We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Carson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

One of the great things about specializing in CPG & product photography is that I can work completely remotely from my studio. Clients send me their products from across the country all the time. Pre-production meetings are done via Zoom, and we can actually be connected virtually during the shoot. I’m always shooting tethered (with my camera connected to the computer), so I can easily send previews of the images in real time.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a commercial and editorial photographer specializing in food and drink, as well as product, lifestyle, and hospitality. My clients are CPG brands (consumer packaged goods), restaurant groups, hotels, magazines, and cookbook publishers, to name a few.

I’m known for the extensive visual storytelling in my work. My style has been described as romantic, evocative, rich, and moody, with vibrant colors and dramatic shadows.

For commercial projects, part of my job is understanding each company’s unique mission and branding. There is sometimes a creative director who oversees the project’s vision, and I work closely with them as well as the art director to bring our collaborative vision to life. Depending on the size of the project, there may also be a food stylist, prop stylist, models, hair and makeup artists, and various technical assistants on set.

Then there is another layer of finesse that happens in postproduction. Through editing and retouching, I get the subject to really pop. For every day I spend shooting I typically spend at least one full day editing the final images. This includes removing dust and distractions, enhancing colors and textures, and even subtle manipulation of shapes in Photoshop. This is very detail-oriented work, but the difference it makes in the final images is vital.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, there is really no other option. I feel that being an artist is an intrinsic part of my identity that I was born with. I have to express and create, or else I feel stagnant and become depressed.

The most rewarding aspect of this journey is that there is always more to learn, discover, and share. The sense of awe and wonder never disappear as long as I keep experimenting and maintain a strong sense of curiosity.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m sure that many people will have stories about how COVID-19 changed their lives and caused them to pivot. For me it was the perfect opportunity to stop trying to fit myself into a mold that was never going to work.

As a child it was always clear to me that I was an artist. Everything I did with my spare time had a creative or artistic component. I LIVED for the arts. But my parents are very practical people. Both worked in the medical field, and I received strong messaging as a teenager that artists were not serious adults.

Throughout my 20s and half of my 30s I tried to find a career that was “serious” but still interesting enough that I’d be able to bare it. Inevitably, all the careers I tried became boring, and without creative impetus, I felt like my soul was being drained from my body.

In 2020, I got a free pass to focus on something that actually lit me up inside. It ultimately led to my career in photography. I can now see that my talents are absolutely valuable to my clients, as well as those in my personal life. I can be myself, and people respect me for it.

I still have trouble completely letting go sometimes, but my aim is to become more childlike every day. The irony is that it improves my work, and people take me more seriously the less seriously I take myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amycarsonphotography.com
• Instagram: @amycarsonphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-carson-photography/

Image Credits

Amy Carson