MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STORY TELLING RETREAT, FINLAND WITH VIOLA MINERVA VIRTAMO
Want to learn how to create food photographs and videos full of story and emotion?
Eager to escape to The Finnish countryside and immerse yourself in a rich and nourishing creative experience with like-minded foodies and photographers?
Ready to style gatherings and build your portfolio with food, travel, lifestyle and landscape shots?
Then listen up because this special 3-day retreat may be just what you’re after…
Together with experienced and incredibly talented food photographer, cookbook author and videographer Viola Virtamo I will be hosting a 3-day retreat in Southern Finland, surrounded by beautiful secluded woodlands, stunning waterfronts and quaint historic villages. This is a learning experience like no other, bringing together heart-felt creatives who want to delve deep into food photography, videography and food styling, make the most of the gorgeous crisp Scandinavian light and develop an eye for lifestyle and landscape photography. This is a small group retreat where you’ll receive tons of support, guidance and encouragement to explore the edges of your creativity and visual story telling. We are keeping the workshop small and intimate to allow you to draw on our knowledge and experience. Want to find out more? Then please read on...
MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY RETREAT SCHEDULE
SESSION 1 - MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STORY TELLING RETREAT
When: Tuesday, June 6th
Schedule: Arrival and welcome drinks
You are invited to arrive from 2pm onwards to settle into your accommodation. From there, we look forward to meeting you at 7pm on Wednesday, June 6th for introductions, drinks and lots of chatter about food and photography.
Where: Southern Finland, approximately 1.5 hours from Helsinki (please get in touch for location details)
SESSION 2 - MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STORY TELLING RETREAT
When: Wednesday, June 7th, 10am - 5pm
Schedule: Following breakfast, you will be collected from your accommodation and taken to Viola’s countryside cottage where the teaching sessions will take place. In the morning we will style and photograph sweet foods with lots of hands on practice.
We will break for a light vegetarian lunch.
In the afternoon we will venture into the surrounding woods and develop our eye for outdoor and lifestyle photography and video creation.
Thereafter, you will be taken back to your accommodation.
Where: Southern Finland, approximately 1.5 hours from Helsinki (please get in touch for exact location)
SESSION 3 - MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STORY TELLING RETREAT
When: Thursday, June 8th, 10am - 9pm
Schedule: Following breakfast, you will be collected from your accommodation and taken to Viola’s countryside cottage. In the morning we will style and photograph savoury foods with lots of hands on practice and space to explore composition, natural lighting and visual story telling.
We will break for a light vegetarian lunch.
In the afternoon we will venture into one of the local historical villages for sight-seeing and the opportunity to explore the art of travel photography and videography and enjoy strolling through cobble stoned streets.
Thereafter, everyone will be given time to unwind before we get back together for a joint evening meal.
Where: Southern Finland, approximately 1.5 hours from Helsinki (please get in touch for location details)
SESSION 4 - MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STORY TELLING RETREAT
When: Friday, June 9th, 10am - 2pm
Schedule: Following breakfast, you will be collected from your accommodation and taken to Viola’s countryside cottage. In the morning we will explore editing our videos in Premier Pro before completing the teaching session with a photoshoot in the garden.
We will break for our farewell vegetarian lunch after which you will be taken back to your accommodation as the retreat concludes.
Where: Southern Finland, approximately 1.5 hours from Helsinki (please get in touch for location details)
FINLAND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY RETREAT FAQS
WHAT ABOUT TRAVEL, IS IT INCLUDED?
You will need to arrange your own transport to and from the retreat location on Tuesday, June 6th/Friday June 9h respectively. We will arrange transport to and from your accommodation to the teaching venue for the duration of the retreat and this is included in your retreat package.
IS ACCOMMODATION INCLUDED?
Included in the retreat experience are 3 nights (Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night) shared accommodation with single bedrooms or shared bedrooms all with shared bathroom facilities in a beautiful AirBnB lake-side cottage in Southern Finland.
ARE MEALS INCLUDED?
All your breakfasts, lunches and snacks throughout the day are included. The retreat also includes welcome drinks (Tuesday evening) and one joint evening meal (Thursday).
WHERE IS THE RETREAT LOCATED?
Please complete the contact form below for exact location details, travel instructions and more.
DO YOU CATER FOR SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS/VEGAN DIETS/PALEO ETC.?
The food provided during the retreat will be vegetarian. If you have any dietary restrictions, allergies etc., please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs further.
WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
Due to the logistics of this retreat, we do not offer refunds. Hence, we recommend you make sure the workshop dates fit into your schedule and advise you book travel insurance too.
IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR BEGINNERS OR ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHERS?
This retreat is geared towards more advanced food photographers, food content creators and food bloggers. Nonetheless, we are keeping this retreat small and intimate with a 4/1 student to teacher ratio so that everyone’s learning needs can be attended to. As this retreat is designed for more seasoned creatives you need to own a DSLR or mirrorless camera with video recording functions and be confident shooting in manual mode to get the most out of this experience. You do not need to be experienced in video creation though as this will be taught from filming to editing, during the retreat.
If you’re not sure whether this retreat is for you, please contact us. We'd be happy to answer any queries you might have.
DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
We sure do. Please complete the contact form below and we’ll send that through as quickly as we can.
MIDSUMMER FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STORY TELLING RETREAT, FINLAND
From £2197 - shared accommodation (Early bird offer, valid until 01/04/23)
Please complete the contact form below if you wish to receive further information or want to book your spot.
WHO ARE YOUR TEACHERS?
Kimberly Espinel - I’m an award winning food photographer, stylist, blogger and educator, having taught 1000s of students from around the world food photography and styling. I run a successful food photography business and I’d love to teach you all I know. I adore playing with light and shadow, creating dark and moody as well as light and bright shots. I’m known for my playful approach to colour theory and composition and supporting students in reaching their creative potential.
Viola Minerva Virtamo - Viola is a Finnish lifestyle photographer and videographer. In addition, she works as a graphic designer, director and food stylist and has written 6 books of her own. Viola is very passionated about telling visual stories through her work and finding inspiration from in light and nature. Running both a lifestyle publishing house and her own one-woman business, she believes passion, creativity and curiosity for learning are the key elements of a successful business and happy life.
NEED MORE CONVINCING?
Check out last season’s Finland food photography and videography retreat here.
You can find Viola on instagram here and on her blog here.
Please complete the form below if you have any questions (please double check there are no typos in your e-mail address ;)), want to get the full schedule or wish to book yourself a spot. I can't wait to hear from you.