Today I’m sharing this mouth watering strawberry apple pie and four random things you may not know about me as a professional food photographer. Grab yourself a slice and read on!

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Strawberry Apple Pie

First, I want to share two tips with you about the recipe.

1. I originally wanted to make a strawberry rhubarb pie, but I could not find rhubarb anywhere. After three unsuccessful market attempts, I had to get creative. I decided to get some granny smith apples instead and it was a great decision! The tart flavors of the apples play so well with the sweet strawberries! If you ever can’t find rhubarb, granny smith apples may be a good backup plan.
2. Add a thin layer of flaky cereal (I used Wheaties) to the bottom of the crust before adding the fruit. This helps keep the pie from getting too juicy on the bottom of the crust and makes it easier to cut. No one will ever know it’s there. Great tip, right? I learned that from my Mom. 😉

Four Random Things About Me As A Professional Food Photographer

1. I quit my day job.

I was an art director in advertising for about twelve years before I quit to pursue food photography and work for myself. I taught myself food photography and haven’t looked back. I think one of the biggest challenges is learning to think like a business person, not just a creative person. Loving what you do is great, but it’s also a hinderance at first. It can be incredibly difficult to put a price on your work when all projects and budgets are so different. Three things have helped me overcome this:

1. Knowing that I bring value to the table.
2. Knowing my numbers and forecasting what I want to earn in the upcoming year.
3. Saying NO to projects that would hold me back from 1 & 2.

2. I’m a minimalist.

I have one Nikon camera, one FujiFilm XT3 and six lenses and a few different studio lights. It may sound like a lot, but trust me… the photographers I’ve met have way more equipment. For me, I know what works for me and haven’t needed as much “stuff” to do what I do. When a project calls for more equipment or something special that I don’t own, I will either rent it through borrowlenses.com or from lensrentals.com.

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READ MORE ABOUT: MY CURRENT GEAR FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

3. I Love Aprons.

A lot of food photographers hoard props. I hoard aprons. The pockets let me keep extra tools nearby and I can easily wipe off my hands when I need to handle the food. Not to mention, aprons are super cute and I think it’s fun to feel somewhat stylish on photo shoots. My two favorites right now are this one and this one.

4. My Studio Is In The Basement Of Our House.

My home studio works out really well for my photo shoots whether I’m shooting on my own or with a team for a client shoot. I have a badass overhead setup, plenty of room for my lighting equipment, a fully equipped kitchen and a chubby studio cat (Ollie) who likes to clean up the crumbs. If you want to see some pics of my space, you can check out this post.

Happy Cooking!

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click or make a purchase through my site, I might make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products that I actually use and support. 

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All images ©Regan Baroni 2014.