I was interviewed the other day on the phone and the journalist asked me if I had any tips for any potential bloggers. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to make use of the medium as much as possible. The advantage for blogs unlike print mediums is that we can lavish photo after photo on our pages. And because of that food photography is really important and honing your skills with photography is really important. I won’t ever claim to be a great photographer, I think I merely do a passable job and most of my experience is learnt through trial and error. And because of that I can always learn more.
Dario Milano
When Mr NQN and I were offered places at Dario Milano’s food photography class we both jumped at it. Neither of us have taken a class in photography but we are both very keen to hone our skills in the area and we wanted to learn from a working photographer with a great portfolio. And food photography is such a specific genre of photography. After all you have to convey the subject and make it look attractive but you have to make it look edible above all else.
At his studio in Waterloo, Dario showed us all sorts of things-he has a slew of interesting props including these wooden boards that simulate tables which he had made up for him and he also told us some great places to rent props from. Most importantly he showed us how to make the most of the manual settings of the camera and photograph things with a softbox and external flash (something Mr NQN has been trying to show me what to do).
It was a four hour class with the second half of the class concentrating on food styling and he showed us interesting tips like how to make a glass of white wine using a tiny drop of yellow liquid food colouring (and here I was opening up an actual bottle of wine!). If you are interested, have a look at his site FoodPixels for the next workshop class.
The photographed, uncropped and untouched photo that I took at the class
The class inspired me to keep taking photos and experiment with things. After all I have four stunning lenses from my fantastic sponsors at Sigma that I am completely in love with and I need to utilise them to their full capability. Dario in particular loved the Sigma macro lens and says that it is one of the best and best value lenses on the market.
This omelette was the first thing I photographed after the class. I knew it was the perfect item to do-well not because it was an omelette and Dario showed us how to photograph one, but rather because it was served on a black plate which is what I often have trouble with-chocolate cakes are another item I find hard to photograph. I know that I need to keep playing with it and that is just half the fun!
Photo taken on automatic setting-the black plate throws the camera off and makes the omelette too light a shade
Photo taken on too dark a manual setting
Could use improvement but a better manual setting
Oh and the omelette? Well it’s so easy and I think the longest you’ll wait is for your pan to heat up. The enoki mushrooms give the omelette a meaty but not tough texture and the green onions and oyster sauce and sesame round out the flavour. It is for those nights where you want a nutritious, healthy meal but don’t have the time nor inclination to order takeaway or slave over the stove.
So tell me Dear Reader, what sort of photography interests you? Food? Fashion? Nature?
5 Minute Enoki Mushroom & Onion Omelette
Serves 2
- 1 tablepoon oil for frying
- 5 free range eggs
- 200g packet of enoki mushrooms
- 1/3 cup chopped scallions/green spring onion/shallots
- A little chilli (optional)
- Oyster sauce and sesame oil to drizzle over at end
1. Heat your pan on a medium heat. Whisk eggs in a bowl and cut the bottoms off the enoki mushrooms and then cut the rest of the enoki mushrooms into inch long pieces. Heat some oil in the pan and add the eggs and then sprinkle over the enoki mushrooms distributing them evenly. Then scatter over some of the sliced green onions on top, add lid on top and cook until cooked-you can flip this over carefully to cook the other side too.
2. Scatter some finely sliced chilli (large red ones are less hot), drizzle with some oyster sauce and sesame oil as well as extra green onions. I added some coriander just because I had some.
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63 Comments | Add your own
A lovely omelet! That class must have been really enjoyable.
Cheers,
Rosa
The class would have been so much fun! I would love to attend a food photography class. I assume his next class in February of max 8 people will be sold out very soon;)
I am not a good photographer but I am definately improving. 1. I now have a camera that actually takes photos – this was a major step in becoming better!
2. I can use the manual settings on the camera MOST of the time yet sometimes still get too confused.
3. I found a way of getting natural light into my house which involves tying back what seems like 20kg of curtain!
Dario has a nice blog on his website with some tips. Yay!
Thank you for sharing Lorraine.
Hi Lorraine, the latest trend in food styling is to use the real thing therefore using real wine is the way to go. At our studio we always use the real thing (plus we can drink it afterward!). The omelet looks delicious, I love mushrooms.
Oh I would love to do a photography course. I just bought myself a new camera and can not work it, sometimes the photos look fab sometimes not so much. Thanks for sharing the different photo’s with diff settings it is so interesting.
Enoki mushrooms are my favourite. And that food photography class looks great. I also need to learn how to use my camera properly – just been a bit lazy to do so =P have a great weekend x
Food, glorious food. Lucky you, I’d love to learn how to take beautiful photos. Totally the one area I let myself down. A lot goes into that perfect shot huh?
Food photography all the way. & travel in general
I adore enoki mushrooms, omelettes are such a fav way to eat them.
Heidi xo
Very interesting class to attend. I would prefer to photograph a real glass of wine so I can drink it afterwards.
I’ll happily bypass any fashion photography for a good foodie shot. Dripping syrup over a pile of pancakes- gorgeous.
I’ve done a Dario class- that was fun!
I have been meaning to take one of Dario’s classes for a while now. I have such a great camera but I only manage to use the very basis features. Every workshop of Dario’s seems to be on a bad day for me. Really need to do one in the New Year! Looks like you enjoyed it.
I like all sorts of photography but my favourite would probably have to be fashion.
Thank you for this post! There are some great tips in here. I am going to do some practicing this weekend. Your omlet looks lovely, I love enokis
Food photography is a subject quite close to my heart at the moment. I have a DSLR which has been on the Auto setting since I bought it a year ago, so I’m currently working on getting used to the Manual setting – an interesting challenge.
Oh, and your omelette looks lovely!
Can’t wait to check this course out Lorraine – and your omelette looks so yummy too
The photos look fab! I think I should consider a food photography course next year. The omelette looks great too, I love enoki mushrooms
I think Asian inspired omlettes are the tastiest kind, so much more appealing than say, ham and cheese.
I am besotted with food photography and could spend hours looking at it. I have never had a good enough camera (or skills) to do it. It sounds like my idea of the perfect job though.
Yum, adore enoki mushrooms! Feels like there’s an endless amount to learn in photography…!
Thank you for this article Lorraine, it’s been a pleasure to have you and Mr NQN in my class; I look forward to see you guys again
D.
looks delicious i had no idea u could get enoki mushrooms in a packet
I am a shocking photographer. Might have something to do with only having the camera in my phone.
Heh.
Now I want an omelette.
Love this recipe and can’t wait to try it out. Really need to get myself on a photography course as well as do some new recipes for my blog so that I can take pictures as I cook as opposed to just typing up my favourites in the middle of the night while feeding babies etc. keep it coming
TTFN
Mr Bunny Chow
I tend to prefer situations that are real rather than staged, fake tables wtf? I know the photos look great but don’t really serve as a record of what occurred or the true occasion but I guess most food photogoraphy these days is all about the styling!
Love omelette!! Looks yum.
Oh I have been following Dario for a while on Twitter. I love his work and def want to do one of his classes. Thats the one thing thats missing from my work, good photography. Your photos look fab
that one on the board is perfect! 
I love simple recipes and I think I’ll give this omlette a try. I love learning about photography & how to use my camera. I think I’ll check out the class you attended.
I would love love love to do a food photography course. I have a whole book that I stick cut outs of food photos to inspire my own photos. Does that make me strange?
LOVE food photography, photographing foods many a way,
How certain colours, textures, work (or not lol) on the day!
While the “real” food prepared may look GREAT and appeal,
I always look through the lens of a camera with a unique eye and feel!
Yes please re the omelette! Have a craving now
Love the enoki mushrooms, but can’t find them here in San Miguel even though there are mushroom farms near me.
I love photography in general and even had my own darkroom years and years ago. Sadly, most of my blog photos are of food I make in class when I have no time to set it up or fiddle with it. Passable, but could be so much better. Would love to do a food photography course. Love the white wine trick, but I think I’d just rather open a bottle and call it a day! Nice post.
Oh how I’d love to take a class on photography! I desperately need to, too. Your photos are always spectacular, though, Lorraine. Clearly there’s always something new to learn though!
I’m torn – when does it stop becoming food photography and starts becoming something else? The photos themselves are good, but they are a product of so much manipulation.
Enoki is something that I never see before, I think we don’t have it in my country.
Oh…I wish to lear how to take photos, of course about food, I’m not good on it, ok, I make my best effort and I think I’m doing better than when I started with my blog.
From: Nydia
To: Santa
Please, for this Christmas I want photography classes.
What a very interesting blog! I lack enough knowledge to utilize a camera well manually, but would love to learn. Fave subjects: nature and animals, I would have said, until I got onto facebook and saw some of the fantastic and appetizing results achieved with food photography
! Love the two photos of truss tomatoes at the beginning of today’s send 
!
Absolutely fascinating. Food photography is of course at the forefront of my mind. I must say that I have never attempted to take a photo that is super styled. When I’m cooking for my blog, I’m usually cooking for my family and people are desperate to eat quickly so I usually just put the plate near a window, get nice and close to obscure the clutter on my countertop and shoot away. I’d love to do more styling one day.
Love this post because I’ve been thinking about taking classes to improve on my photography skills.
I love taking photos of people especially babies
Interesting piece, thank you. Love omelettes!
I, too, usually open up an actual bottle of wine when I need some in a glass as a photo prop! Well, not that I don’t relish having a sip, but now I know a great trick to use instead, thanks to you.
I like the sound of your Asian-inspired omelette! The photos taken at that class look amazing… I’d love to take better pictures for my blog, definitely.
Omelettes ae the best! You can just throw in whatever you have around:) Your photo from the class is stunning, Lorraine!
Definately photos of food – was that a trick question?! It’s funny that food stylists fake some of the foods… I heard that mashed potato is often used in place of ice-cream!
I figure you take good photos of the things you are passionate about. For me the farm and flowers. I’m strictly an autofocus girl. I’d love to know more, I guess it’s just time and effort…
I love photographing flowers in nature. But I can be sure as soon as I am about to click a breeze comes up and waves the branches/flowers !
Lorraine; since I ‘discovered’ your blog over a year ago I have always used your photos as ‘computer background’. Now, your truss tomato ones of today are not ‘officially’ on your ‘wallpaper’ list, but the one of the two small bunches translates like a dream onto my computer page! As there may be others in the same situation, is it OK to use it as such? Plenty of other selections, should this not be OK? love . . .
Perfect comfort food for me, especially with the drizzle on top, yumm…
Thanks for the tips, all are richly appreciated!
Photography is not my strength, I want to learn so much more- but I have figured out I can turn off the auto flash
I love all photography, but food photography is particularly tasty. One thing I learned at the recent nuffnang blogopolous is that a good iphone photographer should be able to take decent enough photos to use on their blog. One of their tips? Photograph food from above. It seems to work for me!
Delicious Omelette!!!!
OH I am too looking for some really good food photography class, I sure it must have been lot of fun…
B/W I like the idea of making wine… Neat.
I always think your photos are wonderful – I know we can all improve but I love your backgrounds and use of props – I would love to improve my photos if only I had some more space in my home and more time in my life – sigh – it is often photography on the run, when I am hungry and shooing away curious little hands!
Great photos, as always Ms NQN. I love your photos and have as long as I have been following your blog. My thing is non-captive wildlife, specifically birds, reptiles and insects, when I’m not baking and photographing my baked goods that is!
I like Dario’s work and you were lucky to be at his workshop.
That trick with food colour is something I use because we don’t use alcohol.
A very interesting post. I found myself really looking at the studio photos and your comparisons to learn something new. I love food photography and am very slowly trying to learn a little about it. Chocolate cakes are a nightmare!
Love, love ,love Enoki mushrooms , what a quick meal to be had when in a hurry.
In my younger years, I took a photography course because I had bought myself a Nikon camera and it really came into effect once I had babies, I have taken gorgeous pics of both my daughters in their growing years. Then my enthusiasm waned and I sold the camera as it was too bulky and at parties I was always ‘behind’ the lense and never quite enjoying myself. Needless to say, pictures that I take now with my digital camera and iPhone are good but don’t quite come up to par with my ex-SLR Nikon ! Would love to have it back now to frame some Food Porn !
I could only wish to have your photography skills. One day…
I’d love to take better food photos; I’m still bumbling through with my point-and-shoot.
I really need to get better at my photography.
I think your photos are positively swoon-worthy. Sounds like a fantastic class…
I love reading your blog post and I read this yesterday in the car and now I read it again. It’s wonderful that you took the workshop. I wish (and should) take one to improve my photography and understand the concept. I use manual all the time but half of the time I don’t know if I’m using it right… my husband too try to explain to me, but most of technical words came in from right ear and leave from left instantly. I’ve been using a lot of black dishes and I have problem with reflection. Very difficult to photograph! Oh by the way, I made this omelette for lunch and it was delish!
I love the idea of having wooden boards to simulate tables! So clever.
I’m very guilty of STILL using auto on my camera, but your 3 different shots showing auto and manual has made me want to kick my butt into gear and learn manual
I love portrait & landscape photography, particularly urban landscapes. I’m very much a beginner though.
I never really know how to make a decent omelette but this one looks simple & delicious
I would love to do a food photography and styling class. Naturally I love this style of photography but I also enjoy landscape and portrait.
Basically I love creating images
lucky you to have such a maser class
Sounds like a great class. The difference in the photos is striking. I would definitely love to have taken that class. The omelet looks delicious. xoxo Mum
I really need to work on my photography which is utterly pathetic and I’d jump at a chance to attend a class (okay, I run Plate to Page workshops but do I attend the photo sessions? Ummm…) And love the omelet. And yes you are a wonderful photographer…
What are you talking about “merely passable job” for your food photography? You take great photos! Of course, we need constant improving, but that applies to ALL of us, even pro photographers!
Huh…black plates or backgrounds are my photography foes! Argh! I would have loved to take that photography class! How exciting! I particularly enjoy food and travel photography
I made this last night for the boyf and he loved it!! super yum and super easy!! LOVE IT!
I would disagree that you are only an average photographer. I greatly enjoy your photos and as someone who’s viewed many photos and many blogs, I can tell you that you are well above average. Glad you found the course helpful, my wife is currently doing a photography course and has just purchased a DSLR camera since she’s been keen on photography for many years. She’s also a vegetarian so I’ll have to give this omelette a go as I know it would impress her greatly.
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