Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlin Salazar.
Marlin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always held the perspective of viewing food and the cooking of food as an art form as well as a craft. You see, I used to be a professional chef. For over 12 years, I have worked in all manner of cookery and restaurants. Everything from high-end, influential French bistros to trendy chef-driven restaurants. Food trucks and festival booths. Large scale event catering and small pop-up restaurants done after-hours or in basements. The consistent theme throughout the scope of my chef career was always delicious food and emphasis on presentation because people taste with their eyes before it ever reaches their tongue. It was the ephemeral art of plating and presentation where I found my passion. Each plate was another chance to create a new piece of art for someone to enjoy. About six years into my culinary journey as I was visiting a friend of mine, who happened to be in the film industry when I had an epiphany. While he was telling me stories of life on film sets, I had asked him, “Who are the people that make the food for movies and tv shows?” I mean, the actors don’t do it, right?? Then he begins to tell me about the Home Economist and the Food Stylist, a person that makes the food to be eaten, on-set, and person that stages food for purely presentation only, mostly for photography. Mind blown.
As someone who spent ten plus hours daily in a kitchen, I have never heard of anything like that or knew that even exist and I knew then and there, that’s what I wanted to do. The only problem was, how do I become a food stylist? There isn’t like a Food Stylist school. I didn’t know of any. I decided that I needed to make a portfolio. I began taking photos of dishes I would make at work, all with my cheap phone, at the time. I was a private chef at that time, so I had a lot of creative freedom of presentation. Then one day a well-known food photographer that I had previously worked with at a catering company where I was the Executive Sous Chef and she was a Venue Manager (She eventually left this catering company to become an award winning photographer) was in need of a food stylist. There was my chance and my start of my food styling career. As a food stylist, I was able to work on a few major brands like the House Blues, The Hass Avocado Board, Bertolli Olive Oil, as well as working on brand commercials and music artist’s cooking shows. It was my photographer friend, as I was showing her my portfolio work (All shot on my cheap phone), that had told me that I had an eye for composition and if I had ever thought about photography. I hadn’t. But I LOVED the idea! I immediately borrowed my sister’s camera, googled my heart out on how to use it and began taking it to the kitchen. Every restaurant I worked at, I would take photos and I would be the unofficial in-house photographer. I was eventually approached by a marketing agency to work freelance and start shooting for their restaurant clients. That position eventually turned into a full-time position where I learned to do video as well. Now, I am a fully freelance Food Photographer, Videographer, and Food Stylist where I help restaurants or brands create or maintain their brand identity.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was an interesting road. The biggest struggle was not having a clear path to follow. Being a food photographer is a pretty niche industry, I was lucky enough to know one early on in my career that could give me insights and advice. And working full-time as a chef was a huge struggle, having to fully commit to daily kitchen management commitments and to find motivation to continue to practice and shoot, and to finally take the risk to leave my full-time kitchen job for a passion project was terrifying.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a food photographer but I specialize in commercial food photography. I am most known for being able to work with a brand and create visual campaign aesthetics for product advertising. I most proud of being named Top 5 Food Photographers in Orange County by peerspace.com. I think my prior experience as a professional chef and food stylist is what really sets me apart from others in my industry. I have a complete understanding of how food lives and reacts and how to showcase it. Food has always been my medium of choice.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Being able to pivot was the biggest lesson to survive the covid-19 crisis. The food and beverage industry was, by far, one of the hardest hit industries, and that included photography. I was fortunate to partner with a photographer in real estate which kept me afloat during the pandemic. That as well as a mix of working remotely at my house setting up a home studio, as clients would start sending me product to shoot.
Contact Info:
- Email: marlinsalazar@gmail.com
- Website: www.likethefishmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlin_like_the_fish/
