There is something to be said about being very good at what you do.
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As a fairly new blogger, I must admit – I missed that feeling. All my pre-blogging life I worked as a hotelier and was told that I was good at it.
In the direction I was going, I thought that I would end up being the General Manager of a luxury hotel and spend the rest of my life working long hours in the hospitality industry. I hoped that all those years of working in a hotel eventually would pay off and award me with a successful career in the eyes of myself and others.
However, as it usually happens, life threw me a couple curve balls, which changed the direction of my life dramatically.
First, we moved to an island where finding a job and continuing my career was not as easy as I had hoped. Second, I lost my mother suddenly to a heart attack.
Needless to say, under the current conditions of this new life, I was lost for awhile.
During this time, I spent countless hours doing the things that I had no time to do while I was working at a hotel. Simple things like reading a book on the beach, watching a TV show, or hanging out with my friends. With all the free time I had on my hands, I spent my days doing those things to occupy myself. Though it was fun in the beginning, after the first couple of months, it turned out that I was struggling with the feeling of being lost. Because, I later realized, I was addicted to the fast paced environment of the corporate life and was craving it.
It didn’t take me too long to come to the conclusion that, contrary to what most people may think, even the beautiful beaches of Virgin Gorda could get boring after a while.
I was in need of something to fill this empty space. Something that would bring meaning to my life…
Then the idea of blogging came about. At first I was hesitant, thinking that no one would want to read what I have to say. But I gave it a shot and stuck to it. I am glad I did.
This month marks the first year of Foolproof Living. With close to 130 recipes, lots of new friends that I have met through blogging, and a new appreciation for writing and photography, I feel like I have accomplished something. Something that is meaningful to me.
However, just as it is in every career, I know that there is so much to learn and there is a long road ahead of me.
Over the course of this year, I realized that I enjoyed photographing food as much as I enjoyed cooking it. It gave me such a feeling of accomplishment to hear from my friends, family, and readers that they love the photographs as much as they love the recipes.
To get better at it and educate myself, I read everything I could get my hands on, followed some of the most amazing food bloggers out there, and practiced as much as I could. However, after a year of practicing on my own, I felt like I needed a little direction and feedback from someone in the industry.
Therefore, my friend Christina’s visit to Virgin Gorda couldn’t have come at a better time for me.
Christina is a professional traveling portrait and wedding photographer. In my opinion, she is one of those people who is very good at what she does.
We spent the whole of last week talking about lighting, composition, and telling a story through photography. Our time together gave me a different perspective that I hadn’t had before.
For instance, up until this week, I was scared of having negative space in my photography. I felt as though I had to fill every corner of the shot with something. Every photograph I took was carefully staged. In a way, it was not real.
Another example is that I was hesitant of including shadows, concerned that they would make my images look crowded or imperfect. I always used a reflector to light the food perfectly, ensuring that there were no shadows covering the food. Again, not real…
Throughout the week, I learned that telling a story of how that dish came about is as important as photographing the end product staged in a perfect setting.
Christina and I made this Mediterranean Chickpea, Farro and Za’atar Salad together. Or, I should say, I made it and she photographed it as I was making it.
Through photography, we told the story of making our dinner, a salad made with healthy everyday ingredients typical of Mediterranean cuisine. She helped me understand how important it is that my readers know what goes into making a dish. Instead of staging the food on the table with a reflector in one hand and a diffuser in the other, she shot my hands as I was chopping and mixing the ingredients and holding the finished product in my hands.
As we photographed this delicious yet super simple salad, I felt liberated to know that what makes food photography so good is the story being told by showing the shadows, imperfections of the ingredients, and hands preparing the food.
After a week spent with a professional, I feel as though I have a better appreciation of photography and story telling through it. I am aware that it will take time for me to get to where I want to be, but I feel like I have an idea of the direction I have to follow to get there.
Mediterranean Chickpea, Farro, and Za’atar Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup farro, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium sized eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and washed
- 2 scallions, chopped both green and white parts
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 4-6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup Italian Parsley, chopped
- 3 tablespoons za’atar spice blend
- coarse sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 350 Degrees. Place eggplants on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Roast for 35-40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In the mean time, place water and 1 teaspoon salt into a medium size saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the farro. Turn the heat to low, and cook for 30-35 minutes or until it is chewy. Drain and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl make a quick vinaigrette by whisking 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice,1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- In a large mixing bowl, place chickpeas, scallions, tomatoes, eggplant, farro, and fresh parsley. Drizzle the vinaigrette over.
- Using your clean hands toss to combine. Top it off with feta cheese and sprinkle it with za’atar. Taste for seasoning and add if necessary.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh I am just so happy to have stumbled upon this post so I could read more about your story. I share so many of those same feelings- love for food and photography, and yet feeling that there’s so much learning and growing still necessary. I lost my dad 7 years ago and it has shaped my outlook on life. So sorry to hear about your mom. This post captures the fact that life is hard and beautiful at the same time. Such a gorgeous salad!
I am so glad to have connected with you Emily. I am very sorry to hear about your dad. I know how hard it is to loose a parent.
But life is like that. It never gets better, we just get better at it in time. Just like photography, blogging and everything else.
Thank you so much for your kind words. They really mean a lot to me.
XOXO
Hey Aysegul, we enjoyed another wonderful dinner courtesy of your blog 🙂 Thank you for posting such yummy things!
I did notice that your recipe called for parsley and then you used mint in your instructions. I went ahead and used mint in our dinner because I currently have more of that in the garden, but you may want to clarify that for other people who want to try this awesomeness. Very good recipe!
I resonate with the lost feeling … I would think that a blog is a great way to get that positive feedback that used to come from work. I get that feedback these days from preparing awesome dinners for my family, with inspiration from you 🙂 It is hard though to replace the satisfaction that comes from a day well spent at work. I became a stay at home mom five years ago and while I love being with my children, it is a very different “job” than the intelligence work I was doing for the military. Both good things, but I know that feeling of lost that you expressed here.
Dear Amy,
I am so glad to hear that you guys enjoyed this salad. It sure is a favorite in our household.
The mint was a typo, but quite frankly for this salad I use whatever fresh herb I have on hand. Most of the time, I even mix them up. My late mother used to say, herbs are like perfume for food. 🙂
I can only imagine how you feel.. I am sure it is satisfying to take care of your children and invest in their future, but I can see how you’d feel lost. Especially, if you were working in the military environment..
After almost 4 years of living on an island as a die-hard “city girl”, I learned that in order to be happy I have to make the best of what I have and work hard at focusing on what I have more than what I do not/can not have. Though it is a constant challenge, we are all trying to stay afloat and find ourselves in the mix…
Hi Aysegul, I’ve just discovered your blog and have fallen in love with your inspiring photography style. I can’t wait to see your next recipes! 🙂 Ana
Awww, thank you so much Ana!
As a fairly new blogger myself who is still learning a lot about photography, food styling, and everything that goes into this art, your post really resonated with me. And the salad looks incredible – I will be sure to make it!
What a beautiful post, I think 90% of people can relate to feeling lost at some point, I’ve definitely been feeling a little lost recently and have found that my blog has become the only “constant” in my life. Congratulations on 1 year of blogging, it sounds like it’s really made a huge difference in your life (who would’ve thought about the power of blogs – right?) Also, love the photos in this post sounds like the two of you had a great time photographing and cooking this dish 🙂
Hi Louisa,
Thank you for your kind words.
You are right, blogging about my passion took me to a place that I never knew existed.
Still there is so much to learn and I cannot be more exited to see what is yet to come..
Cheers!
Ice
Hard to believe it has been a year already! You continue to amaze and inspire me with your talent everyday. Only a few of us are lucky enough to have found their dream job and this is no question what you are destined to do. Bigger and better things are yet to come for you my dear friend and I can’t wait to watch your star shine brighter than ever. xoxo
Cero’cugum,
I cannot thank you enough for your support.
I hope, one day, you will find what you are destined to do as well. However, for now, I am happy that you are my favorite recipe tester.
Love,
Aysegul
I think you have done a spectacular job with your blog in a short time. I find your comments engaging, soulful and entertaining , and, your recipes tasty and down to earth. Keep up the good work.
Hello,
Thank you so much for your continues support and kind words.
I have so many ideas that I cannot wait to share in the days, months, and years to come.
Cheers!
Aysegul
What a beautiful post – always a gift to be able to take time to reflect and appreciate the successes you have achieved. Congratulations on Foolproof Living’s first year – great things to come, I’m certain of it! And yes – these photos are spectacular!!
Chrissann,
Thank you so much for being the person you are who supported to me throughout my first year of blogging.
I do not know if I could be as confident as I am with my writing if I hadn’t met you. I can never thank you enough for the positiveness and joy you bring to my life.
Love,
Aysegul
Ayşegül, I just wanted to say that you are doing a great job on your blog! Very happy to meet you and foolproof living! As for the photography, I’m not a professional either and I wasn’t aware of the things you are criticizing about photography. Thanks for sharing them with us. I will share them with my husband, who is the responsible one for the photography on my blog. And the salad here sounds amazing! A great way to use za’atar!
Hi Zerrin,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am very happy to meet you as well.
There is so much to learn, especially when it comes to photography. Still, I am looking forward to the challenge.
BTW, this salad reminds me home. 🙂
Aysegul