working with Light, angles, composition

Shooting exercise 2 – Style It and Eat It

Class discussion and Q&A

When: September 22,  10:00 am – 4:00 pm – working lunch included

Where: West Oakland Studio, address will be sent upon payment

Tickets

In the meantime, you asked, so you shall receive.  Our food photography workshops are ever so popular and it seems that once we end one session, we get a slew of emails asking when our next one is.  Gear up, we just decided to toss in a date for early this fall.  Our next workshop will be September 22, 2012.  More details will be coming out tomorrow, so stay tuned.  IN the meantime, you can sign up for our newsletter and/or follow us on Twitter or Facebook, just look for the links at the upper right-hand corner of our site.  All are great ways to keep in the know about what is happening at the Playground.

Be sure to check out some of the fun we are having;  we just updated our Flickr page, The Playground.

Photo Credit:  Danielle Tsi

Danielle Tsi will leading this hands on workshop which is all about shooting delicious food.  Danielle’s workshop has been structured with the beginning food photographer in mind.  Maybe you are exploring new career paths, or you are a food blogger struggling with adding photography to the list of must dos, or maybe you just like playing with your food;  whatever the reasoning is, this is the workshop for you.  Danielle will show you have to make your food look pretty for the camera and still be able to nosh on it afterwards.

Experience level:  Beginner
Equipment:  Digital Camera – please bring your camera and laptop as this is a hands on workshop

Objectives:

-       Understand what makes a good food photograph (light qualities, composition, bringing out the best in a dish).

-       Learn how to manage available light to achieve the effects you want.

-       Knowing the different camera angles and perspectives for photographing food.

-       How to style your food and eat it: basic styling tips for the home photo studio.

-       How to tell the story of a dish through pictures.

Agenda breakdown:

Brief overview about the creative process behind a good food photograph

Shooting exercise 1 – Working with Light, angles, composition

Shooting exercise 2 – Style It and Eat It

Class discussion and Q&A

When: June 23, 2012,  10:00 am – 4:00 pm – working lunch included

Where: West Oakland Studio, address will be sent upon payment

Tickets

Mother’s Day is lurking around the corner, and we are wondering what you have planned to shower mom with?  Not another box of chocolate?  You, know, that is sweet and all, but she really doesn’t want that extra poundage around her hips.  What about a gift that will get her creative juices flowing?  Maybe learn something new?  What?  She loves to cook?  And she loves to take pictures?

Our beginning hands-on food photography workshops make the perfect gift for mom or any special friend for that matter.  Our workshop is a full-day of learning, as well as a little fun sprinkled in.  Your mom will leave at the end of the day with a smile on her face!

See what others have said about our hands-on workshops – you may even want to join along!

Beginning Food Photography Sessions:

May 19, 2012 - a few spaces are left.

June 23, 2012 – tickets are sale middle of May.

Interested in other workshops – check out our website.

Photo Credit:  Danielle Tsi

Danielle Tsi will leading this hands on workshop which is all about shooting delicious food.  Danielle’s workshop has been structured with the beginning/intermediate food photographer in mind.  Maybe you are exploring new career paths, or you are a food blogger struggling with adding photography to the list of must dos, or maybe you just like playing with your food;  whatever the reasoning is, this is the workshop for you. Danielle will show you have to make your food look pretty for the camera and still be able to nosh on it afterwards.

Experience level:  Beginner/Intermediate

Equipment:  Digital Camera (all are welcome) and laptop – please bring gear as this is a hands on workshop

Objectives:

• Understand what makes a good food photograph (light qualities, composition, bringing out the best in a dish)
• Learn how to manage available light to achieve the effects you want
• Knowing the different camera angles and perspectives for photographing food
• How to style your food and eat it: basic styling tips for the home photo studio
• How to tell the story of a dish through pictures

Food seems to be on everyone’s minds;  it is our number one request for workshops.  It is HOT.  Everyone wants to learn how to shoot mouth-watering foods at home using simple techniques.  We like to think of it as “playing with your food” while learning.  Our hands-on food photography/styling workshops are perfect for the food blogger who wants to make their recipes “pop”, the home chef who just enjoys taking photos of their creations, or maybe you are already a photograph and want to learn a new skill.  Whatever your motivation, this is the perfect workshop for the beginning to intermediate photographer.   You will learn the basics about food photography such as composition, lighting, propping, and food styling, while working hands-on.

Keep these dates in mind for our Spring Sessions.  We will be releasing ticket information 30 days before the venue.  If, you want a gentle remainder, sign up for our newsletter, follow us on Twitter or like us over at Facebook, all the options are listed at the top of our website.  The workshops sell out fast, so don’t want too long.

• March 24 – Food Photography & Styling Workshop  (tickets are on sale now;  few spaces left)  SOLD OUT!!  WAIT-LIST ONLY.
• May 19 – Food Photography & Styling Workshop – tickets are now on sale!!!!  (April 15, 2012)
• June 23 – Food Photgraphy & Styling Workshop

Can’t wait to have you over for a play date!

Experience level: Beginner
Equipment: Digital Camera – please bring your camera and laptop as this is a hands on workshop

Objectives:

-       Understand what makes a good food photograph (light qualities, composition, bringing out the best in a dish).

-       Learn how to manage available natural light to achieve the effects you want.

-       Knowing the different camera angles and perspectives for photographing food.

-       How to style your food and eat it: basic styling tips for the home photo studio.

-       How to tell the story of a dish through pictures.

Agenda breakdown:

Brief overview about the creative process behind a good food photograph

Shooting exercise 1 – Working with Light

Shooting exercise 2 – Style It and Eat It

Class discussion and Q&A

When: March 24,  10:00 am – 4:00 pm – working lunch included

Where:  West Oakland Space (address will be provided with confirmation)

Tickets

Minimum of 6 attendees required for this workshop.