We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Soon Tani Beccaria Mochizuki a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Soon Tani , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Being an Asian American having grown up in Hawai’i, I was never in a position that I was a minority until I had moved to San Francisco. I think I’ve always had confidence when speaking up for myself, but learning how to maintain confidence, especially in a white male dominated career, has been somewhat of an uphill battle. But there was a statistic that I kept in the back of my head that kept me going. I don’t know what the exact statistic is, but it was something along the lines of “A woman sees a list of job qualifications and sees that she doesn’t meet a couple of them so she doesn’t apply. That same job can be viewed by a man, with much lower qualifications, yet he will apply.” This mentality has kept me going, and I remember that if a much less qualified man can have that level of blind confidence, then I can too.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a freelance CPG and Lifestyle photographer based in San Francisco. I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i and moved to San Francisco in 2018. I started photography in high school and it’s been the one passion that has stuck with me the longest.
During my last semester in college, I had the amazing opportunity to become the creative at Snaxshot, and spearheaded their BTS photo series and shot one of their events in LA. I have had the privilege to shoot incredible clients such as Algae Cooking Club, Nour, Nomadica, and SummerFall Sake to name a few. I am currently taking on new clients and hope to meet new CPG founders on the west coast!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Being real with myself, taking a break, and also kindness. Being real with myself helped me to realize that no, fashion photography was not my forte, and no, I didn’t have the chance of “making it”. I think, especially to those early in their journey, being real with yourself is going to save you a lot of time and effort. I don’t think its a bad idea to have large goals or dreams. I think you should! But, as a freelancer, your ability to pay your bills is directly tied to your talent. Hone in on what you love and work, work, work.
Taking a break was super important too because it also gave me time to focus on other passions. I got my yoga certification, I got a dog, got my reiki master certification, dove into my passion for cooking. Your job should NEVER be the core of your being. You should be able to get fired and not have a breakdown because you made it your whole personality and don’t know what you are without that job. You are a person. You deserve to do things that you want to do. Take time to do those things.
Kindness is the last. I think this goes without saying but you should at least be kind to everyone upfront. NOT people please, but just a base level of kindness. I often see my peers and others in the industry forget to say “please” and “thank you” and it goes a long way. Most of the time you get jobs through word of mouth, and I will never EVER work with a person who is rude, short, or entitled.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Provide for me to start my career. What isn’t talked about enough is the level of privilege it takes to be a photographer. Sure, it isn’t the gear it’s the person behind it, but how do you expect to get a decent portfolio? You can’t be showing up to clients without proper gear. You started a business? Great you owe the city $800 and quarterly taxes. Lenses aren’t cheap. Camera’s aren’t cheap. Lights aren’t cheap. I am so grateful that my parents were not only supportive but also provided me with financial help to get my business started.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soontaniphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soontani
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soon-tani-beccaria-mochizuki/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
