Hi, friends!
Today’s post is going to be a little different than the normal life recap/recipe blogs that are the usual main characters on Apple of My Eye. Instead, I’m going to be focusing a bit on my freelance work, including how I get hired from them, what I do, and some general tips about working for sites or companies.
When I first started Apple of My Eye, I had NO idea it would get anywhere near the point it is today. It honestly astounds me at how much it has grown and I don’t know where I would be without all the wonderful people I’ve “met” and the relationships I’ve made. If you haven’t gotten my drift, I love you guys!
Anyways, when AoME was just a wee babe, I didn’t even include any recipes in my posts. I used my site as just an outlet and open diary to record my college time and to blabber about anything and everything that came to mind. Looking back, I get embarrassed reading my old posts! Even though I’ve always had a huge passion for cooking and the general act of stuffing food into my mouth, I didn’t really start getting into posting recipes until about a half year into the lifespan of the blog. It took me a few months to really start learning how to take half-decent pictures of my creations and get my first photo accepted on to Foodgawker and Tastespotting. Once that happened, I was absolutely hooked. It was both thrilling and bizarre to see people pouring on to my site and the excitement of knowing that people were actually coming to my own little corner of the web to read my writing and try out my recipes.
Anyways, flash forward to now and I’m actually being hired and paid to create and write about recipes! To be honest, it almost seems like cheating to me. I get to work from my kitchen in yoga pants and a messy bun, stealing sample bites, and practicing my food photography. Yes, it does take a lot of time and effort, and I’m probably working upwards of 60 hours a week in combination to school and studying, but I love it.
Many of you have expressed interest on freelance recipe creation/writing, so I decided to put together a few tips that I’ve picked up!
1. Improve your photography.
I cannot stress this point, hence it’s position as my #1 tip. If you’re looking to be hired for recipe creation, the main way to get noticed is to have something that sets you apart from others when it comes to food. A ton of people are capable of cooking and baking, but how many of them can take mouthwatering pictures to offer along with it? In today’s day and age, everything is image-based and, after all, we eat with out eyes first. I can’t even remember the last time I tried a recipe from a cookbook that didn’t have a delicious looking picture to go along with it!
Take these photos, for example. The one on the left is from before I started working on my photography, and the one on the right it my latest picture (taken today as a matter of fact). Isn’t there a HUGE difference? Which one would you rather choose to make if you saw them on a website or magazine?
Trust me, it makes an enormous impact on how those looking to hire view you. You become a much more competitive applicant and great photos give you more power when it comes to settling on wages. While I don’t feel comfortable disclosing the rates I’m being paid, I will say that I’ve able to name my own price and that the companies were happy to pay what I asked. That sounds completely CRAZY to a college kid like me who has not had any prior work experience other than tutoring and baby sitting! Not only am I building up a resume and titling is with the fancy label of “Freelance Recipe Creation”, but I’m getting paid much more than I would if I were just flipping burgers. The other day, I did the math and discovered that I could make a pretty decent living if I worked full-time as a freelancer. Say what?!
What I’m trying to get at, is that I owe my freelance jobs to my improved photography.
And really, it isn’t that hard. I know it seems impossible at first, but there are some amazing tools out there that can literally help you improve you camera abilities 300% in a week. My all-time favorite source on learning about food blogging comes from Lindsay at Pinch of Yum. She’s absolutely incredible and her eBook “Tasty Food Photography” (<— affiliate link!) helped me learn just about everything I know about taking pictures of my recipes and building traffic to my site. Seriously, guys, that book is a goldmine of information and takes you step-by-step through what it takes to get gorgeous pictures. It’s been a crucial tool for me and I could not recommend it more!
It seriously comes with everything you need to know:
In case you didn’t get the point, here’s another before and after picture of my food. On the left is what my photography looked like pre-Tasty Food Photography, and the right is where is was last week.
2. Join a community that connects freelancers to those looking to hire.
I think one of the most daunting parts of those looking to start freelance work lies in, well, just where to start. I got my start by creating a profile at oDesk.com, which is a site that connects a pool of freelancers that can apply to jobs posted by companies. To be honest, I got as far as creating a super short profile about myself and listing my blog as my work experience, and forgot about it. A few weeks later, though, I got an email from the site saying I had been invited by a company for an interview. Usually the freelancer applies to jobs, so I think this just emphasizes the importance of great food photography even more. They wanted me just based on the pictures they saw alone! It goes without saying that I was over-the-moon excited and I’m still working with the site now. Here’s an example of some of the content I’ve contributed to that site:
As you can see, I’m basically just translating what I normally do in my blog to them! There’s a huge demand right now for healthy recipes, which is perfect for us bloggers in the “healthy living community” because we just get to build on what we’re passionate about. Not to mention that you can use your blog as part of your resume!
3. Don’t sell yourself short.
One of the few things I don’t like about oDesk is that many of the people who are signed up as freelancers work for ridiculously low rates. Don’t sell yourself short because you think you need to match their prices! Once you have your photography down, you’re a hot item and it’s best to look for a publisher who is looking for high quality work and experience rather than the cheapest rate.
4. Spiff up your blog.
A few months back, Apple of My Eye got a huge facelift that, in my opinion, makes it look much more professional while still incorporating in my style and personality. Since I use my blog as part of my resume, I need it to look the part and am so glad I hired a professional to design it. If you’re looking to give your blog a facelift, I used Tasha from My Cute Lobster and had such a great experience with her. She’s incredibly hard working and will tweak every little thing until you’re completely happy with your new look! Not to mention she’s affordable and just a lovely lady in general.
Whew, there you have it! I hope this helps you guys out a little, and please let me know if you have any questions or shoot me an email :).
Fantastic post with fantastic tips! Food photography is something that’s never really interested me, so I don’t think I’ll be a freelance recipe creator anytime soon. (Freelance portrait photographer, though, I wish/hope/maybe can make happen…) I think it’s crazy but awesome that you could potentially live off of your freelance work full-time! I didn’t know you could get paid that much for freelance work!
Thanks, Beth!
I figured this wouldn’t be too helpful for you, though, after reading about how much more passionate you are about people photography! I had no idea either! Granted, I’m not going down that career choice, but it’s still crazy to think that it could be a possibility!
Great tips, lady! Thanks for sharing! I’d love to get into some freelance work, but knowing where to start is definitely the most daunting part. And I completely agree with the part about not selling yourself short… I remember when I first started blogging, I was so happy to hear from any company that I’d take anything that came my way and basically work for nothing. No more! Our time is valuable and we can’t work for granola bars…
Thanks, Amanda!
I think I honestly just got lucky when it came to getting my start freelance writing. I had zero idea what I was doing and probably wouldn’t have perused anything if I hadn’t been contacted by that one company.
And YES to what you wrote about not selling yourself short. I was the same when I first started blogging and would get so excited over basically anything they offered. I’ve realized now that we truly have such great assets in our blogs and that, like you said, our time is valuable :).
Great post! What kind of camera do you use to take your photos?
Ahhhh amazing post–thank you for writing it!
Hopefully this helps others out (I mean, it it helped me so I’m sure it’ll help others!)
This is amazing! I am so happy that you have experienced such an awesome opportunity through blogging. It is the best feeling in the world to get paid for what you love to do. And I’m not surprised – your recipes and pictures are incredible. Keep doing what you’re doing!
I’ve been waiting for this post. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I truly am in disbelief in how far your blog has come, not only your food photography, but the design and your writing, which is so descriptive and perfect.
These tips are very helpful – in my new job I’m starting (Director of Marketing at a big coffee shop company!!), I really hope to be able to contribute on the food photography front. I’m hoping I can get my employer to enroll me in some classes…in the end we’d save money doing it in-house, so I think I have a good case to make!
Fab post with a ton of great info!! Holy crap, how your food photography skills have grown! I am in the process of looking into buying a new camera right now to further enhance my food photos– so thanks so much for the tips. You’re killin it!
Thanks, Jordan! And I know! I think it’s crazy and didn’t even realize what a big difference a few months made until I put together that picture comparison. I think investing in a new camera is such a great way to treat yourself! I’m in love with mine and consider it one of my all-time favorite possessions
I’m so happy for you!!! Especially since you could potentially make a living freelancing… WHAT?! That’s incredible
I want to start looking more into freelancing but I’m not really sure how to get into writing workouts and such, since I’m not really a recipe gal. Your tips were super helpful, though, and I just got a Canon sooo perhaps I will start recipe blogging? Hmmm!
Aww, thanks, Julie! I don’t think I’ll be going down that career choice (more medical-ish route for this girl), but just having the possibilty of doing freelance work for a living blows my mind!
There’s also plenty of options for non-recipe creating freelance work and I’ve done a few articles about health/fitness for the sites as well! Can’t wait to see some of the pictures you take with your new Canon!
These are all some great tips! That really is amazing how you got this job while being a college student. Seriously? Cooking for a job? That’s a dream. Good for you girlie!
Thanks so much! 😀
Thank you so much for sharing this post with us!! I know I need to step it up on my photography. I have the camera and I know how to use it, but I tend to get lazy and I also need to get some better settings for my photos (food particularly). Hopefully, after this spring semester I will have time to look into doing freelance work!
You’re so welcome! I definitely am still a newbie when it comes to freelance work, but I thought it might be helpful to share some of the small things I’ve picked up!
I actually know exactly what you mean when you say you tend to get lazy about your food settings! I used to spend SO much time cooking and baking, and when it came to actually taking pictures, I would not spend any time on the set-up. Taking an extra few minutes makes a big difference, though!
This was so, so helpful! Thanks a ton, girly! I’ve been on and off about buying Lindsay’s eBook for so long now. I’ve got to bite the bullet and buy it! (using your affiliate link, of course 😉 Eventually I’d like to get into some freelance work! It would be an AWESOME job for a high schooler- it’d totally beat babysitting!
I’m SO glad you found it helpful! Honestly, I wish I had bought it sooner. It’s just so helpful and makes food photography seem so simple. Lindsay is the best! I would appreciate it so much if you used my link, so thanks! It helps fuel my Starbucks relief fund haha ;).
I think it’s totally doable for you to freelance in school! Your food photography is already improving so much and you have some real talent girlie
Thank you so much for all of the great advice–I’ll be checking out that food photography book and the freelance website. I’m always looking to learn more about how to improve my blog, my writing material, and my food photography and recipe creations.
Thank you so much for sharing this post, Christine! I really enjoyed reading it & the tips. I knew your photography had improved over the months, but DAMN! It’s done a complete 360. Keep up the awesome work, dear <3
OHHH Photography of food. I don’t care that much/get lazy because my videos take up my time! ha ha ah! That being said, I am starting to MAKE MYSELF get more into it because good photos truly make a difference!
What useful post! I too would like to try as the freelancer… And it is very sad that in Russia the healthy lifestyle didn’t turn yet into the industries 😀 Well, while I will simply develop the blog 😉
Thank you so much for the wonderful post! I have thought a lot about trying to start making some income from my blog (if possible!) and didn’t know where to start. This is so helpful and I’ll have to check out oDesk.com right away
Happy Wednesday!
You’re so welcome, Sydney! I’m just glad I can help others with some of the things I’ve picked up over my last year of blogging :). It’s totally possible to make an income from your blog with some hard work and smart planning! Feel free to email me if you have any questions :). Happy Wednesday!
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with other bloggers
Thanks, Allison! I’m glad it helped you a little
Hey Christine! Thanks for this post! I checked out fitbodyhq’s website – and there’s a note that says they don’t compensate contributors – I’m curious as to how much they pay you and how is your contribution different from others?
Thanks dear!
Felicia
I actually don’t work there anymore, but when I did I was compensated with money, so they must have changed their policy!