Interview with Roberta Dall'Alba from Healthy Little Cravings!
- Oct 15, 2021
- 5 min read
I am here again with another exciting interview with another favourite photographer, Roberta Dall'Alba. She combines a lot of earthy tones with a keen attention to details in her photography creating a feeling of warmth and coziness. Not only her work is astonishing, she is gem of a person too. When I approached her asking about the interview, she was too kind and down to earth about it. If you want to know her better and need to learn from her, keep reading until the end,
"Roberta Dall’Alba is a food photographer, food blogger and founder of The Outstanding Food Photographer Program, a complete program that helps food photographers develop their aesthetic sense to elevate their photography, so they can attract clients. She has a passion for homemade food and an obsession for baking. Roberta has a love for texture and attention to detail, and her intent is to always make her images mouth-watering and as three-dimensional as possible. Despite her young age, Roberta has worked with small businesses and magazines, as well as larger brands like Nikon, Adobe, Barilla and others. She's OBSESSED with editing (and cats;))!"
This is the second part of my series Let Your Creative Soul Shine I started this year. It is a series consists of interviews of five creatives and instagram challenges. You can get the monthly themes from here.
Tell us about yourself. How did you end up in the Food Photography business?
First came my love for food! I’ve always loved cooking, especially baking. Growing up I used to bake with my mom! Then in 2016 I launched my blog, healthylittlecravings.com, but quickly realised making a living with it here in Italy wouldn’t have been easier. So, to stand out I decided to focus on food photography (and just consider blogging a “side job”). I invested in my first course and then kept practicing basically every day (even though now I like to take days off;)) and studying studying studying. I also almost immediately started reaching out to potential clients.
" That is our market right now. We are a lot, but you have ways to stand out! "
What decisions helped you become more successful as a Food Photographer?
No doubts investing in myself. I started with a course back in 2018 but then kept investing in courses, books, ebooks, in- person workshops. I strongly believe even though you can be a great self-taught photographer (which I am in the first place), investing really makes the difference. Also in the “timing” (we could spend years googling information, instead when we buy the above mentioned – courses etc – we can focus our energies on that “product”). Another thing that helped was looking at other artists’ works. To be precise, not only looking but analysing. Being aware on their usage of colour, light, composition etc.
Could you please tell how a successful photographer is different from a good skillful photographer?
To me it’s not about being successful in monetary terms, but being fulfilled and happy with what you do. And especially, eager to learn! (Not to interpret as “money are not important”, they are extremely important and I also teach my students about an abundance mindset. But you have to be happy with yourself first)
One question comes up often especially for the new food photographers and bloggers that this field is over saturated. How do you see the future of Newcomers in this field?
I always tell my students that it’s true there are more players, but the field is getting bigger. A metaphor I heard early this year: imagine salt into a glass of water, if you put too much the salt – with the same amount of water - won’t dissolve anymore. But what happens if you put more water? Salt will start dissolving again. That is our market right now. We are a lot, but you have ways to stand out!
One decision that a beginner should make right now to be successful in future.
Like I said before, INVEST. There’s nothing bad with it: when I don’t know something, I always ask for help and I am not ashamed. Quite the opposite: I am happy and proud that I can learn new things every time!
" Top advice would be to take time to know and appreciate the brand, so that – when pitching - you can tell them why you like them. "
How did you overcome the fear of pitching brands? What advice do you have for beginners to pitch brands?
You just have to DO IT. I almost immediately started, not caring if I was “good enough”.
Just start! And again, like I always say to my students, remember you can fake confidence behind a screen. Top advice would be to take time to know and appreciate the brand, so that – when pitching - you can tell them why you like them. And remember it’s never about you, but about them!
Is it important to have a big traffic on the blog before approaching brands for collaboration? (from blogger's perspective)
In this case yes, numbers matter (even though I earned a bit of money also when I had very few page views). In case you don’t have a lot of users (or followers), at least the few you have need to be engaged. So you can use that as a strong point.
But I like to say that inspiration especially comes from the inside. I firmly believe that we all have a unique eye and soul, and everyone sees the world in a different way.
Let's talk about the photography itself. Where do you draw inspiration from?
Literally everywhere. I know it’s a vague answer but everything can inspire you: a fashion magazine, a snowy field, a plate you see at your grandma’s house, a particular smell that reminds of your childhood. See, literally everything. Lately I have been inspired by interior design. But I like to say that inspiration especially comes from the inside. I firmly believe that we all have a unique eye and soul, and everyone sees the world in a different way. But we need to find time to stop and slow down, and look “inside” to find that unique world. That uniqueness will manifest in your photos.
What do you do when you are not feeling creative?
Take a break!! And do something else which is not photography. It can be reading a book, watching a documentary or series, whatever it is, take your time.
Last year I started calling those creative ruts, “creative evolution” instead. It’s a tiny mindset shift that helped me realized that those moments will help me transition to something better. The better version of my “artist self”. Oh and P.S. yes, they are normal!:) don’t worry.
Do you cook yourself before shooting? How much time does it take from cooking to shooting? How to manage time?
The answer here really depends on the recipe. About managing time: absolutely plan each photo shoot. It could seem a “waste of time” but it’s kinda the opposite: it will help you AVOID wasting time.
The End!
So guys! are you motivated to pitch your first client after reading this interview?
I hope you did enjoy this interview. Roberta has also shared some more tips on Editing, 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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