BLOOM
Creative Retreat
Join me, Eva Kosmas Flores, and the incredibly talented Bea Lubas for a 5-day retreat at Eva's homestead woodlands in the Columbia River Gorge. The retreat is about creating art through visual storytelling, honing your photo + video skills, making things with your hands, and helping you set and realize personal & professional goals in order to create the life you want.
As spring symbolizes growth, awakening, renewal and possibility, the theme for our springtime retreat is BLOOM. We’ll focus on slowing down, engaging our senses, immersing ourselves in the community of like minded creatives, letting our ideas sprout and our inspiration and creativity bloom.
Come prepared for beautiful spring scenes ready for you to capture, whether through photos or video. Eva and Bea will be there to provide guidance and hands-on support for any questions you have. We'll also create different scenes together as a group, so you can learn from others while sharing your own insight. There will also be both guided and free-form shooting periods, as well as local guided excursions and spring-centered activities. You can refer to the schedule further down for a more structured breakdown of the retreat.
Our workshop will be nourished via woodfire cooking by the profoundly gifted chefs Mona Johnson and Jaret Foster of Tournant. Their outdoor cooking style will bring extra beauty and richness to our time together, and it's a joy to watch them create their dishes (and eat them!) Your journey here is about being present, not holding back, and finding sustenance of every kind—physical, mental, and creative.
We ask that you come with a creative goal in mind for the retreat that's feasible to accomplish during our days together. It can be a style of image you'd like to create, it can be a video technique you'd like to master, or simply an emotion you want to evoke in your work but have been struggling to convey.
It's my hope that those who join us will walk away with fresh eyes for seeing the world, a mind brimming with ideas, a heart filled with creative courage, lasting friendships, and memories to tide them over until we meet again.
May 26th 30th, 2025
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WHERE:
Your home-away-from-home will be Eva's woodland homestead near Stevenson Washington, about 45 minutes east of the Portland airport. The address will be provided upon registration. There will be some lodging at Eva's home and some at a lovely local inn that's a 3 minute walk from the waterfront of the Columbia River, where we will provide pick up and drop off at the start and end of each day. You can choose which suits you best in the drop down menu at registration.
HOW TO GET THERE:
The international airport that is closest to the homestead is Portland (PDX) in Oregon. You can hire a car service or rent a car to get to the retreat location from the airport, the address will be sent to you in your welcome email. Usually attendees coordinate going in on a car service or rental together through the private WhatsApp group we have for workshop attendees.
WELCOME NOTE + WHATSAPP GROUP:
Within 3 days of registering you will receive a welcome email with details about what to pack, the venue's address, and additional information to help you plan your trip. You'll also receive a link to a secret WhatsApp group for workshop attendees only, so you can connect with the other creatives. Past attendees have met up in town before the workshop if they get into town early, have gone in on car services to and from the airport together, and even planned additional traveling after the workshop together. It's also a lovely way for us all to stay in touch post-workshop, too!
EQUIPMENT + GEAR:
We recommend bringing your camera or smart phone; any kind of camera body is welcome (DSLR or mirrorless works great). A lightweight travel-friendly tripod will be handy for shooting video (if you have space in your suitcase). A laptop is handy if you want to follow along during the photo + video editing demonstrations, but you're welcome to just watch our editing on the big screen and soak it in, as well!
YOUR HOSTS:
Your hosts and teachers during the retreat are award-winning photographers and authors Eva Kosmas Flores and Bea Lubas. Eva has written and photographed her own two cookbooks, as well as two cookbooks for chefs including the James Beard Award-Winning Everyone's Table cookbook. She has worked with a wide variety of brands as a photographer, stylist, and influencer. Bea wrote + photographed the best-selling book How to Photograph Food and has photographed for international publications and brands such as Adobe Lightroom.
WHO IS IT FOR:
Creative folks from all ages and walks of life are welcome. You do not need to be an established photographer or blogger to join (but we can help you get there!)
WOODFIRE COOKING:
We are very lucky to have the renowned chefs of Tournant cooking lunches + dinners for us throughout the retreat over a roaring woodfire. You are welcome to watch and soak up their technique and the beauty of their culinary talents, and of course can take photos, too. We can accommodate dietary restrictions, just let us know upon registering.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
All lodging and meals are included in the workshop's duration. Prices listed are per person, space is limited to 12 attendees.
Monday May 26th
Late afternoon welcome drinks + homestead wander + woodfire welcome dinner at 7 pm
Tuesday May 27th
Visual storytelling demo around the woodland, hands on shooting & styling, video editing session, scenic woodfire lunch + dinner
Wednesday May 28th
Styling with flowers, free-form shooting with flowers + seasonal dishes, picnic lunch outing (expect water views), photo editing session, woodfire dinner
Thursday May 29th
Hands-on shooting + styling at the homestead, forest adventuring (short easy hike) + picnic lunch outing, group feedback + business discussion, woodfire dinner
Friday May 30th
Farewell breakfast at 9 am, mini-passion project chat, guests depart by 12 pm
THE SCHEDULE
Your Journey Begins Here.
"My expectations were totally exceeded"
There is something to say for when you get the opportunity to be in the midst of someone you admire in your field. To spend a few days watching how they work, listening to their advice and soaking up as much information as you possibly can that leaves you feeling blessed.
I had the pleasure of attending my first workshop with Eva two years ago, held in Iceland. My expectations were totally exceeded.
Besides the wonderful food & beauty that surrounded me daily I was amongst some of the most amazing ladies. The talent, joy, enthusiasm, passion, and drive that sat around the table daily was the biggest reward of this workshop. Coming from all over the world, with different levels of experience, we came together and shared our passion for Photography."
Andrea Coan
"We were chatting & telling each other stories like we'd known each other forever"
The days I spent with Eva & company in Istria were truly glorious. I learned a lot about food photography and styling and feel confident now to get to the next level. I also got to know a bunch of fabulously interesting women from all over the world. We were chatting and telling each other stories like we'd known each other forever. This kind of connection feels very special to me. I went home with a head full of inspiration and ideas and a heart full of gratitude. Thank you Eva and team for creating a truly unique, creative and amazing experience.
"It was the best days of my life!"
Those days were so relaxing and full of good memories, so warm (because of the people!), inspirational and, of course, sooo tasty! The food was really incredible!...To be honest, it was my very first trip outside of Russia, and it was the best days of my life! I got much more than I expected.
Notes from previous attendees
Dasha Ustinova
Jozefien Ryckx Goestjes
"They are passionate about sharing their love and knowledge of the creative industry"
I am so happy to have discovered these all encompassing photography workshops. Every workshop is a unique opportunity to rub shoulders and learn from the best professionals in the industry. They are passionate about sharing their love and knowledge of the industry and have perfected the workshop adventure by finding fantastic villas or historic homes to occupy while they dive in and create an experience (and food) in amazing settings. Magic happens when you spend four concentrated days learning from them; two top notch professionals that graciously share their individual artistry through stylized meals in beautiful settings. I have made great strides in my own photography!
Beryl Striewsky
...all you need to do is pack your bags, grab your digital camera or iPhone and show up. We’ve got the rest covered! All delicious meals, beverages, and excursions are included in the workshop. Just relax—focus on learning, having fun, eating well, connecting with others, and creating in your stunning surroundings!
It's time for your adventure.
Relax, let go, + let us immerse you in the magic of the wild
“It was all heartfelt, delicious, unforgettable, and an experience that has changed me for the better.”
- Mimi Moutafchieva, Marie Lou Photography
This was the workshop of my dreams! Meeting some of my inspirations come to life and to work side by side with them is something I can now check off my Wishlist. When you combine a beautiful view of only French vineyards, daily gourmet food, passionate individuals, and an old house filled with stories to tell, you have a recipe for a lifetime experience to remember! When I look back at all the photos I took, each day is relived in my head like a movie on film, dreaming I could wake up to the view of green hills and the fig tree just under my bedroom window.
I was one of the youngest participants there and therefore, I didn't really know what to expect other than from what I had seen in the pictures from previous workshops. It was definitely all very new to me, exciting, and has made me a more mature photographer through this experience.
Everyday was just a joy to be part of such a lovely group of ladies, working together, making new friends from different points of the world, exchanging ideas, engaging in conversations over a glass of Bordeaux wine under candlelit dinners, what more could you ask for! Thank you to Eva for putting together such a wonderful experience I will treasure forever! It was all heartfelt, delicious, unforgettable, and an experience that has changed me for the better.
“Not sure if workshop is the right word to describe this event. It is more of a lifetime experience and a unique journey...”
- Joelle Kanaan, Photographer
My dream came true when I joined one of Eva's workshops in October 2016, in Istria, Croatia. Not sure if workshop is the right word to describe this event. It is more of a lifetime experience and a unique journey.
I found myself sharing these ladies passion, learning from them in the most natural and fulfilling way, exchanging ideas and thoughts with a group of participants from each and every corner of the globe. It is all in the little details that they transmitted to me that made a huge difference in my food styling and photography career. It is all these meals and gatherings we shared together that enriched my soul, in such a short time.
Whenever I have the time and means, I will surely not hesitate twice about joining these ladies events again and again and again, because I'm pretty sure that the more time I spend around them, the more I will learn and grow.
