During lockdown I took a six-week online food photography course, the Online Food Styling, Food Photography and Visual Story Telling eCourse run by Kimberly Espinel from The Little Plantation.
Kimberly runs the highly successful vegan food photography blog – The Little Plantation. She produces the Eat Capture Share podcast. And the Eat Capture Share food photography challenge. With 80k plus followers to her Instagram account, Kimberly knows her stuff.
Online food photography course content
The course started in April. It comprised of six, 90 minute plus zoom tutorials with Kimberly and other eager students from across the globe.
Each class covered a key aspect of food photography, food styling and visual storytelling. It started with the basics: cameras, lenses and tripods. We progressed through to light and shadow work. We covered props and backdrops then to the more creative aspects of food photography – colour theory and food styling and composition. The penultimate class is a deep dive into LightRoom a visual walk through the editing process. The final class is a grounding in social media, blogging and the business of food photography.
Course materials are sent to you ahead of each class. The zoom tutorial lasts a minimum of 90 minutes but often it was much longer. Recordings are made available to you after the lesson.
Then there was homework
And did I forget to say there was homework. This is worth doing as we progressed through from simple shots of food to much more complex set ups. Each week we’d have our work critiqued by Kimberly.
Ongoing communication for the duration of the course
There are a private Facebook group and Instagram group for ongoing communication and support with Kimberly and other students.
This was an important aspect of the class, as often with an eCourses you can feel quite isolated. We used the Facebook group to share our images, for creative ideas or just simply for support.
Top quality teaching
Kimberly is an experienced teacher and it shows. From her lesson plans, the organisation of the course, right through to the delivery of her lessons. Kimberly makes the technical side of photography easy to understand and accessible, and she’s completely supportive of our creative endeavours. What’s great about Kimberly is her honesty as a tutor and that she held us all to account.
Final project
The course is finished off with a final project which also includes a 1-to-1 mentoring session which is invaluable. We had three months to complete the project. During this time Kimberly was available to us via Instagram and the Facebook group.
My final project helped hone in my photography style. It led me to start my online cooking classes. The course has really boosted my confidence, my self-belief as a photographer to start talking more and sharing more of my photography experience.
And did my photography improve?
I think the result speak for itself.
Over the duration of the course, I saw a huge improvement in my photography. The course gave me a better understanding of light and shade. It helped me with my composition skills and gave me a clear direction for my photographic style.
This is an intense six weeks. If you want to get the best out of the course you have to put in the time. Block out time for the classes, the homework, the practice, and the project. This isn’t a course you just dip in and out of.
How much does the online food photography course cost?
Cost-wise there are different price points ranging from £299 – £499.
I was considering some of the recorded tutorials, but I dug deep and invested in the premium live course.
And, yes it was worth it.
Kimberly is a passionate food photographer and teacher and completely committed to helping you grow and develop your art form.
I loved every minute of the course. I met some wonderful students, many of whom I am still in contact with today.
If you want to improve your skills as a food photographer then I this recommend course. Online Food Styling, Food Photography and Visual Story Telling eCourse.
