Just Incase You Missed It…A Food Photography Conversation
Episode 20 Season 2: I took notes so you didn’t have to…. So grab your apron and let's get into it!
As you all know I am a professional food and product photographer. I ALWAYS love talking about food and in these conversations we are chatting about how to make it look beautiful! I had the honor of sitting down with Joanie Simon from The Bite Shot and Marta Fowlie from Food Polka.com and Phoode to chat about food photography and food styling last year and incase you missed our conversations I wanted to replay parts of them in this episode for you!
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!
Food Stylist Must Haves…
Tweezers, may different sizes and kinds like this one and this one.
Trays, any kind but these quarter sheet pans are my favorite.
Vegetable Glycerin which can be used in MANY ways when it comes to Food Styling.
Rubbing Alcohol for cleaning up objects and getting finger prints off of things.
Heat Gun, a great melter!
Different sizes of toothpicks or these
How to use Phoode
On Phoode the best way to get seen is by labeling your photos correctly when you post them under your projects. Think beyond just what the subject is. How’s the lighting? What type of photography is this? What is it highlighting? You can only use so many of them so use them thoughtfully and wisely.
It’s quality not quantity on this site. This is not instagram. Post as often as you like but make sure you are posting the most high quality images that showcases your best work.
**Today’s podcast is sponsored by Pederson Natural Farms here and don’t forget to use promo code adventure30 at check out for 30% your order!
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
A Family Affair with Angela and Alison
Episode 19 Season 2: I took notes so you didn’t have to…. So grab your apron and let's get into it!
I am a lover of people. I love making friends. I am really good at and keeping in touch with them for decades. It’s one of my super powers for sure. Ang and Ali are some of those friends who I have known my entire life. Our families have always been close and they are truly so much more than just old friends but family for sure which is why I am excited to share this conversation with all of you.
We talk about a lot of things but one thing that has been brought up time and time again on recent episodes of the podcast is the new Half Baked Harvest Cookbook. I have been cooking from it for a few months now and it’s a total winner. I have loved Tieghan’s blog for a long time and her first cookbook but this new one is a total chef’s kiss!
Many times over we have chatted about how to host effortless events. One thing that Ali said during our conversation that really stood out to me was, “A messy kitchen is more inviting”. Love that thought. I fall into the camp of trying to do my best to pick up and clean before people come over but honestly our big fluffy baby, Oliver, sheds so much that even after we vacuum there is fluff everywhere. And we love having the windows open so there tends be a little more dust than I would like. We don’t live in filth but we totally have a lived in look to our home when people come by. I also never fully clean the kitchen because I am always in it. So hearing that line it almost took a weight off my shoulders a little bit and I host all the time.
Angela is known for her amazing chicken wings and she loves to cook them in the air fryer! She doesn’t have an exact recipe because she literally “wings it” (sorry I had to) every time. But here’s one to get you started. Also she loves a ginger garlic sauce!
So you are traveling with family and trying to save a little bit of money. Both Ali and Angela each have two kids and love traveling with them. One of the ways Ali and her family like to save a little bit of money while traveling is to do is to get great take out from local spots and create indoor and outdoor picnics with the kids. You can eat some yummy food, bring your own adult bevies and have it all on your own time line while saving a little bit of money in the process. Angela loves to stay in Air Bnb’s and cook together as a family. It gives her a change to shop at local markets and support those smaller markets and shops as well as saving a little bit of money.
We all spoke about a few organizations we wanted to shine some light on. I listed them below if you were looking for a few places to donate to or learn more about.
**Today’s podcast is sponsored by Pederson Natural Farms here and don’t forget to use promo code adventure30 at check out for 30% your order!
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
A Conversation with Neil Dudley from Pederson Natural Farms
Episode 18 Season 2: I took notes so you didn’t have to…. So grab your apron and let's get into it!
You can find Pederson Natural Farms here and don’t forget to use promo code adventure30 at check out for 30% your order! Also Neil has a podcast called the Cowboy Perspective which can be found here! If you have any additional questions for Neil you can connect with him on LinkedIn. One of the things I like about Neil is that he is open to having a conversation with anyone about anything. He is a compassionate listener and someone who is learning and growing constantly. Neil and I chat about a lot of topics and I know we could have easily kept the conversation going all day and well into the night because those are the kind of people we are!
When it comes to what it means to humanely raise animals for consumption and what the labels on your food mean, Neil and I only scratched the surface in our conversation. If you’d like to learn more, which I encourage you to do, he is apart of an upcoming webinar on June 1st with Dr. Miriam Martin, North American Meat Institute and Theo Weening, Former VP of Meat and Poultry at Whole Foods Market.
Below are a few of the recipes I wanted to highlight from our conversation!
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