Nivi Shaham
Food / Product / Still Life Photographer
Los Angeles, CA
Q What do you do?
“I’m a commercial food, product, & still life photographer for modern brands crafting products with personality.”
I aim to create imagery that showcases your brand story in each photo. Consumers connect to stories, not just great products. By combining your brand’s unique story with your products, we create beautiful images that entice, convert, and resonate. I especially focus on the connection between your product and the person it’s made for. My end goal is to deliver intentional images that strike at the heart of how you communicate and connect with your customers.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I practiced, and then practiced more, and I continue to practice. I always believe that you can accomplish anything with enough hard work. I had been a hobbyist photographer from the age of 12, and for many years it brought me joy to go outside with my camera and capture the world around me. When I got older and reevaluated what really mattered to me in life, I came to realize that when I was pursuing anything creative, I was engaging my most authentic self.
When I fell in love with cooking and baking, I merged it with my other love, photography. Since then, I’ve worked incredibly hard to learn anything and everything about commercial photography, lighting, storytelling, and crafting a style that’s true to me. I expanded to food, product, and still life out of a love for all three of those genres. I am constantly conceptalizing new ideas, pursuing personal work, and collaborating with incredibly creative stylists. In my free time, I am learning new techniques, meeting new creatives, or pursuing my next crazy idea.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My favorite part about what I do is coming up with new, captivating ideas for my photos and stop motions. I focus a lot of my time and energy on conceptualizing something truly original, compelling, and beautiful for each and every project I work on. Often the photographer’s job is to simply direct and light, but my strengths lie in my ability to direct not only the crew and lighting, but the overall concept, feeling, and story.
If I’m not the art/creative director, clients know that I have their concepts at the heart of every decision I make as the photographer. I am meticulously detailed and intentional with my images, but I also know when to step back and allow others to do their magic in their specialties.
Possibly even more important, I treat everyone I meet, work with, and spend time with, with respect, appreciation, and kindness. Every person on a crew is equally important and essential and needs to be treated that way. I have so much love for the people that make what I do possible, and I make sure to show that in any and every way I can.
Q What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on a number of client and personal projects with some incredibly talented food and prop stylists in Los Angeles and NYC. My client work is really wonderful and fulfilling, and I feel lucky to have worked with the brands I have. For my personal work, each shoot is the brainchild of my own weird, creative mind, and allows me to explore new and unique ways of approaching food and product work.
I’m also always working on networking and meeting new people! Los Angeles is huge and vast, and houses so many incredible minds. Please feel free to reach out to me if you’re looking for someone to chat all things creative with, while sipping on overpriced LA coffee.
Q What’s your style?
My current style is sophisticated, rich, colorful, and modern, while of course appealing to the story I’m photographing for. Style, however, is ever-changing. Sometimes I want to shoot something nostalgic and retro, and sometimes I want to shoot something dark and musky.
Some of my favorite projects right now that encapsulate my style best are Cann Social Tonics, & Sandy At The Beach.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I wish I could focus more on learning new editing skills. I do most of my post processing, and am pretty good at it, but there is a lot more I could learn and accomplish if I simply had the time!
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Honestly, the push to get rid of licensing in the photography world. Licensing is the lifeblood of photographers, and also helps clients afford high-quality content at more affordable prices by not requiring them to purchase full licenses which include rights they don't need and will never use. There's a growing trend of photographers giving brands full licensing and even copyright, when we, as a photography community, should really be pushing to keep licensing alive to support ourselves and our longevity in this industry. There is a time and a place for full buyout licensing, but most brands simply don't need the right to use their assets on things like billboards and public transportation ads (especially if the work isn't for a larger campaign, and is instead for continued brand recognition and familiarity)! All brands need marketing assets, and many turn to photographers to create high-quality content for their brand marketing. This current trend of getting rid of licensing means that many of us photographers will no longer be able to sustain our businesses and many brands will be left purchasing low-quality content at cheap prices. Licensing is a win-win for photographers and clients, and we should continue to fight for our right to license our work.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I would hire someone to do all things SEO for me. Blogging, website SEO, keywording, descriptions, etc. SEO is so powerful and so important, but it takes up a lot of time that I often don’t have.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I could have told freshman in college Nivi that academics aren’t everything. Creativity is valuable, and necessary, as is spending time with friends and going out in the world. At that age, I was always so focused on my grades and reaching a certain GPA, that I never pursued things I loved and slowed down to experience the world around me.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Lighting, hands down. I am constantly infatuated with learning new ways to light intentionally. If and when I have the opportunity to speak to lighting experts, I milk that opportunity for all that I can!
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I am looking to work with brands and ad agencies looking to partner and create intentional, storyful, work that can be used across many platforms. I've been exploring motion work more thoughtfully in the realms of stop motion and directing, and am looking forward to pursuing more complex projects that utilize these things. My true love is stills though, and I definitely am not putting that to the side! If you’re a brand with an amazing product, and you’d like some gorgeous imagery or stop motions that speak to your audience, I want to work with you!
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
My favorite clients are ones who understand that quality is more important than quantity. A smaller number of high quality images will get you further than a huge number of mediocre photos. High quality images can be used in many different ways, across many platforms, and create brand recognition.
I also love when clients give me creative freedom. I love to concept and create ideas, so when clients trust me to create a concept for their products, I am extremely grateful.
Above all, I love clients who respect me, my time, my craft, and my process!
As for collaborations, if you’re a stylist with endless ideas and an itch to create, I want to work with you! Feel free to email me to inquire about a test shoot!
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Please send me an email at nivishahamphotography@gmail.com and fill out my inquiry form!
Q Who is a creative you admire?
I have had and continue to have some incredible mentors in my life.
Victor Ha has been the most generous, kind, and thoughtful mentor I could have asked for. He’s constantly answering my questions, teaching me new things, and guiding me. I am so lucky to have him in my life.
Vanessa Rees is an amazingly talented food photographer who has taught me so many things, showered me with kindness, and welcomed me into her home. She is so forthcoming with all her techniques and wisdom, and I am so grateful for her mentorship.
Victor and Vanessa are the two Mentors most prevalent in my life right now, but there have been so many others who have given me advice, helpful tips, helped me learn something new, or just been there when I needed them to be. I wouldn’t be where I am today without any of them.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
I never stop thinking about my next image.
This member profile was originally published in June 2021, updated on December 2022.