We recently connected with Jeff Couch and have shared our conversation below.
Jeff, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I believe my optimism comes from a deep fear of failure, which is held internal, it’s not what others think, it’s how I feel about how I am doing.
I have always worked to be the best that I could at whatever I tried, therefore instead of giving up I try and try again until I get it. I like to always be learning so I study processes, people and history as well as set goals of what I need to achieve.
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?
As a child I spent a lot of time with my grandparents on their “hobby” farm where I learned about planting, harvesting, and raising all sorts of livestock. When I wasn’t outside, I was in the kitchen with my grandparents pickling, preserving and even learning about incubating chicken eggs. My creative outlet was to paint or draw and I think all this combined was my influence to get into the culinary industry. I started working in restaurants at young age and after a few years and places, I was working in a hotel kitchen, it was there that I decided I wanted to pursue a career as a chef.
After I got married and we were starting a family, I knew the hours a Chef works would be difficult to maintain so I shifted gears and set out to work for a manufacturer of foodservice equipment where I could put my experience as a chef to use. I wanted to design cooking equipment from a chef’s perspective, in 2000 I received a US patent for innovative products I had designed while working with this manufacturer.
In 2001 I had the opportunity to buy a foodservice manufacturers rep firm in California which I owned and ran until 2021.
By about 2012 I was wanting to pursue a new creative outlet and decided to fully engage in photography. A desire to know more and be better I attended UCLA Extension for four years while I ran my other business. The last semester I did a mentorship where the mentor suggested I do it on food photography because of my background in culinary. I hadn’t thought of it as at the time I was shooting urban decay and ghost towns. I did the mentorship on food and fell in love with the creativity, lighting, and styling. Graduating with distinction I then set out to become a certified photographer through PPA. I became certified as a Professional Photographer and opened Jeff Couch Food Images in 2017. Today I specialize in anything food related from plated, packaging, food products etc. both stills and video. I really enjoy capturing the client’s vision through the lens.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think the most important quality is you must be passionate about what you are doing and want to be successful at it. I also think it’s important to surround yourself with people just as passionate as you that you can learn from. Education, whether in the classroom or on the job, it is invaluable experience.
My advice is start small, set goals and learn from others, as you grow so will your knowledge, and self-confidence.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Today the number one challenge for a lot of industries is AI, it’s the unknown. I wonder how it will impact photography, video or the rest of our industry. It is moving very fast.
The other challenge I have had is the speed in which video has taken over marketing. I have had to work very hard to learn, understand and become proficient at it in a short period of time. But it is fun and I am enjoying the challenge.
Contact Info:
- Website: jeff@jeffcouchfood.com
- Instagram: @jeffcouchfood
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffery.couch.336
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-couch-280b7a119
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jeff-couch-food-images-palm-desert
Image Credits
Jeff Couch food images
