Interview with Adina Chitu from Pancake Planet!
- Aisha Ambreen
- Nov 10, 2021
- 7 min read
I am here with the third part of the series Let Your Creative Soul Shine which is based on Instagram challenges and Interviews of Food Photographers. This time I have Adina Chitu on board from Pancake Planet to make your life more colourful. How? You ask. Well, one of the prominent feature in her photography style is use of vibrant colours which cannot fail to mesmerise a viewer. But who is she as a person and as a creative behind this radiant photography? Well, this interview has some of the answers. So let's dive in.
" I’m Adina Chitu, food photographer and food stylist based in Bucharest, Romania. My passion for this type of photography started somewhere at the end of 2016 when I quit my PR job and started this new exciting journey. It is funny because I learned how to cook, how to bake, how to take food pics, and how to be a freelancer at the same time so my job now is a huge part of me, it’s definitely more than a job to me. I'm always inspired by seasonal goodies, nature, strong colours, and vintage props. I love cinema, when I was young I dreamed of becoming a film director."
If you want to join the challenges for this series. You can get the monthly themes from here.
Tell us more about yourself and your Food Photography Journey. You mentioned that you learned cooking in the beginning. How did you find your interest in that area?
I started this journey 5 years ago, I was the PR of a tearoom back then and the only dessert I knew to make was pancakes.
One day I came up with the idea of an event at the tearoom and I cooked hundreds of pancakes for the customers, everyone loved them and I was truly amazed by the results, that moment really changed my perspective.
So I started to learn cooking and baking on my own, then I realized I need to capture those goodies in a nice way so I learned how to use a camera as well and quit my job as all this process demanded a lot of time and commitment.
" I'm always inspired by seasonal fruits and veggies and try to make them stars of my dishes. Sometimes it comes great from the first time, some other times it requires more trials. "
Did you take some courses in cooking and photography? What would you recommend to our readers?
No, I did not take any lessons, I'm an autodidact, I followed the recipes of my favourite bakers, chefs, and food bloggers. It's all about practice and loving what you do. My partner taught me how to use a camera, he is a photographer too and helps me a lot with creating videos.
I am quite a non-technical person and it wasn't that easy for me to learn, but again practice is key. There are a lot of courses online and I really love the tips of Rachel Korinek that she usually shares on Instagram or her blog, Bea Lubas (who has also a book on this subject), Joanie Simon (who also has a book), or Skyler Burt.
What is the best investment you have made so far in this journey that has made you successful?
Good question, I have invested in so many things during the last 5 years but I regret nothing. I think that besides investing in all the gear (camera, lenses, lights, editing programs) another super important part of food photography is curating props and not only cutlery, plates, or linen stuff, but also backdrops and surfaces and sometimes cloths. All these elements help you create a coherent story, they are indispensable tools. Another great investment is time, you spend a great amount of time practicing, learning, baking, making research, cleaning but it is also important to be patient with yourself, challenge yourself, and try to find the balance between the two, I'm not saying it's an easy job, it wasn't for me, but it's a part of the journey and we need to find pleasure in it otherwise it's just hard, hard work.
What is your process of recipe development? How many times do you test the recipe before publishing it?
Well, it's hard to reinvent the wheel, right? But I always keep in mind the fact that most of the recipes are pretty basic and simple, when it comes to desserts basically you mix the dry ingredients and then the wet ones and you start from there, I'm always inspired by seasonal fruits and veggies and try to make them stars of my dishes. Sometimes it comes great from the first time, some other times it requires more trials.
"Another great investment is time, you spend a great amount of time practicing, learning, baking, making research, cleaning but it is also important to be patient with yourself, challenge yourself, and try to find the balance between the two,"
How did you develop your personal style?
I was inspired by the moody photography that I first saw at Linda Lomelino and I think that my love for cinema played an important part in my style too.
At first, I was using a lot of dark backgrounds and too many props but in time I've realised that I truly love colours and powerful contrasts and I think that this is one of the elements that truly defines my style, my love for colours.
Do a lot of vibrant colours also reflect your personality? How would you explain your personal style?
Interesting question. I have discovered my predilection for strong and vibrant colour palettes in time and I think it has to do a bit with my personality, I like certainty and clarity, seeing everything clear and understanding things around me is one of my strongest believes, also I like sharing, I'm a giver, I like sharing my food, my ideas and the love for the things I see and create, so bringing colours and joy to those who follow my work it has to do with the way I am and I'm always happy when I receive messages from people thanking me for sharing a little bit of joy and colour with the world.
"If you have everything planned and the shooting day comes and you don't feel inspired at all, your energy is down, well take some time for yourself, have a coffee or a tea and be gentle with yourself, reflect and see where can you find that energy, don't worry if you don't find it, it's not the end of the world"
What areas should a beginner explore at the beginning of their journey?
I think that working with your own inner is the most important at first, being patient is key. It's a new part of your life so take it slow, be patient and learn.
There is no shortcut, of course, the process might be slower for some and quicker for others but we are different people with different lifestyles and personalities so that is perfectly normal.
The most frequent question I get is: what camera do you use, I want to take pictures just like yours? A camera is not sufficient, it does not matter what camera you use, at least not at first, you don't need to take pictures just like me, you have to find your own voice, of course, you can be inspired other's work, I did too, but in time you will discover who you are as a photographer and creator, and trust me, a great or expensive camera is not a shortcut, is just a tool.
Creating recipes, cooking, process shots, finished shots. There is a lot to do. How to be productive with all the overwhelming steps?
Indeed it's an overwhelming process that requires a lot from you: creativity, strength, reason, physical work, and a lot of other skills. Planning is vital, at least for me. Having all written down and visualising the steps is crucial for me, I have sticky notes everywhere. I always try to gather and buy everything I need a day before the shooting, it's super important to have all the tools handy before you start to work, looking for ingredients 2 hours before the shooting, just takes all my energy out. Give yourself time to think, to plan the way your set up is going to look, give yourself time to create the story that you want to tell, sometimes it comes just like that, that happens when we are truly inspired and our minds are relaxed but sometimes is a struggle, when that happens I go back to what I have created before and see what might work from there, also combining with mood boards and inspiration that I save usually on my phone. And if you have everything planned and the shooting day comes and you don't feel inspired at all, your energy is down, well take some time for yourself, have a coffee or a tea and be gentle with yourself, reflect and see where can you find that energy, don't worry if you don't find it, it's not the end of the world maybe you will find it while you are working or maybe you will find it another day. It's a tricky job, but I guess the inner mechanism is different for every individual and we find out resources in different ways, but I think that being gentle with ourselves is a piece of advice that I can give to anyone.
What is your top tip on keep growing as a creative?
Trust your powers and don't give up. Challenge yourself, try something new, use a bold colour that you never used before, a prop that was laying there for ages, go outside and take photos of nature. In a nutshell, be active, not only with your photography but also with your body, inspiration might come from unusual places and inspiration is the fuel of our creative process.
The End!
I hope you did enjoy this interview. Adina has also shared some more tips on Colour Theory, especially for my lovely subscribers. If you would like to receive those tips, you can join my mailing list and also get access to my previous Newsletters.
If you are looking to improve your skills and want to strengthen your basics faster, then my workbook is the right place to start which will get you closer to your goals in no time.
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