Rashmi is a self-trained Food photographer and Food stylist. From a Montessori teacher, she re-directed her career towards her desire and passion for “Creativity” – Food and Photography. She’s based in Dubai and is now a professional Food Photographer and Food Stylist who loves capturing and communicating pictorial stories, bringing to life enriching imagery that highlights the delicacy of food.
View her work:
https://www.instagram.com/prop6foodphotographer/
“Can you share the moment or experience that inspired you to shift from being a Teacher to pursuing a career in food photography and styling?”
“Being a Montessori teacher for kindergarten children, I was moved by the artistic methods used to impart knowledge. So, when I moved to Dubai in 2016, I started to explore décor for my home. This process inspired me to start my props collection and slowly extended to styling food with props and backdrops. I painted my own backdrops, started to trade them (very briefly), which lead to finally picking up on camera journey.”
“How do you see the connection between your background in Montessori education and your current role as a Food Photographer and Stylist? Are there any unexpected crossovers?”
“Yes, it’s a great question, I would mention that the creative elements of both Montessori and food styling seem to be deeply intertwined. In both domains, you need to stay on your feet and think out of the box, keep your audience engaged and enthralled. Staying focused and gaining attention are critical.
Yes, the cross-over has had its own challenges, especially the business elements, being employed as a teacher vs turning entrepreneur in a new country has been an enriching experience and over all that doing it all by myself has taught me enduring experiences and created lifelong memories.”
” You mentioned a focus on plant-based foods, desserts, and fluids. What draws you to these particular aspects of culinary photography?”
“Being a born vegetarian, I’ve always been exposed to natural grown ingredients of food. Cooking is something I love and have been exposed to it since childhood.
My global nomadic experiences broadened my horizons and culinary definitions. From living at Mount Abu, Jodhpur, Bangalore, Navi Mumbai, Wokingham (UK) and now Dubai, these cities have immensely contributed to my greater revelation of simple food.
The creative aspects and innumerable options that you can showcase with drinks, desserts are only restricted by one’s imagination. Hence, I’ve always been drawn by them more than other aspects.
In addition to this, it’s the color !!! The richness and purity can be presented in an eye catching and natural manner.”
“Having lived in the United Kingdom, India, and the UAE, how has each country influenced your approach to food photography and styling?”
“Each country has its rich and enthralling cultural heritage spread over centuries, and their journey of evolution has had an immense impact globally. Been interwoven, these countries have a lot of synergies and love for their culinary traditions and inheritances.
When you think of it, it’s such a mind-blowing explosion of taste and richness.
I am blessed to have had these experiences with me.
I have tried to reflect these in my output in many ways – direct and indirectly.”
“As a self-trained photographer and stylist, could you share a key lesson or challenge you faced during your learning process that significantly shaped your approach?”
“Challenges are numerous but the key lesson I have learned, which will always be with me – if you are not satisfied with your output, keep trying until your soul and mind meet the eye.
Social media – YouTube has been my coach, it would be unfair to expand on this any further.”
“Your photography equipment includes a Nikon D750 and Godox lights. How did you decide on this particular setup, and how does it contribute to your creative process?”
“Choice of photography equipment plays a critical role and has a lot of significance in the portrayal of culinary aspects, such as color, depth, richness and clarity.
To be honest, I believed that Nikon would be true to their brand image in delivering this experience, hence after a lot of thought I went ahead with them, and I am happy about it.
The sync between light and camera are identical to oxygen and life.”
“You mentioned attempting to communicate a narrative through your photography. Can you share an example of a project where you felt particularly successful in conveying a story through your images?”
“Who are the creative professionals you admire, and how has it contributed to the cultural richness reflected in your work?”
“Having lived in a multi-cultural society over a span of 20 years, across multiple countries with varied mixture of culture, lifestyles, and beliefs, it would be impossible for me to narrow down to a few aspects. Having an open and broad sphere has been my hallmark.
I am influenced and inspired by the smallest of day-to-day activities and occurrences around me.
The Christmas season is very special for me, I just love to immerse myself in all things related to the season, there are endless possibilities of expressions and creativity, I have no words to describe the feeling.”
“For individuals aspiring to redirect their careers towards their passion, what advice would you offer based on your own journey of transitioning from education to food photography and styling?”
