Andrew Scrivani: Photo Workshop Extraordinarie

I received my BFA in photography about 20 years ago. I haven't taken a photo class since. When I was in school, we shot film and the closest thing to digital photography we had at that time was the Kodak Disk camera. I had one, and let's just say it never really came into its own on the camera market.

I work day in and day out with photographers, all of whom have been very helpful in getting me up-to-date on how to use my camera. (Umm, guess what? it works the same as the film 35mm, but there's no film). And they've all given me crash courses in Photoshop, editing software and general photo tech tricks of the trade.

I've been shooting and posting quite a bit lately, but to be honest, I've been feeling kind of stuck. It's not that I haven't been happy and proud of the work I've been posting. It's more that I feel like I've been moving too quickly and missing some of the grace I used to see in the food I was preparing and shooting. My dad said to me once that the photos are just as important as the story I write for each post, which is just as important as the recipe being accurate. I was beginning to worry that the photos were becoming formulaic.

When I heard that New York Times photographer, Andrew Scrivani was coming to town to hold a small workshop, I considered going, the hesitated. But when I found out it was being held at Contigo, a Spanish and Catalan restaurant just a block-and-a-half from my house, I signed up on the spot.

The day began with Andrew showing our little group (7 attendees in all) a slideshow of his work. Each piece he chose demonstrated a different kind of lighting, propping, perspective or technique that he felt would give us some ideas to think about when shooting our own work. There was plenty of conversation and lots of great questions. Andrew, a former high school teacher, really took the time to answer all the questions with thoughtful and detailed responses.

His style of teaching was just what I needed. I believe he took the time to look at each of our personal websites before coming to San Francisco. He was really good at recognizing the kind of feedback each of us needed when we moved into the hands-on working session. The lovely folks at Contigo not only provided us with a great paella for lunch, they also supplied a whole bunch of plated dishes, props and raw foods, and they gave the students  free rein throughout their entire restaurant space.

I was ecstatic. Not only did I take pictures of the food, I also got a bunch of shots of the bottles and glassware. Over the years, I had forgotten that in college, the main topic of my photography was glass bottles. I used to spend countless hours finding ways to shoot glass. There was more than one trip out to Jones Beach (winter included) where I worked with sand and bottles for the better part of a day. All of my negatives were lost at some point, which I mentioned to Andrew. His response? "Well, it's a new beginning, make something new."

After our hands-on photo work, we had a critique. Andrew took the SD cards from each of our cameras and put them up on the screen. What a great exercise. Most of us had at least one or two subjects in common (the artichokes and the pie seemed to get a lot of attention). It was just like being back in college: looking at composition choices, lighting and overall look and feel.  Andrew shared all of his skills with us. His take is that everyone has a different eye and there is plenty of room for all of us in the field. There's no way I'll create exactly the same photo he will. This realization allowed me to relax and really look at my work knowing that the images I create are unlike anyone else's.

My camera is much less sophisticated than those of the rest of the workshop participants, but it didn't matter. I got some good advice on a relatively inexpensive lens that might work better for the type of shooting I do. During the hands-on workshop, Andrew saw what I was trying to do and was able to give me some tips on how to shoot with my current equipment.

The biggest lesson which I'm still trying to incorporate into my work, was the idea of post-production work. Coming from a film background, I do try to get everything set in-camera: lighting, exposure, composition, etc. My inclination is to get the shot and not mess too much with it in Photoshop. I think there is some middle ground that I need to find, and not be so concerned with the fact that "in the old days, we did it all in-camera." Have to join the current digital times, you know?

If you have an opportunity to work with Andrew Scrivani, I highly encourage you to sign up. The workshop was good for all levels of photographers, and for any kind of equipment. He will inspire you.

Thanks, Foodbuzz!

thank you, foodbuzz, for hosting such an awesome event.

Porcini Red Wine Risotto

If you're not from here I'd like you to know that  San Francisco gets its Summer weather the last week in September or in early October. We're in it now, so are wearing skirts with no tights, but the sun is going down as if it's Fall. It is always an odd time of year for me because the light is changing and I expect a chill in the air, just like when I was little in NY.

This time of year (no matter what the weather) always makes me want to have warm, satisfying rice or pasta dishes. The other day I decided to break out my stand by risotto recipe. It's fairly simple, and oh-so-satisfying.

Just a note, I don't eat cheese, so the only dairy product in this recipe is butter: I can't seem to remove it completely from my repertoire. There's just no replacement for the flavor andcreaminess butter brings to rice. But, if you'd like to make this completely vegan, replace the butter with Olive Oil, it works just fine.

Ingredients:

• 4 Bouillion Cubes (I use Porcini cubes, but you can use whatever type you like)
• 4 Cups Water
• 1 bag Dried Porcini Mushrooms
• 1 cup Red Wine (or enough to fully cover the Dried Porcini Mushrooms)
• 3 tbsps Butter
• 2 tbsps Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Cups Arborio Rice
• 4 Fresh Sage Leaves, minced (or 1/4 tsp Dried Sage)
• Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper to taste

Make the Stock:

• Heat the Bouillion and the water in a large saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, making sure all the cubes dissolve completely.Lower to a simmer and stir occasionally until it is time to add the liquid to the rice.

I love Porcini mushrooms. When I discovered this boullion, I just about fell over in glee. It is amazing how strongly the mushroom flavors comes through. In general, I'm more of a chicken stock kind of girl, and I do not care for veggie stock. It usually tastes way too much like celery for my liking. But these cubes make it possible to have the best of a non-meat based boullion and a well flavored broth all in one.

Soak the Dried Porcini

• Pour the cup of red wine into a small saucepan.
• Add the Porcini mushrooms, making sure there is enough wine to completely submerge them.Bring the wine to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Keep simmering for about fifteen minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.Pour the wine and mushrooms through a sieve or strainer, making sure to capture all of the liquid in a bowl beneath the strainer.
• Chop mushrooms coarsely and set aside.Startthe Rice:

Again, Porcini is my favorite. Any chance I have to add them to a dish, I take it. The dried ones are usually what I have on hand, and they work well.

In San Francisco, there is a whole mushroom booth at the giant Ferry Building farmer's market. We're lucky enough to get frozen fresh Porcini there. It costs an arm and a leg, but the flavor is so intense you don't need to use that much, so a bag lasted me for a good six months in the freezer.

The red wine makes the depth of the earthy flavors shine through. If you can afford to use a higher quality cup of wine here, you'll taste the difference.

Start the Rice:

• Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
• Add butter and allow to melt, then add the Olive Oil.• Lower heat to medium-low and add the minced garlic.
• Saute garlic until almost opaque.• Add rice, stirring to cover all the grains in the butter/oil mixture

Quite simply, you are trying to get the rice to cook slowly so that it will toast somewhat in the beginning and then take its time absorbing all of the lovely stock and wine you are going to add to it.Take your time here, and if it seems things are starting to stick or burn, lower the heat and relax. If you like a glass of wine, now's a good time to grab one, as you get ready to stir for a bit.

Cook the Rice:

• Using a 1/2 cup measure, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice pot, stirring constantly.
• As soon as the stock has been completely absorbed, add another 1/2 cup and stir until absorbed.
• Alternating 1/2 cup of stock and wine, continue adding liquid and stirring to absorb until all the liquid has been added.
• The rice should be soft and ready to eat once all the liquid has been incorporated.
• Remove the pot from the heat and add the sage, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the rice.

This is the most time consuming step, but again, just take it slow and don't worry, you'll be eating soon enough.

Make sure that all of the liquid gets absorbed before you make a move to add more. It's tough to wait, I know I've rushed it before and regretted it after the fact. The rice needs time to soak it all up before it takes another breath and is ready to drink up some more.

It'll be well worth your effort (and the number of pans you'll have to clean). It's a great Fall dish, especially if you live somewhere where the weather has actually started to shift to coolness.

Enjoy and eat up!