I attended the Food Blogger session at Alpine House at The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, yesterday. It was a fabulous spread for the 50 bloggers who gathered to learn more about food photography, audience quantification, and how to grow a food blog.
Alex, a chef from Alpin House, demo’ing the food-
Chef Alex at Alpine House, The Canyons Resort, demos salmon
The Menu:
Rosemary Lemonade or Mint Iced Tea
Scallop and Shrimp Corn Dogs with Mustard Sauce
Lobster Bisque with Coconut
Chanterelle Mushroom Salad with Mountain Berries (The beehive Cheddar on top MADE THIS)
Arugala, Pistachios, Blueberries, Raspberries
Choice of Miso Alaskan King Salmon with Udon Sushi Rolls OR Lamb Shepherd Pie
Miso Salmon with Udon Noodle Sushi
BEAUTIFUL assortment of cookies, pastries, and petit fours for dessert.
What we were here to learn:
Helen Dujardin (Tartelette), Helen Jane (Helen Jane), Jane Maynard (This Week For Dinner), and Stephanie Robinette (AllRecipes) will each share their passion for food as you rotate through a cooking session with a top-notch chef, learn the secrets of food photography and listen as they dish on what makes their blog tick.
From Helen: Buy the camera you need, NOT the camera you want. She was a point and shoot blog for a long time, then a Rebel XTI until last December.
Be McGyver: Use Makeup mirrors, tin foil, or reflectors to get the light that you want. Make it real.
If you’re shooting a family meal, don’t garnish it- make it look like it does on your table.
Don’t be afraid to assist. She got more no’s than she cares to admit, and has only been comfortable calling herself a professional for the past 3 days. BUT if you really want to do this, you can. Keep working, keep putting yourself out there.
Her nickname is F-22, due to her fondness for high F-stops. 
Helen Jane and Stephanie both emphasized not being afraid to ask. Make things professional, create good media kits. Keep it real, keep it authentic. Blog what you’re passionate about, create a community. Show engagement and engage. Don’t think of blogging as a get rich quick scheme, because like anything else, you’re going to work really hard for a long time before you’re going to get a return on investment.
@rockandrollmama
Tinisha Lamarca | April 15, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I love the information you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, superb blog!