My Food Lens Dyutima Jha

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.

Our passion for photography is not enough to create a successful business. Several technical and emotional aspects need to align to do so.
Running a business is a tough journey but going in with our eyes wide open can help us recognize curveballs, stay vigilant, and deal with setbacks without burning out. 

The last thing we want is to quit or give up on our dream of a creative career.
Just like we put on our seat belts before an airplane takes off to be steady during turbulence, we need to do the same in business too. 

As long as our seat belts are on aka as long as we are realistic about what it takes to be a creative business owner, there’s no stopping us.


Take away unrealistic expectations, surprises, and misunderstandings from your creative journey. Tune in to find out whether a food photography business is the right fit for you. 



Have a question? Submit it as a voice note to be featured on the My Food Lens Podcast HERE

Read more at https://myfoodlens.com


 Follow Dyutima on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dyutima_myfoodlens/


Show notes available at https://myfoodlens.com/93-4-reasons-why-a-food-photography-business-may-not-be-the-right-fit-for-you/

Download free resources
The 5 steps to visual storytelling https://myfoodlens.ck.page/b0ea86cef6
The 10-step photoshoot https://myfoodlens.com/the-10-step-photoshoot-guide/

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 to position your value and offer a range of services under the realm of sponsored posts, and whether a large social media following and a media kit is needed.

The demand for social media content is more than ever before. We’re living in the age of the Instagrams and Tik Toks where even basic searches are being done on social media instead of Google. 
Which means there is so much potential for us to add sponsored posts as a service to our businesses as a way to widen our client base and diversify our revenue streams. 


Don’t let myths and misconceptions hold you back from partnering with brands of your choice and portraying their products in your unique style. Whether you’re in Asia or Europe or anywhere else in the world, remember that we live in a global world & digitalization has dissolved boundaries.


Submit a voice question HERE and be featured on the podcast


Read more at https://myfoodlens.com

 
Follow Dyutima on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dyutima_myfoodlens/
 


Show notes available at https://myfoodlens.com/92-how-to-partner-with-brands-for-sponsored-content-with-m-aimee-part-1/


Download free resources
The 5 steps to visual storytelling https://myfoodlens.ck.page/b0ea86cef6
The 10-step photoshoot https://myfoodlens.com/the-10-step-photoshoot-guide/

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, continuously reinvent ourselves, and get smart about how we run the business so we don’t burn out.
One of the ways food photographers can continue to do all of the above and stay in business is by adding a service for their clients - a service that is in hot demand and will only continue to get more attention in the future.


It is the service of creating food videos. 
In this week’s podcast episode, we continue our conversation with the queen of videography, Eva Kosmas Flores.
Eva is a photographer, author, and educator based in Portland, Oregon. She teaches video and photography through her online courses and in-person workshops.


Eva has been creating food videos for over a decade & has grown her business exponentially by offering photo and video content to clients.
She talks about the business side of food videos in part 2 of this episode covering how to price videos, licensing & copyright, pitching  to clients, how to leverage videos to stand out from the competition, the style of videos for the future & much more. 

At some point or the other, we all feel stuck in our creative journeys. We question what the future of our business looks like. We feel insecure thinking whether we can continue to bring more income so we can pay rent, and our child’s school fees and have the financial freedom we dreamt of when we started the business. 


Food videos can help you stay in business. Not only stay in business, but also skyrocket and catapult your business. Tune into the episode to learn what a successful & thriving food photography & videography business looks like.


Submit a voice question HERE and be featured on the podcast


Read more at https://myfoodlens.com
 
Follow Dyutima on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dyutima_myfoodlens/
 
Show notes available at https://myfoodlens.com/91-how-to-create-captivating-food-videos-and-monetize-your-content-with-eva-kosmas-flores-part-2/

Download free resources
The 5 steps to visual storytelling https://myfoodlens.ck.page/b0ea86cef6
The 10-step photoshoot https://myfoodlens.com/the-10-step-photoshoot-guide/

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 all need every once in a while to stay on top of our lighting game. 
The truth is that a simple composition with stunning light is way more powerful, than a large composition with beautiful props but okay light.



Submit a voice question HERE and be featured on the podcast

Read more at https://myfoodlens.com
 Follow Dyutima on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dyutima_myfoodlens
Show notes available https://myfoodlens.com/5-quick-tips-to-improve-the-lighting-in-your-food-photography/


Download free resources
The 5 steps to visual storytelling https://myfoodlens.ck.page/b0ea86cef6
The 10-step photoshoot https://myfoodlens.com/the-10-step-photoshoot-guide/

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 set of technical skills, additional equipment, and then new editing applications, just totally overwhelms me. 
If you’re like me, you probably feel the same way that videos are too much work or perhaps, videos don't interest you at all.


But the one thing I’ve discovered over the years of being a creative business owner is that our growth & success highly depend on our ability to adapt and pivot towards where the market is moving while staying true to our values and vision as a creative.


If you want to ease into video creation, you want to tune into this week’s podcast episode with the Queen of Videography, Eva Kosmas Flores.
Eva Kosmas Flores is a photographer, author, and educator based in Portland, Oregon. She teaches video and photography through her online courses and in-person workshops.


She is an icon in the food photography industry & has been creating food videos for over a decade. She has stayed open to how the food content creation industry has evolved and has grown her business exponentially by offering photo and video content to clients.

In this episode, Eva shares all the technicalities of creating videos - camera equipment, frame rates, what are cinematic style videos, how to bring visual storytelling to them, and which tools to use to organize yourself for a video shoot. 



Food photos are my first love but I’ve also seen how powerful food videos have become, at least in the past few years. 
Short videos can capture the audience on your food blog & increase traffic.
A photo and video package offered as a service to brands can add scope and bring more revenue. 
And if you’re creating for passion, expressing food through movement can be a highly enriching  & moving experience.


If you’ve been thinking about growing your skills, expanding the range of services to brands, somersaulting your social media presence, or just exploring your creativity, this episode with Eva will ease you into the world of creating captivating food videos.


Submit a voice question HERE and be featured on the podcast.


Read more at https://myfoodlens.com
 
 Follow Dyutima on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dyutima_myfoodlens/
 
Show notes available at https://myfoodlens.com/89-how-to-create-captivating-food-videos-and-monetize-your-content-with-eva-kosmas-flores-part-1/

Download free resources
The 5 steps to visual storytelling https://myfoodlens.ck.page/b0ea86cef6
The 10-step photoshoot https://myfoodlens.com/the-10-step-photoshoot-guide/

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 hack. 
And no matter which industry it is, every successful person knows this secret and they’re using it to their advantage to build the business of their dreams. 


In this week’s episode, I’m sharing the reason why your photography business is not taking off & the reason you’re not seeing results in spite of doing all the hard work.


I share the secret hack that all successful entrepreneurs have which has helped them build their businesses and can help you build yours too. I share a simple way to incorporate this secret into your business to achieve success. It’s a teeny tiny hack that can make a big impact. 

If you feel that your business is growing too slowly & not shaping like you had hoped, this episode is for you. It will open you to a new idea that will change the way you do your photography and also look at your business.


But also knowing fully well that your business should not look like anyone else’s. Not only because that’s what’ll make it unique but also because no two people are alike. So how can their businesses be alike? Your dreams for your business, your vision and your efforts will be very different from someone else's.
But irrespective of what your vision for your creative journey is, there is a way to get to where you want to be.


There is only one difference between those who are successful at what they set out to do and those who are not, and it is that one practice. 


If you’re feeling stuck or that your business is not taking off, this episode might change that. 

Submit a voice question HERE and be featured on the podcast

Read more at https://myfoodlens.com
 
Follow Dyutima on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dyutima_myfoodlens/
 
Show notes available https://myfoodlens.com/88-why-your-photography-business-is-not-taking-off/


Download free resources
The 5 steps to visual storytelling https://myfoodlens.ck.page/b0ea86cef6
The 10-step photoshoot https://myfoodlens.com/the-10-step-photoshoot-guide/