THAT FAMOUS HOSPITALITY - WEDDING IN WARSAW

It was our second time in Poland. Above you can see old town of Warsaw. We were guests in Polish wedding. I would not have believed if somebody had told me how many different courses we ate that night. 8-10. Yes. Depends on how you count. That I call true hospitality. We ate, danced and had beautiful party like you can imagine.

When we arrived to the party restaurant - tables were full of decorated food already.

After party - next day - we had time to go a bit around Warsaw. We noticed that there were Easter already on the streets.

Food stalls selling traditional food.

Colorful details. Great cafes like Cukiernia Nenette. It's a place where you can eat at least gluten free and sugar free.

Funny details.

 Music.

 History meets new way of building.

Street art makes a statement?

Interesting and colorful contradictions.

The scene from our hotel room's terrace. Our hotel was in center of Warsaw. This is maybe a bit like sterotype thought of Eastern Europe. Concrete jungle. But there are much more to see.

There are big parks in Warsaw too, small one you can see here in the picture. But in one day with tired eyes from yesterday party we decided to keep our day in Warsaw quite laid back and slow. Walked around old town and made easy and fast decision when choosing the restaurant and ate well in Polka restaurant. Polish traditional food.

If you want to see more, you can find my Poland post from the summer 2012. That time we flew to Gdansk and took train to Warsaw and from Warsaw to Krakow. I prefere travelling by train. It's more environment friendly.

 

I have a flu so today is a home office day - great day to blog :) 

Have a great week!

xoxo

Kreetta

BACKDROP - ATMOSPHERE

I love feeling. Beauty. A moment. Atmosphere. 

But how to create the one you want? I made two backdrops for this week's commercial food photoshooting. This one that you can see here in this picture we didn't use - yet. I wanted to try it with these stylish Arabia cups and plates with Rörstrand plates. I couldn't resist the evening light. 

Have a great weekend my friend! 

xoxo 

Kreetta

NEW BLOG'S HEADER DESIGN - BOILING UNDER BLOG

Today I will tell you about photographing a header picture to food and lifestyle blog. I was asked to photograph a blog's header for new cool blog Boiling Under by Pauliina Siniauer. Her blog is about food stories and good recipes. I was very happy about this assignment because I could photograph my favorite things - food and lifestyle. I usually love the word editing but this time I will show you many photos that you see the process.

Because she lives in Berlin at the moment we planned the project only writing each other. We went through her favorite ideas, ingredients and made a Pinterest board together. That is very useful tool. There were things she liked and ideas I wanted to show her. Important was that we speak same language. But still I got quite free hands to photograph what and how I thought things would work. I started to get images in my head. I love that moment. Boiling Under name gave me thoughts quite generously. Finally it took one day to go and get the ingredients - most of them are Pauliinas's favorite ones, style, photograph and send the photos to Pauliina. 

I tried different kind of compositions and changed order and ingredients. I made simple compositions and more complex compositions.

My love for vintage items is quite obvious - I admit :)

It's a great feeling when you feel that there is a flow going in your brain and things makes sense and looks good.

Just changing little things you make the difference.

But at the end of the day I usually have to say that less is more. But if you don't try different kind of things you don't find the right one if you know what I mean... 

I was designing the blog's header to blog about food and good recipes. It gave me a lot of possibilities. But I happen to know the person and the name Boiling Under is - to me - something not so obvious, a bit hidden and trending. This person has an excellent sense of humour and she is greatly skilled in writing and she is very good speaker. But still the less is more is better than too much and way too many thoughts. 

We both agreed the same picture. We like more about a hint of something than obvious things even though they look good and are pretty. Back to square one. The first idea I had in my mind was simple and I got it when I saw this charming little casserole that my workspace friend Meri-Tuuli  have full of salt :) 

That's our beloved Boiling Under.



xoxo Kreetta 

ps. I wonder what should I do with all those photos. They might be quite nice pics on the kitchen wall or what you think?

LOCAL MILK'S FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP IN VENICE PART I

MAKING PASTA

Eggs and wheat flour. Very simple. Just need some extra power to make the dough. Our workshop cook Aaron Teece from Studio Neon made the pasta for us. But in the photos you see charming Ashton who was so übercool and beautiful in our pictures.

Working in Venice. It's unreal. In every corner, there is beauty. A bit decayed yes but lucky me - I happen to like old and frayed.

It was perfect pasta making day. We had a cool cooks, superb stylist Ginny Branch and as a teacher was Local Milk's talented photographer Beth Kirby. We were in pretty good hands.

I think we couldn't have made any of this if we wouldn't have had the light. (I hope it's written right, haha)

So it was 4 days ladies with cameras. Everywhere and almost all the time. I enjoyed a lot and it is always - always - a pleasure be inspired by people around you.

Ok, finally we see a real work in front of camera and it's a man who is doing all the work :) Aaron made wonderful pasta with so stylish pasta machine.

Pasta.

We had a big dinner in the evening. There we met again handmade pasta.

As I promised you there will be part II and III of Local Milk's food photography workshop in Venice. I will post them during this spring. I hope you enjoyed the part I.

xoxo

Kreetta

PS. There will be great food photography workshops in this summer. Go and see Angela Ritchie's Ace Camps. There you can find Local Milk's workshop too. You can also find Aran Goyaga's workshop there. She is also talented and lovely cook and photographer. I've been also her student and I can recommend with big heart. Here you can find my blog post from the last summer's food photography workshop with Aran in Iceland. We went to picnic and it was just gorgeous styling by Aran and Aslaug Snorradottir. You have to go and see it!

...AND THE WINNER IS

Patrice. Congratulations! I hope these postcards bring joy to you and your friends and family :) They are soon on their way to you!

Thank you all who took part in. I will do this again later this spring with different photo. I guess I'm doing it also in IG.

I have few blog posts in my mind at the moment. Like to show you my new big cupboard at my workspace and my painting spot. I love the light there and I have made soooo many Instagram photos there. If you want to see some, they are here.

Have a creative week!

xo
Kreetta

GIVEAWAY - VALENTINE POSTCARD

Heartful Valentine's Day to You! We love snail mail, don't we?  But we don't get it too often and we don't send it too often either? Well, now you can do something about it. You have a chance to win 5 unique postcards with this image.

I photographed it today. With this postcard you can remember your beloved ones. I think this kind of day is important but I think maybe we should remember our friends and family a bit more often. Or at least I know I should :) so that's why I thought I make it a bit easier for you. I won't make more than 5 pieces of this image. So they are - really - unique.

It's simple. Answer to a question: What is your favorite flower? Leave a comment and you are in. You just have to do it by 20.2. 2015. I will draw the winner after that date. This is for all people from every corner of the world.

I wish you beautiful weekend!

xo
Kreetta

IT'S HERE - MY BLOG'S NEW DESIGN!

How many times I have said that I will make THE new design in near future? Well, it's here! Done. I did it, yay! There are small things that I will change still but from now on my blog's design looks like this. It's been wonderful and productive days and I'm happy about it!

I got bored with the older one  - I had it for two years like the previous one too. I started blogging in Jan 2012. I have this thing you know - I want to make new things.

I also want to tell you a short story behind the new header. I was in Venice in the beginning of the Jan 2015 and it was a great journey. I took part in Local Milk's Food Photography Workshop and met so many wonderful people and saw the magic happen in front of camera. Everything was so beautiful. Very talented people like Beth Kirby and Ginny Branch - what else you need to get inspiration? 

It was so beautiful place - Venice - you could walk everywhere. I found beautiful old treasures like cardboard letters I've used in my blog's header. It was one very small antique shop were they were in a rusty metal box. There were many of them and I guess they use to be part of some kind of word game like Scrabble (handmade!) but I only collected what I had in my mind. I've been planning my blog's new design for awhile and when I saw those cute and decayed letters...and I'm quite sure they whispered to me...we are coming with you ;) I also decided to make handwriting in old-fashioned way. Don't ask how many times I wrote those link letters and still they aren't perfect because they are handmade :) And who wants perfect? I know I go quite a long way when I'm doing something but it's always good to keep in mind when to stop.

My blog will still be about creative spirit and inspiration but now it also has a real touch of vintage or even antique - literally.

Today I photographed beautiful gifts we got in Local Milk's workshop. You can follow the IG links if you want to know more about makers of these treasures. There will be at least one Venice post still coming up...

snake spoon @_sandwichshop_ 
bath salts @ederleshop 
perfume @naninstudio 
aprons @icemilkaprons 
tea @marbleandmilkweed 
paper recipe cards @signoraemare
Pastiglie Leone @pastiglieleone 
 
How about you - do you like my new design? Have you had thoughts of changing things lately?

Happy weekend!

xo
Kreetta

PS. It would be very cool to hear who made that game and how old those letters are....only if they only could speak ;)