 I've been photographing people for over a decade, telling their stories through imagery. Love stories. Growing a family stories. Unconditional love for our furry friends. Sibling dynamics. Stories that centre around a sense of place. And I also document people's passions through brand photography. Showcasing small businesses that people start as an outlet for a passion they have. The creation of a business and brand that is an extension of that person. Recently I sat down with Heidi from WILD & Rustic to plan how we could capture the slow art of her sourdough baking with some brand photography. We planned how we could document each stage of what is really a 48 hour process. We talked about the purpose of the photos - for product marketing and for education. We mapped out a style that aligned with her brand aesthetic. Heidi wanted the photos to showcase her products more than herself as a baker, yet still show the hands-on process from start to finish. This photoshoot was a lot of fun to plan & execute. It sparked my creativity, stretched photo-stylising muscles that I don't really get to with family portraits (but used to love doing with wedding day details etc!) and it has me thinking of all the creatives out there creating something they're passionate about with their hands and their stories that need told!!! I guess this is the blending of two of my very own passions; photography + simple living. So if you are a maker, grower, homesteader, creative, dreamer with a small business doing something you are passionate about putting out into this world let's talk because I would LOVE to tell your story through photography!  For those who might not know about sourdough & it's slow fermentation process; it begins with feeding up your sourdough starter to get it active and bubbling. You generally start doing this about 48 hours/the day before before you want bread! Now most sourdough connoisseurs are feeding 100grams or thereabouts of starter - but Heidi is doing kilos at a time! That is because each week she bakes dozens of loaves for local households who can't get enough of her incredible sourdough products. Heidi told me she goes through 80 kilos of flour in a week!   One day 1, once the starter is ready for use the dough for each different style of product can be made up. Heidi makes standard sourdough loaves, sandwich bread, grained loaves, honey oat, focaccia, pasta, pizza bases, buns and more. This first day is all about making up each batch of dough then beginning a series of "stretch and folds" with the dough over many hours to activate the gluten in the flour creating a beautiful dough and starting the sourdough process. And in amongst all the dough prep, Heidi is also making pasta!   This photoshoot also felt like an educational experience for me watching Heidi work, seeing her process and her tricks. She moved so fast I was often glad she had repetitive tasks with multiple batches so that I could ensure I captured everything without having to ask her to pause for the camera! Because it was also a lovely thing to witness her 'flow'. Flow state is something I enter when I have my camera in my hands. It's that melding together of your action and your consciousness where you just become completely immersed in your activity. Time passes quickly but you don't notice anything outside the bubble of your focus. It was cool to witness & capture someone also in their flow, doing something they love and are masterful in. Especially because I also think working with dough is such a therapeutic activity too!  Day 2 is an early start in the kitchen for Heidi. Day 2 is baking delivery day so there is a lot happening. The kitchen was a bustling blur of activity when I arrived. Dozens of loaves being shaped, proved, prepared, baked and packaged. Heidi usually starts at 2am to ensure all products are finalised by midday! Sourdough requires a long, slow fermentation overnight because it relies on the natural wild yeasts present in the wheat flour to activate - there is no added yeast & this fermentation process is what gives it that iconic sourdough flavour, but also makes it a gentler, easier digested bread.   Once shaped and loaded into tins, Heidi prepares each loaf with attention and care. While Heidi makes the scoring of a sourdough loaf look like artwork, there is also a reason for doing this; it allows a controlled release of the gases in the dough while baking and helps it rise up in the right way. Loaves are covered for the first half of the baking to create a steamy environment for the bread to cook perfectly inside & create a good crumb and crust, then the lids are removed to finish the loaves.     While baking continued I had a fun time curating a WILD & Rustic backdrop for showcasing each of the products. Some thoughtful planning went into this before the photoshoot. Heidi gathered some props that matched her brand aesthetic; wooden boards, condiments, even grains from the mill she sources her flour from! I wanted the backdrop for these shots to help tell the story of the sourdough. And I won't lie; throwing flour, scattering grains and flinging seeds about all in the name of art was a lot of fun!       This is just a small peek into the 100+ photos created documenting the sourdough process for Heidi at WILD & Rustic, but I hope it gives you an insight into the slow art of sourdough, Heidi's beautiful brand and her creativity & talent.
If you are a maker, grower, creative, entrepreneur, dreamer with a small business doing something you are passionate about putting out into this world let's talk because I would LOVE the opportunity to tell your story through photography! Comments are closed.
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