Hello Kelby fans and fellow photographers! My name is Tricia and I’m a photographer. I know, that sounds like I’m introducing myself at a Photographers Anonymous meeting and that I have some sort of obsession or addiction. So true! Just like you, I’m a bit obsessed, or at least passionate about photography. When I’m not shooting, I’m thinking about shooting, or setting up a shoot. So much so, that it turned into a full-time career.
It’s a great honor to be here today! Thank you Scott and Brad for the invitation and encouragement to share my photography story. I’m flattered and thrilled, and truly humbled to pass along a few of my favorite tips for great food photos. I also hope I can encourage you to step outside your comfort zone and pursue the dream of capturing amazing photos of whatever your favorite subject matter might be. Scott thought you may find my journey interesting, so here we go!
Never Give Up On Your Dream
I’ve always loved photography but didn’t start shooting until I was 50 years old. Yes, this is one of those never give up on finding your gifts and talents posts! I hope I can encourage you to continue pursuing your dreams!
Let’s back up a little … you see in 1985 I married a photographer. My husband Ed is a dedicated lifelong photography student, a terrific award winning photographer and my favorite teacher and cheerleader. While our kids were growing up he shot almost all our family photos. There was no need for me to learn how to handle a camera, other than a point and shoot. I didn’t need to know anything about controlling light, depth of field, ISO or shutter speed.
What I did know is that I wanted our photos of the kids to look a certain way. Some of our best family photos were made when we worked together as a team. I explained my vision, offered input, styled the kids and dogs and Ed made the photos happen. Looking back now, it seems I always zeroed in on photos that had exceptional lighting, but I never thought about what attracted me to those kinds of shots. Rim light around our children’s heads or an incredible golden hour photo was what I longed for. I always had an idea of what I wanted from the photos but didn’t understand how Ed made it happen.
How I Became A Full-Time Food Photographer And Blogger
Fast forward to 2010. While working full-time as an office manager, I read an article about healthy food bloggers. I had never read a blog, and really wasn’t sure what it was. When I clicked on the links I found this fairly new concept intriguing. At this point we were empty nesters, Ed traveled a good bit for work and I was craving a creative project to fill my free time. It wasn’t long before I decided to start a food blog of my own, “Saving Room for Dessert, a blog about saving room for the best parts of life.”
I’ve always been a weekend baker and thought blogging would be a great way to document some of our favorite family recipes and preserve them for our kids and grandkids. And, this was a great excuse to try my hand at photography!
It took me a month to write and publish my first blog post. Honestly, I was afraid to put myself out there especially since my photos were sometimes out of focus, not well lighted, and not very appealing overall. I was still working full-time and for 6 years posted recipes and photos twice a week while baking and shooting on the weekends.
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