Mica: [00:00:00] Welcome to the 73rd episode of The Savory Shot, a podcast about the art and soul of working in food photography. I'm your host with the most, Mica McCook. I'm a food photographer based in Austin, Texas, where the tacos are hot and the lighting is even hotter. Okay, that sounded cooler in my head.
Carry on. Carry on. Before we dive into today's episode, I gotta take a second and say thank you, gracias, to every single one of you who has been riding with this show, the day oners, the ones who slide in my DMs after every episode. Y'all, you make this worth it [00:01:00] every single time. And if this is your very first time tuning in, welcome to the Hot Mess Express.
You're one of us now. One of us. One of us. I hope you brought snicky snacks and a cocktail. Okay, y'all, real quick, did you catch episode 72? Because if you missed it, man, you missed a good episode. Go back and listen to it immediately. I sat down with Rob Finkelstein. He's a lawyer, pastry school grad, food blogger, and a food photographer.
He created a course called Contract Legalese specifically for food photographers. And let me tell y'all, I walked away from that conversation looking at every contract I've ever signed with completely different eyes. [00:02:00] We talked about copyright, licensing, why negotiating with brands is not as scary as you think, and why those boilerplate clauses at the bottom of your contract, yeah, you need to read those.
So to toot my own horn, go listen to that episode. It's awesome possum. We'll still be here. This episode will still be here. But let's talk about today. I wanna talk about this conversation. Man, y'all, ooh, this was so awesome. I'm a get right into it. I'm a introduce the guest right here, right now. Without further ado, let me introduce to you Regan Baroni.
She is a food photographer. She's based in Chicago. She is a former advertising art director who picked up a camera and never looked back. She is the creator of the Mastering iPhone Food [00:03:00] Photography course, and she has a new course called iPhone Drink Photography that is on its way. I don't know if it's debuted by now, but I do know that you can sign up to get on the early bird list.
So do that now. In this episode, y'all, we get into all of it. We talk about how burnout at an ad agency cracked open a creative life that Regan didn't see coming, what it really feels like the morning after you quit your job, why freelancing is lonelier than anyone warns you, why diversifying your income is non-negotiable, and how a phone camera and some good light is genuinely all you need to get started.
Before we get into this episode, y'all, I need un petit favor from you. If you know a photographer who's still waiting for the, quote-unquote, "right moment" to make their move, [00:04:00] send them this episode. Seriously, this one is for them. Then come on back, grab your coffee, your pen, a notebook, and let's start the show.
Welcome to The Savory Shot, a biweekly show about the art and soul of working in food photography. I'm your host, Mica McCook. Every other Wednesday, I sit down to chat with professionals in the industry so that you feast on only the best tips and strategies in the business.
All right, y'all, let's get started.
Regan, I just wanna start the show by thanking you for being here, for taking the time to sit and chat with me. Welcome to the show. Welcome to The Savory Shot.
Regan: Oh, thank you, Mica. I'm so excited to be here. This is very exciting for me, and I love your [00:05:00] podcast, so I was totally flattered when you reached out, so this is great.
Mica: So I wanna start off by asking you what kept you coming back to food photography before you got paid for it?
Regan: Well, that's a great question because I was not a photographer my whole career. I was actually an art director in advertising when I graduated college, and became really burnt out with the agency life and wasn't feeling creative, and I started getting more into cooking, and that's when I started to see food differently.
I remember specifically chopping some scallions on this wooden cutting board, and taking it in, I was like, "This looks so pretty. I, like, wanna take a picture of it." And so I actually moved it over closer to the window in the kitchen and used my iPhone to take a picture. It was just fun. It was like a moment, right?
So eventually I was, like, finding myself taking a lot of pictures with my [00:06:00] phone, like, at the grocery store, at the farmer's market, whatever we were cooking that night. And my family eventually surprised me with my very first DSLR and I was like, "Oh my gosh, I have to learn how to use this thing." And so I taught myself how to use it, and I just was loving the process.
Because I was feeling so creatively burned out at my job, this was bringing it back to life. So it was really cool to have my day job during the week, and then every weekend I was, like, cooking and styling and shooting and editing, and just trying to learn the craft.
Mica: What did those early weekends, what did they teach you about yourself?
Regan: Dedication. They taught me that I had found something that I wanted to keep getting better at. You know when we're learning something new, it's like we're starry-eyed and it's fun, and everything seems shiny and new, and then you kinda get into it and you're like, "Um, I don't know if I like this anymore."
Actually.[00:07:00]
That didn't happen. Everything was a learning experience, and I just kept wanting to do it. I got excited to think about props I was gonna use to shoot some oysters, what plates I could get for spaghetti, and how am I gonna style the noodles? Like, I was wearing all the hats 'cause I was just having fun.
This was a weekend hobby that turned into a career-changing business, and I feel really lucky about that.
Mica: Those are the best kinds of careers to, like, find yourself in.
Regan: Yeah.
Mica: Mean, that's how it started for me as well.
Regan: Yeah.
Mica: Not the cooking part.
Regan: Sure.
Mica: I mean, I can cook now, but back then I really couldn't.
But I started a food blog with a friend, and I just wanted to get better at the photography side.
Regan: Yep.
Mica: And so I just became super hyper-focused on photography.
Regan: Of course.
Mica: But now that I think about it, it's like those were, like, really [00:08:00] exciting times.
Regan: Right.
Mica: I loved the challenge, I loved the colors, I loved the textures, all of that.
For you, when did the joy turn into commitment?
Regan: I loved what I was doing. Obviously, I was doing it every weekend and just enjoying the process and having so much fun with it. But what started to really get my attention was the support I started receiving behind it. Obviously, my family and friends are my number one fans, so they're a little biased.
But so I was at my day job. My boss at the time set up a day for me to go shadow a well-known food photographer in Chicago for the day. During the week, I got to skip work and go shadow somebody.
Mica: Wow.
Regan: So he saw something in what I was doing. He knew I loved it a lot, but I don't know if I was even at the point at then [00:09:00] of, like, wanting to go all, all in.
But when your boss sends you off to shadow a food photographer, you pay attention to that. So it was a nice little confidence boost, and so I was telling Mike about it. I'm like, "I really love this. You know, do you think I could do this?" And he was like, "It would break my heart if you didn't pursue this."
And I was like, "Oh my God." All that support just felt kinda the extra confidence boost I needed to go all in. But at the time, Mike and I had just bought our house, and for me to just quit on a whim and eliminate my salary was not gonna happen. So we kinda talked. How could we make this work? And so we decided we're gonna get outta debt and we're gonna save some money, and then I'm gonna put in my notice.
And during that time, it took about a year and a half. So during that time, though, I was trying to build my client list on the side, and my boss, Ronaldo, amazing guy. Amazing, amazing guy. Very creative. [00:10:00] If I got, like, a gig that came up during the week, I would tell him, "Can I leave early?" And he'd be like, "Take the day.
You need to be focused on that job." He's like, "I want this for you." And when Mike said, "It would break my heart if you didn't pursue this," I was like, "Oh my gosh."
Mica: Oh my gosh.
Regan: This is incredible, 'cause I want it, and then when other people want it for you and they really wanna help you get there, it's pretty amazing.
But yeah, eventually the day came and I put in my notice, and I literally woke up the next morning, like the day after quitting my job.
Mica: Oh my gosh ...
Regan: And freaked out. I was like, "Oh my God, I did it. I'm here. I gotta make this work." Then you kinda settle in, and you start getting your business hat on and learning that side of it, so.
Mica: Oh, man.
Regan: But it's been a cool process. So yeah, a combination of just loving it so much and having that support and encouragement was what made me go all in.
Mica: See, sometimes that's all it takes, is because we [00:11:00] get so in our heads.
Regan: Oh my God, yes ...
Mica: And we worry about the can we, can we, should we, should we, that-
Regan: Am I good enough?
Mica: Am I good enough?
Regan: Yeah.
Mica: Even I remember having a convo with my professor about what direction of photography I was in and, and about food photography and telling him, "Well, there's a bunch of food photographers out there. It's so saturated." And he's like, "There's a bunch of Italian restaurants."
Regan: Right.
Mica: "Do you think that's gonna stop someone from opening an Italian restaurant just because there's another one, or a Tex-Mex?"
Regan: That is a very good point.
Mica: So it's just wonderful.
Let's talk about your early portfolio. What did the version, the first version of your portfolio look like?
Regan: Oh, it was so pretty. No. Actually, it's so funny. It's such a good question because my first portfolio was actually a food blog. Now, keep in mind, I was not a recipe developer or a blogger, but because I was practicing food [00:12:00] photography every weekend, I wanted a place to, like, share my work other than social media, and so a blog seemed like a good idea.
And so that's what it was at first, and it was called Up Close and Tasty, and I don't know how I came up with that. It was, like, on the train ride home from work or something. I'm like, "I just wanted to run with it." I'm like, "I just wanna get this up and running so I have a place to post these pictures nice and big and talk about what I did."
And so that's how it started. And then once I decided to go all in, I created an actual portfolio site where it looked like a professional portfolio site, but the images were a mix of random little restaurant shoots I would get and cellphone pictures from the grocery store or things I was doing in the entryway of my house at the time before I had this basement area 'cause I was very reliant on natural light, and I have this giant window up there.
So it was just a com- a mishmash of food photography that I thought was good, and when I look back, I laugh a little bit, but [00:13:00] it's always fun to see the growth.
Mica: Yes. Yes. I took some pictures of churros.
Regan: Oh, yeah ...
Mica: And very early, like first year, and at the time that I shot them, I thought, "This is art."
Regan: Yes, it is.
Mica: And now I look at them and I'm like looking at all of the, like, oh, that lighting. Oh God, what was I thinking? It's not even in focus. Yeah.
Regan: I had this thing where I would tilt the horizon line. No, I'm serious. I should send you a picture just to give you a laugh, because I remember shooting some wings, and I literally kind of tilted my camera.
I'm like, "This is cool." And I mean, if you saw this, you'd be like, "What was going through her head? They look like they're gonna fall out of the frame." Like, this wasn't subtle. I don't know. But you know what? Being able to play and experiment and take shots like [00:14:00] that, and then look back and know that you've, like, learned something from it, like don't do that, is invaluable.
Our experience, and we're all beginners. We all start somewhere.
Mica: For real. For real. Like, when I started the food blog with my friend Charlotte, it really was just us flying by the seat of our pants. We didn't know what the hell we were doing. But we basically would create a four-course meal based on a book character, 'cause we both loved to read, but our blog name was Let's Taco About It.
So every month was a different theme.
Regan: Oh, that's cool.
Mica: And one month, we featured Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and we thought we would do, like, this Science fiction, a lot of silver.
Regan: Oh.
Mica: And it just had the weirdest shit on the menu. Oh, we had a lot of black, a lot of velvet. And, like, I could picture what I was envisioning, like, what I wanted.
Regan: Yeah.
Mica: [00:15:00] But I just could not get the technical side of it. And then also, Charlotte does not like to bake, and so she was like, "We're gonna make these whale-shaped marshmallow cookies," except we didn't get, like, the whale cutout, so she tried to, like, make the whale DIY, and it just did not look like... It just, it did not.
So that whole shoot was a shit show. And we did not get anything that we wanted.
Regan: Okay.
Mica: At some point during the shoot, we just said, "This shit sucks, and we're, like, done."
Regan: It sounds hilarious.
Mica: We were done. I was like, "I cannot figure out how to fix this lighting. It looks terrible." And I just, I can't do it.
Regan: Were you using natural light too at the time?
Mica: No. At the time, I was using these LED constant lights, like, continuous lights.
Regan: Oh, sure. [00:16:00] Okay.
Mica: Yeah. And I didn't know anything about fill. I didn't know anything about keys. So we just had all these lights, and they were pointing everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Regan: I love it.
Sounds about right.
Mica: We couldn't figure out how to light the silver, and then the damn whale kept falling apart. I think that's what, like, made us quit at that point because the whale just, ink, fell apart.
Regan: Oh, no.
Mica: And we were like, "We're done." Like, "Fuck this." Like, "We are so done. Let's just eat this shit and go."
Regan: Oh, that's so funny. Oh my God.
Mica: It was so bad. But when I look at those photos and, like, it brings me joy because I laugh at the frustration, the day, the jokes that we cracked and everything. So with that long-winded story, which early images still make you smile?
Regan: Like, laugh smile, or smile like, "I'm [00:17:00] proud of that"?
Mica: One or both. Yeah.
Regan: The wings picture is a classic 'cause, I mean, those wings were falling out of the frame, and I thought, "This is artsy looking. This is so cool."
Mica: This is so commercial.
Regan: But one image that I am very proud of is this octopus in a bowl shot that I did. I went to the grocery store and no plan.
Just wanted to see, like, do you ever go and, like, with no plan and just to see what food stands out to you and you're like, "That's what I'm gonna shoot today"? That's what I did.
Mica: Oh, I, I've never done that, but now I want to.
Regan: Well, it was kinda fun. I s- I didn't have an idea, and I thought, "It'll come to me. I'm just gonna go to the store and walk around, and maybe it'll be carrots.
Maybe it'll be some beautiful red beets." But in it, I went to the fish section. I'm a huge seafood fan, so you'll always catch me in the seafood area of a grocery store. And they had these little baby octopus and [00:18:00] octopi, and I thought, "I'm gonna mess with that. I could do something dramatic with that." And so I brought it home, and I didn't wanna touch it, but I did 'cause it was kinda slimy, kinda gross-looking.
But I had this little bowl, and I put it on our wood dining table at the time, and I used kind of a smaller speedlight off to the side and just started taking pictures. And I had, like, the octopus coming out of the bowl, and it ended up getting recognized by the World Food Photographer of the Year Awards or something.
And those in London. They used to be the Pink Lady Food Photography Awards, but they rebranded. They renamed. So it came in second.
Mica: What?
Regan: Yeah, in the Cream of the Crop category.
Mica: That's incredible.
Regan: So I've always been really proud of that because there were no rules. There was no brief. There were no expectations.
But I went to the store, [00:19:00] found what I wanted to shoot, took it home, and experimented and played, and I think it just came out, like that sense of freedom came out, and it's a very dramatic image. I'll send it to you so you can take a look at it. And that was quite a few years ago, but I'm still, like, proud of that.
I don't look at that image and think I would've done something differently. Like, I just still really like that. The whole process was a good experience.
Mica: Man, I mean, I love the idea of walking into a store and then choosing right then and there what to photograph. I've never done that, and now I'm like, "I have to do it now."
Regan: It's kinda freeing. It's just freeing. There's no limitations. There's no expectations on yourself. Just see what stands out to you and see how, like, the idea comes in your head, and take it home, and have your way with it, you know?
Mica: When did you feel your work finally, like it clicked, like you found this is the path?
Regan: I feel like I need [00:20:00] reminders of it, that it's clicked often, even today. I can have self-doubt with my work a lot. I think I tend to be a little too much of a perfectionist with it at times, so that image is a reminder where it's like you don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to have a plan.
You're doing this 'cause you enjoy it. Don't lose sight of that. And so I feel like when I take time to remember that for upcoming shoots, past shoots, it helps me remember that it continues to click. There's not just one time for me, 'cause there's more images that you're gonna create that you're going to love.
And there's a quote I really like. Her name's Imogen Cunningham, I think, and it's, "What's my favorite photo? The one I'm gonna take tomorrow." And I really love that because it kind of... I don't wanna, like, make it. I wanna just keep getting there, 'cause this process is what keeps us coming back to [00:21:00] it.
Mica: Yes. I always feel like that carrot needs to always be there for me, and I know it's time for me to challenge or try something different or new when I find myself going through the flow, going through the motions, and there's, like, nothing really exciting, but there's, like, "Eh, it was just a shoot."
Regan: Right. You just walked away.
Mica: I just walked away. Yeah. And I was like, "Oh, these are nice." I gotta feel something at the end of it. And you touched on this a little bit earlier, but I wanna explore it a little bit more about your day job, your office job. When did you know that this is time to go all in?
Regan: Pretty much once debt was paid, I was ready. I mean, I was ready before that. I was so excited. I honestly got a little emotional when we kinda sat down and looked at our finances and realized, "Okay, we should really get out of debt," and realized that's gonna take some time. 'Cause we had steady income from both sides.
Mike's [00:22:00] working, I'm working. And so it was kinda easy to, like, put a vacation on a credit card and pay it off slowly or whatever. So I was ready to quit, and I couldn't, so I was a little discouraged at first, but I realized we have to do this right because I didn't wanna have to have a plan B. I wanted to go all in and stay in.
And so I'm really happy we did it the way we did, but I knew. I knew I wanted to quit. I would've quit much sooner if my husband wasn't more practical than I am.
Mica: Damn him for being practical.
Regan: No, he was the wise one. He was the wise one.
Mica: When you did turn in your notice, what was going through your mind before you hit send?
Regan: Well, I did it in person with my... Matt Ronaldo, he was the head of everybody, so I went to [00:23:00] my main boss, and she and I went to this little room, and I said I needed to talk to her, and I was a ball of nerves, like, all morning thinking about it. I knew I wanted to do it. I wasn't second guessing it. I just was really nervous, like, "This is it.
This is it." And so we went and we sat down, and her name's Abby, and I sat down with her, and she's like, "So what's going on?" And I'm like, "I'm leaving." And she said, "Well, where are you going?" I said, "I'm gonna do food photography full time. I'm gonna work for myself and-" She, like, jumped up so excited and gave me a hug 'cause she was like, "I'm prepared to fight for you.
Where are you going?" But nobody wanted to, like, stop me from this. And so it went really well. I put in my two weeks and started delegating my work and clients to other people, and the word started getting out, and it was a weird last two weeks 'cause it's very much like senioritis. You're kinda like, "I'm out of here.
I don't care if that [00:24:00] client brings up a last-minute request that we already agreed wouldn't happen." You know, like... Yeah, so I was in a really supportive environment, so that helped a lot. I wasn't, like, scared to tell people. I was just nervous 'cause it's such a big deal to take that leap.
Mica: Yeah, once the words are out-
Regan: Yeah.
Mica: They're out.
Regan: Oh, yeah.
Mica: What was the hardest part of taking that leap?
Regan: I think a lot of creatives, you can probably relate to this, it's going from being a creative person to a creative person and business person. I'm used to wearing the creative hat, finding the clients, doing the shoot, doing the editing, being, "Yay, I love my images," or, "Oh, that was a terrible shoot.
I'll learn and make up for it next time." The business piece, that's a hard piece to learn as a creative person, 'cause we're talking pricing yourself. We're talking admin work, emails, [00:25:00] invoices, your profit and loss, finding an accountant, setting up your business registration. Like, there's all these things that aren't that fun to do, but you have to do them, and I think- The toughest lesson is just learning to think like a business person, too.
A lot of us get out of the gate and we're like, "Oh, I'm a photographer, and I wanna work for everybody," and that's not gonna last.
Mica: You're so right. You're so right.
Regan: Yeah. The business piece took a while to get my head around. I think it still does sometimes, 'cause this is a tough industry to be in. It really is. You have to develop a little bit of a thick skin. But it's really been insightful. It's been really insightful. Like, I've learned a lot about myself, and I've had to grow in different ways as a business person and let go of some of my old ways of thinking when it came to, like, creative and putting myself out there and [00:26:00] the types of projects I say yes or no to.
Mica: That's been the hardest thing for me to learn, too. It's not even just the business side, it's the people pleasing, like asserting and boundary setting and the cojones, if you will, 'cause I just wanna say yes to everything, to the most wildest shit, and then we have this unrealistic shoot timeline, and then I'm losing my mind trying to figure out how am I gonna meet all of these demands that I said I could guarantee in a day, and now the fuck.
People who are just creative at heart, I feel like it's harder for them to make that switch in between.
Regan: It's a transition, and people need to be prepared for that, which I don't think I was. I think I was very excited to do this, and I wanted to learn, and I wanted to figure it out, but I don't think I was prepared for how hard it is to be an entrepreneur.
Mica: Oh, yeah. And lonely. That was something I was not prepared for. Freelancing, [00:27:00] like, I was alone a lot of the time, and I had to go out and meet other people in the industry and build friendships with them. What would you tell anyone standing at the same edge where you are, where they're making the transition from their day job to freelancing?
Regan: I think what I would say, my advice, which I wish I would've thought about a little earlier, diversify your income. And when I say that, I don't mean, oh, well, maybe stay part-time at your job and do this. You know, you could do that. I mean, everyone has to do things their way, but what I'm referring to is not just being solely dependent on client work. Which is exactly what I did for several years into this.
And then when COVID hit, all my client work went away. It was eye-opening, very eye-opening, because I realized I can't just [00:28:00] be dependent on client work 'cause if it gets taken away like this, what am I gonna do? So I think I would tell people to consider their plan for income beyond client work. Obviously, client work is important.
We need that. That's our bread and butter. But there's a lot of other things that food photographers can do to make money, like supplement, like on the side.
Mica: I wanna talk about is your iPhone photography course. You mentioned about how you had your phone and you were taking photos, and you were just really noticing light first and using your iPhone. So what prompted you to create this course?
Regan: That's a really good question. This course I feel has been in the back of my mind for a couple years before I actually really dove into it. So when COVID hit and my client work was canceled, I decided to dust off my old blog, [00:29:00] and I actually kinda shifted gears with it and took a more educational route around food photography.
And I signed up for an SEO class online for bloggers so that I could actually reinvent the blog to be a helpful resource for people, and I connected it with my main website, and it grew my traffic so much. When you learn how to write a blog post and what SEO is and how to use keywords, Google loves that, and I just ran with it 'cause I had time.
I didn't have anything else to do ... besides my creative test shoots that I would do. So yeah, I got really into, like, sharing a lot of educational posts on the blog, which led to diversifying my income more 'cause I started partnering with advertisers and affiliate partners, and this free resource that was helping people was now starting to help me, [00:30:00] too.
And not just for the money. It was really fun to teach, like, in an article like that. I really enjoyed it. And so then I was like, gosh, I work with a lot of restaurants, too, and whenever I'm there, their social media manager or their GM is there with their phone, taking pictures, not enjoying the results.
And I thought, "What if I did a course for people who are relying on their smartphone for a lot of ongoing food image needs?" I mean, you can't hire a food photographer every time you need a new food image, and the iPhones are really good. I thought, "What if I did a course to help people learn food photography with their smartphone camera?"
And so I went back and forth on that. I was worried, I think, at first, that, like, am I dumbing down what we do? Like, I don't wanna take away from... I love my Fuji cameras, my artificial lighting. Like, I love my gear, [00:31:00] but the iPhone camera is really damn good, and people just don't know how to use it for food photography.
So I finally got up the courage to just dive in and create this course, which took a while. There's technical things, like you wanna have audio, and you need to know how to talk to the camera, and how are you gonna record yourself doing a demonstration where people can actually retain what you're doing and see really well.
So yeah, the iPhone course kind of grew from my blog, and then my restaurant clients needing this ongoing support system. So I guess that's a really long-winded answer to your question.
Mica: No. No, it's not. I mean, it's good that you're teaching this because we can't take our cameras everywhere.
Regan: No.
Mica: And the iPhone is a fantastic camera.
Regan: It is.
Mica: And it's come such a long way. [00:32:00] In what instances would a food photographer be able to use it for a course like this?
Regan: So my course is really targeted towards beginners who don't know a lot about food photography, like what goes into it. So they learn about, like, the creative side of food photography and then the technical side of it.
They learn what goes into a food shoot, which basically the fundamentals are invaluable on a shoot because it's not just, okay, I have a camera and I have a pretty plate of food in front of me. It's not easy to get a good picture of it if you don't know what to think through. So I show them what to think through and what steps to take to create a beautiful image.
There's a lot of demonstrations using natural light in my entryway upstairs and in different restaurant settings that have good natural light, and then there's demonstrations using artificial light actually.
Mica: Oh, [00:33:00] that's so cool.
Regan: Yeah. It's a comprehensive course, but it's very beginner-friendly. There's a good support email where people can ask questions, and I respond very quickly 'cause I love talking about this and helping people.
And they take away a lot of tips and tricks with their smartphone camera. And what I love the most about this course is there's no barrier to entry. Everyone has a smartphone camera. You don't have to go out and buy a DSLR or a mirrorless camera to take this. Just grab your iPhone and let's get to work.
Mica: Heck, I could even see the food stylist using this because, I mean, yeah, they need to promote their work, but sometimes they just wanna practice styling at home, and they wanna be able to get a nice photo of it, and they don't have a DSLR, and they don't want one. Like-
Regan: No ...
Mica: Every food stylist that I've talked to, they're like, "I knew I didn't wanna do the photography. I just wanted to make it look nice."
Regan: And they don't need it. [00:34:00] Yeah.
Mica: No, they don't need it. I would love that. So what was the most surprising thing for you when you created this course?
Regan: How much I would enjoy doing it.
'Cause there's a lot of misleading information online about, "Create a course in two weeks and make six figures." And it's like, that's not how it works. You're leaving out a lot of important information. So again, it was like the process, kind of like, similar to when I was learning food photography. There was the process of learning how to set up my camera and talk to the camera and get my audio set up correctly, and then how am I gonna teach this?
How can I share what I know to somebody who doesn't know anything about this using their smartphone camera? And then I was like, "Can I do this using the smartphone camera?" So it was really neat to, like, create some beautiful work with my iPhone camera in the course that other people could follow along with and create too.
It's a lot of work because apps change. Did you know that? [00:35:00]
Mica: What?
Regan: I'm just kidding. But they do. The interface changes, and then I need to plan ahead for that to re-record some videos to show the new interface. So, like, I'd have to rethink some lessons and modules and be like, "Okay, if this app changes again, it's gonna be easier to update because I've now set the structure of the information up a little differently," type of thing.
Mica: And then now you have a new course.
Regan: Yeah.
Mica: The iPhone for drinks photography.
That one I really wanna hear about.
Regan: Yeah. Mastering iPhone food photography is... The doors are open for that one, so people can sign up for that. Mastering iPhone Drink Photography is in progress, so that's not completed yet. So that's people can join the wait list, which is awesome 'cause then they'll be the first to know when it's available, and I usually have some people, like, sign up early [00:36:00] and give me some feedback.
It took me a while to dive into drinks as a food photographer, so that's why I wanted to separate the two. Because shooting food is different than shooting drinks. Like, there's other challenges that come into play, from glassware to the shape of the glassware, lighting glassware, editing, and then staging it.
There's so many things to consider to make sure that you're getting a good image. Whereas with food, you're probably not gonna be dealing with as many reflections and hotspots and those types of challenges. So it's gonna be similar to the food course in that we are gonna talk about the fundamentals and the framework of what goes into a drink shoot, but then we're gonna do these demonstrations together where it all kinda comes together.
All the steps, we practice these steps over and over and over again so that they understand that they need to break that point-and-shoot mentality when using their smartphone camera.
Mica: That's exciting.
Regan: It's very exciting, yeah, and it's [00:37:00] become its own little smartphone course bundle focused on the food, and then I'm working with mixologists, and they're focused on their bar menu.
And there is a science behind both.
Mica: You touched on this a little bit earlier, but you talked about how the business side of photography was the hardest lesson for you to learn. What helped that lesson finally land?
Regan: I would say talking to people, getting advice, making mistakes. The mistakes have kept me moving forward, if that makes sense.
Another thing that I thought was that I wish I would've done sooner was learn artificial light. I was a natural light shooter for a very long time because I thought that artificial light seemed too technical, too complicated, extra gear. And you can create beautiful images with natural light. I'm not saying you can't.
But when I booked a restaurant shoot that was located in a basement, [00:38:00] I was freaking out. It was a couple weeks out, so I signed up for this artificial light class online and got myself a speedlight and started practicing with it as much as I could. And then I remember specifically writing down, like, Post-it notes or, like, little note cards, notes for myself that I kept in my back pocket for the shoot so that I wouldn't forget something, 'cause I was so nervous that it was gonna be so complicated once I was finally there, and it was a huge eye-opener.
Artificial light makes things so much easier. Like, I thought it would be so much harder, and I was so wrong about that. So a mistake I made was not learning that sooner, but once I made it, I moved forward in my career. The mistakes you make along the way aren't really mistakes if they push you forward.
Mica: When you look at your photography now, what feels [00:39:00] earned and not learned?
Regan: Earned and not learned. Let me think. I think for me, when it comes to food photography, even from the very, very beginning, I was always trying to find a connection between food and art. And so I feel like with my style, I'm always bringing this artistic eye every time I pick up my camera.
I'm always trying to tap into finding that connection between food and art 'cause I wanna feel like I'm creating art and not just taking a picture. So I feel like my work represents that in myself. Every time I pick up the camera, I wanna create something beautiful. I never know if it's going to be hit or miss 'cause we've all had those shoots where it's like, "Oh, that didn't work out so well.
No one needs to see that." But with the work that I'm proud of, it's, for me, I'm trying to create some art that I'm enjoying creating.
Mica: What's the [00:40:00] bravest choice you've ever made with your photography style?
Regan: That's a really good question. I think the bravest choice I've made is to try to stay true to my artistic style and learning to say no to projects that won't align with that.
Now, that comes at a cost because I've been in the commercial world. I've done a lot of those bigger production shoots. There's a lot of people involved. There's a lot of red tape. There's a lot of parameters in place, and sometimes I feel that that hinders the creativity of what we're doing. So that has pushed me to say no to some of those projects and keep pursuing my restaurant clients and my hospitality groups because there's a lot more creative freedom, which allows me to stay in tune with that, finding that connection between food and art, and it's really [00:41:00] been awesome because my clients trust me.
It's been an adventure to get that kind of trust where I have more repeat clients now. But because they're not trying to get a packaging shot perfect, they wanna show who they are, and I wanna capture that. And so it feels like a really good match when we partner up. What I'm trying to say is basically that when art meets commerce, we're forced to make some difficult decisions because we wanna get projects that we love, but we wanna make money too.
So you have to figure out how you can do both, and I've had to really kinda figure that out as I go.
Mica: Whenever you feel disconnected from your work, how do you find your voice again? What brings you back?
Regan: Oh, man. Creative ruts.
Mica: They're the worst.
Regan: Oh, [00:42:00] man. When I start to feel disconnected, I take a break. I love what I do, but I need to take breaks from it.
It's like too much of anything isn't really good. So I've learned to set boundaries for myself. Like, I try to shut things down at night. I'm not answering emails at 9:00 PM. I'm not answering them at 8:00 PM or 7:00 PM. I want a good night's sleep. Sleep's very important to me, so I try to prioritize that. I also, like, I go to yoga.
It's amazing what just going to a one-hour yoga class will do to, like, sort of take you out of your head, reconnect with your breath and your body. There's so much stress relief in that. But when I need to find my visual voice again, it's after those little breaks where I can do that more easily because I've detached for a minute.
I don't have to detach for a week. Sometimes maybe, but that's rare. It's just if I need to take a day and regroup, do something else, I'll do that, [00:43:00] and it helps me reconnect. And then maybe if I can throw in a test shoot, whether it's with my team or just with myself, where again, it's like going to the grocery store without a plan.
Having a plan to do a shoot, but not knowing what you're gonna do. Just taking all the noise away and just having some fun again, 'cause it's easy to get in our own head and start to take it all too seriously, and sometimes it's just you need to take a little break, and then you can regroup and come back to it.
It's okay to take a break.
Mica: Yes. It's part of the work. I mean, I got that from a video about ADHD. I've just been obsessed over, hyper-focused ... on watching videos about ADHD. But this one video in particular, wish I could remember which one it was, but they just said, "Rest is part of the work. That is part of your work."
Regan: Yep.
Mica: You need to rest. So that is something that I'm getting better about it, getting better about not feeling guilty about it. But [00:44:00] it's true. When you need to rest, you need to rest. What's one small ritual that, besides the yoga, besides... What brings you back to peace?
Regan: Well, I can't say yoga? Yoga is really something.
It's very important in my life. It does ground me quite a bit. But I'd say-
Mica: Like, for me, to give you an example-
Regan: Oh, sure. Okay ...
Mica: For me, I love affirmation cards, and so I love a good affirmation card, and that brings me back. Like, today's affirmation is, "Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don't just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles," Tina Fey.
And then on the back it says, "Think of an area of your life that you'd like to change. What can you do to pivot to a positive perspective?"
Regan: Oh, see? That's good thinking. It makes you think.
Mica: Yeah. So, like, that's a [00:45:00] little ritual whenever I'm feeling a little tough about the week, I pick a affirmation card and that brings me back, and that's my little ritual that reminds me of what it is that I'm doing here and now, and that progress is movement.
So what would be something for you?
Regan: Well, because I can get in my own head and get... start to take things a little too seriously, I try to connect with things that will make me laugh. I love watching stand-up comedy, improv. I enjoy it so much. I love ridiculous jokes, finding something funny on Instagram that I can rely on and go to if I need to just watch something that'll make me laugh.
So finding ways to laugh again is so important for me because it helps me, like, realize, look, you're a food photographer, not a brain surgeon. It's okay to not [00:46:00] take this so seriously right now and find a way to laugh again, and it's such a release 'cause it's like, ugh, I just feel lighter.
Mica: I love that Facebook's been showing me a lot of stand-up comedy 'cause, I mean, that's like my favorite thing as well.
Regan: Oh, cool. Yeah.
Mica: Yeah, I love stand-up co- I tried stand-up comedy for a minute.
Regan: Did you really?
Mica: I did. I did, and I was starting to get good at it.
Regan: Oh, that's so brave. I could never do it. I have so much admiration for comedians. I just think it's awesome.
Mica: I mean, just watching them on stage, but- I, right around the time that I was getting into photography, I kinda like came at a crossroads of what am I gonna pursue, comedy or photography, 'cause both are gonna take up all of my time.
And I realized that, like, I enjoy comedy, but I enjoy being a spectator. I don't wanna be on stage. I mean, I love improv, and I would totally [00:47:00] do that professionally if that... And I probably could if I really wanted to, 'cause I'm very good at improv.
Regan: Ugh.
Mica: It's my jam.
Regan: That's so awesome.
Mica: My background is in theater, and we did a lot of improvs.
But with comedy, I realized that I enjoy being a spectator more than a performer, and I just loved the art, and I appreciate it even more now that now that I took courses in stand-up comedy, and I saw what goes into a joke. But I can use my skills that I learned in that class when I'm doing my introduction calls or whenever I'm speaking with a leader, or I go to a networking event.
Like, I know how to, like, make jokes and make people laugh, and then they like me, and they wanna work with me, and... Uh, 'cause laughter is that connector where it's like, if I can make you laugh, then I can make you my friend. So we go from there. But I just love watching, uh, stand-up comics, but I love that Facebook has been throwing little comedy clips.
Like, they're doing crowd work, and it's just, it cracks me up. [00:48:00]
Regan: Oh, yeah, I love that, too. I get so sucked in. I'm like, "How long have I been scrolling this?" I'm loving it, though.
Mica: What are some comedians that you like and love?
Regan: I'm a big fan of Nate Bargatze. I hope I'm saying his last name right. He's hilarious.
You should write these down if you don't know them.
Mica: I am. I am.
Regan: He's great. Jim Gaffigan always makes me laugh.
Mica: He's so funny.
Regan: And I love Tom Segura.
Mica: So funny.
Regan: And Fortune Feimster is hilarious. She's so great. And I'm
blanking on her last name. But Tig- Tig, oh.
Mica: Notaro.
Regan: Yes, thank you. Oh my gosh, that's her.
Mica: Yeah.
Yeah, she's so funny.
Regan: These people, they don't realize how important what they do is to me. It's like they make me laugh so hard, and we all need that.
Mica: Tig Notaro and Maria Bamford. Like Maria Bamford, what I like about [00:49:00] her is, I mean, she has this very quiet voice.
Regan: Okay.
Mica: And you have to really pay attention to what she's saying, and then if you don't, then you'll miss the little tagline 'cause the joke always comes later.
It's like she builds this perfect setup, and then the unexpected punchline. Like, it's just the way she delivers her punchlines that crack me up.
Regan: They are masters of delivery. It's so impressive to me. It's so hard to make people
laugh. I think it's so hard.
Mica: Yes.
Regan: So if you can do that, you're a magician because it's a true talent to be able to make people laugh.
Mica: It... Not only that, but, like, there are comics where their style of comedy I feel like is the most difficult 'cause they're, like, really quiet. Like Todd Barry. So Todd Barry has, like, perfected this where he has this, like, really quiet, dry delivery, and to [00:50:00] be able to do that and keep a room attentive and with you, 'cause most comics are energetic and loud and that and this, and not Todd.
Like, he is just like... He sounds like the type where he's just on his way to the store, and I guess, uh, I guess I'll do some goddamn comedy, and I'm up here. And then after I'm done, I'm gonna go eat. And yeah, so, like he performed at South by Southwest, and I was a volunteer at the time, and I was fangirling over him.
I was just like, "Oh my God, he's so amazing. He's so amazing." And my job was to guard the back door, so he was back there. He goes, "Are you a volunteer?" And I said, "Yes." And he goes, "Will you hold my badge and my phone?" And I was like, "Yes."
Regan: That is so incredible.
Mica: And so I'm standing there holding his badge and phone, and I'm looking at them both, and I'm like, "Oh my God, I have his badge and [00:51:00] phone."
And people were like, "Why is she freaking out over Todd Barry?" And I was like, "You don't understand. This is like heaven." So... And he put on a phenomenal show. It was the best. Like, my favorite memory of South by Southwest was watching him perform 'cause he really... It was magical.
Regan: I would love that.
Mica: That is a skill that it's not even taught.
It's just born. Like, I love his style of comedy. So I have two more questions for you.
Regan: Okay.
Mica: What's something about photography that you once believed that you no longer believe?
Regan: Oh, wow. This takes me back to when I shadowed that photographer for a day when I was still at my day job. I had the best day, and it was so enlightening because I used to believe, and I believed this then until that day, I needed the fanciest gear, and a really cool studio, and [00:52:00] all the bells and whistles to do food photography successfully.
And I know now that you don't need all that. You don't. And why I'm bringing up that day that I shadowed the food photographer is because I realized he's doing what I do. He just has more equipment, more people on his team helping him, and a really awesome studio. I was there with my $300 DSLR, which I don't even think they make the model anymore.
And I used, I was using natural light at the time. And it was just me. But we were both creating food images. We were both doing the same thing. And that was incredibly inspiring to me to keep going because just 'cause I didn't have all that didn't mean that I couldn't become a food photographer, didn't mean that I couldn't take beautiful pictures of food.
You [00:53:00] don't need all the gear. You don't need all the bells and whistles of a fancy studio. If you have a creative vision and a camera and artificial light... Sorry, I had to throw that in just because I really do love artificial light so much. You don't need what you think you need. You don't need all of that.
Mica: My last question is, what is exciting you creatively these days?
Regan: Oh, man. Taking a break. No, I'm just kidding. It's just been a busy year. Oh. I'm excited to put my feet up. Does that count as creative? No.
Mica: Yeah. You can pick the socks. You could design the socks and then order the socks and then wear the socks and sit on your chair and-
Regan: There you go.
No. I would say I've been getting in more into video over the last couple of years.
Mica: Oh, fun.
Regan: So I'm putting together a compilation of a bunch of [00:54:00] videos I've been working on just with some cool music. And so I'm really excited to get that put together. So that's a project I'm really excited to work on at the end of this year just to kinda wrap up what I've been doing and just have a little fun with it.
Mica: Well, Regan, thank you so much for being on the show. I loved this conversation.
Regan: It was so nice to talk with you.
Mica: This is so good for the soul, and I have one last question. Where can the listeners find you and follow you and ask any questions? And also, where can they get on the wait list for your course?
Regan: Oh, sure. Well, you can follow me on Instagram. My name's just @reganbaroni. And you can check out my website 'cause my blog is there with a lot of free resources. And there's a course link as well, so you can check out the courses available and learn more about them to see if they might be a good fit for you.
And honestly, DM me or email me anytime. I'm happy to talk with people. Something that [00:55:00] I didn't feel I had when I was first starting out was a lot of people to reach out to, to ask questions to, to talk shop with, and I've tried to build that community for myself. And I just would love it if people have questions and they just want to talk shop, reach out.
Let's talk shop. We'll find time.
Mica: Yay. Thank you so much again for coming, and oh man, thank you so much.
Regan: Well, thank you for having me.
Mica: This episode is written and produced by me, your host, Mika McCook. Like this episode? Give us a five-star review on Apple Podcast and subscribe to The Savory Shot wherever you get your podcast.
Or follow me, your host, Mika McCook, on Instagram at Mica.mccook. Or you can follow the podcast on Instagram at thesavoryshotpodcast. If you have any questions, comments, or would like [00:56:00] to be featured on the show, email us at podcast@thesavoryshot.com.