25th-29th September 2026 · Château du Treuil, SOUTH WEST France
Create The Portfolio That Changes Everything
A four-day immersive experience for food photographers who know THEIR BEST WORK IS YET TO COME. led by award-winning food photographer Emma Dunham.
The Retreat
It's Time Your Portfolio Caught Up With Your Talent
You know you're capable of better work. You can feel it every time a shoot almost comes together, but doesn't quite deliver the feeling, atmosphere or impact you were trying to create.
You can see it when you look at the photographers you admire and wonder what they're seeing that you're not. You can sense it in the gap between the images you're creating today and the images you're capable of creating.
This retreat exists for that gap.
For four days, you'll immerse yourself in the craft of food photography alongside award-winning food photographer Emma Dunham and renowned chef Jack Leach.
Together, we'll create a body of work that reflects your new standard. One that changes how you see yourself as a photographer. And how others see you too.
Imagine spending four days in the French countryside with your camera, photographing
beautifully plated dishes in the elegant rooms of historic château buildings and its grounds. Natural light streaming through tall windows. Long wooden tables dressed with seasonal food. Freshly prepared dishes plated by a professional chef.
By the end of the retreat, you'll leave with something far more valuable than a portfolio: Certainty in your eye. Certainty in your decisions. Certainty in the standard you're capable of creating.
The difference between a good photographer and an exceptional one is rarely technical.
Most photographers already know how to use their camera.
Most understand exposure and composition.
The difference is seeing.
Exceptional photographers notice things others miss. They understand atmosphere. Story. Mood. Emotion. They know how to take a collection of ingredients and transform them into an image that makes people feel something. And that's not something you learn from a YouTube tutorial. It's developed through practice and feedback. Through immersion.
Through spending time alongside people who can show you what you've been missing.
That's exactly what this retreat is designed to provide.
Over four carefully curated days....
you'll work in extraordinary locations throughout the estate, photographing beautifully prepared dishes created specifically for the camera.
You'll learn how to work confidently with both natural and artificial light.
You'll explore styling, composition, storytelling and creative direction.
You'll receive guidance, feedback and insight from Emma throughout the process.
Most importantly, you'll create.
You'll have the time and space to think deeply about your work.
To experiment.
To refine.
To take creative risks.
And to create a portfolio that finally reflects the photographer you're becoming.
The PORTFOLIO
What you'll photograph
A carefully curated collection of food photography scenarios, each designed to challenge your creativity, strengthen your portfolio and help you develop a more distinctive visual style.
01
Elegant Plated Dishes
Beautifully plated dishes prepared by a professional chef, designed to photograph perfectly in natural light. You'll capture colour, texture and detail in images that feel polished and editorial.
02
Desserts & Drinks
From delicate desserts to beautifully styled drinks, these setups focus on texture, colour and atmosphere. Perfect for capturing detail shots and creating variety within your portfolio.
03
Rustic French Table Scenes
Seasonal ingredients styled into relaxed table settings inspired by French countryside dining. Think wooden tables, fresh produce and natural compositions that tell a story.
04
Outdoor Château Scenes
Take advantage of the château's gardens and outdoor spaces to photograph food in a truly unique setting. These scenes create images with a sense of place that simply can't be recreated in a studio.
You haven't invested years developing your craft just to produce photographs that feel almost right.
You want to create work that turns heads.
Work that makes clients take notice.
Work that feels unmistakably yours.
That's what these four days are designed to help you do.
Introducing top Chef
Jack Leach
Chef Jack Leach joins us throughout the retreat, bringing his culinary expertise to both the food we enjoy and the dishes you'll photograph.
Jack is a UK chef based in the French Alps and in 2024 designed the Marks & Spencer Vegan Christmas Menu, creating a seasonal menu enjoyed by customers across the UK.
Alongside preparing our retreat meals, Jack will style and plate a series of dishes specifically for the photography sessions — food that feels elegant, natural and thoughtfully presented.
YOUR HOST
Emma Dunham
Emma Dunham is an award-winning food photographer and founder of the Food Photography Academy. Over the past decade she has worked with photographers around the world, helping them refine their craft.
What makes Emma such a powerful teacher is her ability to see the small changes that create extraordinary results. The details most photographers overlook and the subtle decisions that transform a good image into a memorable one.
Throughout the retreat, Emma will work alongside you, helping you develop not just stronger photographs, but a stronger understanding of why those photographs work. Because once you understand that, everything changes.
YOUR HOST
Emma Dunham
Emma Dunham is an award-winning food photographer and founder of the Food Photography Academy. Over the past decade she has worked with photographers around the world, helping them refine their craft.
Her retreats are designed to give photographers the time, space and guidance to create work they simply couldn't produce at home.
Throughout the retreat Emma will guide the sessions, help refine your compositions and lighting, and share the small adjustments that turn a good image into a standout portfolio photograph.
not a studio shoot, a chateau setting.
The Château Is Your Creative Playground
Forget artificial sets. Forget photographing on a backdrop balanced on your kitchen table.
For four days, Château du Treuil becomes your studio.
Ancient stone walls. Beautiful natural light. Elegant interiors. Weathered textures. Long outdoor tables. Hidden corners. Historic architecture.
Every space offers a different story.
This is an opportunity to create something extraordinary.
The environment does more than provide beautiful photographs.
It inspires better ones.
It’s a setting that naturally inspires creativity and helps create images that feel refined, atmospheric and unique.
Historic Architecture
The gorgeous château itself becomes part of the scene. Stone walls, wooden shutters and beautiful aged textures create natural backdrops that frame the food and add character to every photograph.
Light & Atmosphere
From soft morning light to warm evening tones, the changing light around the château offers beautiful opportunities to photograph food in a natural setting. Each time of day creates a slightly different mood and feeling to work with.
Real Environments
Garden tables, plants and outdoor spaces become part of the composition. Instead of building scenes in a studio, you’ll photograph food in real environments that add depth
and atmosphere.
The Real Transformation
The portfolio is important.
But it isn't the most valuable thing you'll take home.
The most valuable thing you'll take home is trust.
Trust in your eye.
Trust in your decisions.
Trust in your ability to create work that stands alongside the photographers you admire.
Because confidence isn't something you find.
It's something you build.
And sometimes all it takes is four days in the right environment, surrounded by the right people, to accelerate that process dramatically.
Who This Retreat Is For
This retreat is for photographers who want to create work that stands out in a crowded market
and who feel their current portfolio no longer reflects their ability.
For photographers ready to develop a stronger visual style
who want greater confidence in their creative decisions.
Who are tired of second-guessing themselves,
who want to create images with depth, atmosphere and intention
and are ready to invest in their growth as a photographer.
You don't need to be the most experienced photographer in the room.
You only need to be ready to raise your standards.
What Awaits You
Everything is included
Accommodation within the beautiful surroundings of Château du Treuil
A series of food photography sessions set around the château and grounds
Delicious meals prepared by chef Jack Leach, shared together
Creative guidance from Emma throughout the photography sessions
Freshly styled dishes created especially for photographing
A small, intimate group with plenty of time to shoot and enjoy
YOUR HOST
Emma Dunham
Emma Dunham is an award-winning food photographer and founder of the Food Photography Academy. Over the past decade she has worked with photographers around the world, helping them refine their craft.
Her retreats are designed to give photographers the time, space and guidance to create work they simply couldn't produce at home.
Throughout the retreat Emma will guide the sessions, help refine your compositions and lighting, and share the small adjustments that turn a good image into a standout portfolio photograph.
What Awaits You
Everything included, nothing rushed.
Accommodation within the beautiful surroundings of Château du Treuil
A series of food photography sessions set around the château and grounds
Creative guidance from Emma throughout the photography sessions
A small, intimate group with plenty of time to shoot and enjoy
Delicious meals prepared by chef Jack Leach, shared together
Freshly styled dishes created especially for photographing
A Day in the Life
A typical day at the château
Morning
A gentle start. Perhaps a walk through the grounds, a swim in the pool, or simply sleeping in.
Breakfast
A rustic French breakfast, enjoyed inside the château or outside on the terrace.
Morning Sessions
A photography session using the château, gardens and surrounding spaces as your backdrop.
Lunch
A relaxed lunch together at the long château table.
Afternoon
An early afternoon shoot, then time to explore, taste local cognac, or wander a nearby town.
Evening
Drinks by the pool before sitting down to a wonderful meal prepared by Jack.
Each day has its own rhythm, but the pace is intentionally relaxed — giving you time to photograph, learn and enjoy.
Where You'll Stay
Choose your room
Guest rooms are set within the charming Garden Barn and Summer House, a short stroll across the courtyard from the main château. With just eight rooms available, the retreat remains small and relaxed.
Tucked around the estate, these beautiful spaces create a relaxed retreat atmosphere while still
giving everyone their own quiet place to unwind.
Retreat dates · Friday 25 – Tuesday 29 September 2026
2 Photographers Sharing
Shared Room
£1,695
per person
2 Rooms Available
1 Photographer
Private Room
£2,095
per person
2 Rooms Available
1 Photographer
Private Ensuite / Apartment
£2,395
per person
PRIVATE APARTMENT LEFT
All room prices include
Bed & breakfast, lunch, evening meal,
welcome drinks
All food & props to photograph
Full food photography tuition
Wine & cognac tasting / trips
Prices do not include
Travel or transport to the venue (we'll help
co-ordinate transfers)
Alcoholic drinks with meals (bring your
own or purchase local wine)
Optional Extension
Stay a little longer in
France
The retreat officially finishes after breakfast on the final morning, but many guests love the idea of staying one
extra night to enjoy a slower final day together.
Instead of rushing home, we'll take a relaxed trip into a nearby town — wander the streets, photograph the architecture, browse local shops and enjoy lunch at a café.
£199
Wind-down day
Your wind-down day includes
One extra night in your room at the château
A relaxed breakfast the next morning
A visit to a nearby town or village
Time to explore, photograph and enjoy the region
Dinner out together on the final evening
PERFECT
EXPERIENCE
& HIGH QUALITY SERVICE
Location
Château du Treuil
Burie, South-West France
Set in the countryside near the village of Burie, just outside Cognac. Surrounded by vineyards, quiet country roads and beautiful historic villages — the perfect place to slow down and photograph.
Known for its vineyards, Cognac houses and timeless rural charm, it's an inspiring backdrop for a photography retreat.
Travel
Nearest airport
Bordeaux — 1h 30m by car / taxi
NEAREST TRAIN STATION
Saintes or Cognac (Angouleme for the TGV line)
Once your place is reserved we'll send full travel details and help coordinate arrival times.
Create The Portfolio That Changes Everything
Join expert food photographer Emma Dunham for four unforgettable days of creativity, learning, inspiration and growth at Château du Treuil and create the portfolio that changes everything.
Friday 25 – Tuesday 29 September 2026
Emma Dunham Photography
Food Photography Château Retreat · 2026
© 2026 Emma Dunham Photography. All rights reserved.