We were lucky to catch up with Betty Shin Binon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Betty, thanks for joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started my creative journey back in the beginning of 2017 with the intention of making food and photography my career. I treated it as a business and invested time and money into creating a website and small studio space from home. I gave myself a timeline of two years to start generating revenue. By 2019 I was photographing, recipe developing and creating content for commercial brands. Since then my business has expanded to videography.

There’s not much I would have done to speed things up with the business. The pace was great as I got to make necessary mistakes and gain experience over the couple years I had slotted myself to grow Stems & Forks.

Betty, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started Stems & Forks quite accidentally in 2017. Prior to S & F, I applied to college to become a pastry chef. However a week before class started the college shut down. I decided to explore baking and cooking on my own and created an online blog and instagram account. What started off as being a blog for recipes eventually evolved into a full blown photography career. Stems & Forks currently offers recipe development, photography and videography.
My food photos I published online began to attract clients from all kinds of genres. Food, drink, fashion, home decor are just some of the products I began to shoot. The most exciting gig this year for me was being able to photograph the album and season images for my favourite baroque orchestra, Tafelmusik of Toronto, Canada. It was a great union as my images are very much inspired by the Baroque period. The chiaroscuro effect mixed in with elements of contemporary ideas and props.
During the pandemic I decided to learn how to shoot and edit video. In recent months, clients have been requesting more video than photographs.
I think the key to making sure you stand out in the vast sea of photographers and videographers is to truly be yourself. Shoot and create what is meaningful and unique to you. We all have our own unique voices, why not use it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to create images and actually get paid for it!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

In the beginning social media, in particular Instagram was great for reaching new clients. Currently my client list grows from word of mouth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stemsandforks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemsandforks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stemsandforks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betty-shin-binon-33a71a47/