Building a Career in Food Photography with Charity Burggraaf
Hey there, photographers, and welcome to Season Two of The Edit! 📸
We're so excited to be back after a small, summer hiatus, and even more excited to introduce you to a dear friend and extremely talented food photographer, Charity Burggraaf! Our conversation covers an array of topics relevant to both new and established photographers, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, confidence, and networking in the industry.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll hear us chat about in this week’s episode:
1. Following Gut Feelings and Embracing Opportunities: Charity shares that her big break came from a tweet she posted in 2011, which connected her with influential publishers and editors! How fun is that?! This social media interaction would serve as the foundation for her future work in cookbooks and culinary magazines.
2. Flexibility and Adaptability in Photography: She emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability when working with chefs and culinary experts. She shares a fascinating story about how she adapted her photography style to suit the preferences of different chefs, earning her more assignments in the process. "Intuitively reading people and letting their personalities dictate the photo is essential," Charity says. This adaptive approach has been crucial for her, particularly when photographing chefs for her book in 2018.
3. Navigating the Culinary Photography Industry: The culinary photography industry is notably interconnected, where word-of-mouth plays a pivotal role. Charity discusses her work with Art Culinaire Magazine and highlights the impact it had on her career. She credits Susan Roxborough as her "fairy godmother" for believing in her talent and helping her secure opportunities in the competitive field of cookbook photography. Natasha's Kitchen has had a bestseller on the New York Times list three times in a row, and Charity's photography has even caught the eye of Martha Stewart. These accolades underscore the importance of networking and building a strong reputation through consistently high-quality work.
4. Overcoming Challenges in Photography: From social media algorithms to self doubt to consistent lighting, Charity touches on the challenges photographers face and offers some valuable reflection and advice. You don’t want to miss it!
Grab a snack for this episode and be sure to peruse her Instagram (linked below) before you listen!
The Edit Ladies 😊
About Charity Burggraaf:
At a young age Charity knew that she wanted to pursue art/photography as a career. In 2007 she graduated with a Commercial Photography degree from Seattle Central Creative Academy, with a specialty in food photography. Since graduating, she has steadily become one of the top food photographers in Seattle - working with restaurants, food & travel publications, food brands, and book publishers - both locally & across the globe. When not in the studio or on location she enjoys spending time with her husband in their flower garden, throwing pottery, and baking something up in the kitchen.
Website: https://www.charitylynne.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/charitylburggraaf/
Cookbooks Featuring Her Photography: