The Nitty Gritty - with Sally O'Neil
If you haven't heard of Sally O'Neil, aka The Fit Foodie, you must be living under a rock.
She is a pint sized force of nature, running a food blogging, photography and styling empire while also juggling a successful business with her Fit Mixes range, studying a Nutrition degree and also making regular appearances on television.
She is also giving and funny and inspirational, and I owe a lot of my recent confidence to her standing the background poking me to get out there.
Take it away, my friend...
Tell us a little about yourself .
I’m a health food blogger, cookbook author, instagram influencer, commercial photographer and food stylist. I own three businesses - two in the media realm and one in the food product space.
I have a penchant for everything incredibly pretty and aesthetically pleasing. I’m currently completing a degree in Science majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics - my side hustle, in the zero time i have spare.
How did you get started?
By total accident. My boyfriend started a website to send recipes home to my mum in the UK.
It got many more views than I had thought, so started adding images to the recipes.
A few years later i was noticed by a publisher who gave me a photographer and stylist for 3 hours - who taught me pretty much everything I know.
I was then left on my own to shoot and style my own cookbook. Being thrown in the deep end with that was one of the best things to ever happen to my photography career.
What equipment do you shoot with?
I use a Canon 5D Mark 3 with a Sigma 50mm Prime Lens 1.4f.
Do you prefer studio work or location shoots?
Studio - I have a big cupboard with all my props ready to go, all my fave linens, backgrounds and nick-knacks to make a shot shine.
I know the light too, so it makes it easier to get good shots.
Describe your style.
Oosh, no one has ever asked me that before!
Light, bright, and straight to the point. I don’t go too heavy on styling or props if the food is beautiful.
Who do you admire?
Anyone who does dark photography well! I just can’t seem to do it.
@Anisa.sabet is a total legend and wonder-talent, along with you Naomi - am I allowed to say that?! (Yes Sally, yes you are. Lol!)
Your images are captivating and tell a story. Sometimes I feel my images miss the mark on that - its hard to create mood with brighter shots.
What's your dream food shoot?
Something with salmon, so I can eat it all afterwards. I’m to ashamed to say I eat almost everything that appears on my feed. I’d guesstimate only 10% of it makes it to my boyfriend. Poor guy.
What's your "can't live without" prop?
Sea Salt and cracked black pepper. Not really a prop, but I them on 80% of dishes to add texture and/or colour.
Sweet or Savoury?
Sweet
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate
Four favourite instagram accounts?
@gatherandfeast
@jennakutcher
@earthyandy
@sophiachang
Three songs to listen to while working?
Lady Powers - Vera Blue
Express Yourself -Tinie Tempah
Work From Home - Clean Bandit
What was the last cookbook you bought?
Healthyish - Linsday Mailand Hunt.
If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family think you'd done?
Stolen food. Or cookbooks. Or ceramics.
Can you show us one of your early photos, along with a recent shot that you're really proud of?
Eek! This is going to be hilarious.
The first shot of coffee was taken in Dec 2014 - on my phone, in a dark corner of a cafe (that is now incidentally, closed).
I remember putting my cup on the couch next to me to get the blue velvet backdrop. Too funny!
The second one was taken yesterday on a shoot for a cafe client.
I have a new respect for light and the role it plays in an image.
There’s also a massive thanks to Canon in there somewhere - for making my life easy to capture awesome snaps. Life before a DSLR was pretty flat.
MY CONTACT DEETS
facebook: www.facebook.com/thefitfoodieblog
pinterest: www.pinterest.com/thefitfoodie
