Flatlay envy at Innocent!

I am loving getting more and more used to using my Olympus PEN camera for pictures for the blog.  Having used an iPhone for so long, it's lovely to have the capability to produce beautiful, clear images.  It's also making me try to step up my instagram game (I'm cmclaire over there, if you fancy following along.  The cats now have their own account too, at thebadgerkits!), and I'm enjoying getting to know more about composing and producing interesting, sharp shots. I've got plenty to learn, but I'm having great fun *doing* the learning.

One area I'm exploring more and more on instagram is the unique fun that is the flatlay - those shots taken from a birds-eye view which show off recipes, shopping hauls, and a bazillion brunches to their best advantage.  Many of my blog-friends are superb at this (oh hello, Katy!), and I love watching them work their flatlay magic.  One of the queens of the flatlay over on instagram is the lovely Amber Locke, a.k.a. @rawveganblonde.  Amber's beautiful photos of the gorgeous produce she uses have gained her over a hundred thousand followers, and she has such a great eye for colour and texture. As someone who has always enjoyed these beautiful shots, I was be delighted to be invited to Innocent's HQ (fondly known as 'Fruit Towers') to watch the maestra at work.

Amber about to get to work - the picture at the top of the post is her finished piece!

The eye in the sky, recording the goings-on!

This get-together happend at teatime.  This cornucopia of veggies and fruits had me ravenous!

Above is Amber mid-setup.  It was actually rather a relief to see that her beautiful constructions took some time - when I do attempt flatlays I sometimes worry that my method is too time consuming!  It was lovely to see that someone as expert as Amber really does put a lot of thought and time into her shots. 

We had a chance to catch up with Amber after she'd shown us her mad flatlay skills and it was great fun to quiz her on all things raw food, vegan, and instagram.  She was a real delight, warm and funny.

Innocent had invited Amber along to celebrate their latest launch, the gorgeous greens.  It's very tasty, if rather sweeter than my homemade smoothies, but would be lovely to pick up on the go.  We received a few bottles in our goodie-bags and they've been super as a breakfast pick-me-up!

We also received a copy of Amber's book, Nourish, in our goodie bags, and I'm really enjoying reading it and picking up lots of tips.  She's definitely inspiring me to up my salad game - just in time for summer!  Thank to Amber for so generously sharing her passion and expertise, and to Innocent for inviting me - I'd love to visit Fruit Towers again before long!

Disclaimer: I was invited to this event and gifted a cookbook and several yummy green smoothies.  All opinions, as ever, are mine....all mine.

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Labels: blogging , cooking , events , food , health , social media , sponsored post