How to Book Brand Partnerships a as a Food Photographer

Danielle Rodgers, the food photographer behind French Vanilla, joins me to chat about what it’s like running a flourishing food photography business. Brand Partnerships are her main source of income in her busines. She has some great ideas for how you can start booking brand partnerships, too! You can watch the full interview on my YouTube channel, and the interview highlights are written in the notes below!

How did you learn food photography and develop your skills?

Danielle: “Most of what I know about food photography came from an online food photography course. It’s called Foodtography School. I had already been following some other food bloggers and food photographers and just kind of observing what they were doing. And I had seen more than one person mention Foodtography School. And I really liked the results that were coming out of their experience with it. What I liked about this course is that it could be taken entirely online and I could go at my own pace. And it also made me part of a larger Foodtography School community. So through that I was able to connect with other food photography students and alumni. So Foodtography School taught me a lot of the fundamentals. Things like lighting composition editing things that are just, you know, really crucial to food photography in general. And I do all of mine with natural light.

So taking all of what I learned in Foodtography School and then applying it with my own style and the lighting in my own house, which might be different to other people. Lots of practice, persistence, trying different things, but really sticking with it.”

You’re really good at networking and doing brand partnerships in a genuine way where people feel like they’re friends with you. Did that take practice?

Danielle: “To me, it really is important to build connections with my online community. I mean, I have local friends on my social networks, but really a lot of the people that I’ve connected with have been solely based on these social media networks. So I think at the end of the day, I feel like we just, we have to stay humble. I mean, we’re all human and we can’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s okay to be a little silly. It’s okay to have bad days, but it’s okay to have good days too and share those moments together and celebrate each other and support each other. So I think that’s what makes us relatable. And ultimately my goal with my social networks is to make it a positive place where we’re all treated with kindness and courtesy.”

You’re a food photographer – not a blogger. Where do you draw the line between being primarily a food photographer or a food blog?

Danielle: “Well, as a food photographer my focus is to help my clients meet their marketing goals. So I’m very client-focused. I work with brands either as a freelancer or on a paid partnership level. So freelancing might look like simply taking product photos for the brand to use for their marketing materials, or creating recipes and photography for the brand to use on their websites and to post on their own channels. And then with paid partnerships, I’ll share my content on my social networks and then, you know, that’ll be shared with my audience or as a collaboration. So that’s kind of where the food photography focus comes into play.

On the other hand, food bloggers from my understanding – I don’t wanna speak too much on behalf of other food bloggers – but food bloggers, they might tend to focus on creating recipes to be shared on their networks, on their website, and building that wide index of recipes that they can share with their devoted followers, you know, to create that trusted relationship. And they may have other various types of income streams, including generating a lot of traffic on their site and getting ad revenue on their website.

I actually know many food bloggers who are also food photographers and they just do everything. Yeah. And I think that that is really, really impressive. But personally, I don’t really enjoy the blogging side of things. I’d rather just focus on the photography. And while I do like creating recipes, I kind of utilize my recipe creation to meet the needs of my clients.”

What is it about the brand collaborations that you really enjoy?

Danielle: “There’s so many reputable and trusted brands in the food industry and we all are probably utilizing most of these brands anyways, you know? We have a full pantry of all these big brands that we see every day. So when I have an opportunity to work with a brand that I already use regularly, it feels like a no brainer. I’m already using their products and I’m happy to share about it. And it’s important to me that I only work with brands that I know and that I trust. And I would never partner with a brand if I didn’t feel like I was aligned or that it was a good fit.”

If someone’s new to brand partnerships, where do you recommend that they start?

Danielle: “So when it comes to a creator that’s maybe new to brand partnerships, I would recommend a few things –

First, I would say be present on social media and engage with those dream brands.

Ideally identify some of the brands that you already see actively working with other creators because chances are they’re going to be more open to other partnerships. So be present on social media and engage with those dream brands. Comment on their things and you know, share something of theirs that you think was really helpful or meaningful.

Two, focus on building your own portfolio.

Ensure that the work that you are sharing is a true reflection of your style. Show what makes you unique and show those brands why they might wanna work with you.

Third, I would say don’t be afraid to reach out.

Message the brand and ask for someone that you can contact via email to get a conversation started or get their attention by tagging them in a story. If you’re using their product, you know, you could even tag them in a post of something that you’ve made with their product. Tat’s a great way to get the conversation started. That’s actually how I got my first client. I had purchased one of their products and I was really excited about it. It was a hot chocolate maker and I shared about it in my Instagram stories because I was just so excited to make some amazing hot chocolate. And that led to a conversation which led to a lasting partnership.”

What’s the best piece of encouragement that you’ve received about being an entrepreneur?

Danielle: “Something that has really helped me is to find a niche and really focus on what you can bring to the table. And stay genuine.

The piece of encouragement that I got actually came from my husband. I’ll give you a little story –

So I was only a few months into food photography. I had made the pivot from French Vanilla Bakery to French Vanilla Photography. And I was at that moment where I was really trying to figure out, ‘What am I even doing? What is this and where is this going?’ And I had already worked with a couple clients, but my contracts had just ended. And I was in the middle of working with some new clients and I felt like I was just really struggling to find my place.

We were just out and about running some errands. And we were sitting in the parking lot somewhere. And I just had a little moment and I told my husband, ‘I don’t really even know what I’m doing with this business. Do I keep going? What is this? I’m pouring all this time and energy into it and I don’t really even know what I’m doing.’

My husband asked me, ‘Do you love doing it?’ And I said, ‘I really do.’ He’s like, ‘Do you love baking?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Do you love photography?’ I said, ‘I do.’ And he said, ‘Then what does it matter what’s coming with your business? It could just be a hobby, and if it is, that’s okay. There’s plenty of people who have hobbies that don’t generate any income, and if that’s what this is for you, then that’s okay as long as it’s making you happy.’

And I was like, ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’ Because I do have a full-time job. That’s where the majority of my income comes from. So I had decided at that moment that was just, this was just going to be my creative outlet. If something more comes of it, great. If not, well that’s okay too, because I love doing it. So at that moment, I just decided that I was going to focus on building my portfolio and just sharing things that I liked, my own personal style.

And in that timeframe, I ended up producing some work that I am still so proud of. And probably some of the most beautiful images that I’ve ever taken, just focusing on my passion. I ended up producing a lot of work that helped to build this portfolio that in the end would eventually gain the attention of some of my dream brands. And that’s actually what really led to a flourishing business. And I would say what I got out of that is if this is something you aspire to do, focus on doing what feels natural for you, and what brings you joy. And the pieces will fall into place where they are meant to.”

Connect with Danielle

Instagram: @frenchvanillabaker
Website (designed by Maya!): frenchvanillabakery.com