EASY VEGAN TOFU SATAY BOWL + WHY SIMPLICITY IN FOOD IS EVERYTHING
EASY VEGAN TOFU SATAY BOWL + WHY SIMPLICITY IN FOOD IS EVERYTHING

Today I'm writing about food on instagram, why simplicity in food is everything and why I do what I do as part of my 3-day Saveur Awards countdown. However, if you're here for the delicious vegan tofu satay recipe, I don't blame you. Just scroll down to the very end to find what you're looking for ;). 

WHEN INSTAGRAM BECAME THE HOME OF FOOD PORN

When Instagram launched in October 2010 it was all about sharing instant shots of yourself in the here and now. Think polaroids for the online, digital age. Posting candid, real shots is exactly what instagram pioneers did, that is, until they didn't anymore.

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vegan recipeK J Espinel
ROASTED GRAPES WITH THYME RECIPE + THE THING ABOUT SAVEUR
ROASTED GRAPES WITH THYME RECIPE + THE THING ABOUT SAVEUR

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD START A FOOD BLOG IN 2014, 2017 OR WORST STILL 2018?

It's that very question we all ask ourselves when we sign our names on the dotted line and commit to squarespace for a 12 month period. Why do we ask ourselves this question? Because the odds are stacked against us. The chances of anyone seeing anything we produce on our food blog are pretty low and the chances of 'making it' as a food blogger even slimmer.

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food photography, vegan recipe, creativity, food bloggingK J Espinel
TOFU AVOCADO SALAD IN COLLABORATION WITH SAPIENSTONE (AD) + FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BACKDROPS PART 4
TOFU AVOCADO SALAD IN COLLABORATION WITH SAPIENSTONE (AD) + FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BACKDROPS PART 4

As an avid home cook and a food photographer everything starts with great food and a great work surface. If you think of it from the home cook's perspective if makes sense, right? Your ingredients have got to be right to create the dish you crave, but you also need a reliable, sturdy worksurface that makes the preparation process smooth and easy.

As a food photographer those two thing matter just as much - it's hard to shoot beautiful images if the food doesn't look right. And as for the worksurface it is ALWAYS a major consideration when I think about the mood and feel of a food photography image. It's the foundation from which I build my scene and tell my story. In fact if you read this blog post, this one and this one you'll know how incredibly important surfaces are in food photography and food styling. 

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food photography, vegan recipe, Creative business, creativity, food blogging, food stylingK J Espinel
IS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT WORTH FOLLOWING?
IS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT WORTH FOLLOWING?

NOTE: This blog post is part 21 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as how the instagram algorithms really work, the three real reasons your instagram account is not growing and is organic growth on instagram still possible. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. Now on with today's postand with that cheeky blog post title...

With soooo much choice of stunningly curated feeds and insanely gorgeous pictures, how on earth do we decide to take the leap and click the FOLLOW button on instagram? Is our decision to follow an instagram account much more complex than all these popular articles acknowledge? Or will a little hashtag make or break me on my favourite app after all?! 

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instagram tricks, Creative business, creativity, food blogging, food photography, food styling, goal settingK J Espinel
EASY VEGAN TARTLETS + LONDON VEGAN MEETUP
EASY VEGAN TARTLETS + LONDON VEGAN MEETUP

If you're here for my super easy 4-ingredient no-bake vegan berry tartlets, please scroll down to the end of this blog post to find what you're looking for. If you want to read more about our vegan meet up, then no need to scroll, you're in the right place :)...

What's better than connecting on social media platforms like instagram and facebook groups? Connecting in real life of course (or 'IRL' in short if you wanna be really cute)! Which is why, after 2 long years of thinking about it, I'm hosting my second London vegan meet-up this Autumn. I'm not running the show on my own though, instead I'm roping in support from Viola - you may know her from this blog post we did together, and/or from her highly successful Sunshine Eatery instagram account - and Nisha, one of my awesome and sweet community members who you can find here. Now the question is, would YOU like to join us in South East London for our vegan get together? Then be sure to mark Saturday, September 15th 12 - 2pm 16th 11am - 1.30pm in your diary and read on for lots more info: 

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vegan recipeK J Espinel
3 SURPRISING REASONS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT IS NOT GROWING
3 SURPRISING REASONS YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT IS NOT GROWING

It was in July, 2017 that I posted part 1 of THE INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram - and I can honestly say, I NEVER expected to get the incredible response I did (FYI this is my best performing blog post EVER!) OR that a year on I'd still be adding parts to the never ending saga, sorry I mean series, that is Instagram. 

Seeing that I'm posting part 20 (!) of THE INSTAGRAM SERIES today, I'm celebrating by giving away 3 copies of my instagram eguide, 3 Lightroom preset mini bundles and a mini ebook outlining my editing process! To find out how to win in this WORLDWIDE GIVEAWAY, please scroll down to the end of this blog post. But first, let's delve into today's instagram topic, shall we?  

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instagram tricks, Creative business, creativity, food blogging, food photography, food styling, goal settingK J Espinel
CAN YOU BEAT THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM WITH COMMENT PODS?
CAN YOU BEAT THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM WITH COMMENT PODS?

NOTE: This blog post is part 19 of my INSTAGRAM SERIES - content all about helping YOU manage your way around instagram. In the INSTAGRAM SERIES I've touched on subjects such as why am I losing followers on instagram , how the instagram algorithms really work and how to get paid influencer work on instagram. Just click here to find all the other parts in the series. 

Now that the cat is out of the bag and we finally officially know how the instagram algorithms really work, joining a comment pod to increase our engagment and thereby beat the algorithm seems more important than ever. Or does it? In today's post I'll explore this questions in a bit more detail. 

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instagram tricks, Creative business, creativity, food photographyK J Espinel
WATERMELON AND BEETROOT SALAD RECIPE + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
WATERMELON AND BEETROOT SALAD RECIPE + A COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!

Did you know that The Little Plantation is actually a vegan food photography blog ;p!!! I know, I've been consistently creating content for the blog these past few months BUT blog posts containing vegan recipes have taken a major backseat during the Spring/Summer period with me focusing instead on sharing food photography tips and instagram tips and hosting the Spring instagram food photography challenge. 

The good news: I'm FINALLY breaking the vegan recipes ''dry spell'' today with this FANTASTIC simple and easy summer watermelon and candy beetroot salad recipe. I found the recipe in best selling author Nina Olsson's new cookbook Feast of Veg, and instantly knew I needed to make it for the blog! Better still, you can WIN a copy of it this week! Want to find out more and discover what the book is like? Cool, then please read on....

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vegan recipeK J Espinel
4 ESSENTIAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTROOM PRESETS
4 ESSENTIAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTROOM PRESETS

After weeks of teasing you on instagram, my essential food photography preset bundle for Lightroom is FINALLY here! I know it's been a LONGGGG time coming, but I feel it's been worth the wait and I hope the presets will allow you to create the food photography 'look' you love. If you know me, you're probably aware that I like to go over and beyond for my audience and hence the bundle includes a few little extras! Want to find out more? Cool, then you've come to the right place.

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Lightroom presets, branding, creativity, food photography, food blogging, Creative businessK J Espinel