Food Photography with Joanie Simon
Episode 29: I took notes so you didn’t have to….Today we are talking all about Food Photography with Joanie Simon from The Bite Shot!
Joanie Simon is such an inspiration to all of us in the industry! Her website, The Bite Shot has all of her contact information and her courses! She has a brand new course, Profitable Pricing, coming out all about proposals and pricing! It launches today, July 16th! And of course there is her INCREDIBLE Youtube Channel, The Bite Shot which is chalked up of some of the great food photography content out there. She’s a great educator and someone I could listen to chat for hours! And make sure you pick up her latest book, Picture Perfect Food. It’s a great resource and something I have read through many times and was a great refresher!
Alright let’s dive into this!
When it comes to getting in front of new clients Joanie has some great advice!
When doing personal work make sure you tag all of the companies in the photo and also follow up with a direct message. A tag isn’t enough, you need to follow up with more. Maybe it’s on LinkedIn, Instagram or on the company website but keep follow up and follow through and be intentional.
What are your unique offerings? We know you do more than just picking up a camera so drill down a little more on what your special offerings are! “Here’s what I do and here’s what I can offer”.
Super small companies, like those you may find at your local farmers market are great for pro bono work and building your portfolio.
Finding local companies to you might be a great way to get your foot in the door and then go for larger companies a little further down the road.
Tips for shooting…
Lighting, lighting and more lighting! Start with lighting. Mastering lighting will change your life! Joanie has many videos on it and you check them all out here or if you are ready try taking her course on lighting. It’s wonderful!
When shooting white on white on white, think textures! Lighting and layers are key. What kind of textures can you incorporate into it and don’t be afraid of the shadows.
What’s in Joanie’s Kit and Her Styling Tips?
Before we get into it, it’s important to ask yourself…What is the purpose of this image? What is the place where this image is happening? Also what media is this being image being used on? Is it editorial? Is it suppose to look like it’s at home?
Evian Facial Mist, Joanie LOVES the perfect spray that this does to help bring food back to life on set while shooting.
Sous Vide Machine is great for getting that perfect look with a steak
Joanie loves this flatware from Crate and Barrel
These little bowls from Target
Do you love Joanie’s favorite speckled plates? You can get there right here!
When it comes to Proposals and Pricing
She has a brand new course, Profitable Pricing, coming out all about proposals and pricing! It launches today, July 16th! When it comes to proposals with clients in our industry, one size doesn’t usually fit all. First and foremost have in depth conversations with your clients. Get a good feel for them. Some larger agencies are going to want to see everything line itemed out and those smaller businesses would most likely would like to see more of a package price.
Also when it comes to negotiations in the proposal process, before you send the proposal, figure out what your bottom line is and when there is some back and forth with a client think about what you can realistically give up. Maybe it’s not as much time invested in the shoot, maybe it’s the shot list and paring it down.
Lastly don’t take it personally when the contract doesn’t go forward. It might have nothing to do you with your work or talent. It’s as simple as this just isn’t the right fit for you and the client and there’s a better client out there for you. And as the wise, Andrew Scrivani says, “You don’t want to win every proposal as it means there’s something wrong with your pricing”
Being on a shoot…
Are you on the struggle bus with a shoot? Feeling like you can’t get “the shot”, well…Get up and move around. Maybe you need to tear down the set and rebuild it! And realize that it happens to EVERYONE on EVERY SHOOT at one point or another. It’s TOTALLY NORMAL! Just breathe and reboot!
If you are on the road with a photo shoot Joanie loves to bring bounce cards (white and black), roll up backdrops and surfaces (they are so much more portable), her styling kit, light modifiers and diffusers.
When it comes to buying for a shoot try your best to set a budget and stick with it. Sometimes more is more when it comes to making sure you have everything you need for the shoot in terms of props, food, etc…but that’s money out of your pocket. We get it, you do need that extra bunch of flowers for the shoot but try to stick the budget. Your bank account will thank you. If you do find yourself in a place where you have TONS of extra food that is unopened, try to see if you can donate it to a local food bank or even your friends and family!
Don’t forget to head over to Wine Access to grab your wine and get $20 off your first purchase of $50 or more!
Now go forth and cook some amazing food!!
Beth Fuller is a Boston based Food, Product and Lifestyle Photographer. One of the best ways to support the podcast and Beth is to write a review wherever you listen, like the podcast on your favorite platform and please keep Beth in mind for any photography projects as a gal has got to pay her bills!
If you have a question and want it to be featured on the podcast please email either the question or a voice memo to letsgoonafoodadventure@gmail.com. Are you on instagram? Tag me in your food adventures, @letsgoonafoodadventure. Do you want to work together with food and product photography, drop me a line here!
xoxo
Beth
