Last Updated April 4th, 2024 at 02:17 pm by Lisa
No recipe today — just a collection of delicious food photos from a workshop with Lindsay, the creator of Pinch of Yum. This particular in-person workshop was held several years ago and is no longer offered. You can still learn food photography from Lindsay and Bjork through their online resources at Pinch of Yum; their Food Photography Course and teaching have been game-changers for many food bloggers.
Below are behind-the-scenes images from the Tasty Food Photography Workshop at Pinch of Yum’s beautiful studio. Light-filled, full of props and backdrops, and with a test kitchen that feels like heaven — it was an inspiring two-day experience.
I have to admit I was totally geeked. In the food blogging world, Lindsay is a rock star. She and her husband Bjork launched Pinch of Yum early on and now teach thousands how to build blogs into businesses. Their influence brought me into this world too.
Lindsay, Bjork, and I share hometown acquaintances in Minneapolis. After persistent encouragement from friends — “Lisa, check out Pinch of Yum” — I finally Googled the site and realized I could do this blogging thing. I dove in, taught myself a site in 20 days, and never looked back. I watched dozens of Food Blogger Pro training videos and eventually found myself standing in Lindsay’s studio — a pretty surreal and delightful moment for me.
Pinch of Yum Studio
Walking into the Pinch of Yum studio is breathtaking. The space is light-filled with rows of props, backboards, and a beautifully designed test kitchen. The building sits in a converted industrial area of Minneapolis — a charming brick building repurposed for creative studios. The city itself has a friendly vibe, an exciting food scene with many chef-owned restaurants, and a lively downtown worth visiting.
I snapped photos of details throughout the studio, though not every image made it into this post. Even Sage, the studio dog, has a cozy bed for breaks — a small but delightful detail that shows how much care went into the space.
Props and Styling Tools
The studio is a food photographer’s dream: a treasure trove of high-quality props, backboards, linens, and utensils. Each student worked at a dedicated window station where they could mix and match backdrops, fabrics, bowls, and plates to create different looks. Many of the backboards are from Erickson Background Surfaces, and the variety made it easy to experiment with mood and texture.
One memorable item is a special bowl made by Lindsay’s father-in-law, Larry Ostrom. It’s the kind of handmade piece you see often on Pinch of Yum and it felt nice to hold that little piece of the community during the workshop.
Tasty Food Photography Workshop Key Takeaways
- Lighting is everything. A north-facing window with a sheer curtain softens glare and creates a flattering, natural glow for food.
- Use a fixed prime lens rather than a zoom for more consistent, sharper shots and better control of aperture. I bought a 50mm 1.4 after the workshop and immediately noticed the difference.
- Basic manual settings workflow: first set aperture (around f/2.2–f/4), then shutter speed (around 1/60–1/80), and finally ISO (100–1600 depending on light).
- Styling tips: sometimes a simple backboard and a well-chosen napkin or fabric are all you need. Small, thoughtful details can make a big impact.
- Learn Lightroom — it’s powerful for batch edits and fine-tuning images.
- Shoot tethered and use a tripod when light is low. Seeing images on a computer in real time speeds up the workflow and helps refine shots.
- Video is approachable — it’s worth experimenting with, and can add a valuable dimension to your content.
My Practice Photos from the Workshop
The team provided plenty of food to practice with throughout the workshop. We styled our own dishes and watched Lindsay create beautiful compositions with pancakes and smoothie bowls. Each of the 11 students had a table and a window with a sheer curtain that created perfect, glowing light. Lindsay also demonstrated her Lightroom editing steps to help bring out color and texture.
I expect my photography will continue to grow and improve as I practice these techniques. Many of the images below look similar because I was experimenting with manual settings — small adjustments made noticeable differences.
Pretty berries — I love how the colors pop under that light.
My Favorite Photos from the Workshop
One of my favorite shots was a styled bowl of muesli with berries and honey being drizzled while shooting in continuous mode. The gloss on the berries and the backlighting made the image sing. Camera and settings for that shot are noted in the caption below the photo.
I also loved Lindsay’s styling on a stack of pancakes — the syrup and scattered drops on the surface added character and helped the shot feel real and delicious.
One of my earliest shots at the workshop was a donut image — perfect window light and a well-made Erickson background made for a lucky, satisfying first photo.
A classmate styled a decadent stack of chocolate-drizzled pancakes and I quickly snapped a moody, darker image to experiment with atmosphere and tone.
Where the Delicious Table blog goes next is still unfolding. For now, it remains a joyful outlet for recipe development, styling, writing, and improving my photography. The best part of this journey has been meeting creative, generous people — Lindsay and Bjork included — who share their knowledge and help others grow.
Thank you, Lindsay and Bjork (and Sage), for sharing your passion, skill, and community. Our class was wonderful, and many of us are still in touch.
All the best,
Lisa
XO
And that’s a wrap!
