Episode Transcript
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Mica (00:00):
Welcome.
(00:01):
To the 50th episode of The SavoryShot, a podcast about the art and
soul of working in food photography.
Y'all know who I be.
I'm your host, who lovesyou most, Mica McCook.
I am a food photographer bornand based in Austin, Texas.
If you are from that state,come holla at your girl.
(00:24):
First, let me just start off bysaying, thank you for being here.
Thank you for being awesome.
And also to say that today'sepisode will probably be the
shortest of the Savory Shot history.
Like I'm not even going to throwin the intro or a sponsor message.
I just want to dive in witha sweet, sweet love letter.
Y'all, it feels surreal to be here today.
(00:47):
Recording the 50th episode.
I'm freaking out.
Y'all, when I started thispodcast, I had a vision.
I had a dream, but I never imagined thatwe would reach this incredible milestone.
I really thought that I probablywouldn't make it into 30 episodes
(01:12):
that I would get burnt out in a year.
Running a podcast is a lot of work.
A lot of work.
As y'all know, I keep it real.
I do not sugarcoat anything.
But y'all, this is incredible.
This journey has been filled with upsand downs, moments of doubt, but more
importantly, moments of pure joy.
(01:34):
I have had some of the mostincredible conversations.
I've cried with my guests, I'velaughed, I've disagreed with my guests.
We've just had some ofthe best conversations.
This podcast really is a work of love.
I love it.
I love this show.
I love you guys.
I love the community.
(01:56):
Everything about it, I love.
And it is hard work, but it is worth it.
A bazillion, katrillion,bazillion, trillion times worth it.
I remember the first time Isat down to record an episode.
I was so nervous, so excited, andunsure of what the future held.
(02:18):
I really was just going inby the seat of my pants.
I knew that I'd been holding it offbecause the pressure of perfection.
I wanted this show to be perfect.
And there just came a point whereI had to do it, imperfectly.
Just start it and I'm so glad that I did.
But I really didn't know what I wasdoing, but I knew one thing for certain.
(02:39):
I wanted to create a space where wecould talk about the art and soul of
food photography, sharing stories,inspire each other, help each other grow.
I wanted to have a space where wecould really get into the nitty gritty
of what it's like to be a freelancer.
(03:01):
Because let me tell you, I was sosick of hearing interviews where it's
like, yeah, everything was so perfect.
And I picked up a camera andthen boom, I'm a millionaire.
I knew that's not how it worked.
And I wasn't interestedin those conversations.
I was interested in learning aboutlife experiences that we can take
(03:24):
as lessons in our own careers.
From the beginning, the goalwas to build a community.
I know that entrepreneurshipfreelancing is a lonely existence
and I wanted to change that.
I'm still working on it.
Like I feel like I have a group oflisteners, but I don't have a place
(03:45):
where a community can congregate.
Maybe this will be the year thatI start a Facebook group, because
that seems to be the best place.
I thought about Patreon, butnot everyone has a Patreon.
So Facebook it is.
Facebook, it's going to be.
I'm going to create aFacebook group for everybody.
To go share and be a part of.
(04:07):
If you prefer a differentplace like Linkedin.
Let me know.
I'm down for that, too.
But right now I'm, I think I'm just goingto create a Facebook group because I know
that having a community, having a family.
It just makes this business.
This really tough industry tobe in, less tough, less lonely.
(04:29):
Just less.
So I want to continue to build apodcast where the audience is just
amazing, so that's what I'm going to do.
I'm truly grateful for eachand every one of y'all.
Your support, yourfeedback, your enthusiasm.
It all means the world to me.
(04:51):
For the ones who have been with me sinceepisode one, y'all are my ride or dies.
You've been through this journeywith me from the beginning.
So you've listened to episodeswhere the audio is just shit
tastic, but you stuck with me.
I can't say thank you enough, butI will continue until the very end
of this show, which will probablybe like a bazillion episodes in.
(05:13):
I will continue to say thank you forbeing on this journey with me, because I
really couldn't have done it without you.
Hitting 50 episodes is a bigmother effing deal y'all.
Over the course of these episodes,man, we've covered so many topics.
We've covered everything, like technicalaspects of photography, to the creative
(05:35):
process, to the business side, tothe personal stories and experiences.
Each episode has beena learning experience.
Not just for y'all, the listeners,but also for me as the host.
I've grown so much from that firstepisode, from the way that I ask
questions, the research that I do,the way that I guide interviews
(05:59):
has all been a learning experience.
And really, I owe all of thisincredible journey that you
and I have been on together.
As a food photographer, I've hadthe pleasure of working with some
amazing people and capturing sometruly beautiful images, and I
(06:19):
love that and I'm proud of that.
And long after your girl is gone andoff this planet, I'm proud that there
will be something of mine that I createdout there that will live beyond me.
But being a part of this podcast hasadded a whole new dimension to my work.
Ya girl likes to talk.
(06:40):
I'm a talker.
But really, I'm a connector.
I love connecting people.
I love connecting with people.
People.
So of course, podcast is a naturalevolution of who I'm becoming.
This podcast has given me the opportunityto connect with other photographers,
(07:00):
artists, producers, people that work onthe business side of food photography
and people from all over the world.
I have had the pleasure of interviewingpeople in Singapore, in Portugal,
in the UK, in Canada, in Arizona, inSeattle, like there just hasn't been a.
(07:21):
It's an area of the planet thatI haven't connected with someone.
Really, it's because of this podcast.
This podcast is becoming a platform forpeople to share knowledge, to exchange
ideas, and really celebrate the artof food photography and being in it.
When I think back to the earlydays of the podcast, I'm reminded
(07:42):
of the challenges I faced.
There were so many technical issues.
I didn't know what the heck I was doing.
Scheduling conflicts, lotsof moments of self doubt, but
through it all, I persevered and Icouldn't have done it without you.
I kept pushing forward because everysingle time I came real close to
the edge of saying, you know what?
(08:02):
This is just too much.
I can't do this.
One of you will email me or send me a DMand you'll just tell me about what kind
of impact that the show is having on you.
And that is like a refuel for me tolike get up and go, okay, someone
is learning something from this.
Someone is gaining something from this.
(08:23):
So I got to keep on going if,if, if not for me, for them.
That's why we're here.
We are here.
50 episodes stronger andmore passionate than ever.
I can't wait to discover whatwe'll talk about in the 100th
episode and the 200th episode.
I really don't know how farthis show is going to go.
But as of right now,your girl has no idea.
(08:46):
No signs of stopping or slowing down.
I love this show.
One of the most rewarding aspectsof this show has been hearing
from y'all, the listeners.
Please keep emailing me.
Please keep DMing me.
I might not respond rightaway, but I will respond.
I do see your messages, yourcomments, and your Everything.
(09:07):
It's been a source of inspiration,a source of motivation, knowing that
these episodes resonate with you,that they inspire you, that they help
you in your own photography journey.
It is the best feeling in the world.
There's not a shoot that I will book.
There's not a mountain that Iwill climb that will feel better
(09:27):
than hearing from you and youraccomplishments from the lessons.
You share your stories with me.
You share your challenges, your triumphs,you are vulnerable with me and I feel
like it's creating such a beautifulsense of community, which is why I'm
going to start the Facebook group sowe can all get together and connect
(09:47):
with each other because I want thispodcast to be more than just a podcast.
I want it to be a family.
I want it to feel like a community.
I could not be prouder ofthis podcast that I've built,
but I haven't done it alone.
Even though I say it's a one womanshow, it it is in a way, but really
(10:08):
it's not because there is no community.
There is no show if there's no listeners.
So thank you guys forbeing a part of this.
I've learned the importance ofpreparation, the value of authenticity,
the power of storytelling.
There are times when I'm like,am I being too wild on this show?
Like this is supposed to be like aprofessional grown up show and I'm
(10:31):
over here cracking jokes about M& Ms.
I'll, I'll drop an Fbomb or I'll say shit.
And I'm like, is this professional?
Then one of you willremind me that it's real.
And that's what you crave.
That's what you seek.
You want real.
You want authenticity.
So that's what I bring.
But also every episode I strive tobring y'all content that is not only
(10:54):
informative, but inspiring and engaging.
It's one thing to hear what you shouldbe doing, but you need to be motivated
to do what you're doing, to keep doingwhat you're doing, to move forward.
The whole point about learning isto put what you learn into action.
It's like, don't buy a book and thenread it and then don't do anything
(11:15):
that the book applies and then complainthat nothing's changed in your life.
Well, it's the samething with this podcast.
These guests are coming on, they're givingyou advice, they're telling you, Hey,
this worked for me, it might work for you.
So take what they have to sayand apply it to your own life.
But more than anything, it's justwonderful to be part of a wonderful
(11:36):
community of food photographers.
Food photography.
Yes, it's about food.
That's like the connector.
That's the anchor.
But really it's about people and theculture and the passion that goes
into creating beautiful images thathonor the people in the culture.
That is what I aim to celebratehere on The Savory Shot.
(12:01):
We uncover the magic that makesthis field so special because
food photography is special.
Being in this industry is specialwhether you're a stylist, whether
you're a photographer, a producer, aconsultant, whatever it is, you are part
of something so magical and so beautiful.
(12:21):
So I hope that you take pride in that andgive yourself a little pat on the back.
That's what this, this podcast is.
It's basically a big ode, a biglove letter to food photography
and the people who work within it.
This episode.
This 50th episode, if, if I maybrag on that self promote that a.
(12:43):
This 50th episode celebratesthe hard work, the dedication and
love that we pour into our craft.
It reminds us why we started thisjourney, why we stay in this journey.
I don't know about y'all, but I lookforward to many more episodes to come.
(13:04):
I want to close this out to take amoment to thank some very special people.
To my family and friends, thank you foryour unwavering support and encouragement
to the amazing guests who have sharedtheir knowledge and experiences.
Thank you for being apart of this journey.
And more importantly to y'all, thelisteners, thank you for tuning in
(13:26):
for believing in this show and forbeing part of the Savory Shot family.
As we move forward.
I am so excited about thefuture of The Savory Shot.
I have so many excitingtopics lined up, new guests to
introduce, more stories to share.
Y'all, I'm here.
I'm in it to win it.
I'm committed to continuing to bring youthe best content possible, to inspire
(13:52):
you, to educate you, and to celebratethe wonderful world of food photography.
Here's to 50 episodes of The Savory Shot.
Here's to the journey we've beenon, the lessons we've learned,
and the community we've built.
And here's to many more episodes to come.
Thank you for being a partof this incredible journey.
(14:13):
I'm grateful to each and every one of you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Gracias.
Danke, Shane.
Merci.
Shoot, I forgot all the other waysto say thank you, but in all the
languages, thank you very much.
Till next time, y'all.