Interview with Alexandra Onosa from Baking my Days!
- Aisha Ambreen
- Dec 14, 2021
- 7 min read
And just like that it's the forth part of the series Let Your Creative Soul Shine. It's difficult to believe how fast the time flies and it's already December, This time we have an interview with a very talented personality, Alexandra Onosa from @bakingmydays. Alexandra is a hobbyist photographer who has been a constant source of inspiration to the community. Her baking projects are always leaving me speechless, just so incredibly gorgeous. She has shared a lot of valuable suggestions and tips to boost the creativity in food photography journey, Even though she is doing photography as a hobby, her tips are equally beneficial for the professional and hobbyist fellows. So let's dive in!
" My name is Alexandra Onosa, officially I am a Journalist, turned into a happy gardener, food photographer and visual storyteller.I am a passionate home baker in love with everything that involves dough, especially sourdough, an adventure I started almost 3 years ago.
I was born and raised in Romania, but I left right after graduating Uni in 2010 and settled in London, which I gave up in 2016 to live in a small town in Germany.
My journey into food photography started in 2018. I choose food from all other topics because food was always the bridge that connected me with the world... with my family and friends. Food always played a very important role in my life, though I did not acknowledge it and I started paying close attention to it very late. In time it became that one thing that kept the memory of long gone members of my family alive, and slowly it turned from just food into passion and even therapy. Photography together with growing my own food and cooking brought me the power to transpose my creativity into reality. Gave me the capacity to express myself in ways I never imagined, the power to touch hearts and make people feel something just by looking at an image, and that brings me much happiness."
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Is photography your main profession or are you doing it as a hobby?
Photography is not my main profession, no, I have a normal job that does not involve much creativity and photography is just that one thing that gave me access to a different way of expressing myself. I can call it a hobby, yes, although every now and then I do earn through it.
Photography as a hobby could be quite pricey. What advice do you have for fellow hobbyists?
Indeed, photography is not a cheap activity, no matter if it's a hobby or one does it as a profession. Like any other passion it involves many costs, starting with the camera, lenses, lights, backdrops, props. Obviously I couldn't afford everything from the beginning. I started small, and this is what I would suggest for every person who thinks food photography is the path they want to take.
I love earthy tones, natural and rustic elements and that probably made it a bit easier for me since many of these items can be found all around us in nature (dried or fresh flowers, branches, leaves). I use many wood surfaces as backdrops, many that I actually made myself out of pallets and wooden planks. I applied the same idea to many of my props, too. I have a cake stand I am very fond of, which I made out of a wooden candle holder and a cutting board I found at a thrift store. I love restoring old objects or trying to find a new use for them, rather than just throw them away and buy new ones.
Another example to keep costs at a minimum would be using tablecloths as backdrops, or even oneself wearing a chunky sweater, or an apron, or grandma's old dress, and regarding props, well, objects one uses on a daily basis from the household. In other words, make use of the things that you already have around yourself and if you feel you've explored them in every possible way, then it's time to invest in something else.
For example, I do not own a huge collection of ceramics, but the ones I invested in I use over and over again because they simply go hand in hand with my vision, and can be displayed in a diversity of styles. And they don't always need to be new, I buy most of the props in second-hands shops or I lend them from my landlady.
" To keep costs at a minimum would be using tablecloths as backdrops, or even oneself wearing a chunky sweater, or an apron, or grandma's old dress, and regarding props, well, objects one uses on a daily basis from the household. In other words, make use of the things that you already have around yourself and if you feel you've explored them in every possible way, then it's time to invest in something else."
When it comes to photography, how much does gear matter in your opinion?
Gear is important, but it depends a lot on what you are planning to achieve with it. I have met extraordinary talented people shooting awestruck images using natural light and a phone only. If you want to create quality images then it will be wise to invest in a camera and it will also be wise to explore it to its fullest and only when you feel you've outgrown it then switch to something else. The same rule applies for everything else photography related.
Could you walk us through your creative process behind your photos?
I don't have a certain recipe that works every time, because our creative flow is not the same everyday. Most of the time I imagine the subject in different scenes and I choose the one that makes sense the most. Now and then I am sketching my scenes while other times I am building my whole setup a night before and at the end I add my subject. Sometimes I only have my star and no image in my head and that's mostly when the magic happens. I just put it on my table and build everything else around it.
I have a different process when it comes to videos. This is where I put everything on paper, step by step. I video it's definitely more laborious and needs much more planning.
What are your sources of inspiration when it comes to food photography?
There is a diversity of sources I draw my inspiration from, but my main inspiration will always be mother nature, the seasons and their unique beauty. I can also get inspired by people, music, books, certain feelings I am overwhelmed with in given situations, childhood memories, certain moments I lived and want to bring to life again.
I can also add other creatives on the list which struck me with their way of looking at food or life itself and capture it in such unique ways: @pancake_planet, @stemsandforks, @valentinahortus,@violaminerva, @swarnika_, @eli_and_co, @madebyralu, @podustricat, @krautkopf, @twiggstudios and the list can go on and on.
"There is a diversity of sources I draw my inspiration from, but my main inspiration will always be mother nature, the seasons and their unique beauty. I can also get inspired by people, music, books, certain feelings I am overwhelmed with in given situations, childhood memories, certain moments I lived and want to bring to life again."
Do you ever feel uninspired? What do you do in this case?
I guess there isn't one person in this world who is constantly inspired. I do feel uninspired at times and it's normal. It used to be an issue for me and it took me a long time to accept it and just let it be. At the end of the day the only thing we can do is let go and try to relax, even concentrate on other activities that might stimulate our creativity on a deeper level that we don't comprehend on the spot. If we force ourselves most certainly the inspiration won't appear from thin air. Backing off is the best advice I can give. Take a long walk, a nap, have some tea, read a book, eat a cookie, clear your mind and most certainly inspiration will come back to you when you expect it less.
What happens if the photoshoot doesn't go as planned?
If it doesn't go as planned then I'll walk away from it. I'll come back later on and give it another try or I will postpone it. I think most of the time it's important to look at things with fresh eyes, you'll see the whole scene from a different perspective or notice details you haven't seen before.
" If we force ourselves most certainly the inspiration won't appear from thin air. Backing off is the best advice I can give. Take a long walk, a nap, have some tea, read a book, eat a cookie, clear your mind and most certainly inspiration will come back to you when you expect it less."
How important is it to develop a personal style in photography?
A "personal" style is what most of us struggle with from the very beginning and the more I think of it the more I feel this approach is somehow wrong. All you need to remember is that you and only you see things the way you see them. Put two photographers next to each other and have them shoot the same scene... Each one of them will most likely present the subject in their personal way. Everything you do has already you in it, and you are unique.
Once you discover the personal touch only you can add, then all that's left is to work at it, make it stronger and that will definitely help you stand out of the crowd.
Share your most challenging experience and what have you learnt from it?
Until last year I was literally chasing light during the cold season and it affected my creativity to the point that I couldn't touch my camera for months. I was always on the run and things never worked out as planned.
Introducing artificial light into my work was the most challenging part in this journey. It took me a long time to accept that it can do wonders, too, once tamed. Somehow I lived with the impression that it looks fake and my photography will turn into something that won't represent me anymore.
Even today I still want to shoot only with natural light but it is impossible at times due to my work schedule, so I've learned to stop putting pressure on myself because I will always find a solution in most of the cases. Artificial light helped me slow down. It was not going anywhere as natural light would. Plus it also helped me focus on one thing at a time, rather than trying to solve all at once and succeeding doing none, just because I knew it was there even in the middle of the night so I didn't need to rush things.
The End!
I hope you did enjoy this interview. Alexandra has also shared some more tips on How to develop personal style, especially for my lovely subscribers. If you would like to receive these tips, you can join my mailing list and also get access to my previous Newsletters.
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