Food + product styling workshop
who is it for?
who is it for?
Our practical workshop training days are aimed at improving photographers or content creators who would like to elevate their styling skills.
This training is for you if;
- you create content to promote your own products, blog or business
- you want more confidence in styling
- you create content for clients
- you want to learn about styling or photography or embark on a career in it
It doesn't matter your reason for wanting to learn - everyone, of any skill level, is welcome!
what do I need to bring?
what do I need to bring?
Working with the beautiful natural light in our mill studio space you will only need to bring:
- your camera or phone and chargers
- a tripod
- any props you love to use or are finding tricky and would like help with
- your note book
- laptop and tether cable if you'd like to (not essential)
- your products or any specific food you'd like to work with (not essential)
what's included?
what's included?
Throughout the workshop you will have full access to my lighting aids and prop collection including ceramics, linen, glassware, bakeware, cutlery, utensils, backdrops and curiosities plus fresh foliage and seasonal food to complete the styling exercises.
Each attendee gets to take home two Black Velvet Styling A1 vinyl backdrops of their choice, included in the price.
All learning materials are provided as printouts and a PDF, some of which is emailed ahead of the workshop to help you think ahead and get the most out of our time together.
A light lunch and refreshments are also provided.
what will I learn?
what will I learn?
Using a mixture of group teaching, demonstrations, written chapters and guided practise on your own, individual set-ups we will cover:
- how to create your own styling rules & repetition
- prop styling dos and don'ts
- food styling kit essentials
- writing your creative brief/shot plan and meeting your marketing aims in every shot
- DSLR camera/phone camera tuition tailored to your needs
- controlling natural light wherever you shoot
- three fool-proof still life styling compositions
- story telling with food and props
- refining the details to elevate your content to professional quality
- getting more from your set up for efficient content creation
what are the timings?
what are the timings?
Our workshops run from 9.30am to 4.30pm and follow these timings -
9.30am arrival / coffee
10am, introductions and group learning around style, kit & planning
11am, demonstrations and guided practise
(lunch)
1pm, group learning - directing, refining and getting more
2pm demonstrations and guided practise
3.30pm Q&A / more practise
4.30pm pack away
where is it held?
where is it held?
Our studio is on the first floor of a beautiful Victorian mill in Darley Abbey, Derbyshire. The post code is DE22 1DZ.
Natural light floods the studio from windows down both sides of the space meaning we have plenty of space to spread out and work on individual set ups.
Free parking is available or Derby train station is a 10 minute taxi ride away.
what if I need to swap dates or cancel?
what if I need to swap dates or cancel?
If you can't make the workshop for any reason we are happy to swap you on to a different workshop date.
Cancellations are fully-refundable up to 7 days before the workshop date.
If you need to cancel within 7 days of the workshop we can refund 90% if we can resell your space on the workshop.
We do normally have a waiting list so late cancellations are usually easily filled; the more notice you can give us the more likely it is somebody else can organise themselves to attend last minute.
Can I spread the cost?
Can I spread the cost?
Yes! If the workshop is over 40 days away you can use the 'Pay in 2' option to pay £155 today and £155 no later than 30 days before the workshop. We will email you about how to pay the remainder shortly after booking.
You will pay a bit more for this option, a total of £310.
Please understand that failure to pay within the agreed terms will mean your space is made available again to others and any money already paid will be liable to an admin/cancellation fee, the amount of which will depend on if we can resell the space.
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Kathryn Fell, photographer
Such a wonderful day and workshop! I loved how you put the day together with plenty of time to try setting up scenes and having a play. We all go away with unique sets ups to us, which is unusual on courses as you are usually photographing the same thing. I have raved to many other photographers about the workshop
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Julie Grant, photographer
I had such a fantastic day at your recent workshop. I came away absolutely buzzing! The balance between the theory and practical work was perfect and I was particularly impressed by the small number of attendees meaning that we all got 1 on 1 time with you.
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Kevin Walls, High Street TV
My colleague went on your course a few months back and found the whole experience life/career changing
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Heather Ward, Etsy crafter
Absolutely buzzing after yesterday. Its given me an extra boost to get creative with making things. I honestly can't thank you enough!
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Kelly Stretton, trainee chef
The content and structure is exactly what I've been looking for. I had done a few styling courses whilst training at Leith's and your info is above and beyond.
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Sam, St Pierre Group
Absolutely fab (styling training) session. I've already had glowing feedback from the guys that took part, as well as from others who have seen the photos.
Still life styling workshops for food and product content creation
Our practical workshop training days are aimed at beginners and improving photographers or content creators who would like to elevate their styling and photography skills - whether that's using a phone or DSLR camera.
Come along to refine your styling and gain confidence in producing content to promote yourself, your product or your brand, learning essential techniques and industry tricks with Sophie, a commercial stylist, content creator and consultant.
Perhaps you already run a blog or sell food related products but need a confidence boost or creative kick up the bum to increase your output by banishing those little niggles that make us all procrastinate!
Be taught first hand by a professional and have an inspiring training day working on your own, individual set ups, learning with other creatives, marketers and business owners!
Each attendee will get two Black Velvet Styling vinyl backdrops to use during the session and take home to keep.
Who is this training for?
This training is for you if any of these apply!
-
you create (or need to create!) content to promote your services, products, blog or business
-
you want more confidence in styling
-
you want to learn how to style your product at its best
-
you want to improve your image quality and photography skills
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you sell food or small household products like jams, cakes, candles, flowers, gifts etc
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you run a food business like a cafe, deli, bar, takeaway or anything else
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you want to learn about styling or photography to start a career in it or you just want some styling experience and tuition to develop yourself or your business.
It doesn't matter your reason for wanting to learn more about styling - as long as you are confident at the basics of photography (either using your phone or camera and tripod) you will gain lots of knowledge and confidence.
Learning content
These workshops cover the following modules to help you uncover your brand style and produce beautiful food-based images that tell your story and captivate your audience. Using a mixture of group teaching, demonstrations and guided practise tasks we will cover:
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How to define a style
-
How to create your own styling rules & repetition
-
Prop styling dos and don'ts
-
Food styling kit essentials
-
Writing your creative brief/shot plan
-
DSLR camera/phone camera tuition tailored to your needs
-
Camera tips and tricks for food photography
-
Controlling natural light wherever you shoot
-
Composition techniques
-
Three fool-proof compositions
-
Story telling with food and props
-
Checking the details
-
Getting more from your set up
What’s provided –
-
You will have full access to my prop collection including ceramics, linen, glassware, bakeware, cutlery, utensils and curiosities (you are welcome to bring your favourite props too) plus fresh foliage and seasonal produce
-
Two vinyl backdrops of your choice to keep plus more to play with during the workshop
-
all learning materials will be provided for each attendee to work through and take home
-
selection of savoury and sweet food to practise with (and you can bring your own too if you like)
-
refreshments and a light lunch
What you need to bring -
-
your camera or phone and chargers
-
a tripod (essential)
-
any props you love to use or are finding tricky and would like help with
-
your note book
-
laptop and tether cable if you'd like to (not essential)
-
any specific food you'd like to work with (not essential)
Training plan (loose timings) -
-
10am, introductions and welcome
-
10am, 11am group learning around style, kit & planning
-
11am, photography demonstrations and practise
-
12pm, composition demonstrations and practise
-
(lunch)
-
1.30pm, group learning - directing, refining and getting more
-
2.30pm guided practise
-
3.30pm open Q&A or more practise
Spaces are very limited so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Our workshops run from 10am to 4.30pm with a short/working lunch. Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided. The teaching will end at 4pm but you are welcome to stay and chat while you pack away until 4.30pm.
Want to spread the cost? No problem!
If the workshop is over 40 days away you can use the 'Pay in 2' option to pay £155 today and £155 no later than 30 days before the workshop. We will email you about how to pay the remainder shortly after booking.
You will pay a bit more for this option, a total of £310.
Please understand that failure to pay within the agreed terms will mean your space is made available again to others and any money already paid will be liable to an admin/cancellation fee, the amount of which will depend on if we can resell the space.
About the venue
Our studio on the first floor of a Victorian mill provides the perfect setting for our styling workshop with tall windows running down either side of the space giving us lots of natural light and space to work.
We are up one flight of stairs and free parking is available - I will send more details on email when you book.
Missed out or can't make it to our studio? Book an online zoom workshop here.
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Ceri Gore, wedding cake designer
I highly recommend Sophie if you want to develop your styling skills and massively improve the quality and structure of your content. Spending a day 1-2-1 with Sophie has taught me how to approach the styling of my products and how to produce quality images for social media. I'm not a natural when it comes to styling but I now feel I have the confidence and ability to do really well at it by putting into practice all the things Sophie taught me.
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Laura Hutton, content creative
Thanks so much, I really enjoyed yesterday. Despite exhaustion, in general, I was so inspired I actually spent all morning today making and shooting MORE salads! And I used the dropper to great effect. Which is good because this week coming is meant to be my week off, which I started with your workshop. And now I have loads of images so I really can ease up on Insta content for a bit, which is fabulous.
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Rachel Woods, Dot and Diode
I had a fantastic time, definitely learnt a lot and left feeling very inspired. Your notes are fantastic and we will be presenting what we learnt to the team.
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Dan, bakery/cafe owner
Training with Sophie was the best investment I've made for my business. Highly recommend for anybody wanting to do more on social media and online.