Meet Aaliyah Man

We were lucky to catch up with Aaliyah Man recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aaliyah, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Since before I can remember, I had always wanted to be an artist. I grew up drawing and painting a lot, but when I was in elementary school, my uncle had given me his camcorder. It was the first time in my life that I was able to take pictures and videos, and I distinctly remember a time where an adult that I looked up to told me that I took really good pictures. That was the moment I decided that I wanted to get into photography.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I got into food photography while I was in college two years ago and started getting freelance photoshoots last year. I love seeing how excited chefs and owners get about seeing a high quality pictures of their food, but my favorite thing about my job is actually trying new foods and restaurants that I end up visiting again with friends and family! I come from a family of restauranteurs, so we love making new connections to other restaurant owners and finding some hidden gems around Atlanta.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One of the most important qualities in any journey is being able to connect with people. This has really helped me in my career because I’ve gotten great opportunities by developing great relationships with clients. I do this by showing up on time, incorporating the clients’ ideas, asking them about their stories, and making them feel good about their product. It’s also ideal to be adaptable and flexible. Especially in the restaurant industry, things don’t always go according to plan. Make sure to have everyone’s contact information for any last minute changes and to be open to adjusting the game plan. Lastly, it’s very important to me to be prepared. I’ve always had a fear of forgetting something or having my equipment fail on me unexpectedly. I have two SD cards in my camera, I carry extra SD cards and batteries in my backpack, and I charge and pack all of my equipment the day before a photoshoot so that I don’t have to worry about it on the day of.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

I started getting freelance photography gigs last year, and since then I’ve improved immensely. Practice really does make perfect. My biggest area of growth has to be my photography process. I know exactly how to set up my lighting and camera settings, what angles to photograph the food, how to develop my images, and how to organize all my files. I used to experiment a lot early in my career, but in the last year I have gotten so many jobs that have helped me streamline my process and save me a lot of time and unnecessary effort for a better result.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aaliyahmanphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.man_foodphotographer/