Interview with Andrew Scrivani | GBPW Episode 29

3 min read

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Andrew Scrivani.

So if I’m sitting in front of my computer and this plate of food is sitting there in front of me and it looks realistic, like I could reach through the screen and pick it up, that’s what I want my viewers to do.

Andrew Scrivani

You can also listen to this episode on iTunes, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Castbox, and Google Podcasts.

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photo by Andrew Scrivani.

Andrew Scrivani wears many hats. He’s a food photographer, educator, executive producer, writer, director, and much more. He regularly contributes to The New York Times and has worked with companies like Disney, Apple, Adobe, and more. On top of that, he recently produced a feature-length film called Team Marco.

We talk about:

  • Andrew’s impressive food photography career
  • Why self-discipline is important in photography
  • What it’s like producing a full feature-length film with a photography/directing background

& much more!

Andrew is very professional and inspiring. I had a great time chatting with him about food photography, directing, and more. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode!

Here is a preview of our conversation with Andrew Scrivani.

Q: What should food photography enthusiasts keep in mind before starting a business of their own?

Patience. The ground is shifting underneath us constantly in this business. It’s a rapidly evolving business, and I think that a lot of times some people make it seem like it’s easy to do this. A lot of people come at me and say, “Hey, you know, how do I find business?” There is no magical elixir and there is no schedule you can put up on your bulletin board. It’s a combination of talent, persistence, luck, and passion. I think you have to have that combination of things.

I include luck in that because the opportunities may find you and you have to be willing to understand when that happens so that you can take advantage of the opportunities. Persistence, passion, and talent all come into play with this.

Q: What is the most challenging aspect of food photography for beginners?

I feel like there is a struggle with low lighting that I always felt was an issue that people didn’t quite understand. We often envision eating these sort of romantic foods at night, right? Trying to capture food in a low lit environment often throws people off because they over-light. Possibly the biggest problem that everybody has, especially early on in their food photography career, is trying to over-light the food, or shooting the food in under-lit conditions.

So it’s about finding the balance between how you want to portray the food, but also making it look and retain its desirability right where it looks like you want to eat it.

Lighting is definitely the biggest challenge. Currently, we’re in this trend with food photography where everybody is just shooting everything from over the top. We’ve lost the other angles in food photography. The bulk of photography we’re seeing online is shot overhead. I think that takes away a lot of the romance and a lot of the depth that makes food photography beautiful.

Q: Food photography can seem like a confusing genre for people. How can food photographers approach this genre successfully?

I always suggest that you experiment with different angles. You have to learn your frame. If your frame is just this one shot that everyone is doing, you can’t separate yourself as a photographer.

You have to find your style. Within that, you have to find the angles that you’re comfortable in but also find a way to express yourself in other perspectives. We see food from multiple perspectives. One of the perspectives we really don’t ever see in the real world is standing above your plate and looking straight down at it.

If you want to capture the mood of what it feels like to sit down in front of a meal, you have to approach food photography from a perspective of a diner. The overhead perspective is not a diner’s perspective. If anything, it’s a chef’s perspective when he’s done dressing a plate.

People & Things Mentioned In The Episode

Check out Andrew’s work:
Website
Instagram

Team Marco
Uncle Julie’s Kids Trivia Show (produced and directed by Andrew Scrivani)

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Taya Iv is a portrait photographer, 500px ambassador, and host of Great Big Photography World podcast.
Taya Iv is a portrait photographer, 500px ambassador, and host of Great Big Photography World podcast.
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