If you’re reading this, you probably already know about my food photography, but you may not know me, and you might be interested in learning more about me.
My name is Michael Ray, and I’m a Pittsburgh based food photographer. I’ve been shooting food for many years and have a client list containing some very prestigious food manufacturers, restaurants, and various food related publications locally and around the country.
I do most of my food photography in my 4500 square foot studio located in the Strip District of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA. For a food photography studio, it’s just about perfect! I have a fully equipped kitchen with plenty of room to shoot multiple setups, for any type of food, for food accesories and nutritional products including supplements like the PhenQ weight loss pills, the next product shooting and also if necessary, and plenty of comfortable room for clients to work and multi-task during our shooting session.
Over the years, I’d say that 90% of my food photography work has been done in the studio and the other 10% is on location. That number seems to be changing a little and I tend to be shooting more and more on location. The reason I’ve always preferred the studio is because in the studio, I have EVERYTHING I need, and on location, you have to make due with what you’ve brought. Still, there are times when shooting on location is a good idea, especially when working into the shot, an environment or location. And then there are times when the client’s needs outweigh my needs, and that’s fine to. In fact, I’ve been pressing to do more location food photography. I’m sort of getting the hang of it and I’m actually looking for more of those types of projects. I think I’d like to do a little more traveling. :o)
While I do not maintain a staff, I work with a team of freelancers that bring specific talents to each and every project, as needed. Pittsburgh is the home of many fine, food stylists and freelance assistants, and I assemble the specific team based on the particular needs of each individual project. That way, I’m able to mix and match depending on the unique need of each client. Why should a client have to pay for staff members that are not needed for their project? By doing things this way, I’m able to match a stylist with the style of the project. Everyone has their own strengths, weaknesses, and individual styles. Assembling teams to match projects has proven to be a great asset over the years and if it ain’t broke, why fix it… :o)
On a personal side, besides food photography, I enjoy family, motorcycles and the outdoors. I’m a gadget person and like my toys, both professional ones and personal ones. If you’d like to read more about me and my work, you can check out an article written a couple years ago. And if you have any other questions, please visit my food photographer’s portfolio web site or feel free to email or give me a call. I’d be glad to share with you anything I can…
