Polaris Creative Food Photography and Styling Brand Guide

Nov 6

This morning, I learned that CRIP UP THE KITCHEN is on the shortlist for the Pacific Northwest Book Awards. This year, close to 300 titles from all genres were considered. The shortlist is 12 titles. Six will be selected for awards, to be announced in early January. Link in bio to complete shortlist #CanLit #CripLit #Awards #Literature #Cookbook ...

Sep 20

If you`re in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, then come join me for a moderated conversation and audience Q&A about Crip Up the Kitchen on October 3rd, 2023, from 7 - 9 pm at Simon Fraser University. This event is brought you by the SFU Disability and Neurodivergence Alliance and the Women`s Centre.

Please register at https://bit.ly/CripUptheKitchenSignUp ...

May 10

TICKETS ARE 50% GONE! RSVPs close Wednesday, May 17 at Midnight. Don`t delay! Reserve yours today! Link in bio. ...

May 9

Today is the Canadian publication date for CRIP UP THE KITCHEN. This was the last image I made for it. It is all the veg needed to make Doukhobor Borshch and I`m so looking forward to making it for people who come to the launch event (which is 50% sold out by the way, so get your tickets now, link in profile). I haven`t been able to cook for guests in years. Cooking for others is my love language.

This image if found both in the book and on the back cover. Today, I`m just going to tell you all what I said on the back cover: "There was a time I would easily spend five hours cooking for myself and guests. Cooking brought me so much joy. Then, disability and chronic illness took over, and I couldn`t cook. I hated it. Over time, I began to discover products and developed strategies that allowed me to reclaim the kitchen. I created recipes that would not only feed my body but also my soul. I felt that joy, once again. There is a saying that says, `Nothing about us without us.` Join me in reclaiming the heart of the home--and the word crip--to celebrate the things that make us dsiabled at any age and every stage."

While CRIP UP THE KITCHEN is temporarily sold out at Amazon Canada, there are lots of indie stores and Coles/Chapters/Indigo brick and mortar locations across Canada that have my book in stock that you can get today if you are physically able to do so. You can also get it delivered via Chapters/Indigo. Link also in profile.

Thank you, everyone, who supported me during the whirlwind that has been the last year and a half.

#CanLit #CripLit #bookstagram #Cookbooks #DisabilitySupport #ActuallyAutistic #Spoonie #Disabled

@touchwooded ...

May 2

During the second round of photography for CRIP UP THE KITCHEN, I had the opportunity to highlight a lot of the single ingredients that make big contributions to the flavour profile of certain dishes, like this ginger root. But I don`t want to talk so much about why food photographers shouldn`t forget to make images of those single ingredients but how we, the entire team at @TouchWoodEd, used these secondary images to make a calming experience for neurodivergent readers of CRIP UP THE KITCHEN.

One of the really great things that was done to help neurodivergent brains was to create predictability with the flow of recipes. Whereas a lot of traditionally designed cookbooks have the main images on any page, and the recipes starting on any page, TouchWood likes to have a certain consistency with their layouts, and this just so happens to also benefit neurodivergent readers.

It was decided by the team to create a pattern where all main images would be on an even-numbered page, all food histories would start on an odd-numbered page, and if a recipe ended on an even-numbered page, then a "wash page" was added so this pattern could repeat. "Wash page" is just the fancy term for blank pages. In the case of my book, these pages were one of the colours of my branding. If those pages couldn`t be filled with an image, they would be filled with a pattern of some sort. But images were preferred.

That is when I went through my existing library to find these secondary images to fill those gaps, and also did a second photoshoot to fill the remaining holes. So make images of those ingredients. The make for great wash pages!

CRIP UP THE KITCHEN is out one week from today! Pre-order wherever books are sold!

#FoodPhotography #Cookbooks #disabilitysupport ...

Apr 28

Some other news I`ve been slow to share. Swipe to see the images. I`m really happy that my image of Doukhobor Borshch did so well, as this dish has such an important place in my life.

EDIT: they all should read PRODUCT ILLUSTRATION. Bad brain week.

#FoodPhotography #ProductPhotography ...

Apr 25

Two more weeks until the Canadian release of CRIP UP THE KITCHEN (three for the rest of the world). One of the things I loved about photographing the book was being able to revisit old images from when I first made the move to food photography, and remaking them for the book to see how far I have progressed.

I have decades of experience behind the camera, but I made the move to food photography as my primary specialiaty in the summer of 2020 when I began working on the proposal for CRIP UP THE KITCHEN. I had to include images in the proposal to show agents and publishers my vision for the art direction. Being so early in the pandemic and being immunocompromised, it wasn`t safe to work with a photographer. I was unprepared for how much I would love food photography. It was a challenging yet fun specialty, and required approaching the subject and using light in ways that were quite different from than what I was used to. It took no time for me to know that this was the job for me. I shut down my marketing agency at the end of 2020 and in March 2021 started my food photography business, thanks to a loan from @CommunityFuturesCowichan and here are today!

The image above is the image of my Chicken Soup recipe that you will see in CRIP UP THE KITCHEN. Swipe left to see one of the first images I made, of the same recipe, in the summer of 2020.

PRE-ORDER NOW! Link in profile!

#Food #Photography #Cookbooks #cookbookstagram #CanLit #CripLit ...

Apr 9

One month until the Canadian publication date for CRIP UP THE KITCHEN! I would really love it if you all joined me for my book launch on May 20th. If you cannot make the trip to Duncan, there is a virtual ticket option at checkout. Seats are limited, so register early. Registration ink in profile!

#Cookbook #Cowichan #Event ...

Apr 4

Packzi is the OG powdered jelly doughnut. Creating this image gave me a lot of pause. Usually, I can get the image in 5 and then I have time to play for a bit. This image took over 20 attempts. And it isn`t because it is a parlicularly difficult image. The problem was, in the beginning, it was "too perfect". I needed this image to feel like home, and a perfectly manicured image is not home. Even a lot of "messy" images, I can see how they were perfectly styles to look messy.

So for this image, after attept 20 and still not being happy, I decided to not even think. The doughnuts were already filled to "perfection" so I decided to overfill them to create the mess from a home kitchen. Then I added some more icing sugar for good measure. Then I did it again until it felt like "home".

Sometime I think we (food photographers and stylists) spend too much time "perfecting" and lose sight of the feeling the food gives people and the memories they evoke. Don`t be afraid to lean into emotion and less on manicured images.

#food #photography #foodstagram ...

Mar 14

I know this is a a couple months away, but I`m very excited to be able to cook for everyone. It has been awhile since I`ve been able to invite people over to hang out and relax while I prepare a meal with love. Please let me cook for you! Seating is limited! So register early 😀 Link in bio!

Also, big thank you to @volumeonebookstore ! If you plan to attend in-person, please pre-order via Volume One and arrange with them to bring your copy to the event if you are unable to get in to town prior to pick it up. And if you forget to pre-order it, they will be there with their entire stock.

@touchwooded will be there too!

#Cowichan #cooking #food #cookbook ...

Mar 7

Just a little peek inside CRIP UP THE KITCHEN: TOOLS, TIPS AND RECIPES FOR THE DISABLED COOK and a couple features created specifically for my fellow neurodivergent pals.

#Neurodivergent #disabled #food #cookbook ...

Mar 3

It is my book! Watch me cry as I unbox it!

Preorder it where ever books are sold!

#food #cookbooks #CanLit #CripLit #bookstagram ...

Feb 28

One of my favourite things about Indian food is thali platters. Thali means “plate” or “full meal” and refers to the way Indian food is typically served. Every region of India has its own default of what is typically found on a thali.

In Panjabi cuisine, there are typically two versions. The first version makes use of a meat protein cooked using the curry method, usually chicken, with jeeroo rice, dry vegetables, a daal, cucumber raita, a dessert, and roti or chapati. The second version is vegetarian and usually consists of a chana (chickpea) dish for the protein, prepared using the curry method, to replace the chicken.

Daal makhani is now a common daal in Panjabi homes and restaurants when serving thali, thanks to its ease of making and ability to balance all the different flavour profiles. It wasn’t always this way. Like butter chicken, this dish was invented by Kundan Lal Jaggi post-partition as a vegetarian alternative to butter chicken.

The traditional recipe calls for cream. In CRIP UP THE KITCHEN, my version calls for canned coconut milk to help reduce food waste and to make it one of those dishes you can prepare any time without planning. The masala is also slightly different, but that’s because every home has their own version of garam masala. My recipe calls for the use of either whole spices—if you have them—or two teaspoons (10 mL) of Garam Masala (recipe also in the book) if you don’t.

Preorder now where ever book are sold.

#Cookbook #CookingWhileDisabled #Food #FoodPhotography ...

Feb 23

Just a reminder

(link in bio)

#CripLit #CanLit #PreOrder #Cookbooks #bookstagram ...

Feb 21

I was watching BOLLYWED on CBC Gem which is a wonderful show about the family behind @chandanfashion. In one episode, Kuki is told he can`t eat his food for health reasons. Pakora was a food item specifically mentioned. Let me tell you how I yelled, "KUKI HIT ME UP! I HAVE AN AIR FRYER RECIPE FROM MY UPCOMING COOKBOOK! YOU CAN EAT ALL THE PAKORA YOU WANT!" I was so sad for him!

It`s a little ironic. I also have an air fryer recipe for pączki that explores its Jewish roots and how it can double as a recipe for sufganiyot, and I specifically mention the air fryer recipe isn`t for this new fangled "let`s make sufganiyot healthy and ignore the significance of oil during Hanukkah" but rather, about making it accessible again for those with disabilites that make deep-frying unsafe.

And now I feel I should have also mentioned how air fryers also keeps these culturally significant foods accessible to people who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or cholesterol.

Also, Kuki, if you are reading this, please hit me up and I`d be happy to send along this recipe from CRIP UP THE KITCHEN. It is all about making sure people have access to their culturally appropriate foods throughout their life. Consider it a thank you for making me laugh and cry with you while watching BOLLYWED. It was a joy and I hope we get a Season 2.

#Food #Recipes #CookingWhileDisabled #FoodPhotography #PanjabiFood ...

Feb 14

How often do you think about how and why we get to enjoy non-Western cuisines? A lot of the foods we enjoy are the result of the impacts of colonization, including much of the Panjabi food we eat. The history of butter chicken is also a history of colonization; the dish was created to please Western palates. Butter chicken doesn’t originate in Panjab, though it is still Panjabi.

Butter chicken was invented by Kundan Lal Jaggi. He was born into a Panjabi Hindu family, in what was Hassal, Jhelum, British India, which would become Jhelum, Panjab, after the violent partition of Panjab and Pakistan. This partition has resulted in intergenerational trauma, the effects of which are still visible today, as Panjabi Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim people were driven out of their indigenous homelands. Jaggi’s story is one of these stories. The partition of India forced him to move to Delhi.

It was in Delhi that, in the 1950s, he would invent butter chicken through a tradition common in homes around the world: throwing leftovers into a pot and seeing the result.

This is just a partial sample of one of the many food histories explored in CRIP UP THE KITCHEN. The book tackles ableism in food production and preparation through an intersection lens. And why it is important to acknowledge the intergeneral trauma that is behind the foods that white westerners enjoy, often without a second thought.

Pre-order today where books are sold.

#FoodHistory #Food #FoodPhotography #CanLit #CripLit ...

Feb 7

One thing I really loved about working on CRIP UP THE KITCHEN (other than WOW I got to work on my own cookbook`s and not other people`s!) is that I was also the art director, which is a whole other production role. When photographing 65 images, it is an extra challenge to create variety while also keeping it all cohesive and telling one photographic narrative. I kept my business ethos in mind during this design phase: warm, comforting, inviting.

If you were to do the art direction for you own cookbook, what three words would guide you?

#ArtDirection #Photography #Cookbooks #Food #FoodPhotography ...

Jan 31

Some of the most difficult decisions when styling a shot are ones made for images that appear simple. This is another mise en place shot from CRIP UP THE KITCHEN and it caused a bit of hair pulling trying to figure out how to make it so it wasn`t just another mise en place shot. It also breaks some photography "rules," namely the rule of odds, which says you shouldn`t have an even number of something when there are less than 8 items in the frame.

The brain wants wants to pair things. When styling a shot, you want the viewer to land on one object: the hero. For this shot, if I had added all the mise en place ingredients for the sweet Tahdig, it would have been meh. The onions, rice, and butter would not have added visual interest. I made a decision to do the mise en place for the ingredients that give the Tahdig its biggest flavours. Especially as it better fit the food story accompanying the recipe.

So, instead of fighting against the brain`s want to pair things, I used it to my advantage by putting the dried fruits in opposing ends, the savouries in the middle, the cinnamon pointing at all the other dishes, and all dishes a slight S curve, which all helps to lead the eye through the entire image. And while it is only just perceptable, each bowl has a different colour interior which helps to give the items in each dish a bit of a pop. The dish containing the raisins is a terra cotta colour, the pistachios is a dark blue, the spices a light pink, and the apricots a light blue. These different interior colours help to individualize the items, especially when in print.

Preorder CRIP UP THE KITCHEN today where books are sold, including the your local indie bookseller!

#FoodPhotography #FoodStyling #FoodStylingTips ...

Jan 24

CRIP UP THE KITCHEN is heavily based in The Spoon Theory and was created for people who have mobility issues and/or a pain disorder, have an autoimmune disorder, have adhd or are autistic, which results in these shared symptoms:

-Pain
-Fatigue
-Impaired executive function, a.k.a. brain fog
-Insomnia
-Wildly fluctuating “spoon levels”
that make planning ahead difficult
- Chronic illness

You might be unfamiliar with the spoon theory and talking about energy in terms of “spoons.” Spoons are used as a metaphor to help visualize how much stored energy you have. It’s important to know this because if you use all your “spoons” in one day, the consequence could be days in bed. Most people have entire cups of energy that they can spend during a day. They need to do very little to replenish those cups. Those of us with disabilities that result in chronic fatigue have a few spoonfuls of energy on any given day, if we are lucky. And it requires much more self-care to replenish that energy.

This cookbook is designed to first help you get your kitchen in order. It’s also designed to make sure you don’t lose focus or get overwhelmed when organizing, planning, prepping, cooking, and storing meals. But most importantly, it isn’t prescriptive and allows for a lot of room to change things for your specific needs.

Preorder today! (link in profile). May is just around the corner.

#Cookbook #Food #FoodPhotography #Disability #Disabled ...

Jan 17