If you’ve ever left a food photography workshop feeling inspired and then lost that momentum within a week, you’re not alone. The post-workshop question I get most—by beginners and experienced photographers alike—is how to keep going when you’re practising on your own, without an instructor beside you.
Photos from the storytelling workshop with Aimee Twigger
I finally managed to edit all the photos from our last workshop at Twigg Studios (yes, it took me longer than I’d like to admit). Going through those images reminded me of something: the real learning doesn’t happen during the workshop. It happens in the weeks and months after, when you’re alone in your kitchen with nothing but your camera and your curiosity.
And that’s where it gets hard.
The other side of this wonderful job is the solitary confinement. Motivation doesn’t come easy when nobody’s watching or cheering you on. So here’s what actually helps:
Stay connected with your peers. Find an accountability partner from the workshop. Check in with each other. Share what you’re shooting. It makes the practice less isolating.
Reframe how you think about learning. We’ve been taught that learning is sweaty hard work and play is redundant. I’d argue the opposite. At the heart of our work is the art of paying attention – and you can’t wire your brain to focus without play.
Photo By Aimee Twigger
The practical bit nobody wants to hear (but is actually easier done than said):
Play is at the heart of this job. That’s why it’s so wonderful.
Take your favourite subject. Something you already love shooting, something you’re already good at, something that makes you excited. Creativity thrives when we’re having fun, and I say this as someone who takes on plenty of projects for work, not pleasure. But when it’s time to grow and learn, we need to choose our battles. Starting with something you love opens more doors than constantly pushing yourself on subjects that feel difficult or new.
Repetition is the practice.
Not shooting 50 different things once. Shooting one thing 50 times.
For me, it’s always been cake. I started creating the cakes I wished I’d had as a small kid – until I was in primary school we were too poor even for a birthday cake. When I turned four, I had a small brown plain cake with a single blue candle in the middle. So different from the elaborate ones I’d seen in shop windows with white elegant candles and dripping frostings. Even if my parents started having success and things changed rapidly in a few years, that contrast stayed with me.
The emotional connection I have with cake is so strong, and the childhood fantasy is so inspiring, it’s a gift that keeps giving. I keep exploring what a cake can look like – the actions, the textures, the visual ASMR, the professional details. Light hitting the exact spot so you can see the layers of a slice. Candle smoke that’s interesting, not just a smudge. Feelings and moods that make people stop scrolling. I want to inspire and deliver that fantasy of a dreamy moment.
This is what happens when you shoot what you actually care about – you develop an eye that sees deeper.
And honestly? Even when I shoot for restaurants – more straightforward plate work for their websites – they appreciate this storytelling capacity. They want those striking details that capture their plates as an experience. Because food, as we know, is an experience.
So pick your thing. Your cake, your pasta, your morning ritual. Shoot it again and again. Pay attention to what changes, what stays, what makes your heart beat a bit faster when you see it through the viewfinder.
That’s your practice. That’s how you get better when nobody’s watching – by repeating what you’re already good at until you start to see more. And more intentionally.
Want to work on this together? I’m taking bookings for private workshops in January and February 2026 – where we focus entirely on connecting with your vision, nurturing your style, and learn to professionally capture and edit an elevated portfolio.
Get in touch here , if you want to take your practice further, or even if you are just curious, I’d love to connect!
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