Taylor Mathis (@taylor_mathis) is a food photographer turned entrepreneur based in Charlotte, NC. Taylor has built an online following in the food photography industry, and authored several books. Lately, he’s turned to online entrepreneurship and helping fellow photographers earn steady income through his new venture and podcast of the same name, Business of Creatives.
This conversation covers his origins in photography, the challenges of shooting food, and how he transitioned into different business areas as a creative pro.
Check out Taylor on his sites, Photographing Food , Taylor Takes a Taste, and Business of Creatives, as well as his book, The Southern Tailgating Cookbook.
Show Notes & Links

Taylor describes himself as a “content creator”
Comes from a family of entrepreneurs 
His food photography is run through his blog Taylor Takes a Taste
Does some commissioned work through his blog producing recipes and photos
Tabasco
Fresh Express
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Taylor graduated in 2008 with a degree in finance but due to the state of the economy decided to go back to school for photography
He attempted wedding photography in fall of 2009 but found more of an interest in photographing food 
Created his blog in January 2010 with his mother, who happens to be a professional recipe developer, as a way to improve his food photography 
Over the next couple of years his business became centralized around food; people were asking “how’d you do that?”
This lead to the creation of his site Business of Creatives where he teaches people how to use their creative skills to make a profit
Taylor traveled to 25 College Football games over 3 seasons, and wrote a book about it
Crush It! by Gary VaynerchukOn Amazon> and On Audible
Developed the educational side of his work through the questions that he was getting from the people who visited his blog
This led to the creation of his Photographing Food series ebooks
Growth Hacking
Instagram
Snapchat
Facebook, now pay-to-play
Life lessons helped to refine his business
Patriots vs. Seahawks, the recent Super Bowl contenders
Color Gamut & White Balance
Taylor found a way to create recurring income through things such as workshops, leasing stock photos, etc. 
Bill Gates still does the dishes by hand every night
For recipes visit Taylor Takes a Taste
For tips on improving food photography visit Photographing Food
For tips and information on being an entrepreneur and creating your business visitBusiness of Creatives
He can be found on instagram as @TaylorMathis

Tools

Pinterest, which can drive ridiculous amounts of traffic
Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop
Paypal
Pen and paper
Online scheduling systems Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, and ScheduleOnce
Google Docs/Drive
Google Analytics
AWeber

Techniques

Use a simple flash with modifier for straightforward food photos at restaurants
Use fluorescent continuous lighting for video recording; they stay cool
Use a macro lens to capture the details of food.
Building an email list is very important; more important than social media platforms
Use Split Testing, aka A-B Testing, for email subject lines
Set reminders in your calendar for your side project
Get an accountability partner to kick your butt a little

Habits

Write three posts a week for the first two years of his blog, consistency is key.
Create an Editorial Calendar, plan out what you are doing a head of time for organization and to create viewer interest. 
Block out days in your work schedule. (ex. weekends are always for weddings, posts every Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
Find the work schedule that is most productive for you. 

Get The Episode

Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 44(MP3, 40:18, 19.5 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 44(OGG, 40:18, 33.2 MB)


Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes