5 Sound Bites From the Food Bloggers’ Conference
IFBC Attendees Between Sessions
The International Food Bloggers’ Conference (IFBC) was a feast for the senses. Attendees got to drink some fantastic beer and wine, see some of the most beautiful food pictures, eat food disguised as art, hear inspiring presentations, and connect on a new level with others who are passionate about food. All the ingredients we need to create better blog posts.
The opening night party featuring Morgan Spurlock, Academy Award Nominee for his enthralling documentary Super Size Me, set a great tone for the weekend with humor. I loved his reply to the blogger who asked what he’ll do when his currently vegan tot asks to try a hamburger. It was along the lines of, I’ll take him for a burger. A really good burger made from quality meat. ….and we won’t tell his (vegan) mom.
IFBC Attendees Processing the Days' Presentations
Whether or not the speakers were humorous, they still left quite an impression. With that, I leave you with what I consider to be among the 5 top sound bites from the weekend.
1. “Food writing is a lot like porn.” Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry
2. “A food blog should not be about winning a popularity contest. You’re bringing people together.” James Oseland, Editor-in-Chief of Saveur
3. “Some people say sous vide sucks the soul out of cooking. We just disagree.” Dr. Nathan Myhrvold, CEO and founder of Intellectual Ventures, and author of soon to be published Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking
4. “A Michelin inspector and a food blogger walk into a bar….. ” Food bloggers, you know how this story from Robin Goldstein, IP attorney and author of Blind Taste, ends!
5. “Eating with a utensil is like making love through an interpreter.” From the movie, Today’s Special
My only regret is that I was too busy dabbing tears from my eyes to take decent notes during the moving presentation by photographer Penny De Los Santos on making pictures . I could feel her passion coursing through my veins. Food bloggers, if you wrote down any of her gems would you be so kind as to post them as a comment?
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Tags: IFBC, James Oseland, Kathleen Flinn, Nathan Myhrvold, Robin Goldstein
September 1st, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Wish i could have been there, but by the time i got around to it, it was sold out. Nice blog, already a follower.
September 3rd, 2010 at 5:53 am
deVine,
I don’t remember exact quotes from Penny de los Santos but I do remember she mentioned waiting, lots of waiting at times for that “decisive moment” which she correctly attributed to Henri Cartier-Bresson. Patience was required in order to be at the right spot when all the planets aligned and you know you need to “make” the picture. She talked about following your instincts always. She mentioned that she gives herself assignments as challenges. It was a really good presentation. Inspiring.
Victoria
September 3rd, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Thanks so much for refreshing my memory, Victoria, I appreciate you taking the time. Such a moving presentation.
September 5th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
It’s been fun reading about the IFBC through your eyes!
I actually took quite a few notes during Penny de los Santos’ presentation. Here are what I thought were some great quotes and ideas:
**Take your camera off automatic. Make your own pictures.
(she also talked about using a meter to figure out light, and that she does not use different lenses)
**Practice at least weekly.
**Only do “hands holding an ingredient” one time. More than that is cliche.
**Give the food some space. Don’t be too close. Let your subject breathe.
**Look at it the food from all angles. Explore it.
(this is where the story of the dog sniffing came in)
**If you are writing about a place, you need to show a sense of that place. Shoot geographically.
**Look for nice light and wait for something to happen.
I am not a photographer by any means — just don’t have the knack or really the artistic desire for it. However, after her presentation my goal is to sit down with my two cameras and their manuals, and learn how to shoot a photo without it being on automatic. I’m going to buy a light meter, and try to teach myself something new.
September 6th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Thanks for visiting my blog, Cindy! I enjoyed hanging out with you at IFBC. Thanks so much for sharing these gems from Penny. Invaluable!