Remembering Food Photography in Rome

Today I’m thinking back one year later and reflecting on my experience with food photography in Rome at Meeta K. Wolff’s workshop. 

People still ask me about the trip. It happened again just this past weekend. 

It’s been just about a year since I traveled over to Italy to take a food photography workshop just outside of Rome in Torri in Sabina. 

One thing you should know is that Italy was never at the top of my travel list. You see, I tend not to go for the places people gush over, especially in the food community. 

They seem too predictable. Too easy to like. I mean, Italy? Come on. It’s a given I’m going to like the pasta. 

More often I set my travel plans around places that are a little more unexpected to others when I get into “where have you been, where should I go” kinds of conversations. Places like Vienna (my favorite city in the world), Ubud, Berlin, and Copenhagen. Places people like and go to, but they don’t always rave about. 

Everyone raves about Italy and given my stubborn nature I went determined not to. 

I really enjoy traveling alone, but I don’t like going to places for the first time without my husband. Not because I can’t handle navigating a new place, I actually love that. It’s because I always like us to experience a new place for both of us together. Neither of us had been to Italy yet, likely for those reasons above. Well in fairness we had a trip planned several years ago, but it got sidelined in favor of South East Asia at the last minute. 

Anyway, I was really in search of an affordable food photography workshop someplace other than the U.S. Anywhere. Then I found Meeta’s workshop in Rome, a super affordable plane ticket out of SFO, and it was a done deal.  

Fast forward to almost one year later.

Every time I file through images in my Lightroom folders there they are. All the photos I took at that workshop. 

I remember how inspired I was.

I also see how far I’ve come with my work in a year.

Some images I’m happy with, others I look at and I think – why was my exposure so high there, I should have adjusted my aperture to get that scene more in focus, what was I focusing on there? 

It may seem like it’s a frustrating process because I see so many pictures I could have done better, but I actually consider it a small victory that I can look back and know what I did wrong and how to improve on it. Knowing is the answer. Knowing is how you can change for the better. 

I remember walking into the villa where we would stay and photograph for the weekend. It looked like this.

Doesn’t that window have you begging to see the back view? Well, this is it. At dusk on the first night. 

Scenes like this are why Europe will always have my heart. No matter how hard we preserve or try to recreate, there is absolutely nothing like this in the U.S. We simply aren’t old enough.

This. This is a treasure to behold. 

Along with enjoying the view, I also noticed the produce. We had plenty to photography and it was stunning. After that, I looked around and my heart sank a very, very tiny bit. I saw dishes with prints and shiny surfaces and gingham table clothes. 

Where were my dull stoneware plates, neutral linen napkins, and rustic surfaces? How was I going make pretty photos without them? 

One year later I see that this is how both this workshop and Italy influenced me. 

I now realize how often I’m controlled by popular media (magazines, blogs) and how I let it define what I think is a beautiful food image. 

On-trend does not set the limits for beautiful.

Just because we see neutrals, stoneware, and black utensils, or a rustic kitchen that looks impossible to cook in, or bright whites on the pages of every magazine does not mean that those are the only beautiful food photos.

It’s like anything in our society – popular media guides our decisions and our definitions of what is appealing, of what is beautiful. We cut our hair a certain way or wear a jean leg width because media, all types of media, tell us that is what is beautiful. 

On a similar note, I have often found myself narrowing in on a style, a prop, or a layout for a photo based on what I’m being visually told will look best instead of deciding on my own what will look best. 

The truth is I like deciding on my own now. I like blue rimmed plates that I might have once struggled to match in the color scheme, yellow checked table clothes that I might once have replaced with wood planks, and bright golden yellow light that I might once have tried to filter or edit out. 

Yes, I’m a gusher now. I gush about Italy. I gush about food photography in Rome. But I like to think it’s not a superficial gushing about pasta and cheese. (Although, those were unlike any other I’ve had.) 

It’s about a deeper understanding and an impact on my views and my work that I wasn’t expecting. 

That workshop also exposed to me quite a few other experiences. Of course, there was the unforgettable landscape. 

I also had an opportunity to shoot more lifestyle and still life images at the villa. 

The food prepared for us by Rissa and Libby was outstanding. (In addition to the food photography workshops, you can attend other retreats at the villa organized by Rissa. Check out Rome Retreats.)

That caponata has grated preserved egg yolk on top.

I also got a nice introduction to Italian Prosecco.

We took some walks to the village and met this little guy along the way. I was a little worried about him following us along the road, but he was not concerned. 

I’m pretty sure if he could talk he’d say – Lady, I live in a villa outside Rome. Don’t you worry. I am living my best life. 

And each night we were there, the sun would begin to set and the lights would come on in the village behind our villa. It was simply stunning. 

I appreciated the experience then, but it really has taken me this long to absorb the impact and how it has influenced me. It continues to do so every day. 

Meeta is hosting the workshop once again this year. It will take place in about a month. You can check out the details of the food photography in Rome workshop on her website, What’s For Lunch, Honey?