CLOSE-UP FOODIES IN FOCUS

Food and photography are the two great passions in Roger Stowell's life. As a fashion photographer in the early 1970s, Roger worked on the pioneering women's magazine Nova, where he met Caroline Conran. She introduced him to her husband Terence who was having a modest degree of success with a chain of home furnishing shops he'd started up in 1964.

Under the Conrans' powerful influence, Roger branched out into food photography and, in 1975, helped Habitat to launch the wok to a young middle-class market eager to move away from the dull image of traditional British cuisine. Since then he has worked regularly for superior glossy magazines as well as shops such as Harrods and Waitrose.

"Until I met Terence, I didn't really think about food," he says. "It was just fuel to me. Then, in 1973, when he was opening the Neal Street Restaurant, he took me to dinner at Prue Leith's home in Wiltshire. She made creme anglaise for dessert and it totally changed my attitude to food. Now I love being in my kitchen."

Roger's kitchen is in the heart of western France, he and his wife Jenny, having moved some five years ago from London to the Vendee, just over an hour's drive east of La Rochelle. Recently, the couple hit upon the idea of combining Roger's skills with their French retreat and launched a residential photography course with a foodie twist. Guests and their cameras would be taken to local markets during the morning where they would fire off as many digital shots as their memory cards allowed. In the afternoon, Roger would show them how to crop and enhance their images on computers, using Adobe Photo-shop. And, in the evening, he would cook them a gourmet meal using some of the produce they had photographed. Camera Hols was born and, one website and a few well-placed ads later, Roger and Jenny were receiving their first paying guests.

The Stowells' home has been beautifully converted from two stone- built cottages in the tiny hamlet of La Moussiere, just outside Vouvant, a handsome, fortified village that holds a particular attraction for artists. The walls of Vouvant's central cafe, Cour des Miracles, run by George and Trish Ritchie from Northern Ireland, are lined with work by locals, many of whom have emigrated from the UK.

George and Trish also run the b&b across the lane from Roger and Jenny's house in La Moussiere. They have two double rooms that the Stowells use to accommodate couples who have booked weekend or week- long versions of the photography course. On my first morning, I awoke to the smell of fresh coffee, the not-so-distant sound of cows mooing and Roger's sonorous voice in full song. I padded downstairs to discover sunlight streaming in through the windows and the dining table set for breakfast for one. As I munched my way through cereal and two fresh, warm croissants, Roger explained that we would wait for Tony and Jan, my classmates on the course, to come across from the b&b and then drive to the market in Coulongessur-l'Autize, a few miles to the south.

At the market we were as much on show as the fruit and veg as we wandered around self-consciously with our expensive digital cameras. (Jan and I used Roger's Nikon D200 and D70 SLR cameras, available for hire.) Roger showed us how to frame shots, take light readings from different parts of the frame, alter the depth of field, look for interesting details (such as the way light shines through a cabbage leaf) and plenty more. Vegetables of note in the market included black radish and salsify. The former is often served sliced with sea salt and butter as a traditional entree, while the latter, also known as vegetable oyster, is becoming a common feature of modern restaurant menus.

After we could snap no more, we drove to Vouvant for lunch at a bistro-style restaurant called Auberge de Matre Pannetier. On Roger's recommendation, we ordered the salade de la bastique, a deceptively simple dish of herring, new potatoes, red onions and olive oil. It was delicious.

Back at La Moussiere, we loaded our pictures on to our laptops and learned how to crop and adjust them until they looked more interesting and presentable. That night we congratulated ourselves on some really good work and enjoyed a fabulous meal of rillettes d'oie (goose) and toast to start and confit de canard, haricots and gorgeous "goose-fat roasties" as the main course.

The next morning, Roger drove us to Niort's giant food market, next door to an imposing 13th-century donjon. There really is no food you can't buy here and Niort, which is a fair-sized town, proved to be a great place for lunch too.

For couples and small groups, Roger and Jenny's Camera Hols are great for a long weekend or week's break. For singles, this is a good way to get to know people quickly. Roger's tuition is expert, friendly and geared to what you want to do. As he says, "Guests are free to do as they please. I'm here to help them find out about the fun of digital photography, but the main purpose of the course is enjoyment." You can even take prints of your best work home with you.