Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steve Candal. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Steve, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

How I Came Up With “Foodography”

As a photographer, with 7 years, I started out doing Weddings and other events, portraits, etc. I am a lifestyle photographer. I use natural light and I prefer candid style shooting over studio portraits, artificial flash, etc.

Last September 2023, I really wanted to dabble with taking pictures of food. But only for fun. I had no intentions of becoming a food photographer or even monetizing from it. I just wanted to mess around and hobby with food.

Right around this time, I met the owner of Sugar Hi Bakery by chance waiting on line at a deli. I was just trying to get a sandwich. I had a firefighter shirt (I am a firefighter) and coincidentally she (the bakery owner) is a volunteer firefighter in Westchester. I asked what she did for a living since she was a volunteer firefighter.. She said she owned Sugar Hi Bakery. I then mentioned that I do photography also and wanted to start taking pictures of food. She kindly invited me her to bakery to take some photos of her baked goods. I went the next day! I really had no idea what food photography was all about but she let me do whatever I wanted.

I wanted to make a reel and ask the bakery to collaborate on instagram. But the thing was, I never make reels. I had no idea what I was doing and had no plan. All I knew was that I wanted it to be entertainment. Just watch and enjoy these photos was the premise in my head. And all I kept thinking in my head was use music that I really like. I wanted the photos to go to the beat with whatever song I chose in a slideshow fashion. Furthermore, I wanted to tell a story about how I met this bakery owner, where I was, and what I was doing to spice up the reel a little bit. I narrated it with voice to text features.

So…..when I was done editing the reel , all I kept thinking about was “what is this video I created?” “What do I call it?”
On instagram, there was a saturated market for food reviews and food hype, and I wanted nothing to do with that. Im a photographer, Im not a food critic. Who am I to promote anything food related? I just wanted to take pictures, produce a reel for fun with music for entertainment.

I kept toying around with narrating it with:
“I met the owner of “Sugar Hi Bakery”,
“She invited me to come visit” ”
But this isn’t a food review……………this is………..”

“this is……….”. I was stuck! I didn’t know what to call it. I kept trying to come up with something short and sweet that was relevant to food and photography. I needed a one or two word statement. And then it hit me………… “FOODOGRAPHY”. When I finished the reel, I was like whoa! I knew I was onto something. It was special to me. I felt like I invented something new that no one has ever seen before. An untapped area of food photography that is meant for entertainment, Unbiased food photography with no food review, no promotion.

Fast forward to posting this reel. I was receiving likes and comments immediately! Granted that this was my first collaboration and Sugar Hi has a decent sized following, the video performed very well! I was getting likes by the second for 24 hours straight. I never seen anything like it. I was getting texts and phone calls from friends and loved ones saying “WHAT WAS THAT!? WHAT IS FOODOGRAPHY? “THAT REEL WAS SICK HOW DID YOU DO THAT”

I realized that day that this was the start of something fresh and exciting.

Still with no thought of monetizing at all, I wanted to do more! I sent that reel to another bakery, they agreed to one, I kept the same formula, repeated it, and then I had more content, I sent those reels to more bakeries, etc. Repeat, And then boom…. Foodography was a hit! I grew a following, had a logo created, got better at it, improved, and then boom, I had business creating foodography reels and selling food photos.

What makes foodography so special is that it’s genuine. Most of the time I exhibit full creative control and keep the same formula to each foodography reel so my clients know exactly what they are getting! It’s so much fun! My clients often say “do whatever it is you normally do” “I trust you” “I love your content I want that”.

If I deviate and start doing things just for likes or comments or trends, foodography will lose its authenticity. I fear I wouldn’t love it as much if I started doing things just for hits or what’s “trending”. My clients understand this which is awesome! I am lucky!

I finally have my own niche, a style that is different than anything you have seen! It’s not just food photography! It’s a vibe! It’s food appreciation! It’s food love! It’s vibrant! It’s NOT A FOOD REVIEW………….IT’S FOODOGRAPHY!

Steve, 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?

How I Was Inspired To Start Doing Photography

I actually got into photography because I was inspired on my honeymoon. My wife and I were in Jamaica and I was taking pictures of her in the ocean with a disposable camera. I thought to myself, I want to start something new. I want a side business. I wonder if I can start getting into photography. I did have a background in film production in college so I did have some creative experience. I kind of knew how to use a camera. Kind of haha. When I got home from my honey moon I contacted a buddy of mine that does Wedding Photography . Roy C Photography. He broke me into the game and the rest is history. I started shooting weddings with him right away which led to other events, parties, and portrait gigs. It wasn’t a business at the time I was just doing this on the side to make extra cash.

Fast forward a few years, I created my LLC and named it after my wife and daughter’s middle name, Lucia. Lucia Photography was born in January 2021. I figured I’d name the business after the inspiration from my wife, my honeymoon, my family.

What sets me a part from other photographers?

A lot of photographers typically niche down to one area. I really don’t believe in this concept. I firmly believe that if you want to be the best at anything, you need to understand all of it and work in all of it! I’ll shoot a wedding one weekend and then a family shoot the next. And during the week I’ll be taking pictures of cookies haha. They are all completely different animals but each area of photography makes me better and more well rounded. Although it is great business to niche down to just one area of photography, I won’t.

Here is an analogy to understand what I am talking about. You call a plumber to come to your house because you have a leaking hot water heater. He says on the phone “sorry I can’t do that I only service faucets and toilets”. End conversation. That doesn’t happen! A plumber is supposed to do it all! Hot water heaters, toilets, drains, pipes, showers, faucets, etc! I apply this concept to photography. I feel that I am a better and a more competent photographer because I try and tackle all areas of photography. I do it all, and do it well! I guess the difference between me and other photographers is how I brand myself.

However, lately a big chunk of my business now is foodography. But that is a personal choice, not a business one. I enjoy it and I can’t get enough of taking pictures of food. But I also just did a maternity shoot, have a christening coming up, and I have business headshots booked in September. It’s not ALL about the food, but a lot of my business is… indeed…food related and foodography!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When foodography was in its infancy, I knew exactly what it was and what the videos were going to be. But I needed the content, I needed the brand, I needed the marketing. I knew exactly what it was going to be. But I just needed to lay it out there for instagram to see. The problem was in the beginning was getting bakeries to say yes.

I got ALOT OF NOs! A LOT OF THEM. I still get NOs. It’s part of the process! That’s why it’s so important to remain consistent and capitalize on those YES’s. It gets real hard when people say no. You begin to doubt yourself, your ability, the market, etc. The important thing to do is remaining consistent and believing in yourself.

Building a brand takes time. I’m still not exactly sure where foodography is going. But the consistency and effort is naturally making it grow and the amount of people Ive met along the way have inspired new ideas and new possibilities. The pace of growth changes week to week, and is different for everyone.

Lesson learned: Consistency. If you believe in your value, chances are, someone else out there will too, and if they don’t now. They might in the future. Stick with it. There was a client that said no once and then changed her mind 6 weeks later. Sometimes you have to set it and forget it.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Eventually I only want to work with only small cookie companies / cottage businesses. It’s incredibly difficult to bake cookies and take pictures at the same time. I am the solution to that problem. Let me take pictures of your cookies so you can bake! I’ll handle the rest.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.luciaphotollc.com
• Instagram: @luciafoodography & _luciaphotography_
• Youtube: Foodography

Image Credits

Lucia Photography, LLC by Steve Candal