We recently connected with Kirby Mekler and have shared our conversation below.
Kirby, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
As someone who is completely self taught, it really boosted my self-esteem when people started to think that I was a lot further along in my career than I actually was. Because I started my food photography journey as a food blogger, I was posting my work on Instagram before I even took it seriously. While it was far from perfect, it got my photography in front of a large (by my standards) audience of both friends and strangers a lot earlier than I would’ve been comfortable sharing it had it been a more strategic endeavor from the get go. I’ve never been the most confident person in the room. It’s something I struggle with to this day. So when I first started taking food photography seriously, outside validation really elevated my confidence level and made me feel like I could make my dream a reality.
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’m a commercial food and product photographer. I also dabble in food styling, both for my own shoots and on larger teams. While I’m definitely capable of taking straightforward food and product photos, my favorite projects are bold, fun, and bursting with personality.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Apart from knowing how to operate a camera on manual mode, the three things that I think have been most impactful in my journey are a dedication to learning and experimenting, building a network of peers, and being willing to put myself out there. The best advice I have for anyone early in their professional photography journey (or any creative career, really) is to avoid selling yourself short. Study up on best practices for business and pricing and find likeminded peers that you can bounce ideas around with. Too many people get taken advantage of in creative industries and it’s detrimental on a personal level but also to the industry as a whole, so it’s important to avoid falling into the trap of working for pennies because you have to start somewhere.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
If you’d like to work together, feel free to email me at [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kirbymekler.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirbymeklerphotography
