Instagram takeover: P.E.I. 'a great place to be a food blogger' says Barbara Mayhew
'Since I was a very small child I was always standing at the cupboard next to my mother or grandmother'
CBC P.E.I. is featuring a local photographer on our Instagram page every Wednesday this summer. This week, we're showcasing the work of Barbara Mayhew.
Barbara Mayhew has loved food for as long as she can remember.
"Since I was a very small child I was always standing at the cupboard next to my mother or grandmother when they were cooking or baking, so it just became a part of me, and it's grown over the years," she said.
That love of food has grown into a food blog — My Island Bistro Kitchen, and an Instagram account to go with it, @peibistro.
"I've been doing photography for close to 40 years, and I sort of got away from it for a while," she said. "When I got into the food blogging … I got back into photography — food photography — in a really big way."
She shoots her photos with a Nikon 3200.
Picture perfect picnics
Mayhew's photos are, like what she eats, seasonal.
In the summer, you can expect to see some of her lavish picnics which are well planned and prepared for locations around the Island.
"It's kind of a favourite summertime pastime for us," she said. "We'll often go off on a roadtrip for the day and we'll pack a picnic lunch."
The resulting pictures are no accident. Mayhew chooses a theme and colour scheme, and tries to plan a photogenic spot for the spread.
She has a collection of picnic baskets, which allows her to pick one that fits the meal, and matches the setting.
Nature sometimes has other plans
Mayhew plans about four or five picnics every summer, and tries to be strategic about the light — and the weather.
"It can be a bit of a challenge when you're out in the natural surroundings because there are things you can't control for," she said.
She calls this photo of the lighthouse in Covehead "the picnic that didn't happen."
"I had set up to do a picnic shot," she said. "I thought this was a wonderful idea until I arrived on scene and it was so windy you couldn't hold your feet."
While she didn't get her picnic, she did get some great photos.
A 'food Island'
Even when Mayhew's photos don't focus on what she's eating, her photos still connect back to food — whether they be of fishermen's boats or of farmers fields.
"Where possible I try to use all local foods — all Island foods if I can — and for the most part, I'm able to do that," she said.
"It is a food island. It's actually a great place to be a food blogger, because we have great foods from the land and the sea."
Travelling is another of Mayhew's interests. Recently started another blog, a travel blog — Island Shore Traveller, where she posts photos of travels on "close to home shores and away on distant shores."
Are you snapping photos of the Island as well? Tag @cbcpei in your photos to share them with us.