October 2, 2024 ā¢ 32 mins
Ever felt lost and unsure of your next step? Like you're wandering in a fog, searching for a path to clarity?
In this episode of The Savory Shot, we sit down with Rachel Steiner, a food photographer, entrepreneur, and stylist with over a decade of experience. Rachel shares her journey of self-discovery, navigating career transitions, and overcoming creative blocks and self-doubt.
Overcoming Obstacles:
We dive deep into the challenges of freelancing, the importance of open communication with clients, and the power of building confidence as a creative. Rachel shares how she handles setbacks, learns from her mistakes, and keeps her passion for photography alive.
Tune in to The Savory Shot to hear more of Rachel's inspiring story. Get ready to find inspiration for your own journey of self-discovery and resilience.
Remember, the path to success is not always a straight line. It's about embracing the detours, learning from every experience, and finding joy in the journey.
š¬ Join the ConversationSavory Shot Shownote: https://micamccook.com/guests/rachel-steiner/
Website: https://micamccook.com/podcast
Instagram: www.instragram.com/mica.mccook
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesavoryshotpodcast
Would you like to be a guest on the show? Fill out the guest form, and we'll be in touch soon.
Special ThanksAnd before we wrap up, a huge shoutout to our sponsor, Flodesk, for supporting this episode. Don't forget to check out their email design services tailored for food photographers, and enjoy an exclusive discount just for our listeners!
So, are you ready to turn your limitations into your greatest strengths? Tune in now, and let's embark on this creative journey together. After all, the best masterpieces often come from the most unexpected places! šāØ
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mica (00:00):
Welcome to the 57th episode of The Savory Shot.
Dang, y'all, we are threeepisodes away from 60 episodes.
That's pretty awesome.
Y'all know who I be?
I'm your host with The Boast, Mika McCook.
I'm a food photographerbased out of Austin, Texas.
(00:20):
I cannot start this showwithout first giving thanks.
Every day is Thanksgivingover here at the Savory Shot.
I just want to thank y'all, the listeners.
This show wouldn't exist without you.
Thank you so much for your time.
If this is your first time listeningto the show, thank you so much for
(00:43):
taking a chance for jumping on thehot mess express as I like to call it.
It means everything to me thatyou're giving this show a chance.
I hope you show up for the next episode.
And if this is your 57th timejoining us, welcome back.
Thank you so much for joining me again.
(01:04):
Now that we've got that out the wayy'all, I can't wait to introduce.
Our next guest, so I won't,without further ado, I'd like to
introduce y'all to Rachel Steiner.
Rachel is an e commerce, foodand beverage, entrepreneur.
and product photographer with over10 years of photography experience.
(01:27):
She is skilled in food styling,recipe development, prop
sourcing, shooting, and editing.
She's worked with numerousclients to create content
that aligns with their vision.
This episode, was packed.
We talked about everything fromlearning how to navigate your career
(01:47):
as you transition, discovering whatpath is right for you, whether it
be photography or something else.
We talked about overcoming creativeblocks and self doubt to build
confidence in yourself as a photographer,because when you're a freelancer,
you got to gas yourself up, baby, noone else is going to do it for you.
So you have to believe in yourself morethan everyone else around you does.
(02:12):
We talked about embracing mistakes.
We all make mistakes and it's okay.
Before we get into that, grabyour coffee, grab your water, your
cocktail, if it's been that kind ofday or been that kind of morning.
I don't know what time you'relistening to this episode.
(02:32):
Grab your beverage of choice kickback and Let's start the show.
(03:11):
I just want to, I want to start off bythanking you for coming on the show.
Rachel (03:15):
Yeah.
Happy to be here.
Mica (03:17):
Yay.
Yay.
So, this is the question that everyfood photographer has been asked
ever in the history of photographism.
What first interestedyou in food photography?
Rachel (03:30):
So from the beginning I love food.
I always have.
I started out in fashionafter I graduated college.
I had a job at Jones New YorkNine West in the e commerce space.
From there I went to a differente commerce place where I started
dabbling in more product photography.
It could be jewelry, it could bescarves, just like anything, a
(03:52):
different assortment of things.
That was where I really startedfood styling and connecting
food and product together.
And from there, it was my mom who wasconvincing me to go to culinary school.
I worked in a few test kitchens, Ifound my way into food photography,
burgeoning all of the things I'vedone in my now 11 year career.
(04:15):
I'm really bad at math, I'm sorry.
Mica (04:16):
That makes two of us or three of us.
I don't know.
We're bad at math.
So
So you were in culinary school, what doyou remember about the first day of class?
What was that like?
Rachel (04:33):
It was actually a part time school.
It was in Manhattan.
I was living in Jersey at the time,and it was called the Natural Gourmet
Institute, and so it was actually aprimarily plant based school, a vegan
curriculum which in itself is awesome.
So it was part time,so I was still working.
I'm trying to remember the very first day.
I remember we had to be in uniform,of course, we had our hats, we had
(04:55):
our chef coats, we had our chef pants.
I want to say the first day wasknife skills, and all of the chefs
that I learned from were amazing,The first feeling was kind of
like, oh, this is actually, thisis where I'm supposed to be.
It felt like I had actuallyfound the right path.
Mica (05:11):
You said that your mom encouraged you to go into culinary school.
Were you in a transition where likephotography was going good or you
were just wanting something different?
Rachel (05:24):
It was a, a longer conversation of, I am not easily convinced, I
will say, in any aspect of my life.
I am on the more stubbornside, if I'm being honest.
I was definitely in a transitionalperiod where I wasn't happy
with what I was doing.
I was feeling stuck.
Just in the role I was inand the place I was at.
Didn't really know what I wantedto do next or where I wanted to be.
(05:46):
I knew I liked the food elements.
I can't remember the conversationshonestly but I remember there being a few
where we had talked about it and it wasfinally like, okay, this is now the time.
You're not happy, You need to findsomething else and you need to find who
you are in a sense because I had goneto college for photography and that
(06:10):
had been what I was doing since then.
And that was up until I wentto school in 2017 to 2018.
So, it was just findingthat different path.
Mica (06:20):
It's scary but exciting when you're in that transition period.
I did the college thing, went for theaterand that I was on track to becoming
a teacher and that didn't work out.
And then I was in limbo for so long.
I knew that I wanted a creative career.
But I also didn't want to starveand be homeless and, have to choose
(06:43):
between comfort and survival.
So when food photography,was it an instant love?
Or a gradual this is somethingI'm good at and I enjoy it,
so I'm going to keep doing it.
Rachel (06:58):
So when I went to culinary school, I honestly thought that I was
going to leave photography behind.
I didn't think that was goingto be my career because I had
such that transitional momentof, Oh, I'm really so unhappy.
Is this right for me or amI doing the right thing?
And so when I was in school Iwanted to be in a test kitchen.
I wanted to be a recipe developer.
I wanted to use the visual skillsthat I had learned through photography
(07:21):
and my jobs prior to going to schoolto inform that side of my brain.
And after school, I was actually luckyenough to work in a few test kitchens.
I learned really quickly that I was wrong.
It didn't work out.
And after that, I worked in acheese shop where I live now.
That kind of just brought even morefood knowledge to my attention.
(07:42):
Once I realized that the TestKitchen path wasn't the right way
for me, and then I had worked inthat shop, the pandemic happened.
And I was like, trying to startup freelance, trying to start
just like messaging businesses.
Is this something you're looking for?
How can I personally, putthese pieces together.
I ended up working, getting a fulltime remote job for an agency where
(08:05):
those pieces were put together forme in a sense, where I was developing
recipes, shooting content, editingcontent, styling, retouching, because
it was all remotely, all from my house.
Right next to me, I have a whole surfacelibrary, I just have all of that stuff in
my house and from there, that was wherethe wheels started turning oh, this is
actually something I can do, somethingthat's possible, and how do I keep going?
Mica (08:26):
What keeps you excited about food photography, about photography in general?
I asked this because I'm part ofa book club and we read this book
called I Should Have Been Dead by RoryLaunder and he is a recovering addict.
He went to culinary school.
At the top of his game in hiscareer, he was working at like the
(08:49):
top fancy five star restaurants.
And while he was in recovery, hegot a job at a diner and the diner
was just shocked that someone of hiscaliber was going to work for them.
His perspective was it doesn't matterif I'm in a five star restaurant
or if I'm in a little neighborhooddiner, cooking is what I love.
Cooking is what I do.
(09:10):
It doesn't matter.
I really connected with that.
So what keeps you excitedabout photography today?
Rachel (09:21):
I think today it's about the storytelling.
It's really important as a photographerin this world where we are constantly
bombarded with images all day.
Consciously, subconsciously,that it's just really important
to have a way to stand out ina sense that relates to people.
(09:41):
Where it's not just the contentmachine, it's not just like
cranking out 20 images that arejust like cookie cutter same thing.
It's how to relate the food or productsor both that it has a meaning, a message.
At the end of the day, of course, theobjective is usually to sell the product.
However, how can that becomeintertwined with that relatability?
Mica (10:07):
It's such a challenge, like with Instagram.
And I think a couple of yearsago, I really gave it like the
boy scout try where I was likereally pumping things out.
It became way too much for me.
And I didn't want tocall myself a creator.
Am I creator?
Am I a photographer?
When I'm on Instagram, I reallystruggle with with what I am there
(10:31):
versus out in the open where I canopenly and say yes I am a photographer.
Rachel (10:36):
The term content creator is a new term.
It's not in society.
It doesn't really meanphotographer, at least to me.
It's exactly what you're saying.
It's two different things.
The way we use social media these days,the way we use even the internet these
days, the way we promote ourselves,the way we view other creators,
It almost can become divisive too.
(10:57):
I can't remember when Instagram cameout, but I know when I graduated
college, it wasn't like this.
Mica (11:03):
I feel like Instagram has forced people to create differently.
Photographers specifically,it's forced us to create in a
way that we normally wouldn't.
It just doesn't feel so genuine.
Before I used to share photos thatI was just really excited to share.
(11:26):
In 2021, when I was really trying tolike, everything was just so planned.
It became a different kind of pressure.
I wasn't really sharing workthat I was excited about.
I was sharing work that was gettingmore engagement from past posts.
So it was like just this hamsterwheel of continuous like crap.
Rachel (11:45):
I remember when I graduated, I remember looking through food magazines
and pulling inspiration that was where Istill have pages ripped out of the photos
I liked, and that was where, I rememberfirst seeing oh, this is this is cool.
This is possible.
Mica (11:59):
What are your favorite food magazines?
Rachel (12:02):
I don't know that I subscribe to any more these days.
However, I really loved Saveur
and Food and Wine.
I think their style, their photographystyle was just so different than anything
I had really thought about before.
I've always had a travel bug, too, and sojust relating the travel, the food, the
wine I guess it comes down to the story.
(12:24):
I've always looked for thatstory, just didn't realize it.
Mica (12:28):
Even now, like
digital's great, online magazines,great, but, there's just something so
magical and amazing about holding amagazine and seeing it and feeling it.
As a photographer, I have a muchdeeper appreciation, knowing the
effort that went into gettingthis gorgeous photo into place.
(12:51):
So you do test shoots foryour personal portfolio.
What is that process like?
How does an idea come up andthen it becomes an actual shoot?
Rachel (13:02):
I think it depends on my mood sounds bad, but usually I will either
see something or see a technique orsee something on Instagram itself
and be like, how do I do this?
How do I translate it to me?
Because you don't want to copy someoneelse's work, of course, that's not okay.
How do I become inspired by thisin a way that is going to better my
(13:27):
skills, better my way of thinking.
I think of it like a puzzle,where I see a dish that I want
to recreate and add motion to it.
I see a product that I think would beawesome to shoot in this color scheme.
I do a lot of mood boards for testshoots, I definitely have a few that
have not happened yet hopes and dreamssome day, but just pulling all of these
(13:51):
images together to when I have the time.
How do I tell that storyof that product or recipe.
I I used to do a lot more personalrecipe development, I haven't
done that as much these days.
But if it's a dish that looks reallygood, like dinner or something that
I make, which doesn't happen a lotif you're eating the food, actually,
you're not going to want to shoot it.
(14:13):
Sometimes it's like apiece or a component.
I'll quick get the camera out orsomething and just try and shoot
something just to keep my brain fresh.
But the planned ones are more of a puzzlepiece of how do I make it attainable
or purposeful for my next steps.
Mica (14:30):
I wonder how does a recipe develop?
When do you know that it'sready for other people to try?
What's your process likewhen you develop a recipe?
Rachel (14:44):
So if we're talking more commercial work.
I think work that I dofor clients is very much.
Here's an ingredient.
Here's an idea.
Here's a concept There's a clientinvolved, of course, so it's what do
you send us a couple ideas just likebare bones ingredient list like a salad
for summer using a, specific parmesancheese and something bright and colorful.
(15:07):
From there, I would come up with a coupleideas, kind of bullet point them out.
I wouldn't actually develop it yet.
Once it's approved or selected,then I would make it first, test
it, make sure it tastes good.
Depending on the recipe, baking requiresa lot more tests than a salad does per se.
But it's just making sure writingit down is very important as you're
(15:28):
going, just so someone could follow it.
Because if I make it, I don't writeit down, and I make it again, and
I don't write it down, how am Igoing to tell someone how to do it?
Because they have to be able toread it and understand it in a way
that would make sense to someoneelse, that's very important,
personal use, I think myhusband has definitely tasted
a lot of not so good things.
I hope a lot of good things.
(15:49):
He's the most wonderful person.
The amount of support ineverything I do is unmatched.
He gives a lot of advice and supportwhen it comes to the recipes too.
Just like this is, I wouldn'tsay he says this is bad.
It's more.
I think this could have this orthis instead in a loving way.
(16:10):
Yeah, I would say he helps alot with that too, just testing.
Mica (16:12):
I love that's a ride or die right there.
Thank you on behalf of all the foodpeople for trying out the recipes.
You mentioned that he works at B& H.
Is he a photographer as well?
Rachel (16:26):
Yes, he's a photographer, video, audio.
He does everything andhe does it all so well.
He also writes just toadd that to the bucket.
We met in college actually, sowe were both photography majors.
Actually he's not gonna like that.
I think he was a video major.
We were both in the photo videoprogram, let's put it that way.
Because they both had photo in the title.
Mica (16:48):
That is so cool though.
You both know the strugglesbehind freelancing.
It's hard to explain to someone whodoesn't do that on an everyday basis.
You mentioned earlierthat you work remotely.
Do you have a team that you work with?
Rachel (17:05):
In terms of like, stylist, art director of that team?
Most of the time, no.
Some of my clients have been tomy house and are really hands
on if they're local, of course.
But for the most part, I'm going to say,95 percent of what I do because there are
definitely photos I've produced that youhave worked with a stylist I do myself.
Mica (17:25):
That is challenging.
How on earth do you keep your head intact?
Rachel (17:32):
I have to write a lot stuff down, definitely.
Itās been a process to figureout the most efficient way.
The.
With the recipe specifically, like anyfood photography, like we're saying, it's
all of the pieces come together knowinghow to prepare the food, where you're not
actually cooking the recipe if it's, I'mgoing to say lasagna, because anything
(17:52):
cheese is really involved you pre cookeverything, Have everything ready to
go, I have it on a sheet tray next tome you're building as you're working.
You have a heat gun ready, justmaking sure all your pieces are there.
Have I had to run up anddown the stairs six times?
Yes, of course, because I forget stuff.
Or something burns, or somethingbreaks, and then you're like, Oh
shoot, I have to go get another one.
My studio's in the basementnow, so the kitchen's upstairs.
(18:15):
And, just with that, having a plan is key.
Organizing the shoots by, Ineed this raw first, I need this
cooked next, just making sureyou're not, I cooked everything.
Oh shoot, I have to go get more.
I do all my own prop shopping, Ido my own styling, I do work with a
retoucher sometimes, depending on thecontent, but most of the time I am
(18:37):
editing my own stop motions photos.
What else do I do?
I shoot, of
Mica (18:43):
course.
I was looking at your website shortlybefore, and I was losing my mind over all
of them, but, oh, it's, it was this one.
It's the cheese and you're like puttingbalsamic on these little crostinis.
Rachel (18:56):
That was probably one of the hardest ones I've done, and
I really appreciate that, justbecause of the angle change.
That's the camera, so at the time Ihad just a tripod, a manual tripod,
and so it was like, unscrewing itmanually to be like, okay, I want to go
a little bit lower, a little bit lower.
Let's figure this out, how doI do this, so that was not in
Photoshop, that was in camera.
(19:17):
And then editing out a lot of wonkyshots in between, just being like, how
do I make this seamless transition,but that one was really cool to do.
Mica (19:25):
That puts a whole new perspective.
Like, See, this is like afive second clip, but knowing
everything that went into it, andit does, it looks so seamless.
So speaking of challenging photoshoots, what's been one of the most
challenging photo shoots you have done?
Rachel (19:43):
Every photographer has the categories that they're really
good at, that they love to do.
There's the categories that you can dojust it's like the bread and butter.
It's like you can do it very quickly,like e commerce, anything on white
I can knock out very quickly.
I want to say it was two years ago, Itook on a front of packaging shoot, like
(20:05):
a hero for a box and for me, that was.
I should have been working with astylist in hindsight, because it's
very, I had not done that kind of workbefore, and it was absolutely on me for
not putting it together that, neededthat amount of styling versus not the
stuff I do doesn't but it just is sucha different subset of photography that
(20:29):
very much one shot can take all dayand should take all day because it's
literally the product in the store.
The project didn't end upworking out, which is okay.
I think if there's anything I've learneda lot, of course, over my career, it's
to know when you're out of your elementand it's not going to benefit the client.
The responsibility kicks in and youjust have to have that conversation
(20:52):
of, I think that this might not gothe way we thought it was going to go.
Open communication is so important.
I should have known better andit's on me for not doing the full
research, just knowing when to have aconversation if it's going that way.
Mica (21:08):
You hit it on the nail about the open communication and I feel
like in, if anyone does go to photoschool they should also take a
few communication classes because.
Rachel (21:20):
And business.
Mica (21:21):
Business.
Oh, yes, business.
Communication.
In addition.
I learned pretty quickly that mycommunication skills were lacking and
there were certain conversations thatI just wasn't comfortable having.
And a lot of it centered around budget andI'm such a people pleaser that I just want
(21:42):
to say yes to everything and to everyone.
And then I just get overwhelmedin the middle of the shoot
and just realizing, shit,
Yeah.
No, I definitely.
Rachel (21:53):
Yeah.
I think too, with people pleasertendencies, I can lean that way for sure.
And I think there's a balancewhere you are working for a client.
It's less people pleasing.
It's they're paying youto, to, do a job, right?
They don't have to apologize.
Obviously if they're rude, differentstory, but if they're asking for something
that was discussed and you didn't doit or forgot they have every right to
(22:17):
bring it up and say, wait, where's this?
Didn't we talk about this?
Having shot lists is so important.
Having prop lists, Prop budgets,just knowing everything you need
ahead of time just to make surethat communication is there.
Mica (22:30):
I'd like to add other classes that people should take an addition.
Maybe it's not a class.
It should be a class, but like,how to de escalate situations when
things don't go according to plan.
How do you handle when thingsdon't go accordingly in a shoot?
Rachel (22:50):
I know I said it already, but just the communication.
If you're trying to DIY something neverwait until shoot day to try it, because
I have done that and it never goes well.
One example that comes to mindright now, I tried to DIY.
Yeah, it was like a riser I was tryingto DIY and it just did not look good.
I got it on set and it just didn't fit thematch and I remember I must have emailed
(23:13):
or called a client I was like, this isnot like it just it's you're not happy.
I can tell I want to makesure you're happy because it's
important to get it, right?
And so do you think it'sokay if I try something else?
Do you have the time, like in yourtimeline, you're in the budget, if
there's a little bit more, just to getsomething else, just to make sure that
it's the vision you actually wanted.
(23:34):
And the answer was yes,and it worked out awesome.
With that, you foster a good clientrelationship where they understand
that you want to make it work for them.
You want to make their product look good.
You want to do what they asked andrecognize that it's not working.
How do you fix it?
You don't just go into a panic.
Being like, I don't know what to do.
(23:56):
You have to kind of step up andsay, this was not a good idea.
How do I pivot quickly?
Google something very quickly.
Here's four ideas.
Which one do you want to do?
I think we should do this onecause it's the fastest, but also
there's a more expensive optionthat might be really good too.
What would you like to do?
And go from there.
Mica (24:14):
What you said earlier about you told your client I can tell that you're
not happy with this, I think it's sucha brave and vulnerable thing to say.
It's Cuing in to like people's bodylanguage and their facial expressions.
And you can tell if they'rereally excited about something
versus when they're like, okay.
Rachel (24:32):
Exactly, and then it's not, you can tell when that happens, and it's just
not, it, like you said, from one shotto the next, when they're so excited,
then it just, the energy goes way down,you're like, hang on, what can we do?
Even remotely, you can tell.
Mica (24:47):
You've mentioned a few things that like in hindsight, you would have done
differently, should have done differently.
What's one thing that you wish you knewwhen you started out as a photographer?
Rachel (25:01):
How quicklyy everything changes.
Our industry is so unpredictable.
Did I really think 12 years ago Iwould be doing this as my career?
No.
I didn't know.
The sky's the limit, and I
Wish I had known how long,it would have taken me to
become confident in myself.
I just crossed that bridge,maybe even last year.
Cause it's one thing to, be told yourwork is really good, but also to
(25:24):
believe it, and to believe in yourself,believe in just believe you can do it.
I think it took me a longtime to get to that point.
In my professional career, I havehad a lot of full time jobs, and
I was laid off from two differentjobs in one calendar year.
It didn't feel great.
(25:44):
It was a pretty difficult time mentally.
But after the second time it happened,that was really when it hit me.
I had met a lot of reallyamazing people at that last job.
And through that, and my husbandagain, just being there for me
every single step of the way.
Just finally clicked Oh, I can do this.
I turned my business into an LLC andI just went full speed from there.
Mica (26:08):
You hit it on the nail about it taking time and years before
you feel like completely confidentin your abilities and yourself.
So what happened that youstarted to feel more confident?
Rachel (26:22):
Honestly just as the work I was creating, I could
see it making more sense to me.
I don't know if that makes sense.
If a client came to me with anidea, I felt good about saying,
okay, here's what we can do.
I could see five steps ahead now, asopposed to being trapped in my own head.
(26:42):
Instead of going into that panic, forlack of a better term, of, I have a shoot.
Oh no, what do I do?
What if I mess it up?
I have a shoot.
Oh, this is going to be good.
How do I make this awesome?
I do something very cool for a livingand I'm really lucky my husband has
done so much for me to be able to dothis for my job and my livelihood.
(27:04):
Having someone in your cornerwho believes in you so much, I
think that was so important too.
Mica (27:13):
Oh, for show.
I'm in the business ofmanifesting and putting positive
energy and vibes out there.
If there was, a dream brand righthere, right now that you would want to
work with, what brand would that be?
What project would that be that wecan also throw that one out there too.
Rachel (27:32):
That is an excellent question that I should have been prepared for actually.
Mica (27:35):
Just, it just popped up in my head, so there wouldn't
have been any time to prepare.
Rachel (27:39):
No, I usually, I will say people usually ask me what my favorite thing
to shoot is or my favorite food is.
But okay, if I, there was a brand that.
The first one that came tomind is, Graza olive oil.
Mica (27:52):
Yes.
Rachel (27:53):
I love their products.
I love all of their work.
I love, it's just it's brilliant.
It really is.
Mica (27:58):
And it's good.
Like, um, you should I don'tknow if you've tried it with
rosemary sourdough bread?
Rachel (28:06):
Not, I'm gluten free, unfortunately,
but,
Mica (28:09):
Man, okay okay what.
I'm sure, Any bread, because it reallywon't work with anything, but so with
with gluten free bread, with somemozzarella, like a slice of fresh
mozzarella, a little tomato, and a littlebasil, and then you sprinkle on top.
I'd like to close out this interviewwith what's on the horizon.
(28:31):
Is there a project thatyou feel excited for?
Rachel (28:35):
Yes.
I'm excited to be backworking a little bit.
I took some time off when my son was born.
I have awesome clients thatsupported me and I'm still
continuing to work with, so thank you.
I think I'm excited for just continuingto grow and learn and just see how
(28:56):
the industry evolves as I am thiskind of, with my new mindset, with
my new role in life, especiallywith the relationship with food.
It opens the door to a whole newopen mind, a whole new way of
thinking and how to bring thatto other people to translate it.
Mica (29:19):
One of the other things that I love about food photography
is changing relationships withfood and how people consume it.
Changing the relationship with food.
That's definitely a good mission to have.
You mentioned earlier about you'reexcited about how things are
evolving trends, things like that.
What trends are you towards these days?
Rachel (29:42):
I think it's trending towards reality.
I think food has had it's fantasticalmoment, it's unattainable moment.
It's had it's, boring momentfor lack of a better term.
So often it feels like brands jump onthe same, like a sea of sameness where
everything starts to look identical,and it's then it starts to break apart.
(30:03):
But I think it's still creatingthese worlds that people can live
in, but also making sure that someonecan actually see themselves in it.
How do we get people to seethemselves in this world?
Food is about coming togetherat the end of the day.
It's comfort, memories, conversation,it's so important that there's
(30:25):
so much to do in a photo.
When you think about it,it's all of those things.
Mica (30:30):
Oh, for sure.
And what I was going to say is just howexcited I am that food is also taking
on a It's, it's going back to its roots.
People are genuinely interestedin how something is made.
For any new photographersthat are listening today.
(30:51):
What message would you have forthem if they are struggling to
find their confidence and findthemselves in this photography world?
Rachel (31:01):
Don't be afraid to reach out to other photographers to talk to.
It doesn't even have tobe about photography.
Having someone tell you theirexperiences, having someone
help you through an experience.
There's a lot of nicephotographers out there.
I've been fortunate to meetdefinitely a lot of them.
Don't be afraid to tell your story.
Don't be afraid to try something.
(31:21):
If it doesn't work out, that's okay.
You're going to make a lotof mistakes and that's okay.
Do I make mistakes every day?
Yes.
Will I continue?
Likely, yes but with thatconfidence comes the acknowledgment
that's part of the game.
You're not going to be perfect.
Nobody's perfect and even withthe social media expectation to be
perfect, that's just not a reality.
Mica (31:43):
I want to thank you so much for being on the show for taking
time out of your schedule and,for dropping some wisdom on us.
Rachel (31:52):
Thank you for having me.
It was a pleasure to be here.
Welcome to the 57th episode of The Savory Shot.
Dang, y'all, we are threeepisodes away from 60 episodes.
That's pretty awesome.
Y'all know who I be?
I'm your host with The Boast, Mika McCook.
I'm a food photographerbased out of Austin, Texas.
(00:20):
I cannot start this showwithout first giving thanks.
Every day is Thanksgivingover here at the Savory Shot.
I just want to thank y'all, the listeners.
This show wouldn't exist without you.
Thank you so much for your time.
If this is your first time listeningto the show, thank you so much for
(00:43):
taking a chance for jumping on thehot mess express as I like to call it.
It means everything to me thatyou're giving this show a chance.
I hope you show up for the next episode.
And if this is your 57th timejoining us, welcome back.
Thank you so much for joining me again.
(01:04):
Now that we've got that out the wayy'all, I can't wait to introduce.
Our next guest, so I won't,without further ado, I'd like to
introduce y'all to Rachel Steiner.
Rachel is an e commerce, foodand beverage, entrepreneur.
and product photographer with over10 years of photography experience.
(01:27):
She is skilled in food styling,recipe development, prop
sourcing, shooting, and editing.
She's worked with numerousclients to create content
that aligns with their vision.
This episode, was packed.
We talked about everything fromlearning how to navigate your career
(01:47):
as you transition, discovering whatpath is right for you, whether it
be photography or something else.
We talked about overcoming creativeblocks and self doubt to build
confidence in yourself as a photographer,because when you're a freelancer,
you got to gas yourself up, baby, noone else is going to do it for you.
So you have to believe in yourself morethan everyone else around you does.
(02:12):
We talked about embracing mistakes.
We all make mistakes and it's okay.
Before we get into that, grabyour coffee, grab your water, your
cocktail, if it's been that kind ofday or been that kind of morning.
I don't know what time you'relistening to this episode.
(02:32):
Grab your beverage of choice kickback and Let's start the show.
(03:11):
I just want to, I want to start off bythanking you for coming on the show.
Rachel (03:15):
Yeah.
Happy to be here.
Mica (03:17):
Yay.
Yay.
So, this is the question that everyfood photographer has been asked
ever in the history of photographism.
What first interestedyou in food photography?
Rachel (03:30):
So from the beginning I love food.
I always have.
I started out in fashionafter I graduated college.
I had a job at Jones New YorkNine West in the e commerce space.
From there I went to a differente commerce place where I started
dabbling in more product photography.
It could be jewelry, it could bescarves, just like anything, a
(03:52):
different assortment of things.
That was where I really startedfood styling and connecting
food and product together.
And from there, it was my mom who wasconvincing me to go to culinary school.
I worked in a few test kitchens, Ifound my way into food photography,
burgeoning all of the things I'vedone in my now 11 year career.
(04:15):
I'm really bad at math, I'm sorry.
Mica (04:16):
That makes two of us or three of us.
I don't know.
We're bad at math.
So
So you were in culinary school, what doyou remember about the first day of class?
What was that like?
Rachel (04:33):
It was actually a part time school.
It was in Manhattan.
I was living in Jersey at the time,and it was called the Natural Gourmet
Institute, and so it was actually aprimarily plant based school, a vegan
curriculum which in itself is awesome.
So it was part time,so I was still working.
I'm trying to remember the very first day.
I remember we had to be in uniform,of course, we had our hats, we had
(04:55):
our chef coats, we had our chef pants.
I want to say the first day wasknife skills, and all of the chefs
that I learned from were amazing,The first feeling was kind of
like, oh, this is actually, thisis where I'm supposed to be.
It felt like I had actuallyfound the right path.
Mica (05:11):
You said that your mom encouraged you to go into culinary school.
Were you in a transition where likephotography was going good or you
were just wanting something different?
Rachel (05:24):
It was a, a longer conversation of, I am not easily convinced, I
will say, in any aspect of my life.
I am on the more stubbornside, if I'm being honest.
I was definitely in a transitionalperiod where I wasn't happy
with what I was doing.
I was feeling stuck.
Just in the role I was inand the place I was at.
Didn't really know what I wantedto do next or where I wanted to be.
(05:46):
I knew I liked the food elements.
I can't remember the conversationshonestly but I remember there being a few
where we had talked about it and it wasfinally like, okay, this is now the time.
You're not happy, You need to findsomething else and you need to find who
you are in a sense because I had goneto college for photography and that
(06:10):
had been what I was doing since then.
And that was up until I wentto school in 2017 to 2018.
So, it was just findingthat different path.
Mica (06:20):
It's scary but exciting when you're in that transition period.
I did the college thing, went for theaterand that I was on track to becoming
a teacher and that didn't work out.
And then I was in limbo for so long.
I knew that I wanted a creative career.
But I also didn't want to starveand be homeless and, have to choose
(06:43):
between comfort and survival.
So when food photography,was it an instant love?
Or a gradual this is somethingI'm good at and I enjoy it,
so I'm going to keep doing it.
Rachel (06:58):
So when I went to culinary school, I honestly thought that I was
going to leave photography behind.
I didn't think that was goingto be my career because I had
such that transitional momentof, Oh, I'm really so unhappy.
Is this right for me or amI doing the right thing?
And so when I was in school Iwanted to be in a test kitchen.
I wanted to be a recipe developer.
I wanted to use the visual skillsthat I had learned through photography
(07:21):
and my jobs prior to going to schoolto inform that side of my brain.
And after school, I was actually luckyenough to work in a few test kitchens.
I learned really quickly that I was wrong.
It didn't work out.
And after that, I worked in acheese shop where I live now.
That kind of just brought even morefood knowledge to my attention.
(07:42):
Once I realized that the TestKitchen path wasn't the right way
for me, and then I had worked inthat shop, the pandemic happened.
And I was like, trying to startup freelance, trying to start
just like messaging businesses.
Is this something you're looking for?
How can I personally, putthese pieces together.
I ended up working, getting a fulltime remote job for an agency where
(08:05):
those pieces were put together forme in a sense, where I was developing
recipes, shooting content, editingcontent, styling, retouching, because
it was all remotely, all from my house.
Right next to me, I have a whole surfacelibrary, I just have all of that stuff in
my house and from there, that was wherethe wheels started turning oh, this is
actually something I can do, somethingthat's possible, and how do I keep going?
Mica (08:26):
What keeps you excited about food photography, about photography in general?
I asked this because I'm part ofa book club and we read this book
called I Should Have Been Dead by RoryLaunder and he is a recovering addict.
He went to culinary school.
At the top of his game in hiscareer, he was working at like the
(08:49):
top fancy five star restaurants.
And while he was in recovery, hegot a job at a diner and the diner
was just shocked that someone of hiscaliber was going to work for them.
His perspective was it doesn't matterif I'm in a five star restaurant
or if I'm in a little neighborhooddiner, cooking is what I love.
Cooking is what I do.
(09:10):
It doesn't matter.
I really connected with that.
So what keeps you excitedabout photography today?
Rachel (09:21):
I think today it's about the storytelling.
It's really important as a photographerin this world where we are constantly
bombarded with images all day.
Consciously, subconsciously,that it's just really important
to have a way to stand out ina sense that relates to people.
(09:41):
Where it's not just the contentmachine, it's not just like
cranking out 20 images that arejust like cookie cutter same thing.
It's how to relate the food or productsor both that it has a meaning, a message.
At the end of the day, of course, theobjective is usually to sell the product.
However, how can that becomeintertwined with that relatability?
Mica (10:07):
It's such a challenge, like with Instagram.
And I think a couple of yearsago, I really gave it like the
boy scout try where I was likereally pumping things out.
It became way too much for me.
And I didn't want tocall myself a creator.
Am I creator?
Am I a photographer?
When I'm on Instagram, I reallystruggle with with what I am there
(10:31):
versus out in the open where I canopenly and say yes I am a photographer.
Rachel (10:36):
The term content creator is a new term.
It's not in society.
It doesn't really meanphotographer, at least to me.
It's exactly what you're saying.
It's two different things.
The way we use social media these days,the way we use even the internet these
days, the way we promote ourselves,the way we view other creators,
It almost can become divisive too.
(10:57):
I can't remember when Instagram cameout, but I know when I graduated
college, it wasn't like this.
Mica (11:03):
I feel like Instagram has forced people to create differently.
Photographers specifically,it's forced us to create in a
way that we normally wouldn't.
It just doesn't feel so genuine.
Before I used to share photos thatI was just really excited to share.
(11:26):
In 2021, when I was really trying tolike, everything was just so planned.
It became a different kind of pressure.
I wasn't really sharing workthat I was excited about.
I was sharing work that was gettingmore engagement from past posts.
So it was like just this hamsterwheel of continuous like crap.
Rachel (11:45):
I remember when I graduated, I remember looking through food magazines
and pulling inspiration that was where Istill have pages ripped out of the photos
I liked, and that was where, I rememberfirst seeing oh, this is this is cool.
This is possible.
Mica (11:59):
What are your favorite food magazines?
Rachel (12:02):
I don't know that I subscribe to any more these days.
However, I really loved Saveur
and Food and Wine.
I think their style, their photographystyle was just so different than anything
I had really thought about before.
I've always had a travel bug, too, and sojust relating the travel, the food, the
wine I guess it comes down to the story.
(12:24):
I've always looked for thatstory, just didn't realize it.
Mica (12:28):
Even now, like
digital's great, online magazines,great, but, there's just something so
magical and amazing about holding amagazine and seeing it and feeling it.
As a photographer, I have a muchdeeper appreciation, knowing the
effort that went into gettingthis gorgeous photo into place.
(12:51):
So you do test shoots foryour personal portfolio.
What is that process like?
How does an idea come up andthen it becomes an actual shoot?
Rachel (13:02):
I think it depends on my mood sounds bad, but usually I will either
see something or see a technique orsee something on Instagram itself
and be like, how do I do this?
How do I translate it to me?
Because you don't want to copy someoneelse's work, of course, that's not okay.
How do I become inspired by thisin a way that is going to better my
(13:27):
skills, better my way of thinking.
I think of it like a puzzle,where I see a dish that I want
to recreate and add motion to it.
I see a product that I think would beawesome to shoot in this color scheme.
I do a lot of mood boards for testshoots, I definitely have a few that
have not happened yet hopes and dreamssome day, but just pulling all of these
(13:51):
images together to when I have the time.
How do I tell that storyof that product or recipe.
I I used to do a lot more personalrecipe development, I haven't
done that as much these days.
But if it's a dish that looks reallygood, like dinner or something that
I make, which doesn't happen a lotif you're eating the food, actually,
you're not going to want to shoot it.
(14:13):
Sometimes it's like apiece or a component.
I'll quick get the camera out orsomething and just try and shoot
something just to keep my brain fresh.
But the planned ones are more of a puzzlepiece of how do I make it attainable
or purposeful for my next steps.
Mica (14:30):
I wonder how does a recipe develop?
When do you know that it'sready for other people to try?
What's your process likewhen you develop a recipe?
Rachel (14:44):
So if we're talking more commercial work.
I think work that I dofor clients is very much.
Here's an ingredient.
Here's an idea.
Here's a concept There's a clientinvolved, of course, so it's what do
you send us a couple ideas just likebare bones ingredient list like a salad
for summer using a, specific parmesancheese and something bright and colorful.
(15:07):
From there, I would come up with a coupleideas, kind of bullet point them out.
I wouldn't actually develop it yet.
Once it's approved or selected,then I would make it first, test
it, make sure it tastes good.
Depending on the recipe, baking requiresa lot more tests than a salad does per se.
But it's just making sure writingit down is very important as you're
(15:28):
going, just so someone could follow it.
Because if I make it, I don't writeit down, and I make it again, and
I don't write it down, how am Igoing to tell someone how to do it?
Because they have to be able toread it and understand it in a way
that would make sense to someoneelse, that's very important,
personal use, I think myhusband has definitely tasted
a lot of not so good things.
I hope a lot of good things.
(15:49):
He's the most wonderful person.
The amount of support ineverything I do is unmatched.
He gives a lot of advice and supportwhen it comes to the recipes too.
Just like this is, I wouldn'tsay he says this is bad.
It's more.
I think this could have this orthis instead in a loving way.
(16:10):
Yeah, I would say he helps alot with that too, just testing.
Mica (16:12):
I love that's a ride or die right there.
Thank you on behalf of all the foodpeople for trying out the recipes.
You mentioned that he works at B& H.
Is he a photographer as well?
Rachel (16:26):
Yes, he's a photographer, video, audio.
He does everything andhe does it all so well.
He also writes just toadd that to the bucket.
We met in college actually, sowe were both photography majors.
Actually he's not gonna like that.
I think he was a video major.
We were both in the photo videoprogram, let's put it that way.
Because they both had photo in the title.
Mica (16:48):
That is so cool though.
You both know the strugglesbehind freelancing.
It's hard to explain to someone whodoesn't do that on an everyday basis.
You mentioned earlierthat you work remotely.
Do you have a team that you work with?
Rachel (17:05):
In terms of like, stylist, art director of that team?
Most of the time, no.
Some of my clients have been tomy house and are really hands
on if they're local, of course.
But for the most part, I'm going to say,95 percent of what I do because there are
definitely photos I've produced that youhave worked with a stylist I do myself.
Mica (17:25):
That is challenging.
How on earth do you keep your head intact?
Rachel (17:32):
I have to write a lot stuff down, definitely.
Itās been a process to figureout the most efficient way.
The.
With the recipe specifically, like anyfood photography, like we're saying, it's
all of the pieces come together knowinghow to prepare the food, where you're not
actually cooking the recipe if it's, I'mgoing to say lasagna, because anything
(17:52):
cheese is really involved you pre cookeverything, Have everything ready to
go, I have it on a sheet tray next tome you're building as you're working.
You have a heat gun ready, justmaking sure all your pieces are there.
Have I had to run up anddown the stairs six times?
Yes, of course, because I forget stuff.
Or something burns, or somethingbreaks, and then you're like, Oh
shoot, I have to go get another one.
My studio's in the basementnow, so the kitchen's upstairs.
(18:15):
And, just with that, having a plan is key.
Organizing the shoots by, Ineed this raw first, I need this
cooked next, just making sureyou're not, I cooked everything.
Oh shoot, I have to go get more.
I do all my own prop shopping, Ido my own styling, I do work with a
retoucher sometimes, depending on thecontent, but most of the time I am
(18:37):
editing my own stop motions photos.
What else do I do?
I shoot, of
Mica (18:43):
course.
I was looking at your website shortlybefore, and I was losing my mind over all
of them, but, oh, it's, it was this one.
It's the cheese and you're like puttingbalsamic on these little crostinis.
Rachel (18:56):
That was probably one of the hardest ones I've done, and
I really appreciate that, justbecause of the angle change.
That's the camera, so at the time Ihad just a tripod, a manual tripod,
and so it was like, unscrewing itmanually to be like, okay, I want to go
a little bit lower, a little bit lower.
Let's figure this out, how doI do this, so that was not in
Photoshop, that was in camera.
(19:17):
And then editing out a lot of wonkyshots in between, just being like, how
do I make this seamless transition,but that one was really cool to do.
Mica (19:25):
That puts a whole new perspective.
Like, See, this is like afive second clip, but knowing
everything that went into it, andit does, it looks so seamless.
So speaking of challenging photoshoots, what's been one of the most
challenging photo shoots you have done?
Rachel (19:43):
Every photographer has the categories that they're really
good at, that they love to do.
There's the categories that you can dojust it's like the bread and butter.
It's like you can do it very quickly,like e commerce, anything on white
I can knock out very quickly.
I want to say it was two years ago, Itook on a front of packaging shoot, like
(20:05):
a hero for a box and for me, that was.
I should have been working with astylist in hindsight, because it's
very, I had not done that kind of workbefore, and it was absolutely on me for
not putting it together that, neededthat amount of styling versus not the
stuff I do doesn't but it just is sucha different subset of photography that
(20:29):
very much one shot can take all dayand should take all day because it's
literally the product in the store.
The project didn't end upworking out, which is okay.
I think if there's anything I've learneda lot, of course, over my career, it's
to know when you're out of your elementand it's not going to benefit the client.
The responsibility kicks in and youjust have to have that conversation
(20:52):
of, I think that this might not gothe way we thought it was going to go.
Open communication is so important.
I should have known better andit's on me for not doing the full
research, just knowing when to have aconversation if it's going that way.
Mica (21:08):
You hit it on the nail about the open communication and I feel
like in, if anyone does go to photoschool they should also take a
few communication classes because.
Rachel (21:20):
And business.
Mica (21:21):
Business.
Oh, yes, business.
Communication.
In addition.
I learned pretty quickly that mycommunication skills were lacking and
there were certain conversations thatI just wasn't comfortable having.
And a lot of it centered around budget andI'm such a people pleaser that I just want
(21:42):
to say yes to everything and to everyone.
And then I just get overwhelmedin the middle of the shoot
and just realizing, shit,
Yeah.
No, I definitely.
Rachel (21:53):
Yeah.
I think too, with people pleasertendencies, I can lean that way for sure.
And I think there's a balancewhere you are working for a client.
It's less people pleasing.
It's they're paying youto, to, do a job, right?
They don't have to apologize.
Obviously if they're rude, differentstory, but if they're asking for something
that was discussed and you didn't doit or forgot they have every right to
(22:17):
bring it up and say, wait, where's this?
Didn't we talk about this?
Having shot lists is so important.
Having prop lists, Prop budgets,just knowing everything you need
ahead of time just to make surethat communication is there.
Mica (22:30):
I'd like to add other classes that people should take an addition.
Maybe it's not a class.
It should be a class, but like,how to de escalate situations when
things don't go according to plan.
How do you handle when thingsdon't go accordingly in a shoot?
Rachel (22:50):
I know I said it already, but just the communication.
If you're trying to DIY something neverwait until shoot day to try it, because
I have done that and it never goes well.
One example that comes to mindright now, I tried to DIY.
Yeah, it was like a riser I was tryingto DIY and it just did not look good.
I got it on set and it just didn't fit thematch and I remember I must have emailed
(23:13):
or called a client I was like, this isnot like it just it's you're not happy.
I can tell I want to makesure you're happy because it's
important to get it, right?
And so do you think it'sokay if I try something else?
Do you have the time, like in yourtimeline, you're in the budget, if
there's a little bit more, just to getsomething else, just to make sure that
it's the vision you actually wanted.
(23:34):
And the answer was yes,and it worked out awesome.
With that, you foster a good clientrelationship where they understand
that you want to make it work for them.
You want to make their product look good.
You want to do what they asked andrecognize that it's not working.
How do you fix it?
You don't just go into a panic.
Being like, I don't know what to do.
(23:56):
You have to kind of step up andsay, this was not a good idea.
How do I pivot quickly?
Google something very quickly.
Here's four ideas.
Which one do you want to do?
I think we should do this onecause it's the fastest, but also
there's a more expensive optionthat might be really good too.
What would you like to do?
And go from there.
Mica (24:14):
What you said earlier about you told your client I can tell that you're
not happy with this, I think it's sucha brave and vulnerable thing to say.
It's Cuing in to like people's bodylanguage and their facial expressions.
And you can tell if they'rereally excited about something
versus when they're like, okay.
Rachel (24:32):
Exactly, and then it's not, you can tell when that happens, and it's just
not, it, like you said, from one shotto the next, when they're so excited,
then it just, the energy goes way down,you're like, hang on, what can we do?
Even remotely, you can tell.
Mica (24:47):
You've mentioned a few things that like in hindsight, you would have done
differently, should have done differently.
What's one thing that you wish you knewwhen you started out as a photographer?
Rachel (25:01):
How quicklyy everything changes.
Our industry is so unpredictable.
Did I really think 12 years ago Iwould be doing this as my career?
No.
I didn't know.
The sky's the limit, and I
Wish I had known how long,it would have taken me to
become confident in myself.
I just crossed that bridge,maybe even last year.
Cause it's one thing to, be told yourwork is really good, but also to
(25:24):
believe it, and to believe in yourself,believe in just believe you can do it.
I think it took me a longtime to get to that point.
In my professional career, I havehad a lot of full time jobs, and
I was laid off from two differentjobs in one calendar year.
It didn't feel great.
(25:44):
It was a pretty difficult time mentally.
But after the second time it happened,that was really when it hit me.
I had met a lot of reallyamazing people at that last job.
And through that, and my husbandagain, just being there for me
every single step of the way.
Just finally clicked Oh, I can do this.
I turned my business into an LLC andI just went full speed from there.
Mica (26:08):
You hit it on the nail about it taking time and years before
you feel like completely confidentin your abilities and yourself.
So what happened that youstarted to feel more confident?
Rachel (26:22):
Honestly just as the work I was creating, I could
see it making more sense to me.
I don't know if that makes sense.
If a client came to me with anidea, I felt good about saying,
okay, here's what we can do.
I could see five steps ahead now, asopposed to being trapped in my own head.
(26:42):
Instead of going into that panic, forlack of a better term, of, I have a shoot.
Oh no, what do I do?
What if I mess it up?
I have a shoot.
Oh, this is going to be good.
How do I make this awesome?
I do something very cool for a livingand I'm really lucky my husband has
done so much for me to be able to dothis for my job and my livelihood.
(27:04):
Having someone in your cornerwho believes in you so much, I
think that was so important too.
Mica (27:13):
Oh, for show.
I'm in the business ofmanifesting and putting positive
energy and vibes out there.
If there was, a dream brand righthere, right now that you would want to
work with, what brand would that be?
What project would that be that wecan also throw that one out there too.
Rachel (27:32):
That is an excellent question that I should have been prepared for actually.
Mica (27:35):
Just, it just popped up in my head, so there wouldn't
have been any time to prepare.
Rachel (27:39):
No, I usually, I will say people usually ask me what my favorite thing
to shoot is or my favorite food is.
But okay, if I, there was a brand that.
The first one that came tomind is, Graza olive oil.
Mica (27:52):
Yes.
Rachel (27:53):
I love their products.
I love all of their work.
I love, it's just it's brilliant.
It really is.
Mica (27:58):
And it's good.
Like, um, you should I don'tknow if you've tried it with
rosemary sourdough bread?
Rachel (28:06):
Not, I'm gluten free, unfortunately,
but,
Mica (28:09):
Man, okay okay what.
I'm sure, Any bread, because it reallywon't work with anything, but so with
with gluten free bread, with somemozzarella, like a slice of fresh
mozzarella, a little tomato, and a littlebasil, and then you sprinkle on top.
I'd like to close out this interviewwith what's on the horizon.
(28:31):
Is there a project thatyou feel excited for?
Rachel (28:35):
Yes.
I'm excited to be backworking a little bit.
I took some time off when my son was born.
I have awesome clients thatsupported me and I'm still
continuing to work with, so thank you.
I think I'm excited for just continuingto grow and learn and just see how
(28:56):
the industry evolves as I am thiskind of, with my new mindset, with
my new role in life, especiallywith the relationship with food.
It opens the door to a whole newopen mind, a whole new way of
thinking and how to bring thatto other people to translate it.
Mica (29:19):
One of the other things that I love about food photography
is changing relationships withfood and how people consume it.
Changing the relationship with food.
That's definitely a good mission to have.
You mentioned earlier about you'reexcited about how things are
evolving trends, things like that.
What trends are you towards these days?
Rachel (29:42):
I think it's trending towards reality.
I think food has had it's fantasticalmoment, it's unattainable moment.
It's had it's, boring momentfor lack of a better term.
So often it feels like brands jump onthe same, like a sea of sameness where
everything starts to look identical,and it's then it starts to break apart.
(30:03):
But I think it's still creatingthese worlds that people can live
in, but also making sure that someonecan actually see themselves in it.
How do we get people to seethemselves in this world?
Food is about coming togetherat the end of the day.
It's comfort, memories, conversation,it's so important that there's
(30:25):
so much to do in a photo.
When you think about it,it's all of those things.
Mica (30:30):
Oh, for sure.
And what I was going to say is just howexcited I am that food is also taking
on a It's, it's going back to its roots.
People are genuinely interestedin how something is made.
For any new photographersthat are listening today.
(30:51):
What message would you have forthem if they are struggling to
find their confidence and findthemselves in this photography world?
Rachel (31:01):
Don't be afraid to reach out to other photographers to talk to.
It doesn't even have tobe about photography.
Having someone tell you theirexperiences, having someone
help you through an experience.
There's a lot of nicephotographers out there.
I've been fortunate to meetdefinitely a lot of them.
Don't be afraid to tell your story.
Don't be afraid to try something.
(31:21):
If it doesn't work out, that's okay.
You're going to make a lotof mistakes and that's okay.
Do I make mistakes every day?
Yes.
Will I continue?
Likely, yes but with thatconfidence comes the acknowledgment
that's part of the game.
You're not going to be perfect.
Nobody's perfect and even withthe social media expectation to be
perfect, that's just not a reality.
Mica (31:43):
I want to thank you so much for being on the show for taking
time out of your schedule and,for dropping some wisdom on us.
Rachel (31:52):
Thank you for having me.
It was a pleasure to be here.
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