My Favorite Resources for Product Photographers
As a self-taught photographer, I’ve relied on resources to help get me to the point I am today: running a Chicago product photography and food photography studio. Today, I want to take you through a few of my favorite resources, from podcasts to YouTube channels, that have helped me along the way and that I still turn to today.
Best Instagram Accounts for Product Photographers
Instagram is a great place to start looking for free photography resources. Some of my favorite follows for tips, inspiration, and more are:
Best Online Classes for Food Photographers
Almost everyone I mentioned above offers some sort of paid online class in food photography and styling. Here are the ones I've taken:
Foodtography School: This course, led by Sarah Crawford of Broma Bakery, was the first class I took in this area. For that reason, I give Foodtography School a lot of credit for jumpstarting my photography journey. It was the first time I had ever heard anyone talk about food photography AT ALL let alone how to build food photography into a business. If you're not familiar with how your camera works or how to style food, this is a good place to start. My only caveat is to consider how to use Sarah's tips to create your own style instead of mimicking hers.
Retouching Food Photography: This course, led by Rachel and Matt Korinek of Two Loves Studio, was the single most important course I took to understand how to level-up my editing. I've always been comfortable in Lightroom, but Photoshop was a different story. Now, I feel fluent in both, which has allowed me to really enhance what I can offer to clients.
Best Online Classes for Food Photographers
Karl Taylor Education: This was another game changer. For $19/month, you get access to the entire library of courses offered by Karl Taylor, a super talented professional studio photographer based in the UK. The courses range from technical introductions to different cameras and lighting set-ups to behind the scene breakdowns for incredible photos. Pay for it for a few months if you can commit to watching these videos — they're priceless, but only if you have the time and energy to commit to learning.
Moodelier Creative Course: It's unclear to me if you can still gain access to this course, but I wanted to put it on here for one reason: it supports bridging the gap between food and product photography in terms of client management and offerings. It has really helped me build out a client process and shoot flow that results in incredible images.
Best Podcasts and YouTube Channels for Product Photographers
Per Our Last Email: This podcast is run by the women behind Weekend Creative. In case it wasn’t already clear, I’m obsessed with them and everything they do! This podcast helped me laugh and learn through my own self-employment misadventures.
Two Loves Studio: Rachel Korinek’s YouTube channel is newer, but each video that comes out reminds me why I love her educational style.
The Bite Shot: Joanie Simon needs no introduction. Her incredible free YouTube channel holds all of the information you need to kickstart an amazing career in food and product photography.
Radio Cherry Bombe: While not directly related to photography, Radio Cherry Bombe often profiles women in food and beverage industries who have ventured out on their own. This podcast never fails to inspire me!
Best Books for Self-Employed Creatives
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz: No book changed the course of my business more than this gem. While I don’t use the exact system that Michalowicz prescribes, I completely overhauled the way my accounting system worked when I read this. It completely changed the game for me and allowed me to stop stressing about setting money aside for taxes and retirement. Read it today!
You Are A Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero: When I read anything by Jen Sincero, I always feel a little bit like I’m hopping on the woo woo train, but in this case, I let it slide. This book really empowered me to think about my attitude towards the work that I do and how to balance it out to make life healthier and happier.
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller: I read this book a few years ago and really resonated with how it helped me see things from my clients’ perspective. I’d recommend it for anyone in a creative field and definitely for anyone who touches marketing of any sort.
The book links above are affiliate links, so I’ll earn a tiny commission on any books purchased through them. Thanks for supporting Page and Plate!