Lindsay Kreighbaum
Q What do you do?
“I photograph food (mostly!) with an emphasis on partnering with brands that do something good for the world”
— whether that be sustainable practices, producing something without the use of animals, or just donating to organizations that help others!
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Learning as much as possible from others ahead of me!
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I find that I have both fast and strong communication skills. I always want my clients to feel taken care of, heard, and understood. I also always want my work to exceed their expectations - so I pride myself on my client relationships!
I think my work stands out because it's a bit quirky - I try to stay away from the "content creator" photography style (if that's a thing) and create my own work based on my own tastes. This is beneficial for my clients, as they'll always have unique, original work!
Q What are you working on right now?
Always updating my portfolio, pushing myself to create more dynamic work either personally, or for a client!
Q What’s your style?
I love high contrast, bright-colored, ultra-sharp photography. I love a little humor in my work too! My personal project of 70's themed food is the ultimate example of my style and how I wish I could photograph everything.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I wish I could focus more on my creativity - I focus mainly on problem-solving for my clients, which is part of my job, but I really wish I could have more creative art direction to make really, really unique assets.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
There are a lot of unrealistic expectations of professional photographers. Many inquiries come through my inbox with budgets that are extremely unrealistic for their ideal assets. Many people think photographers are an all-in-one type of profession when realistically, we couldn't create most of our work without our teams! I wish there was something out there to explain the why/what/hows of photography to those seeking commercial work.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I'd love to have someone filter through my inquiries, and just pass on the realistic ones to me so that I don't have to spend so much time communicating/creating estimates for inquiries that will not fit my pricing structure/workflow.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Charge your worth - you don't have to say yes to everything, or lower your rates to make others happy!
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
How to attract my dream clients/dream agencies!
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I'd love to create work for more beverage brands, coffee brands, and really any brand that wants fun, dynamic, and creative assets to take their marketing to the next level.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love when clients, art directors, creative directors, etc. know exactly what they want and how to communicate that! It makes everything run so smoothly. It's hard to please a client that doesn't know what they want, so having solid, concise creative briefs is the beginning of a successful project together!
Q: What is your rate?
I don't really have minimums, but I price projects based on a day rate, crew, usage fees, retouching, and expenses - I always need at least a stylist working with me, and depending on the number of assets, creative direction, prep, etc. - projects can range from $10k up to six figures. Pricing is based on so many different factors, that I am unable to give a typical range or estimate.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
My preferred form of communication is email. When reaching out, please include a creative brief or any creative direction associated with your project, the number of assets you're looking to create, and some basic information about the project and your brand!
Q Who is a creative you admire?
One of my go-to stylists is Aimie Vredevoogd - she is incredibly talented and I recommend her as much as possible.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Collaborating with other creatives!
This member profile was originally published in May 2022.