Photography is a huge part of food blogging, and no one does it better than Billy Law from A Table for Two. Lucky for the rest of us, Billy has been putting on a series of food photography workshops at Mumu Grill in Crows Nest, to share some tips and tricks. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn from someone who I admire. It was a sunny Saturday morning, and a group of 15 eager students including Steph, Suze and Jacq, assembled in Mumu’s private dining room.

The first part of the workshop was based on theory, explaining the basics, aperture, shutter speed, how to properly adjust white balance and shoot in low lighting, as well as some hints on composition (square plates are evil!). Billy was great at answering questions and giving advice, as well as showing us the subtle differences between a good-enough photo and a great photo.

Lunch was a delicious spread of tapas and share plates, including olives, a lovely cherry tomato and fetta salad that I just couldn’t leave alone, chorizo smothered cheese, Szechwan pepper prawns and of course jamon.

The beef tagliatta was perfectly cooked, and absolutely lovely with the duck fat potatoes (must try making these at home). There was delicious jamon, of course, as this is Mumu afterall, and roast chicken served with sweet potato and wilted spinach (although this one was tricky to share!)

After lunch, we tackled post-production and editing, something that is very interesting and not many people know, since all digital photos usually need to be retouched in some way. Billy showed us how to use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to turn a decent shot into a spectacular one, including colour balancing and noise reduction.

Then it was time for dessert, a platter that included Mumu’s famous and delicious brown sugar pavlova with pineapple and passionfruit, which inspired my recent post. There was also a chocolate and hazelnut tart, a gingerbread cake sandwich with seasonal fruit and a macadamia ice cream.

The 3-hour workshop is great for people who are beginners with their DSLR’s or for people who have some idea and just want a bit more instruction. It inspired me to not be lazy and to try and get the shot right in the camera and cut down my editing to a minimum. Thanks Billy for sharing your time and knowledge with us. And thanks to Mumu for a yummy lunch!

Mumu Grill, 70-76 Alexander St, Crows Nest