Food styling has many different scales. I do low-key styling where I engage with a selective audience, so what appeals to them is a pretty but simple layout with trending items used to serve the dishes. I have recently branched out into product photography for certain brands and small businesses, and here it becomes very specific.
1. Tell us something about your background and journey.
I am originally from Durban KZN but now reside in Pretoria Gauteng. I'm 33yrs old and an Interior Decorator, Food Stylist & a Mum.
2. What inspired you to start a food blog?
I had gotten married and relocated to Northern Cape Kimberley, where my husband is from. And unfortunately, when I had settled in and started looking around for a job, I could not find anything in the Interior Design field. Not being qualified in the jobs that were available i.e. accounting, teaching, lawyering, I was then forced to find an income somehow else.
I had always promised myself that I would not become a woman stuck in the kitchen 24/7, as the stereotype of Indian culture so demands. I would be a career woman and not just be a housewife.
After literally knocking on doors for a job, and walking away with no prospects, my husband knew my mum had trained me well from a young age to help her in the kitchen and decided to throw me in the deep end and got me catering jobs for where he worked at Auditor General.
I registered my business and moved on doing small-scale weddings, and my one-man business was proving to be successful. To my luck, we were relocated to Pretoria for his job as it was starting to take off, and the simplex we purchased in this complex didn't allow for steady transport of food items, especially delicate desserts, and novelty cakes.
Whilst I searched for a new purpose, I began food blogging, as this became a connection for me to my family, who I missed very much and all the dishes I had always said I would try making one day, I now had the time, and started sharing it online on social media platforms. And that's how I started off.
3. What attributes do you consider while food styling?
Food styling has many different scales. I do low-key styling where I engage with a selective audience, so what appeals to them is a pretty but simple layout with trending items used to serve the dishes. I have recently branched out into product photography for certain brands and small businesses, and here it becomes very specific.
You style according to the client's specs and briefing, and so each image would look different and you won't exactly have a signature look, but the key factors to a good image are using natural light, a camera that has a sharp focus, and props that relate to the story you're telling along with the image.
4. What was the idea behind writing a book and what is it about?
I am currently working on 2 more books, which is proving a bit challenging whilst tackling running a home, being a mum, and running a small business. But I will get there! My first book was a limited edition print Gourmet Cupcake recipe book.
I had created this book for the sole purpose of donating the profits to a local girls' orphanage in Fordsburg, which helped provide school uniforms, jerseys, school shoes, and food and meat products for the home.
5. Who do you admire the most and why?
I admire every parent, who shares themselves in so many directions. Life has become so fast-paced and financially demanding, thus demanding so much of our time, encroaching even on personal time outside of work, and those that manage to balance it healthily are the ones I admire the most.
6. How do you keep yourself inspired and motivated?
I'll be honest. There are days I feel burnt out creatively. Researching ideas and drawing inspiration from other well-established photographers and stylists helps to get the creative juices flowing again.
Also having a passion for what you do is what keeps you driven. If you don't have the drive to do something, that means that your passion may lie elsewhere. And even if it means you only do it as a hobby, or a side venture, do it, because that passion is what will keep you happy.
7. What tips and advice would you give to aspiring food bloggers?
Know your crowd but stick to what makes you happy too. For example, if you love only baking. Share that. If you love only cooking, share that. From there, you will pick up what the audience appreciates of your shares, and then you will know what to share more of for your audience to expand and have a bigger reach.
One thing I can say is that all audiences love posts on chocolate. And the more you open up about your life experiences, the more the audience finds ways to connect with you.
Interviewed By - Aliza Hussain
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