Manual Mode

Today I'm talking with Lorena Masso, a San Francisco-based food and drink photographer. Lorena has a background in Culinary Arts, which she studied in Buenos Aries, which eventually lead her to her career in food styling and photography. Lorena's story starts in Mexico, where she was born and raised, and you could almost guess it based on the vibrant, earthy tones that fill her portfolio. She's a true artist, and I'm excited to learn more about her process and vision today.

In this episode you’ll learn:

And more!

You can find Lorena here or follow her on Instagram @lorena_masso

Today I'm talking with Rachel Simons, a Aussie mom of two running a Tahini Empire here in New York City. After 15 years as a media lawyer, Rachel turned her life long passion for food into Seed and Mill, the tahini brand you've probably heard me rave about because it's just that good. Rachel is a positive ray of sunshine, and I can't wait to hear her wonderful accent talk us through the story of starting and running a thriving food brand.

In this episode you’ll learn:

And more!

You can find Seed and Mill here or follow them on Instagram @seedandmill

One of the key truths I've learned over the past few years is that most business success is simply the result of consistent actions repeated throughout time. It's about small, ordinary actions, repeated even when it gets tough or you're facing rejection, that eventually leads to extraordinary results and success.

As creatives, it can be tempting to let "feelings" dictate the course of your day, but what happens is we end up context switching throughout the day, which takes away mental energy and focus from the most important tasks in our zone of genius. It's important to protect our creativity and set ourselves up to do our best work, especially when we want to work at a higher level. I especially find batch working helpful for getting into a flow state, where I'm essentially limiting the cognitive load on myself so I can be my most creative and work efficiently. Flow state is that feeling where you lose track of time—our brains actually turn off the areas that focus on time passing so you're completely pouring yourself into the task at hand. You've probably experienced this and know just how satisfying it is to be in a state of flow, so you understand the appeal in maximizes energy output so we can achieve this state.

One way we can maximize our energy is by batch working, which eliminates context switching and helps us to work more efficiently. For me, this means I have days where I only do my podcast work and days where I only work on content creation, which means I'm not having to mentally switch as often. Within those days I'll also batch different tasks such as email or invoicing, so I'm not scattered throughout the day.

ACCESS the full show notes for this episode and download some business-building freebies here:https://moriahbrooke.com/podcast/

In this episode you’ll learn:

Today I'm talking with Roberta Dall’Alba, a food photographer, blogger, and photography educator based in Palma, Italy.  Roberta is a maven in the kitchen (you can tell based on her stunning images) and has a self-proclaimed obsession with baking. Oh, and she's also really into cats. Roberta has an impressive list of clientele, including, but not limited to: Nikon, Adobe, Samsung, and Barilla. Her eye for detail is impeccable and lucky for us, she generously shares her wealth of knowledge through her social channels and her food photographer education program. I can't wait to learn more of her story today!

ACCESS the full show notes for this episode and download some business-building freebies here:https://moriahbrooke.com/podcast/In this episode you’ll learn:

Roberta's story of starting a food blog and becoming a food photographer.

The power of investing in yourself and how it leads to others investing in you.

Her top tips for staying inspired. 

And more!

Today I'm talking with Allie Beau, a Chicago based food and drink photographer, studio owner, and new mom. Allie is Queen of the elaborately styled flat lay, and has some of the most stunning motion shots my eyes have seen. Shes also a prop styling fiend, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of her masterful collection. Aside from the creative end, Allie is a rockstar business women, and I'm excited to learn more about how she left her corporate job and has maintained such a good client roster throughout her pregnancy journey. Oh, and shes also a murderino, If you know, you know.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Allie Beau

ACCESS the full show notes for this episode and download some business-building freebies here:https://moriahbrooke.com/podcast/**

In this episode you’ll learn:

Today I'm talking with Reagan Byrne, a Boston-based beverage and restaurant photographer with some of the most stunning drink shots your eyes will ever behold. She's shot for a host of both local and national brands, most notably Sam Adams. She'd never tell you this, but she's an absolute wizard when it comes to studio drink shots, and I'm forever in awe of the behind-the-scenes clips that she shares on Instagram (for example, the time she created a fake pool with hairdryers.) She's also an absolute connoisseur of beverage drinking, and I'm hoping one day we'll get an app with direct access to her so she can tell us all what to order every time we see a confusing drink menu. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Reagan Byrne.

ACCESS the full show notes for this episode and download some business-building freebies here:

How Reagan is navigating the restaurant photography world post covid.

Her top tips for beverage photography.

Today I'm talking with Jenny Bravo, a portland based food photographer, prop curator, studio owner, trained chef, certified health coach, and mom of two. Jen's work seamlessly weaves between drool-worthy styled food, clever product shots, and images that show greater brand stories, such as a recent series she photographed for Luke's Lobster. As if that all wasn't enough, we're here to talk about income diversification for food photographers, because Jenny also has a stunning pottery line with Campfire Pottery. It's safe to say this girl can do it all, and I'm hoping that this conversation will let me absorb just a bit of her superpowers through osmosis. I'll keep you posted on that.

ACCESS the full show notes for this episode and download some business-building freebies here:

Mindset shifts that occur when making your first hire.

How to go about income diversification as a creative.

How Jen stays inspired and grows her style while working with clients.

Entrepreneurship requires a strong mindset and self-awareness around your own limiting beliefs to be successful. Today we're talking through 6 lessons that have helped me as I've grown my businesses. 

ACCESS the full show notes for this episode and download some business-building freebies here: https://moriahbrooke.com/podcast/e16-lessons-that-changed-me-as-an-entrepreneur/

In this episode you'll learn:

Hi, I’m Moriah Sawtelle, and you’re listening to Manual Mode: a podcast for photographers and entrepreneurs who are looking to take control of their creative careers and make good art out of the everyday. I’m a New York City based food photographer, author, 20-something, dog mom, and owner of my creative agency, The B Edit. But those job titles didn’t come to me overnight, and it was quite the trip to go from working as a 9-5 web designer to running my own multi-faceted, multi-hyphenated creative empire. I’m here to talk to other photographers and creatives about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the art that comes when switching your life and career into manual mode. We’ll talk through the challenges of transitioning from a traditional career path into self-employment, how to stay inspired and grow in your creative process, how to navigate clients and building a team, and a whole lot more. Podcasts were an essential part of my education as I began my own entrepreneurial journey and I’m excited to contribute what I’ve learned over the past few years, as well as introduce you to some of the wise and wonderful entrepreneurs in my life who have helped me grow.