RECAP: ADVANCED FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY, VISUAL STORY TELLING & VIDEOGRAPHY RETREAT, FINLAND 2022

 
Image of a woman (torso and hands) standing beside a window holding a plate with a tall frosted cake

This past June, just as we were approaching Midsummer, I travelled to the Finnish countryside to teach at a 4-day advanced food photography, food styling, visual story telling and videography retreat alongside the mega talented, Viola Minerva Virtamo!

Viola and I had intended to host this retreat a few years back, but due to the pandemic had to postpone it; more than two years after first dreaming up the vision of what was to become this advanced food photography and videography retreat, we finally had the opportunity to bring it to life and share it with the most wonderful group of beautiful, heart felt and fabulous creatives!

In today’s blog post I’d love to share the magical experience we had this summer with you! I hope you enjoy it!

 
 
Image of a Scandinavian style wooden house in a lush green garden

Food photography retreat accommodation

Image taken through the window of a house, showing a green garden, a wooden building and a lake in the background.

Retreat accommodation: A view of the sauna and lake

 

DAY 1 - LAST MINUTE PREPARATION & A WARM WELCOME

Viola and I were both committed to making our attendees feel extra special and for us that meant kicking the retreat off with the perfect warm welcome! With that in mind, we got everything ready in the accommodation, stocking the pantry with refreshments, breakfast items and of course a personalised welcome gift courtesy of our generous retreat sponsors!

The attendees’ accommodation was situated within gorgeous woodlands surrounded by lots of green outdoor space. The property also included a beautiful sauna and access to a private tranquil lake. Many of the attendees started (or ended) their day with a dip in the lake’s fresh waters and then hopped into the sauna for relaxation afterwards. BLISS!

 
Image of a woman looking through a camera lens.

Viola in her element, just before our guests arrived

Image of some pillows on a bed, with some small gifts propped against them.

A personalised welcome gift!

 

DAY 1 - CONTINUES…

Once everyone had settled in, freshened up and unpacked, we hosted the welcome dinner, which was also a great opportunity to get out our cameras and shoot some lovely lifestyle and outdoor food shots allowing the attendees to enhance their photography portfolios with images they wouldn’t be able to capture otherwise!

What struck me that very first evening was how well the group gelled, how committed they all were to their craft and how ready they were to take their creativity to the next level. It was energising and inspiring and exactly what made the retreat so darn special!

NOTE! In June, at the height of midsummer, days in Finland are incredibly long, with the sun often not setting until 10pm and rising again at 3am! It’s why these evening shots look so light and bright!

 
 
 
Image of a woman sitting at a table in a green garden.
Image of a plate with a large piece of salmon decorated with edible flowers and dill.

Though meals were plant-forward, some non veggie options were provided.

 

DAY 2 - FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY, FOOD STYLING & VISUAL STORY TELLING

 
Image of a woman (partly visible) holding a plate with a tall frosted cake on it.

The backdrop used in this shot is by Errer Backdrops, who kindly gifted one to each attendee!

Overhead view of some frosted cookies, some sitting on the marble surface some on pretty plates.

The backdrop used in this shot is by Errer Backdrops.

 

In the morning of our second day of the retreat, I taught food styling, creating a darker, moodier scene (despite having to work with LOTS of harsh light) and building a visual story, one step at a time! We also played with shaping the light, dove deeper into composition, explored how to create a soft and organic scene, explored colour theory and so on. The aim was not ‘just’ to teach these skill sets, but also to allow the attendees to walk away with a portfolio full of lots of varied shots, starting with some delicious moody ones! Furthermore, Viola taught the foundations of videography to give students the chance to capture photos and video footage throughout our time together!

During this morning session the attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and take LOTS of photos, before creating their very own visual story outdoors where they were tasked to put the morning’s learning to the test!

Image of woman (torso and hands only) standing behind a tall frosted cake. Two more hands are reaching in from the side, to decorate the cake.
Image of woman (torso and hands only) standing behind a tall frosted cake, her hands reaching towards it.
Image of woman (torso and hands only) standing behind a tall frosted cake, her hands reaching towards the plate.

DAY 2 - CONTINUES…

 
Image of a woman in a summer dress standing under a tree holding a plate with a tall frosted cake on it.
Image of a woman in a summer dress standing at a small table in a garden, decorating a tall frosted cake.
 

The gardens provided ample opportunities for interesting shots; the focus here was to learn to a) identify a photogenic location b) work with harsh daylight and c) style and shoot stunning light and bright lifestyle and outdoor food photos, incorporating the morning’s styling and videography lessons. For me personally, I really wanted to also capture more portrait shots and had a good old play behind the camera as everyone was setting up their scene :).

Throughout this session, Viola and I provided support and guidance as well as individualised feedback to empower the attendees to problem solve what wasn’t working with their set up as well as push their creativity beyond their comfort zones!

We concluded the day with more teaching on videography before the attendees enjoyed some time in the sauna and by the lake where they had a chance to unwind and let the day’s learning sink in!

 
Image of a woman holding a camera and standing under a tree with white flowers.
Image of a flower on a tree, and a woman visible in the blurry background.
 
 
 

DAY 3 - LIFESTYLE & LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY

 
Image of two women sitting at a picnic in the woods.
 

In the morning of day 3, we story boarded a picnic scene and then ventured into the woods to capture it through video footage and still imagery. To make the most of the morning, we broke into two groups; group 1 got to hang out with Viola and film the first part of the story - the journey into the woods. Group 2 got to hang out with me and explored styling, filming and photographing the picnic scene itself. We then swapped groups so everyone had a chance to experience the full teaching session and practice being behind the camera as much as possible. Here some images of that woodland picnic scene…

Image of a woman sitting at a picnic in the woods.
Overhead image of a picnic with a cheeseboard and some pretty plates on a rug.
Image of a woman sitting at a picnic in the woods.

DAY 3 - CONTINUES…

 
Image of a lake in the woods, with a woman in the distance taking a photo.
 
Image of a woman standing next to a garden ornament.

Matildankartano, from our advanced food photography & videography retreat.

Image of a small table setting in front of a window.

Matildankartano, from our advanced food photography & videography retreat.

Image of a shop full of woven baskets and wooden items hanging from the walls and ceiling.

Exploring Mathildedal

In the afternoon we travelled to Mathildedal, a quaint little village where we grabbed lunch at the gorgeous Matildankartano - a bakery serving the most delicious home made meals - housed in a traditional Finnish Villa amidst gorgeous organic gardens. Matildankartano not only has pretty gardens and a lovely photogenic terrace, but it’s surrounded by more woodlands, traditional villas and lots of little lakes and rivers!

We invited the attendees to make the most of the scenic location, explore the area and practice their landscape photography skills in the process. Viola also kindly posed for lots of shots and we were both to hand to answer further questions. That said, for next year we’ll explore making this afternoon session a more formal teaching opportunity so as to cater both for the more advanced photographer and those who are confident with their food photography, but still need support and guidance in their landscape photography and videography!

In the evening, we all went back to the house by the lake for a farewell dinner, lots of chatter, laughter (and some tears too) plus time to create more beautiful memories together.

 
Image of a wooden jetty in a lake, with some people standing at the end of it taking photos.

On our final evening we watched the sun set over the lake together.

 

DAY 4 - LAST STYLING & VIDEOGRAPHY LESSON + A FINAL FAREWELL

 
Overhead image of a bundt cake on a table, some small plates with slices of cake placed around it.
 

Our last morning was still action packed! I taught flat lay composition and Viola dove deep into editing in Adobe Premier Pro! After a full on week, it was A LOT to take in, but I could see the attendees taking notes like crazy and already starting to plan how they’d edit the footage they’d captured during our time together.

Following a cozy lunch, there were lots of hugs, sadness, joy and of course also a few more tears. Several attendees (myself included) stayed in Helsinki for the night where they explored Finland’s capital (and took lots more photos!) before it was home time for good!

BEFORE I GO I WANT TO SAY…

…A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to our fabulous creatives who joined us from near and very far! It was an honour to teach you, to see you delve deep into your creative process and to share these precious days with you! I’m excited to watch what you’ll do with all that you’ve learned and experienced during the retreat and wish you all so much success!

Satu - Jenni - Heather - Victoria - Johanna - Alena - Viviana

I also want to give a big shout out to my ridiculously talented co-teacher Viola. When the term wunderkind was coined, I know they thought of YOU! You’re amazingly fabulous and I’m grateful to know you and even luckier to have been able to teach alongside you. Can’t wait to do it all again in 2023! (BTW, if you want to discover how Viola captured the retreat, please head to her website here.)

 
 

I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR WONDERFUL RETREAT SPONSORS

Thank you all so much for gifting us and our attendees your thoughtful goodies. Our Midsummer Finland Retreat could never have been what it was without your incredible products:


  • DREAM COZY for your gorgeous and inspiring notebooks. I use mine all the time!

  • MICHELLE CERAMICS your ceramics are so stunning, it’s unreal!

  • ERRER BACKDROPS everyone LOVED the backdrop they got to take home! Thank you!

  • NIKI NEWD for your pioneering skin care products which made our sauna experience extra special!

  • ANNO for the best hand towels. So luxurious!

  • HIP CHOCOLATE! The perfect post retreat indulgent vegan snack! delicious!

WANT TO ATTEND ONE OF MY FOOD STYLING AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS OR RETREATS?

Then please check my food photography workshop page here OR join the waiting list below to hear about our upcoming retreats first!

food photography ecourse, food photography workshop, food styling, food photography, ecourseK J Espinel