More photos of Spare Room
I dropped by the studio today to take a few more snaps of the space. We have been getting quite a few inquiries about rentals, so I wanted to make sure there were enough photos to really show what the place looks like.
While I was down there, I decided to take a test shot to get a feel for the light. I was so excited after seeing Lara’s donut shots, I had to try something myself. Plus, my first official food shoot was cancelled this past week due to illness, so I have been itching to get started on some fun projects!
We had some eggs in the fridge, plus a whole bunch of surfaces and backgrounds I bought last week at various salvage spots in the city, (which reminds me, if you haven’t been to The ReStore or Earthwise Architectural Salvage, then you are missing out. They are SO GREAT!)
I took a few minutes and just played. Not surprisingly, the light is incredible and shooting is a dream. I can’t wait to do more!!
Test Shooting
I’m having a private class here tomorrow (the winner of my Menu For Hope package!) and since I hadn’t actually cooked or shot here yet, I thought I’d better do a little testing to make sure I have everything we’ll need and that our old clunker of a stove works well enough to heat a pot of oil (can’t wait till we get to replace that.)
As it turns out, the burners, at least, work just fine, and heated the oil pretty quickly and consistently. Good thing since on this particular batch of doughnuts, I had to wing most of the measurements… I brought my kitchen scale in, but forgot a few basics like measuring spoons or cups, spatulas and whisks. These doughnuts needed all the help they could get. They weren’t the prettiest I’ve ever made, but they still were pretty tasty.
The light in here is like room temperature butter… silky smooth. A girl could get used to this.
Almost There
So, there are still lots of odds and ends to do to get the studio perfect (I expect there always will be!), but today we sat on our new studio couch, toasted to the space and kind of sat in awe at how much we’ve done in the past couple of weeks. It still hasn’t even been a month since this whole idea was just a glimmer, and we are basically a few electrical outlet faceplates away!
I should start out with a little hint of how geeky I’ve been with this whole remodel. I was so excited about it, I was up to something crazy like 2am doing “Photoshop Makeovers.” Here’s what I had envisioned (left is before, right is my mockup):
And, here’s the reality:
And here’s a quick look at the fantastic sitting area that Clare put together:
Thanks everyone for your support along the way! We can’t wait to start shooting in this space!
Upcoming Food Styling & Photography Workshops
I’m happy to announce the first of what I hope becomes many food styling and photography workshops that I’ll be teaching in Spare Room! The classes are small, so if you are interested, you’ll want to get your tickets soon before they fill up!
You can purchase tickets on Brown Paper Tickets: Sorry! All of these classes are now sold out. If you’d like to be added to the waiting list, please email me and let me know which dates.
Natural Food Styling & Photography
This 1/2 day Natural Food Styling & Photography Workshop is for anyone interested in learning the basics of food styling and photography for editorial purposes. We will focus on simple plating and propping of food for the most appealing photos without resorting to tricks that render the food inedible. We will also cover creative lighting techniques using natural light. Students should have a working knowledge of their camera setting. This class is limited to 6 people.
Cost: $99 (plus ticket fees)
April 17, 12:30pm to 4:30pm
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/104299
Natural Food Styling & Photography
This 1/2 day Natural Food Styling & Photography Workshop is for anyone interested in learning the basics of food styling and photography for editorial purposes. We will focus on simple plating and propping of food for the most appealing photos without resorting to tricks that render the food inedible. We will also cover creative lighting techniques using natural light. Students should have a working knowledge of their camera setting. This class is limited to 6 people.
Cost: $99 (plus ticket fees)
April 28, 12:30pm to 4:30pm
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/104302
Low Light Food Photography
This evening photography workshop is for anyone interested in learning how to deal with low light situations when photographing food. We will focus primarily on using off camera speedlights to replicate a natural, daylight look for food, but also cover a few tricks for getting the best results from alternative light sources such as candle light. Students should have a working knowledge of their camera setting. This class is limited to 6 people.
Cost: $99 (plus ticket fees)
May 3, 5pm to 9pm
Things are coming along!
Yesterday was spent scrubbing, sanding and painting, while my husband installed beadboard to one of the kitchen walls. Shelving will be installed on top of the beadboard.
My great friend, Tracy, lent a hand painting and lining drawers and cabinets with contact paper.
We’ll have more progress to show soon!
Barn Chic
Love, love, love this kitchen:
And I’m wracking my brain to figure out how to get a sliding barn door into the studio somehow:
From Design Sponge, Sneak Peek: fitzhugh & lyndsay of the brooklyn home co.
Kitchen Island
Picked up this Stenstrop kitchen island from IKEA this week for the studio kitchen, along with a few other pieces:
Hours of allen wrenches are ahead of us…
Lovely Chair
Look at this lovely chair that Clare found for our studio! I can’t wait till we get them in!
From Cost Plus
Kitchen Inspiration
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about kitchens, as we need to remodel the kitchen in the studio.
I love the livable, open feel of these kitchen makeovers:
From Sunset magazine: Kitchen 1, Kitchen 2, Kitchen 3
And, speaking of inspiration, I love what they are doing in DC at The Hive!