We've been talking a lot about styling and 'finding' your own style at Kingsize recently. It's something a lot of us find difficult.

When I think about my own style I know that there are certain styles that speak to me. Certain photographs that capture my eye (whether it be the styling of food on a plate, or a piece of furniture in a room), while others go by unnoticed. Photographs that reach out and touch me and convey a feeling in an understated way. In the hunt for my own individual style it s about capturing these same emotions I am drawn to, yet injecting a piece of me to the recipe. Words that come to mind when I think about this aspiration, are organic, simple and beautiful. Even elegant in a sense, but in a rustic, not overly styled way. Just a few components. Sometimes I achieve this, but many times not =).

In relating these words to this post, I made these raw white chocolate truffles for a photography project at Kingsize. Throughout the course of the assignment I took a number of shots of these truffles in different settings, with the aim of also being able to use them in my blog. In natural light after I made them, and stylised as if in a magazine in the studio. The shot that I chose as the main shot for this post, is from the studio, on an old wooden board before changing to my marble slab. It was one of the first few shots I took (the third one actually). One of those shots when you're not thinking - just setting up the camera. It's funny because this has happened to me many times before. I'll take a lot of photos, moving the plate a cm to the left, to the right, up and down, trying to style things just right. Often though, when looking at the camera roll, I'll find that the ones I like best are those first 'unthinking' ones (making me wish I put the camera down an hour earlier!). I guess this little reality is a a subliminal message to just go with it and not 'over think' things in life too.

I find social media an interesting thing too as I can find that the photographs I am least proud of (but post anyway for want of filling a void), are those that can be the most liked. It is a challenge not to be swayed by this - to keep pursuing your own vision.

At the end of the day though, and what I've often heard, is to pursue and photograph what you love. Which essentially is what this blog is all about. By keeping true to this, I'm sure my style will just 'happen'. My hope is that it it will evolve in a way that encapsulates my both my visions and those emotions that speak to me from the great artists I admire and the subjects I find beautiful. Have a lovely week x

raw white chocolate & citrus truffles

Makes approximately 12 truffles

1 cup of cashew nuts (soaked for a minimum of 2 hours in filtered water)
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 a vanilla bean scraped
1/4 cup of coconut butter
juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp himalaya mountain salt or sea salt
1/2 cup of cacao butter melted
1/4 of raw coconut butter
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
1 Tbsp coconut sugar and zest of 2 limes for garnish

Rinse soaked cashew nuts before blending with maple syrup, coconut butter, lime juice, vanilla extract, vanilla beans and salt. Blend until smooth.
Melt cacao butter and coconut oil and slowly add to the mixture while blending on a low speed.
Once blended, stir in 1 Tbsp of coconut sugar for added texture.
Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for 1/2 an hour or until the mixture is firm enough to mould.
Scoop mixture with a small ice cream scoop or spoon and roll into small balls.

garnish

Roll balls in lime zest and a sprinkling of coconut sugar.