How to Learn Food Reels —Live Workshop or Online Course?

We just wrapped two days of food reels workshop in London with Kimberly Espinel of @thelittleplantation. Here’s what the experience of teaching this workshop from a few years has showed me about how people actually learn video — and how to find the right path for where you are now.

Earlier this month, Kimberly and I wrapped two days at Kemble House Studio in London — a food reels workshop for photographers, content creators, and phone users beginners. Students came from every background. By the end of day two, every single one had created footage they were proud of.

Moving from food photography to video can feel like a big leap — but it’s the shift that opens the door to brand partnerships, a growing audience and income doing what you already love. Learning to create Reels that stop the scroll is no longer optional; it’s where the opportunity is right now, and once you break the ice it’s a rich and exciting path.

Since the past workshop, I keep getting the same question: do I need to come to a live workshop to learn food reels, or can I do it online?

So Live Workshop or Online course? Both work even for Reels. But they work differently — and knowing which one fits your life right now makes all the difference. Here’s how I see it.

What Happens Inside a Live Food Reels Workshop

We opened with the visual thinking that happens before you film anything — colour theory, composition, how to style specifically for movement and sequence. We worked through two complete setups live, so students could see not just the finished result but the decisions happening in real time.

Day one is a combination of hands on and demonstration lessons.
We covered the foundation of short recipe Reels — how to build a sequence, camera settings for video, phone editing on the go, food styling and colour for Reels and video, what works and goes viral- plus adding music, voice over and stop-motion — professional on the go strategies.

Photos by Kimberly Espinel

Day two put it all together: a long Recipe Reel with hooks, transitions, the use of slow-motion with intention, how to create rhythm and visual peaks that keep people watching, which moments in a recipe are worth filming, and how to create a reel that stands out.

We always finish with Premiere Pro Q&A and Goody bags. And the screen recording for the complete Premier Pro Editing was sent via email.

Every student left with footage they had shot themselves.

“I was scared to come. I thought everyone would be full-blown photographers. How wrong I was.”— Past workshop student.

That’s what a live workshop offers that nothing else can: immediate feedback, real energy, and the particular kind of learning that happens when you’re surrounded by people who are figuring it out alongside you. Plus work connections and friendships always blossom from these events!

Photos by Kimberly Espinel and Silvia Bifaro

A live food reels workshop is right for you if

You learn by doing with someone in the room. You are a busy person and need some refuelling and structure to commit. You want real-time feedback on your styling and footage. The energy of a shared space pushes you forward.

The honest ask —

Intensive setting, travel to London, a higher monetary investment. It’s immersive and it’s over in two days — you need to be ready to move at the group’s pace.

Photos by Kimberly Espinel and Silvia Bifaro

What an Online Food Reels Course Makes Possible

An online course gives you flexibility at your own timeline.

You can rewatch the lessons until they actually click. You can pause, take notes, come back. There is no group pace. There is only yours.

This matters enormously if you are building a food photography or content creation practice around full time job — The flexibility and the lower price tag isn’t a compromise. For many people it’s what makes genuine progress possible.

An online food reels course is right for you if

You need flexibility above everything. You want to revisit material, learn slowly, and integrate it into your existing practice without the weight of the live investment.

Also the online course has to be very focused, that’s why I decided to create Reel Ready in One Week
to teach the first step to learn Reels that is the ice breaker, 1 week 1 camera (or phone) 1 angle. Only overhead videos, like this one, that can engage thousand of people.

The honest ask —

The progress depends entirely on showing up for the material — and for yourself. If you don’t do the work you don’t have results. Online courses have a completion rate of between 3% and 15% for self-paced content, which is considered industry standard.

My courses average completion rate — goes between 30–70% I make sure to keep you motivated and supported.

One of my students said

“The entire course felt personal and I left it with a greater knowledge and a huge sense of gratitude to have met such a warm and inspiring person.” ” This course is the lightbulb in the dark!”

My online courses still guarantee connection with the me, although there’s no group, you are supported and guided via email and on the course chat, and looks like it makes a difference!

What the March Workshop Confirmed

Running these two days with Kimberly reinforced something I already believed but see more clearly every time I teach: the biggest obstacle to making food Reels is not technical — it’s missing a process and a framework and being able to see the BTS and how we think and build the creative flow.

“I realised I was overthinking it. Now I have a process I can follow and adapt to my style.”— Workshop student, end of day two.

If you’re ready to start right now, Reel Ready in One Week course waiting list is open, and it will meet you exactly where you are. Or contact me at silvia(@)salvialimone(.)com to enrol directly.

See my instagram post to learn more about the approachable reels I’m teaching and join the Reel Ready in One Week course waiting list here for course info and Reel tips— all done in 1 week with 1 camera and 1 angle. Doors open the 31st of March 2026.