030: Finding Your Happy Place in Food Photography with Jackie Alpers

EPISODE SUMMARY
Finding Your ‘Happy Place’ in the World of Food Photography

I’m excited to bring you another episode, and this time I’m chatting with the incredible Jackie Alpers. Jackie is a food photographer and author who has been making waves in the industry with her stunning imagery and unique style. We’ll delve into how she finds her ‘happy place’ in the midst of the creative process, transforming food into visual art.

In this episode, we dive deep into Jackie’s creative journey, from her early days experimenting with waitressing at El Charro Cafe to her current work capturing mouth-watering food imagery. We explore the importance of finding joy in your work and staying true to yourself as an artist, even when faced with challenges.

We also discuss the evolution of the food photography industry and the opportunities it presents for diversity and representation in the field. Jackie shares her insights on capturing unexpected moments during shoots and embracing new technologies and mediums to create innovative and fresh imagery.

With her upcoming cookbook, “The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook,” set to release in October, Jackie is a true boss in the food photography world. So, if you’re looking to up your food photography game and find your happy place in the creative process.

So, grab your favorite cup of coffee, tea, or whatever fuels your creative soul, and let’s get ready to dive into a conversation that’s sure to leave you inspired and hungry for more—both creatively and literally! We’re about to get up close and personal with the artistic process of a true boss in the industry.

Let’s get into it.

About Jackie

Episode Breakdown

Jackie Alpers’ background and creative journey to finding her happy place
Importance of finding joy in one’s work and staying true to oneself as an artist
Evolution of the food photography industry and its accessibility as a medium
Challenges of photographing certain dishes and the connection between food photography and recipe development
Persistence and problem-solving in achieving the perfect shot
Jackie Alpers’ transition from Jackie’s Happy Plate to incorporating it into her portfolio
Jackie Alpers’ photo-first approach to recipe development and food photography
Altering recipes to make them more visually appealing
Challenges of photographing certain Tex Mex dishes and soup
The importance of being adaptable and willing to learn new techniques and equipment
The relationship between food blogging and food photography
The responsibility of the photographer to capture the moment and take ownership of their art
0The evolution of photography into a medium for the people and the importance of having conversations about art
Jackie Alpers’ upcoming cookbook inspired by the TV show Yellowstone

Stand Out Quotes – Happy Place

“If I see something that piques my imagination and I want to photograph it, at least at first, were the recipes that I wanted to write down and share.”
“I tend to not give up. Until I’m happy. If it takes me ten times, I’m like kicking myself the whole time, like what the heck’s wrong with you, having to do this thing over and over again? But then I remind myself, you know what? A year from now, you’re not gonna remember that you remade that stupid matzo ball soup ten times, and it was like, How many bowls? You’re just going to remember the final image.”
“Talk about art with your friends, talk about what’s exciting to you with people you’re close to, and be able to brainstorm and imagine all the possibilities.”
“I think people kind of forget we still need food photography for advertising. We still need it for products, we still need it for packaging. And you need a certain degree of professionalism to be able to pull something like that off.”