Final Food Photo Career Advice
Lesson 18 from: FAST CLASS: Getting Started in Professional Food PhotographySteve Hansen
Final Food Photo Career Advice
Lesson 18 from: FAST CLASS: Getting Started in Professional Food PhotographySteve Hansen
Lesson Info
18. Final Food Photo Career Advice
Lessons
Class Introduction: Getting Started in Professional Food Photography
05:57 2Tour of a Modern Food Photography Studio
04:37 3Prop Styling with Malina Lopez
06:03 4Food Styling with Steve & Malina
03:28 5Working with a Digital Technician
05:19 6Food Photography Gear
24:29 7Why Use Natural Light?
08:01 8Natural Light Food Shoot Prep
30:23Food Photo Tools & Tricks
02:30 10Capturing Food in Natural Light
06:54 11Natural Light Shoot Final Touches
19:50 12Shooting For a Client
07:24 13LED Lighting Overview
08:51 14Prep for Oven Shoot with LED Lights
10:36 15Food Photography Print Marketing
04:49 16Food Photography Portfolio Tips
09:14 17Pricing and Negotiating for Food Photography
12:13 18Final Food Photo Career Advice
03:01Lesson Info
Final Food Photo Career Advice
Don't be afraid to reach out to people. I just called food photographers up when I was young. I don't do that anymore, but when I started out I would just invite myself over to studios and go for tours of their studios, and generally they were really open. I've had a lot of people who've helped me along the way, that I really owe a lot to who are photographers. It tends to be once you get to a certain level that you don't associate with them as much because your paths don't cross as much because you're doing a similar thing. But early on don't be afraid to ask because they will help. Some are just too busy so you do have to respect their time and their ability to give back. But occasionally the ones that do will be friends for a while and they will enjoy seeing you progress. Seek out ones that you know are within maybe five or ten years of possibly retiring and they really are even more interested in giving back to the next generation of people coming up. And that is part of the reason...
I teach. Even though I'm younger I really enjoy that part of it because I think there's talent out there that won't necessarily just compete with me, they will offer a different vision that I won't have an answer to. There's a lot of work to go around as long as you have the ability to execute. People say that the careers are ending. I think there's a lot of work. There is a lot of work out there. You have to be willing to go out and get it and put in a lot of work to be found. It just takes a lot of work. It really does. Just like anything. There's not one thing you can do, it takes consistency and patience and effort and you will see results. You really will. You don't even have to be a fully talented artist. You can be a true photographic technician on an extreme level and create masterful bottle shots that are very consistent and do catalog. There's just different approaches. There's not one approach to photography. So, use the history and the careers that you are currently in, or have been in. Use those to your advantage in your photography career because photography spans not just food, but everything, absolutely everything. It's endless. You can even create industries in regards to photography that weren't even there before, like Creative Live. Chase is a really good example of that where he discovered he is not only an amazing photographer, but he has a lot to give back in regards to education. It was a brilliant idea. It's not just about photography, it's about the educational side of things. It's a mix of things. I don't just teach, or just do this, and I work with Westcott. I love to maybe design food-friendly products that are more geared to products and food where they have a lot of portrait, the eye lighter. I'm really interested in stuff like that. So you have to have a business mind and a creative mind at the same time and that's not always easy. You have to understand that you can be good at both. You're not just one or the other. A lot of people are different variations of both and you have to really embrace that and go for it and not be afraid to do that. Just put both feet in when you're ready.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase