Today we’d like to introduce you to Regan Baroni.
Regan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
For the first ten years of my career, I was actually an art director in advertising. I didn’t go to school for photography and I was much better at ordering takeout than I was at cooking. I had always had an appreciation for food but didn’t really get into cooking until I met my husband, Mike.
When I started to learn how to cook, I found myself really drawn to the cooking process – from the ingredients to the prep to the final plating. Like many people, I would take pictures with my smartphone, because it was the only camera I had. My family ended up surprising me with my first DSLR for my birthday and I immediately started learning how to use it.
From there I started cooking, styling and shooting every single weekend while balancing my day job. And, for the first time in my career, I felt like I was being truly creative in my own way. I launched my blog, Up Close & Tasty in 2013 so I could post my work and share recipes. It was my creative outlet that kept me going in the midst of feeling completely burned out as an art director. Little did I know the blog would grow right along with my photography. I started getting requests for prints of my work and soon after, actual client work followed.
When Mike and I sat down to talk about me doing photography full time, I was really excited at the thought, but also nervous to leave the security of a steady paycheck that I had always known. I’ll never forget when Mike said, “It would break my heart if you didn’t pursue this.”
Long story short, we got out of debt and I ended up quitting my day job. I haven’t looked back since. The world of photography is challenging and rewarding and I continue to grow more everyday.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the biggest struggle for me when I first got started was learning to be confident as a business person, not just confident as a creative person. I love what I do and my job doesn’t always feel like work. It’s a blessing and a hindrance at the same time. I tend to be a giver and I’ve learned that there can be a lot of takers out there. As hard as it is for creatives to put a price on their work and time, it’s incredibly important to figure it out.
There isn’t a “one size fits all” answer to the question of value, but two things have helped me a lot:
1) Making mistakes. This is inevitable, so don’t be too hard on yourself when it happens. Mistakes have helped me learn, they have helped me grow and they have helped me be better prepared next time.
2) Having a strong support system. Friends, family and other entrepreneurs will pull you out of your own head. It can be incredibly refreshing, so get out there and talk to people.
Regan Baroni Photography – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a photographer currently based in Chicago. I specialize in food photography, which can range from large and small brands and businesses, restaurants, chefs and also travel stories highlighting a specific food scene or culture. I sell prints and custom art on Etsy and have partnered with Offset and Adobe to sell images for commercial licensing. It continues to amaze me how many opportunities there are to partner up with a wide range of people on projects relating to food.
My blog, Up Close & Tasty has been with me since the beginning and has taught me more than I ever could have imagined. It’s a big part of my business today and was even recognized as a Best Photography Finalist by SAVEUR. I cook, style, prop and photograph all the images for my blog, which is like having a team of three different specialties in one person. This knowledge and experience that I’ve gained from my blog has made me a much stronger photographer for my clients. And, for larger projects when I’m working with a full team, it has helped our communication be more efficient and has helped our ideas stand out from the crowd.
What sets me apart is my work and my style. I’m always trying to find a connection between food and art. I keep it real and showcase food in its natural state. All the food you see is what I’m eating. There are no gimmicks or misleading food styling happening behind the scenes. The imperfections in cooking and food are incredibly beautiful and make it much more relatable to people. The crumbs, drips and gooeyness are always a part of my story.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment so far… that’s a really tough question… The first one that came to mind was partnering with Wimco Villas earlier this year. They flew me and Mike down to St. Barths in the Caribbean and put us up in a gorgeous villa so I could cook, style and shoot two island-inspired recipes to be featured in an article about cooking-in while on vacation. It will be published in 2018.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reganbaroni.com
- Email: regan@reganbaroni.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reganbaroni/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReganBaroniPhotography/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReganBaroni
- Other: https://reganbaroni.com/blog/
Image Credit:
Photography & Styling by Regan Baroni
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