We were lucky to catch up with Zina Perlman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zina, thanks for joining us today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

I’ll start off by saying that I believe internships are one of the most valuable ways to learn about a craft but also about running a business in general. I could say that my last internship/ apprenticeship was what gave me the confidence and final push to start my own business as a photographer. I worked with a really great photographer and even though in the end it didn’t work out for me to keep working with them, everything I learned was so crucial to starting my business. I made sure to really soak up every single detail of every day I worked. From organization, to the way they dealt with clients, to the way they would set up and actually shoot. I learned from the good and the bad. Always making notes in my head of what worked and what didn’t so I could then practice it on my own. If you really take advantage of the opportunity of learning from someone else, you can get so much out of it. More than you would expect.

Zina, 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?

Hi! My name is Zina Perlman and I am a food + beverage and architecture photographer. It all started back when I went to college for architecture in Pratt Institute. That gave me my creative base that I then built upon. I was always very interested in spaces but the more I got into the creativity of architecture the more I realized I was more interested in the styling and photography of the spaces than in creating the space itself. After I graduated from University of Miami as an art director, I worked for a big agency here in Miami and what I liked most about the job was being on set. I always seemed to end up behind the camera so after a few years, I decided to go back to school for photography. I knew architecture would always be in my life but once I found food photography, I was sold. I love the combination of the two because in a way the photograph is all about the lines and spaces between objects even if it’s at completely different scales. I help my clients tell their story to sell their brand. In the case of architecture, I believe it’s very important to tell a story of the spaces being shot and depending on the angle, light and color you can say so many different things. When it comes to food + beverage, if a client comes to me with a vision, I help them develop it and then run with it all the way to the finished product. If the client comes in needing more help in creating the story of their brand, I help with that too because my background in art direction and branding gives me the tools to be able to do so in a way that will tie the story and messaging back to the photos. I believe what sets me apart in the industry is my background. With the strong base architecture gave me and the years as an art director, I’m able to help create strong and cohesive work while consistently applying the look and feel of the client’s brand.

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

I think the best source for new clients is and always will be word of mouth. If you love what you do and you’re good at it, your clients will notice and they will recommend you. Of course word of mouth isn’t enough and most of my business does come from social media but the clients you find through word of mouth are usually more trusting and open to try different things because they have already heard of or seen my work.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding part of being in a creative job and industry is seeing your ideas come to life. Specifically for me, it is going through the whole process of pre-production (coming up with the ideas for each scene and finding the necessary elements to make it happen), to making it come to life in the actual production and then giving it the final touches in post (editing in my case). Seeing that final product that came from one small idea is for sure the most rewarding part.

Contact Info:

• Website: zinaperlman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zdperlman/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zinaperlman/

Image Credits
Zina Perlman