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

Maha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

It was a cookie baking business, the owner approached me via Instagram. At that time all my work was for people I know (family, friends, friends of friends) so I was so flattered to see someone approaching me without any trials from my side to attract the client.

The most special thing about this job, is that the client had so much faith in my talent that she requested a video to make a reel out of it while I didn’t make any videos before. Therefore, the client hadn’t any reference how the outcome will be.

Maha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

It all started when I left my full time job to share with my new born all his firsts and while searching for recipes to make for my family, I noticed how fascinated I was with the images accompanied each recipe.

With a background in graphic design, courses in photography, love of food, I thought why not make food and product photography my job.

My background wasn’t enough to be honest, I practiced a lot but couldn’t get the images I wanted. Luckily, I found a beautiful community on Instagram for food photographers that teach this line of photography. So I took many courses tailored specifically for my passion.
Every thing changed after that, I became in control of the whole process which I find very amusing. I love creating a scene and taking the shot.

If you are looking for a specific thing that has my fingerprint in my work, that would be that I am straight to the point, I like to tell a story/concept in a minimal scene.
I believe that would be good for clients looking to advertise their products (food or beverage or other) and want to highlight their products while giving a convincing story about it by just looking at the photos.

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

Being able to transform a thought/idea into a visual form is very rewarding. Seeing the final outcome and seeing the people understanding and liking it is the most rewarding for me as a creative

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

You don’t need to spend a fortune to start your business as a photographer, yes you will spend a lot during the journey, but not necessarily in the beginning.

I started with a DSLR that I had for over 10 years, and natural light. Now, I have gear, props, and backdrops to serve my evolution as a photographer that was mostly funded by the work I have been doing along the way.

The most important thing is your mind, how you see things and the ability of capturing the scenes.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mahafakher/