An Island's Voice

How to tell captivating food & travel stories

A photography, visual storytelling & styling retreat led by Danish stylist, photographer, recipe developer and food writer Nicoline Olsen and Danish photographer, publisher, award-winning cookbook author Sif Orellana :

»We are so excited about this retreat and have put our hearts and souls into creating the most educational, inspiring and eventful program, that will take your photography to the next level, give you a unique opportunity to network with colleagues from all over the world, make you enjoy great food and indulge in the exquisite nature of the island.«

Finding your photographer voice

In the middle of a beautiful landscape I got filled with new ideas, inspiration and knowledge. Feeling perfectly calm and happy. Here´s a short story for you how it happened.

We were truly in a hideaway. Silence was broken only by the sound of farm animals like chickens, roosters, lambs and birdsong. Our stay was very peaceful, there was a gorgeous sunny garden with enchanting flowers, a yard with three dogs and a tempting swimming pool. We also had our own chef, Jeff. This place was special.I attended a four day workshop in charming and picturesque Mallorca. The photography workshop was led by Danish photographer, publisher, award-winning cookbook author Sif Orellana and stylist, photographer, recipe developer and food writer Nicoline Olsen.

How do your stories make people feel?

In the very beginning they asked us important questions. Why do you tell a story? What is your story? How do your stories make people feel? Storytelling has existed for as long as we know, but some do it better. But why is that? And how do they do it? That's what I was there to find out.

On the first morning of the workshop at this huge, authentic and beautiful 16th century “finca” farm house, there was a lot of thinking and enthusiasm in the air. We had already started the workshop the previous evening when we arrived. Sif and Nicoline gave us an assignment for a Food and Travel magazine called Mallorca in Spring. Every one of us would make a six page photo story for that magazine. Well, clearly we were playing with the illusion of the magazine but you never know when an exercise can turn into reality.On the first day we visited a town called Sóller. 12 likeminded ladies, who came from all around the world, took their cameras and headed towards the small town.

The first place we visited was an organic market, stocked full fo organic and local food and wine- I would be happy if I had that kind of grocery shop next to my summer house. After that we walked slowly to our main destination for the day. I bet our group of ladies, shooting our cameras in all directions in strange poses, looked a bit funny to the locals. Finally we arrived to an old olive oil mill-Can Det- that has been producing olive oil since 1561 in Sóller. It was wonderful to see this old factory.

In the afternoon we strolled to the center of Sóller and our cameras were singing. Old towns are beautiful and this town has it's own speciality too. There is a very old tram service operating between Sóller and the Port - Puerto de Sóller since 1913.

Having fun, laughing, hearing other people's stories...

The next day we went on a hiking trip to a beautiful village called Fornalutx. Our hiking guide Drew took us through beautiful olive groves on the mountains. Some of the trees are even a thousand years old. He told us charming stories about lemon, orange, olive groves and the history of Mallorca. Mysteriously gorgeous old olive trees reminded me of the world of The Lord of the Rings. Especially Ents, the talking trees. The colour of the olive leaves is so divine, with all the shades of bluish green and silver. After hiking we had a delicious lunch at the restaurant Ca N'Antuna in Fornalutx. We had the biggest paella ever with cold tapas starters, and white wine. Later that day we walked around the village and photographed what we saw. The last day of the workshop we took extra shots at the finca and edited pictures. The day was full of discussion about photography and it could have continued through the night.

Having fun, laughing, hearing other people's stories, feeling relaxed and finding new places, tastes, learning new skills, finding new sides of yourself - they are all present in this kind of photography workshop. Travelling and learning is a wonderful way to see the world.

Text & Photos: Kreetta Järvenpää