There is no doubt that color plays an integral part in visual storytelling. Color is life. Can you imagine what the world would be without color? A very dismal place indeed, one where I would certainly not want to live. Sometimes, I feel like a butterfly or honey bee instantly drawn to any brightly colored dahlia or basket of strawberries. Color can be so intoxicating, soothing, and invigorating. I remember in my color theory class in fashion design school; I was astonished by how serious the professor was about color. No laughs here. She was strict, observant, and wildly metaphysical in her theories.

There is a shift in the air. Summer’s lightness slowly waning like the blue moon. My body can feel it in the early morning. It’s ever so subtle here on Maui, but I can feel something changing, shifting with time. An internal shift of sorts too. Maybe it’s due to the recent tragedy on the island. But either way, it’s a knowing that change is on the way. Welcome September, a glorious month of harvest, preserving, a gentle turn towards the introspective months ahead. I had seasonal figs and blueberries on hand and thought hand pies would be the perfect bridge into the baking season using summer’s last hurrah of fresh fruit.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” - Pablo Picasso

All big dreams start from a thought. All of your past work and future work has and will begin with inspirational thought. Many of those ideas have been tried and done many times before, but never in your way, through your eye, your lens. That’s what’s so beautiful about honing in on your craft and your story as a creative. Have you been to a photography workshop before or a styled shoot, and some people can capture the same scene, but the photos feel and are wildly different?

There are no words to describe the past few days on Maui. It's been extremely challenging in so many unforeseen ways for everyone. I've been glued to the news and stories that flood in every day, and it's taken such a toll on everyone emotionally. The psychological healing from the island's trauma hasn't even begun, yet each day feels like we are further down a darker hole. There are different waves of emotions, rolling in one after another in its wake. We all hold this island so dear to our hearts. As an empathetic and highly sensitive person, it's been so difficult not to drown in tragic news stories.

Catia Lemmi, a photographer, brand stylist, and concept developer based in London, approaches her work from a sensitive and reflective place. She was born in a small, medieval town in the beautiful mountains of Garfaganana, Tuscany, Italy. She also is a clinical psychologist, which she balances with teaching workshops and brand concept development. Her unique way of capturing the softness of natural light has an introspection quality to it which I find so calming.

Less is more, more is more? So which is it? How we style a scene says everything. After there is that old adage that says a photo is worth a 1000 words right? Overstyling a scene can be a trap for many beginners; making that strawberry sit just so or the glass be just to the left...but sometimes those images can feel tight, cloistered, buttoned up. And unless it’s done naturally, it can easily feel contrived.

I discovered Kate by chance online while passing through her home in Gloucestershire in the English countryside. I was immediately drawn to her work and her sensitivity to beauty. As a fellow flower lover, her floral photography transports you to another place and makes you realize the importance of slowing down to notice the beauty of the little things. Her work is grounded in nature and comes from the heart and soul. She is also a creative business coach for photographers and creative entrepreneurs.

The first interview in my visual storytelling series is with Valentina Hortus, a photographer, blogger, and photography teacher based in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. Her blog, Hortus Cuisine, won Saveur’s Best New Blog in 2014. Her work has a sense of moody romance from times past, a Renaissance painterly quality to it, which I find so inspiring and unique. I love how everything she creates is with intention and a clear story. You can feel how deeply aligned she is with the soul of her work. I hope you will be just as inspired by her work as I am!

I was on a long run in crisp October in Vermont on the dirt backroads, the kind where every step is crisp and crack. I was a few miles away from home, my breathing deep and visible in the cold air. But something stopped me mid-stride. I heard odd noises in the bush up ahead. Ears perked I thought it couldn’t be anything that dangerous, but you never know out there, there are bears and catamounts (supposedly). I took a few steps forward only to realize, to my relief, a loose cow was munching away contently at the grass with a white-eyed look of “Yes?” I started laughing only then, seeing the whole picture of the setting. I peered through the leaves and brush only to see the rest of the herd. Wild Child, Baby Carrot, Maple…

One thing that can be very overwhelming when you’re just beginning as a food or lifestyle photographer is the feeling that you need to have a huge studio or a large prop cupboard. Seeing others work online can make you feel like “ooo I need that too” or “I’d like to try that surface, “ and then the next moment you know your list of things to buy or find is long and scattered. I certainly have little to nothing when I began experimenting in my cottage.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the beauty and bounty of summer, not just in the buckets of flowers at the market or the jeweled blackberries dripping off the vine in the yard, but how it’s the mindset of abundance and well-being. Before I moved to Maui, it was constantly on the go, and I barely ate properly until I got home to my tiny apartment. I was exhausted and overworked, and my soul was locked in a dark corner, wondering when it would be able to see the light (literally and figuratively) again.

Salty swims, ripe mangos, chipping birds at the crack of dawn. Hello July…summer is here and it feels so wonderful. I try to spend as much time outside, often taking my laptop onto the grass as I do now. The little red cardinal that curiously comes around looking for food is nearby. (He waits by my doorstep for food and flies over when I'm home, it's too funny.) Working from home when the weather is divine is a true privilege.

I was flipping through some of my favorite books the other day, ones I return to repeatedly. The well-worn and dogged-eared pages share more than just my love for them but something else entirely. On the side of my desk, I have a board full of disconnected images, clippings from magazines, printouts, and little bits that are inspiring or strike a cord in my heart with me. Most of these are dreams, and some are creative inspirations for my work. "How could I replicate that feeling"? Besides just making a pretty picture and styling a scene, visual storytelling is so much more based on our human experience, emotions, and senses.

It's been a minute since I posted last, but the past few weeks have been filled with so much inspiration and beauty. As you may know, I recently traveled to England for a holiday and a photography workshop in Dorset. Now that I'm home, wistfully sipping my tea on the sofa with the birds chirping outside, daydreaming of the idyllic English countryside, I wanted to share some beautiful moments.

"Draw an S from the head, through the hips, to the floor…" my illustration professor told us during a live model drawing session. The model quickly changed position every 10-15 seconds, just enough for us to loosen up and capture the essence of the pose. Wait, wait, just one more second! I'd think as she turned away from me. Page after page, I began again with the S curve in mind. (I wish I had my sketch books with me here on Maui to show you!) It wasn't about the details but rather capturing the emotion, stature, and movement in single fluid lines. The letter S, in fashion illustration, was the standard guideline taught to present our sketches and designs.

Light is everything; it's the magical element every photographer chases. I only shoot in natural light as I love its purity and ethereal feeling. Personally, I shy away from artificial anything even though artificial lighting does have its place for certain food photography. Although in Maui, I certainly have plenty of sunshine (thankfully), so I shoot most of my work outside under the trees or a makeshift blanket on my front step. I feel so fortunate to have plenty of beautiful spots around my cottage outside to play with.

I’m certainly feeling spring's productive and industrious nature lately, almost to the point of feeling gratefully overwhelmed with many good things. Joyous, happy, exciting things! As spring naturally is…the little joys throughout the day. The first peach blossoms, the birdsong, the quiet early morning stillness, misty rain….what little things have been giving you joy lately?

The joys of the spring season are all the fresh, tender greens at the farmer’s market and in the garden. Often simplest is best, especially when it comes to the flavors of springtime. Zesty lemon, spicy arugula, and English peas are some of the season’s best. The other afternoon I made a hearty ciabatta, which was the perfect foundation for an improvised spring bruschetta with creamy burrata.

An intentionally curated prop kit is one of the fundamental ways to create a cohesive and rounded portfolio. And it has to be said, I do love pretty things! When I first began shooting, I didn't have the budget to buy every type of wine glass or whatever my heart desired. I had to be very conscientious in choosing the right props that would be trusty workhorses in my work and kitchen. Moreover, I also lived in a small cottage with only a little storage space for a wide selection of fun things to play with.

We’re just on the cusp of spring! You can feel the lightness in the breeze, ready to renew and refresh our home and spirits. These lighter and brighter days make me yearn for something fresh and cleansing, which is nothing new come spring, of course, but I made a simple salad this weekend with the ever-humble herb parsley, and it was just what I needed. Most people think of flat and curly parsley as a finishing garnish or the last flourish to add a bit of green to a dish.