Meet Cara Harman: Food and Lifestyle Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cara Harman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cara, how do you think about risk?
Risk has always been a scary word for me. Growing up, I was never the biggest risk-taker. I was fearful of branching out, and so paralyzed of failing that I never even tried to do most things in the first place. I’ve always felt very safe staying in the “familiar.” College was no different. I only chose classes I wanted to take, avoiding options that looked too difficult or different from what I wanted to shoot at that time. I literally kept myself from growing as an artist, and continued to do so long after college. When life becomes stagnant, you really only get two choices- to continue down the same path OR try something new. After years and years of no success due to my own hindrance, I finally had enough. I decided to take an internship for a lifestyle magazine and began shooting small stories for restaurants, events, and fashion. This was SO different from the fine art photo world I came from. Out of all, restaurant photography stuck. A few months later on a whim I applied to be a freelance photographer for a boutique marketing agency specializing in food, even though I didn’t have the most experience (something I never would have done normally.) I got the job after one test shoot, all because I put myself out there. Fast forward to 2020 and Covid19. The restaurant industry is on hiatus, and therefore so is my job. In the past I would have played it safe and pretty much done nothing, waiting for the return of my old job. Instead, I decided to take an online program for food styling. This was a game changer. When my industry started to open back up, suddenly I had a very sought after skillset that only added to what I could provide. I began marketing myself and landing my own individual clients. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Now here I am today, slowly but surely building a client base and still maintaining agency work. At this point in my life, risk is essential. You can’t have reward without risk. If I had never branched out of my comfort zone and taken that internship or agency job, or learned food styling and marketing, I would never have begun to see the beginnings of success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Los Angeles-based food and lifestyle photographer with a serious love for desserts. I feel like I’m pretty much a one-woman show. I handle the shoot concepts, treatments, art direction, photography, styling, and editing. I’m definitely proud of where I am today compared to even a year ago. I have a very strong work ethic and am a go-getter with positive attitude for client needs. My photo journey has been all over the place, but when I finally landed on food photography, I felt at home. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you have to be willing to put yourself out there even if you fail. And, if you do fail, ride that wave and grow! You will always come out on the other side stronger and wiser. My story started out in fine art, and now I’m working my way up the food photo world and loving it. I did a complete 180 and found success and a new love for photography!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As a foodie and lover of unique events/places, I would plan a week full of eateries, interesting spots, and experiences. We would have to go to Gjelina in Abbot Kinney and in turn check out all the interesting stores surrounding it. Downtown LA would also be a must. Pre-covid, we would go to the Row DTLA to take a pottery class, and enjoy the Smorgasburg food truck festival, filling our faces until we were red. We would need to check out one of the many large flea markets, such as the Melrose Trading Post or Rose Bowl in Pasadena. And finally we would need to go eat at the Original Farmer’s Market at the Grove.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a lot of credit to both my parents, and my boyfriend Nick. My parents have given me the safe space to explore what I want to do without any judgement while my boyfriend really pushes me creatively to branch out and take more risks. He has and continues to give me all the confidence that I can do anything I put my mind to.

Website: https://www.caraharmanphoto.com

Instagram: @caraharmanphoto