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

Hi Lyudmila, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I currently have two businesses and they both had a similar thought process behind them: I wanted to immerse myself more in each respective community. For Midnite Snack, my print magazine, I saw a really beautiful overlap between art and food from my past days as a food photographer and bartender. I wanted to showcase that crossover in the form of an annual publication where I would inspire readers by featuring artists of various practices. Being in print was a key factor because it’s a medium I’ve always preferred and admired, and it hits so much differently than the internet. Foto Studio, my other business, is a multidisciplinary photo consulting studio that I launched to help commercial and fine art photographers curate their portfolios and fine-tune their creative strategy. I’ve been on so many ends of the photo industry and I wanted to use my experience to help artists figure out the landscape of the photo world, which is always evolving and often hard to navigate on your own.

What should our readers know about your business?
Midnite Snack is an annual print publication that explores the creative space between food and art. Each issue is a combination of pitches from contributors and topics I’ve ideated. The focus is exploring collaborations in the food and drink world (chefs, winemakers, bakers, food stylists, farmers) and art world (painters, designers, illustrators, photographers). The execution of this concept has resulted in a really beautiful community, which is one of the things I’m most proud of. It’s also been super interesting to see how contributors interpret each issue’s theme in either an abstract or literal way. One of the most challenging aspects of the business is surviving in the print industry. Fortunately, I have great distribution in North America, Europe, and Asia and for the upcoming issue I’m bringing in carefully curated advertisers that are cohesive with the magazine’s ethics.

Foto Studio is a multi-disciplinary photo consulting service that I recently launched. My goal with this business is to help commercial and fine-art photographers navigate the industry, which can be quite tricky, as photo trends tend to come and go. I go a bit deeper than portfolio curation to help people with creative and marketing strategy, which strengthens the longevity of the artist’s career.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would absolutely do a day in Chinatown, which has some of my favorite places to eat with a nice variety of independent bookstores and things to see. I would start with snacks and tea at Steep LA and then walk over to Tomorrow Today, which has one of my favorite curations of art books and magazines. Next I would take a little afternoon nap in LA Historic Park, which is great for people watching against the background of downtown. Checking out an exhibit at Charlie James Gallery would be next on my list and closer to dinner time, I would head over to Far East Plaza. There, I would grab a pre-dinner snack burger from Amboy and then head over to my all-time favorite cookbook store, Now Serving. For actual dinner, I would go to Lasita, which is just across the plaza. I would close out the night dancing at Homage Brewing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve worked with so many amazing people, both in the service and photo industry. Several of my bosses and coworkers were such helpful sounding boards when Midnite Snack was just an idea. Leah Brown, my dear friend and former manager at the bar Angel Face in Portland, was one of those people. I’ve also been able to collaborate with so many skilled photographers and it was extremely valuable relating over shared experiences in the industry. Alex Pines, a very talented beauty, fashion, and lifestyle photographer based in LA and NYC, is one of those people. Lara Talatinian is another person that continues to inspire me throughout Midnite Snack’s creative process with her connection to photography and food. She is very good at linking community to both of her practices (food and photo). She’s currently doing pop-ups and events in LA under the name Call For A Good Thyme.

Website: https://midnitesnackmagazine.com/

Instagram: @lyudmilazotova

Image Credits
Portraits: Sebastián Blanco
Midnite Snack Photos: Lara Talatinian
Other Midnite Snack Photo: Kristina Koseva
Foto Studio layouts: Lyudmila Zotova

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.