Shelby Moore
Q What do you do?
“I’m a commercial photographer and director.”
Creative directors and marketing teams have dreams of what their visuals could look like, and I work with a great teams of producers, photo techs, and stylists to make those dreams come to life. I want to make engaging, energetic images and videos and content for the modern consumer, whether they're strolling past print ads or scrolling through digital ads. Let's be real though -- they need to pop off of the iPhone screen with strong visual hooks.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Food has always paid the bills. I wanted to learn how to cook, so morning work as a line cook before afternoon classes got me through my freshman year of journalism school (I desperately wanted to work the food section of a major paper or magazine). I managed cafes until I graduated, then waited tables, ran social media for restaurants. I knew I loved food and wanted a career immersed in it, but didn't know exactly how.
I began freelancing as a photojournalist -- total lone ranger with a camera. Then work directly for restaurants, bars, and hotels -- again, mostly a lone ranger. Over time, I wanted more community, and to work with larger teams and on larger, more ambitious and impactful projects.
I love food and culinary-related products that make our lives fun and flavorful, so I knew I needed to get to LA and dive into commercial work to learn everything I could soak up. I realized I could work towards being the great photographer I knew I could be, but I would only go as far as the network and team I surround myself with, and goals of the marketing teams I align with. Today, I love projects that make clients and their audiences happy while creating reliable and fulfilling work for my fellow team members. And I hope for the rest of my career that those projects mostly involve food. And mostly pay the bills :)
Q How do you stand out in your field?
On one hand I try to be the friendliest person on set. On the other, I embrace tough questions and find solutions for challenging asks. I'm resourceful, open-minded, and a team player. I really want to make people happy. I want my clients to feel we deliver on creative and provide value. A long term relationship means more to me than a quick check (honestly!). We're selling food products, kitchen products, and supplements that help heal -- it's a fun world. We should all approach it like an ice cream shop --- we need to make money and be successful, but everyone who comes in the door -- the client, the audience, the online and retail customer -- should come in happy and leave happy.
I embrace hybrid photo-video sets and social media capture.
AI? We're in the early days. But I'm an optimist who wants to embrace the tools that make certain things like retouching images easier, faster, and more cost-effective. Let's keep productions going while embracing some of these new tools.
Q What are you working on right now?
Ads for national restaurants, food and kitchen products, and doing more and more work with food/beverage-adjacent things like supplements.
Q What’s your style?
I execute my client's and art director's vision less so than my own. I trust their taste and the needs of the company. But I do like cutting edge things. I like trends. I want clients to feel like I can move as fast as they do and be a nimble creative partner in this modern world. How do we make ads that are appreciated and applauded by consumers? On flip side, how do make ads that feel less like ads when that's desired? I'm intrigued by these questions.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Video video video. How do we make images and video that integrate well into a short form, video-first era?
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I think every creative just wants their work to land in front of the right clients. How do I get my work in front of people who want more of what I do best? How do I find that connection from across computer screens and email threads?
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
To help with the kind of personalized outreach that's needs to be genuine. I really do like your yogurt, Yogurt Company. I'm very into that dutch oven, Pots and Pans Company. That was a really well executed campaign, Producer. That art direction felt fresh and modern, Marketing Team.
But it's a tedious task collecting email addresses, personalizing emails, and pointing to relevant projects. One by one. I don't want to spam anyone. I just want to say hello... make a quick, genuine connection, and, if embraced, maybe send an email every 6 months with new and relevant work.
A second brain would be so helpful.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Because you like to think of yourself as open-minded and ambitious, the moments of satisfaction will be brief, and you'll spend most of your days feeling like you're behind in your career and on your to-do list. The people outside of work (and maybe you met some of them at work) will make your life full and happy. But it is a business, and with no safety net, a bank account that steadily grows and offers a path towards retirement will help you sleep better at night and plan for the future.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I find some of it a little corny and cringeworthy... but how do I create revenue streams adjacent to photography outside of client work? Can I do anything passive that isn't a course or a YouTube channel? There are way too many of those. Would be nice to diversify though while tapping into my skillsets.
Then again, maybe I just need to open up the soft serve shop of my dreams.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Let's make some ads that jump into the real world and content that works well in today's social media landscape.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
This is the hardest question so far. I admire companies with fun creative strategies like Sweetgreen. She's freelance now, but Jillian Wheeler's creative direction and strategy was always fresh and I'd love to align with CD's and clients that have adventurous souls. But also, I love clients who know what works and want simple-seeming things done at a high and technical level. These separate approaches scratch both sides of my brain.
Q What is your rate?
Here's what I'll say. A good producer will make sure the client pays a fair price and my crew and I get paid a fair rate. Let's involved a good producer (I know a few) and figure out how to make everyone happy.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Hello@ShelbyMoore.co Simple hellos are great. I'm friendly. I like to answer questions and chat with creative and marketing teams even if it doesn't go anywhere immediately. Let's chat. If creative and scope and budget all aren't fully fleshed out yet, no worries. We all want to be approached with specifics, but it can be figured out.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I admire my friend Marianna. She's a talented creative director, and illustrator. Very driven and simultaneously very kind. She focuses on culinary projects -- she similarly feels called to the work and a desire to be around it. It's genuine. She's in love with good food and beverage in the same way I and most of my favorite people are.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
My best days are when I feel like a kid, with a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. And a desire to play and be creative. Try new things. My friends and I are making photos and videos together. But I'm an adult of course. So I also think of the life I want, the people I want to provide for, and keep working to get better. I try to watch as many movies as possible, I try to eat as many good meals as possible, and keep an adventurous spirit out of principle. I don't think I'll ever stop being curious.
This member profile was originally published in January 2024, Updated in March 2026.