Foodies, chefs, caterers, Mom Bloggers, cookbook authors and more, take note: May 14-16, 2010 is THE weekend when bloggers from across the country will convene near Big Bear in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains of sunny Southern California for intense learning and sharing.

No stuffy banquet halls or windowless presentation rooms at this food bloggers camp. Charge up your camera and pack your sense of adventure. This really IS camp — we’ll get down and dirty dealing with issues concerning YOUR blog, and tackle struggles hands-on. This is a club worth joining!

Network with fellow food bloggers.

High spirited camp fun is sprinkled throughout, so be prepared to unplug, blow off some steam, soak up skills, meditate about your craft and return home ready to rock and roll. Your $325 fee includes 2 nights lodging, 5 hearty meals, receptions, sessions, activities and valuable workbook. Here is a printable itinerary, take a look.

Want updates? Join Our Email List. Space will be limited.

S'mores. We told you, this is camp!

MODERATOR PATTI LONDRE — Benefits to Running Your Blog Like A Business and How to Work with PR Folks.  Nationally recognized food PR expert, passionate recipe blogger for Worth The Whisk, graduate home economist, President of The Londre Company PR and owner of the “sister camp” to our event, Camp GetAway for Mothers & Others.

DENISE VIVALDO — Food Styling Tips & Tricks for Bloggers.  Co-author of upcoming The Comprehensive Food Styling Handbook, co-creator and instructor of Styling and Photo Techniques for Food Writers and Bloggers, owner of renowned Food Fanatics styling studio, co-author of numerous culinary how-to books, seasoned 20+ years food pro, UCLA Culinary Program professor, graduate Chef de Cuisine from California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, catered more than 10,000 parties, cooked for such guests as Prince Charles, Bette Midler, Suzanne Somers, Cher, Aaron Spelling, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, began culinary training at the Ritz Escoffier and La Varenne in Paris, and personal friend to Julia Child.

DANNY JAUREGUI – How My Single Post Drew Over 20,000 Hits In One Day & Other Optimization Insights.  Much-admired LA-based food blogger of Over The Hill and On A Roll recognized by Saveur Magazine, Random House’s Knopf Double Day, and Lifehacker.org.  Phenomenal Food Bloggers Unite – One Stop Resource for Food Bloggers garners high praise for valuable tips for tech, food photo, and writing. Dishes up significant insiders’ know-how via chock-full e-newsletter, considered one of the top in our field.  Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Drawing at Whittier College.

BARBARA GIBBS OSTMANN — Recipe Writing Essentials, Copyrighting & Attributions. Award-winning journalist, expert on recipe writing style, co-author of The Recipe Writer’s Handbook and the Food Writers’ Favorites cookbook series with 5 million+ books in print, speaker and writing coach, former food writer for New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, food editor of St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

ART RAMIREZ — Demystifying Your Camera, Steps to Shooting Stunning Food Photos & Photoshop Food Pix Fixes. Highly regarded Photography Instructor and Photoshop Expert, 30+ years experience, news photographer, chief photographer/photo editor for Scripps-Howard newspapers, specialist in custom image printing for the entertainment industry, Photography and Photoshop Instructor for So. Cal’s premier camera equipment chain, Samy’s Camera.

CASEY BENEDICT — Food Porn at its Best and Worst.  Showcase of the wonderful world of food porn, featuring Tastestopping’s vast collection of bloggers’ submissions. During our Welcoming Reception, feast your eyes on the hard work of your peers, and pick up some “lightbulb moments” to ponder in YOUR food photography.  Tastestopping

More speakers to come, meanwhile here are:

1. Vastly improve my food photography.
2. Refine my content quality: recipe writing, style, voice and proper attributions.
3. Grow my readership via smarter SEO techniques.
4. Gain precious face-time with food bloggers to expand my circle of support and contacts.
5. Strengthen my grasp of the blogging “business” and what’s out there for me – corporate contacts, PR folks, tax insights, monetizing.

For a serious kick-start, plan to attend Camp Blogaway Bootcamp for Food & Recipe Bloggers May 14-16 in the beautiful mountains of sunny Southern California (near Big Bear).

The jam-packed itinerary addresses all this and more at a great value: $325 registration includes two nights’ lodging, all meals and sessions, valuable workbook, plus all the fun you can stuff into a weekend away from the hassles of work and home. Early January, we’ll finalize registrations, so HURRY and pre-register.  

This is the place to connect with other campers to carpool and share rental cars from airports. Start your conversations via a comment. We suggest you allow fellow campers to contact you directly once you post here (via email or DM) to work out your plans, as Camp won’t be organizing any carpooling details.

• A Communal Table
• Blogcatalog.com
• Bunkycooks
• California Table Grapes
• California Walnuts
• Celtic Mommy
• Chefdruck Musings
• Cherry Creek Designs
• Christine Cooks
• CindyEpstein.com
• Doable And Delicious
• Earthbound Chronicles
• Eat Repeat, Mandy’s Meals
• Fabulous Food Finds
• Family Fresh Cooking
• Food Bloggers Unite!
• Food Fanatics Unwashed
• Frosted Fingers
• Half Hour Meals
• Inspired Ingredients
• Just Foodies
• La Fuji Mama
• Land O’ Lakes Recipe Buzz
• Lentil Breakdown
• Life On Plan B
• Lindsay Olives
• My Man’s Belly
• Nestle
• Onionista
• Over The Hill And On A Roll
• Project Foodie
• Reebecki Supergirl
• SallyCameron.com
• Stetted
• Stockpiling Moms
• Sur La Table
• Tastestopping
• Teenie Cakes
• There’s a Newf in My Soup!
• This Mama Cooks!
• Wilton
• Worth The Whisk
• Zespri Kiwifruit

Here are five top things food bloggers have told me they want most from their blogging efforts:

1. To grow traffic to their blogs. Aside from validation for delivering valuable and worthy content, visitor traffic produces real payoffs: money, visibility, deals, success. Many blog platforms provide statistical information that is quite insightful. And bloggers admit to often obsessing about their traffic to the point that their stats drive them crazy. Growing traffic is a complicated challenge, and that’s why networking with other bloggers really helps shed light on this topic.

2. To be treated as bona fide media. Bloggers influence consumers just like magazines, TV, newspapers, radio. And many feel strongly that their influence ranks up there for such considerations as trade show press badges, junkets, swag, backstage passes and more. Getting to that level of respect is a strong desire and a blog’s traffic is key to opening that door — sometimes, but not always. Personal contacts often can override the roadblock of lackluster stats.

3. To make decent money. Not every blog has ads, but lots of bloggers earn income via subsequent cookbook deals, speaking engagements, spokesperson work, freelance copywriting, teaching assignments and other prized gigs. Little ads don’t pay many bills. Decent money is a valid goal, and dovetailing efforts to build income from a variety of sources is a lucrative approach.

4. To be recognized as a brand. In this growing pool, each really wants to establish themselves as unique for their content, talent, style, outlook. Standing apart matters to many bloggers. How to do that is a constant struggle in this highly competitive field, yet making a name for yourself is the most effective method to step away from the herd.

5. To be wooed by money gatekeepers. Joining the elite circle of marketing insiders is a major springboard to the big leagues. PR agencies, advertising agencies, research firms, publishing houses, corporate marketing departments are the People With Money to Spend. For bloggers, making their acquaintance can be the Holy Grail. It’s not easy, but it’s doable.

Helping bloggers achieve their goals is the mission of Camp Blogaway. In addition to educational sessions, the on-site camaraderie and networking opportunities at Camp are invaluable. Successful bloggers will tell you, attending a blogging conference makes a big impact on your blog’s future. Join us May 14-16 in the beautiful Southern California mountains.

Many of our campers have succeeded in landing a business to “sponsor” their attendance – GREAT!  At Camp Blogaway, we work hard to ensure attendees meet and mingle, but YES — bloggers are encouraged to “think marketing,” too.  Here are five ways* to maximize your visibility, or that of your sponsor at Camp – they’re easy and cheap!

1. Bring business cards. Blog name/logo, URL, your name, email, twitter, Facebook. No need for phone or address.
2. Make use of the Networking Table for flyers, business cards — especially if you have been “sponsored” to attend. Consider standing out on that table. How about a Signature Recipe? A postcard from Camp? Invitation for a fun contest? Luggage tags?  Whatever you do should be easy to carry home and good enough for someone to not toss in the trash. 
3. Give away a nibble. How about a candy with your card attached? An imprinted lollypop, or other cute snack. Two things are important here – first, that your goodie doesn’t appear to give an impression you are a “sponsor of Camp,” and second, proper packaging. Don’t be the one whose goodie leaked or melted in suitcases.
4. Wear your logo. This is easy. Just buy a packet of Ink Jet T-Shirt transfers and iron yourself up a logo shirt or apron. FUN. 
5. Follow-up. Attendees will receive contact info for all our bloggers, sponsors, speakers, staff.  Making a real effort to reconnect once home is a valuable way to help you make things happen for your blog.

*Note – While here, we request attendees respect Camp Blogaway’s wonderful sponsors by ONLY promoting your blogs or personal sponsors via the methods, above.  Registered campers receive additional info on this topic in their Registration Packet.  Any questions, just email Fearless Leader patti@londre.com and she’ll give you a hand.

Many thanks to attendees Tastestopping, Earthbound Chronicles and Stockpiling Moms, for their input on these opportunities.

Did we mention there will be Hour Massages available at camp? There’s really nothing like treating yourself to a soothing full body massage on a weekend retreat. We bring in our best certified massage therapists and transform one of our cabins into a tranquil Mountain Spa. Pre-order via the registration process. $60 fee.

ZESPRI International is the world’s largest marketer of GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit and ZESPRI is the brand for all kiwifruit grown in New Zealand. ZESPRI’s 2700 growers have perfected the way they grow, cultivate, store and ship their kiwifruit to guarantee consistently delicious tart-sweet GREEN and tropical-sweet GOLD Kiwifruit from May through October.  www.ZespriKiwi.com

HalfHourMeals.com provides food bloggers with a recipe for success. Our online cookbook is an engaging space where you can showcase your favorite recipes. The community discussion forum is the place to network with like-minded bloggers and food lovers. A listing in our blog directory is a simple way to get an inbound link and drive more traffic to your site. So, whether you’re looking for new recipes, new connections or new levels of success, HalfHourMeals.com is the place for you. 

Lindsay Olives provides a full line of olives, ranging from the delicious, savory California black and green ripe olives to more exotic imported varieties, like stuffed Spanish Queens and Greek Kalamatas. For wonderful recipes and serving suggestions, please visit www.lindsayolives.com.

The National Onion Association (NOA) is the official organization representing growers, shippers, brokers, and commercial representatives of the U.S. onion industry.  Since 1984, the NOA has dedicated their themselves to educating consumers about onions and their many uses. We’re excited to be part of camp and look forward to sharing layers of information, flavor, and fun with other foodies. www.onions-usa.org

The first Sur La Table store opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1972 selling hard-to-find kitchenware imported from France. Since then the company has expanded to more than 75 stores nationwide, a direct-mail business distributing millions of catalogs each year, an e-commerce site, a gift registry, and a cooking class program. Sur La Table continues to carry many of the same products from France that it carried when it opened, but now offers tools from around the world to prepare any cuisine. Sur La Table remains committed to its roots by continuing to provide exceptional customer service and a broad assortment of premium-quality products. Sur La Table headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington. www.surlatable.com 

Mad Housewife Wines. Above all else, wine should be fun, relaxing, and something you can afford to look forward to at the end of each and every day. This is your time. Time to enjoy a moment to yourself. A moment without the madness.   www.MadHouseCellars.com

Look through your dishes, napkins, serving pieces – is there something that’s ready to retire? Bring it to camp. When you check in, hand it over for a ticket (bring two, get two tickets). Sunday morning closing ceremony, we call up the tickets and you grab a new prop. Woo hoo! A new prop for your collection, along with a great memento of your Bootcamp experience.

Held in Angelus Oaks in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, Camp Blogaway runs from 3 PM Friday through Sunday brunch.  

You won’t find a better value for blogging education.  Your $325 registration INCLUDES 2 nights’ lodging, 5 yummy meals, all workshops and materials, extra activities and even some goodies.   Just get yourself here; transportation not included.  

Registered attendees also receive a 125 x 125 CAMP BLOGAWAY ATTENDEE badge to proudly display on your blog.   At a date closer to camp, you will be mailed a comprehensive camper packet with detailed driving instructions, packing list, itinerary, workshop and speaker info and more.  

Pre-registration opens November 1st.  We recommend you join the email list or follow us on Twitter for updates and reminders.

Space is limited to 100 campers; to avoid disappointment, early registration is recommended.

You can absorb a whole lot more when distractions of home and work are a mountain away.

• Arrivals and Departures - Check-in Friday after 3, depart Sunday after brunch.
• Disabled Patrons - The facility can accommodate people with physical disabilities (i.e. parking and ramps). 
• Meals – Fear not, we feed you plenty of tasty, hearty camp chow (dare we call it yumm-o?). Friday Welcome Dinner is 6 PM. Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch. Your registration application will request info about any dietary restrictions.
• Lodging – This is NOT hard-core camping, but it’s definitely camp!  Rustic, heated cabins with several bunkrooms each, bunk beds, peaceful decks.   Bathrooms are indoors, hot private showers.
• Cabin Assignments – Listen up… men in this cabin, women in that one. Bunkrooms are dorm-style, so you can appreciate our challenge to ensure our attendees are happy.  We will perform to the best of our ability and aren’t totally inflexible, but please be aware that resources are limited – being a good sport is part of the adventure.  We will do everything possible to make your weekend worthwhile.
• Getting Here – Campers provide their own transportation. Driving instructions are in your registration packet. Approximate drive times:  Los Angeles – 1.5 to 2 hrs.; Orange – 1.5 to 2 hrs.; San Diego – 2 hrs.; San Fernando Valley – 1.5 to 2 hrs.; Ventura – 2.5 hrs.
• Airport Info - Out-of-towners fly into Ontario International Airport (ONT), and rent a car; an approximate 1-hour drive.
• Weather – Average temperatures (but check weather.com before packing) for May are days 65°-75° nights 40°-55°  

Rustic cabins with beautiful decks.

Patti Londre

“Brought to you by…!” 

Hi, I’m Patti Londre and Camp Blogaway is presented to you by my Food Marketing & PR Firm, TLC.  

I joined the food blogging community after attending workshops on the topic at an industry conference. See, I thought I understood blogging having dabbled in it for a small summer camp, but it took a lot more for my “light bulb” to really go off. “Ohhhhh, now I get it!”  Worth The Whisk was born and the journey began.  There is a TON to learn, folks.

While my blog is in its infancy, I’m no newbie to food. Built on the foundation of a degree in home economics, my PR agency has created events and campaigns for some of America’s most loved food brands for more than 25 years.  I’m a frequent speaker for such food organizations as the upcoming Fancy Food Show in January 2010.  And, I own Camp GetAway for Mothers & Others, providing high-spirited “sleep away camps” for grownups.  

See how this all came together?  

Imagine an intense conference chock-full of education for food bloggers, held in a peaceful atmosphere of natural beauty, seasoned with good ol’ fashioned fun, and all value-priced:  Camp Blogaway is The Original Bootcamp for Food & Recipe Bloggers.  Join us!

A shout-out from Patti's OTHER awesome concept, a women's sleep-away camp, Camp GetAway.

Rustic cabins, dorm-style bunkrooms with indoor bathrooms.

How this works – our conference is held at a REAL mountain recreation camp, not a hotel, spa or convention center.  Rustic, heated cabins have indoor bathrooms, bunk beds, lovely decks for relaxing.  Meals and activities are in the lodge and in other spots around camp.

Accommodations are shared, we regret that we cannot accommodate children. Yes, you may request specific bunkmates. Cabin assignments are processed prior to the weekend. Cabins are various configurations, each with several bunkrooms which sleep from four to eight campers. But, don’t get too uptight about bunkrooms – we’re here to learn and will spend very little time in the sleeping cabins. This is camp, we keep telling you!  

Breathe deep, open your eyes, absorb information, think big thoughts, rejuvenate.

Hearty Portions

Lotza Mmmmeals at Camp Blogaway – Fear not, we feed you plenty of tasty, hearty chow here at camp (dare we call it yumm-o?).

The registration process provides the opportunity to tell us of any dietary allergies.

Plenty of Veggies

First meal is Friday dinner at 6 PM. Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch.

Your fee is all-inclusive of the good eats: meals, snacks, receptions and s’more.

Enjoy Your Java In The Lodge

Now a food blogger, I’m working on my composition, food styling and cooking.  But what kicked me in the head was the constant rejection by Food Porn sites, which resulted in my competitive nature getting riled up – “Get better equipment, Patti.  And LEARN HOW TO USE IT, sheesh.”  I guess potato salad really isn’t supposed to look blue (White Balance issue, amongst other obvious problems).

After due diligence, the Canon G10 appeared a solid match to my abilities, and last weekend’s digital camera workshop was a necessity.  I know what I want to achieve, I just need to remember all the steps to telling a camera how to get there.  AUTO is my friend, but not my only option.

Thankfully, the teacher was very clear in his instruction, so I’m sharing five of his helpful Rules of Thumb.  After these, playing with settings is encouraged:

1. ISO 200 is a good all-around setting.  All cameras are tested at 200.
2. Image stabilization assumes you are holding the camera; if you use a tripod, turn it off and photos will be clearer
3. Shoot your first picture on AUTO WHITE BALANCE to set tell the camera accurate colors
4. Shoot your first hero picture on AUTO setting, after that you can mess with the settings
5. When adjusting a shot in an editing program, use a Control Shadows & Highlights feature, not Control Brightness.  Brightness tweaks everything, but Shadows and Highlights spot-tweaks.

Teacher really drilled down with our camera features and settings, it was a lot to absorb.  Meantime I must PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.  And keep planning for the upcoming Camp Blogaway Bootcamp for Food & Recipe Bloggers.

SURFACE – this is a gigantic poster board from the art store, $7.95.  What I like is that it bends. A clamp from our garage holds the front, and kitchen stool behind props it up. I don’t shoot everything with this, since “artistically” that would be boring (oh puhleeze, listen to me, like I know). Getting it into the car was hilarious to onlookers, thanks to gusts of wind. But I did it. And once it gets splotched or creased, I will buy another. Cheap.

LIGHT BOUNCE – 8 1/2 x 11 cardboard from the back of a yellow pad of paper wrapped in a sheet of foil (matte side out). I use this with every shoot because it can make a subtle but noticeable difference in my mediocre food photography. Look at the chocolate in the photos, below, and notice how the “with” just has more yum to it.  Bouncing light is a nifty technique.

Experiment throwing light onto little places by holding it opposite your light source. If you set your camera for a 2-second timer, you can let go  completely (avoids shakes) and bounce your light without rushing. Bounce it here, bounce it there, you will then have lots of photo options when you look at your shots.

PROPS –  The Goodwill Store in Santa Monica is probably like any thrift shop in our town, with piles of unmatched dishes for sale. They were in a generous mood the other day and sold me a nice batch of little bowls and dishes for $8. Total.

I learned from reading other bloggers’ photo tips that a collection of white is most useful. And I am learning that plates with some texture, like a basket weave edge add interest to a shot. Add cool shapes like square or triangle plates and bowls, and you have plenty of options.

By the way, one of the planned activities at Camp Blogaway is the “Prop Swap.” Bring a bowl, spoon, cup, napkin, glass or whatever could be a useful prop for someone else, and take home a fresh one. Is it time to let go of something you’ve been shooting just a bit too much?

FABRIC SURFACES – I like tablecloths, but I don’t NEED a lot of tablecloths. The local upholstery fabric store, F&S Fabrics on Pico in West LA has quite a few bins containing swatches for .98 each. Nice textured things, fanciful colors, crazy patterns, it kind of doesn’t matter. 

The camera sometimes needs some options when shooting foods, I am learning – a pound cake on one fabric looks different than the same thing on something else. The other day, I bought 6 swatches for under $6 and have used two already. I keep an iron nearby because creases sneak up on me without looking until I’m done shooting and THEN see them in the shots. 

Hope to see you all at Camp Blogaway. We’ll be sharing a whole lot more of such ideas then.

Print a copy NOW but check back occasionally for more recently updated versions:   CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE ITINERARY

California Mountain Retreat to Host Foodies Anxious to Talk, Eat, Learn, Shoot and Blog About Food

Date Released: 11/05/2009

Camp Blogaway Bootcamp for Food and Recipe Bloggers conference will be held May 14-16, 2010 in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. Foodies from across the U.S. will participate in a full weekend itinerary targeted to the unique needs of the blogger: how to shoot stunning food photos, demystifying camera settings, Photoshop, food styling tips and tricks, benefits of running a blog like a business, SEO insights, monetizing, recipe writing essentials, copyright issues and more, sprinkled with good old fashioned camp fun. The all-inclusive $325 fee includes two nights lodging, all meals and receptions, a chock-full workbook and good old fashioned camp fun. Additionally, a spa will be available for on-site massages, when campers hit overload.

Pre-registration is now open. For more information, visit www.campblogaway.com or contact Patti Londre, patti@londre.com, 310-471-3138 x 105.

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