Early this year I became an ambassador for the Health Bloggers Community (HBC) in Ireland, taking over from The Flourishing Pantry. The HBC is a collective of influencers, a marketplace as well as educational tool for both health & wellness influencers aiming to make an impact in the industry. For more details see here: http://bit.ly/joinHBCmembership

A big part of my role as HBC ambassador is to host blogger networking events throughout the year. For my first event, I worked with Aggie, of Aggie’s Food Studio, to co-host a festive food styling and photography workshop in The Lo-Cal Kitchen, Castleknock. I think I speak on behalf of the group that it was certainly an evening well spent. We learned lots about lighting, angles and colours, as well as how to style your food and your props. I would recommend a course with Aggie to anyone who is interested in food photography. Aggie has something for the beginners and the more experienced, and everyone in between.

Here are my top three tips from the night:

1. The Rule of Thirds
Using the rule of thirds can help lead you to creating well balanced and interesting shots. Imagine dividing your image into 9 parts by drawing 2 horizontal and 2 vertical lines – many camera and phone settings allow you to “show grid line”. When you frame your image, place points of interest at one or three of in the intersections – odd numbers are more pleasing on the eye than even numbers.

2. Food Styling versus Prop Styling
Food styling, as it would suggest, is how we make the food on the plate look. Adding a garnish of herbs or a dusting of icing sugar are both examples of food styling. Prop styling, on the other hand, is the use of items (props) to create a story around our image. Without props, our images run the risk of looking “naked”.

In simple terms:

Complex food – simple props, e.g. an elaborately decorated cake (complex) and a plain cake stand (simple)

Simple food – various props, e.g. a bowl of blended soup (simple) and a plate with bread, a knife with butter and a salt/pepper shaker (variety)

3. Allow yourself to be inspired by others (but don’t be a copy cat)
Who inspire Aggie on Instagram?
@bealubas @twolovesstudio @evakosmasflores @okuprin @apaltynowicz @deliciouslyella @deliciousmartha @marthastewart @dinedashcom @olimpia_davies @katie_quinn_d @gatherandfeast @cannellevanille @donnahaymagazine @christinagreve @kimklassen @local_milk @theslowtraveler

Who inspire me on Instagram?
@me_and_orla @soulful_and_healthy @jenniferocooks @creativelysquared @thelittlegreenspoon @sostrenegrene @brindaromes @flat_laid

To keep up to date with future HBC events in Dublin, follow us on Instagram @hbloggerscom.dublin and request to join our Facebook group.

Photo credit: Gabriela Szeplaki, Instagram @gabrielaszeplaki