Food photographers are called visual storytellers for a reason. We are known to create photos that tell a story, and transport a viewer into the frame.The best part is that we can tell if our photos have a strong storytelling element in them or not because it shows. It shows in the results that they bring. They either attract more clients, bring more traffic to our blog, captivate a viewer, garner beautiful comments on Instagram or win awards.Photos with powerful storytelling make an impact a...

Being laser-focused about where we want to take our business and working on the right aspects that will bring results.Creating a portfolio and marketing it, is a huge part of building a photography business. In fact, it is the key step in starting right because if the client does not like what they see, there’s no 2nd conversation from there.But when our portfolio is created the right way and shared the right way, it helps us work with better clients, negotiate better rates, and in fact,...

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing 3 powerful ways to bounce back when you’re not loving your work. I share ways to shift your focus, your energy and your photography efforts when you’re feeling stuck or blocked. Some of the ways might feel counterintuitive but are highly effective.I share how to look at your work when you’re not loving it, what action to take with creations that are not up to your expectations, how to work smarter to actually start seeing improvements in your photogr...

Our portfolio is a reflection of our skill, style, and aspiration as a photographer. So, the portfolio must be built with intention and strategy. The work in our portfolio must be cherry-picked and chosen strategically. It is the intention and strategy that brings results. Knowing how to create photos for a portfolio efficiently and effectively is essential for reaching more clients and increasing your chance of success with every outreach. If you haven't seen much success in your ...

Now, did you know that about 20% of all small businesses fail within the first year, half of the remaining fail within the first five years, and only about one in three get to the 10-year mark?In this week’s milestone episode, as we celebrate the 100th episode, I want to share the top 3 lessons that made this possible and kept me in business. I was on the verge of quitting at the 3-year mark but I didn’t and one of the lessons here came from that experience. In this episode, I shar...

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing 5 reasons why you shouldn’t share RAW files with a client and how to communicate it professionally. I share 5 critical aspects of RAW file sharing that clients may not be aware of, and maybe you too. Even if you do, you may not be bringing it up with the client thinking it’s not important or they probably already know.But more often than not, clients who request RAW files do so out of ignorance. A bit of education and sensitivity to their requirement...

In this week’s podcast, we continue our conversation with Sam Adler, a food photographer, Saveur Blog Award winner, and food blogger about what it takes to become a 6-figure food photographer. Sam already has a 6-figure food photography and blogging business. She also has 3 kids, and is aiming to make a million dollars in revenue next year. Being able to justify our rates, watch out for pricing mistakes, learn to negotiate, and find legitimate resources for industry standards are es...

When we see others finding a level of success that looks too far-fetched, we begin to believe that it is not possible for us. Instead, when we take the success of others as proof that it is indeed possible & tell ourselves that if others have achieved it, then it must be doable, we begin to make way for more joy, success, and money than we imagined… Because then we set a new limit for ourselves and start working towards it.Don’t miss out on opportunities, understand where to work har...

In this week’s podcast episode, we continue our conversation with Megan Porta, an OG food blogger and the founder of the Eat Blog Talk podcast. We talk about habits and thoughts essential to attract success as a Creative. Megan helps entrepreneurs break through their limiting beliefs and achieve breakthrough results in their creative careers. She shares unexpected ways to increase productivity, how to come out of your comfort zone to discover your full potential, how to get more res...

If you’ve been working hard and not finding the success you desire, you might be missing the same piece of the puzzle as I was. We love learning about creativity and photography. We tend to invest our time and money in them thinking that getting better at those skills will pave the path for our success.And when someone tells us that we actually can attract success without working so hard, by just making small changes in our habits and behaviors, we tend to overlook that advice until we h...

This week on the podcast we continue our conversation with M. Aimee Tan, a professional food and beverage photographer, food stylist, creative director, recipe developer, and content creator based in Canada, who reveals everything you need to know about creating sponsored posts for brands.Aimee works with local, and global clientele as well as PR & marketing agencies.In this episode, she discusses how to price your services, deal with brands that offer free products, tips to tap int...

In this week’s podcast, I’m sharing 4 practical reasons why pursuing food photography as a business may not be the right career choice for you.As someone who advocates turning your passion into your profession, I had a tough time creating this episode, but it was important to share the 4 main areas you need to keep an eye on if you want to start or grow your business. If you’re facing frustration, burnout, or self-doubt, this episode might tell you which areas of your business need attention....

This week on the podcast, M. Aimee Tan, a professional food and beverage photographer, food stylist, creative director, recipe developer, and content creator based in Canada, reveals everything you need to know about creating sponsored posts for brands.Aimee works with local, and global clientele as well as PR & marketing agencies.In this episode, she discusses how to get started with brand partnerships for social media content, how to pitch, the eligibility to approach brands, ways...

Most photographers start a full-time or part-time business with passion and enthusiasm. But over time, when the rubber hits the road, they begin to run out of steam because they hit a roadblock -  How to grow the business and make more $$ every month? How to scale the business, a natural progression? Where to go from here, what’s next? Staying in business, any business, not just photography, is a challenge. Building a sustainable business requires us to stay on top of market demands,...

This week on the podcast, I’ve 5 quick tips to improve the lighting in your food photography. There is always so much to learn about light. Small, subtle changes can completely change the feel of a photo. It can take a photo from realistic to artistic, with never-ending options.  Flatlay photography, adding movement to photos, or a creative way to learn about lighting - this week’s tips will immediately tell you what might be missing or can be improved in your photos. It is the reminder we...

The future is looking towards food in motion.  I mean, look at social media. We’re seeing a surge in food videos.  Look at client briefs. They want their products to be captured in action. Look at our potential of being able to convey a visual story of food way more powerfully through videos. There is no denying that photos will always hold their importance but the future will have a huge demand for videos. Now, I love creating photos but videos make me sweat.  The amount of time, different...

Have you ever looked at another photographer and wondered why they’re doing better than you?  Why is their business more successful than yours?  Why have they achieved what you’ve not?  Why is your business not growing like theirs?   Will your business ever look like theirs?  Will you ever be as successful as them?  If these questions have ever crossed your mind, then let me share with you that the reason why some businesses are more successful than others is because they have a secret...

Have you noticed that a basic food photographer can have a thriving business  and  Have you also noticed that a brilliant photographer may not really be making enough in their business? This is more common than you might think.  Photography talent is very different from business acumen. They’re both completely different skill sets and just because we are good at photography doesn’t automatically imply we’ll have a profitable business. Yes, it begins with us falling in love with...

Have you ever been in a photoshoot and felt something was off, but you couldn't quite figure it out? Most of the time, it's because of one big reason – light. But instead of tackling light, our tendency is usually to start fussing with props and backdrops and composition, thinking that is the problem when actually sometimes all it needs is a tiny tweak in the light. But here's the deal – to tweak the light, we’ve got to know what to tweak. We’ve got to understand light. In this week’s...

What do you think it takes to be a successful commercial food photographer? Excellent camera skills? High level of Creativity?  Crazy passion for photography? Expensive photography equipment?  What if I told you, none of the above are deal breakers to be a commercial photographer. It takes more than camera skills, creativity and passion to run a photography business. Most of us get into food photography because we love food or have a passion for photography but running a successful and...

Is creating compositions a challenge for you?  I can totally see why.  First off, for the simple reason that composition is art. It is subjective and everyone’s style is different. So it really leaves a lot of grey area on whether a certain technique works or not. Secondly, because composition is an art, it is tough to learn it technically. Yes, we can understand guides and placement and general rules around composition but really, we all know that creating composition is like composing...

Whether it’s the start of the year or not, we all find ourselves at different points in our journey setting new goals, striving to achieve existing ones, or perhaps even questioning the necessity of setting goals altogether. Regardless of our stand on goal setting, we all have ambitions for our creative journey.  It could be launching a new project, getting better at photography, growing our business, or simply finding more balance in our lives.  Whether we set ambitious goals or avoid...

Being a full-time photographer and running a business can be very overwhelming.esp when everyone around is constantly hustling.  Someone is working with food52 Someone is shooting for Delicious magazine Someone just made $500,000 by selling their online course Someone is talking about completing 10 years in food photography We hear them, we look at their photography businesses and go, “Sigh! I’m so behind. Everyone is doing so much. I need to work more, work harder.” Running a business is...