Photographing for Pageviews with Stephanie Keeping and Melodee Fiske: Mediavine On Air Episode 21

As a food blogger, there's one key ingredient to your success: taking delicious photos of your recipes.



But how do you do that with the seemingly endless competition and incredibly complex Google algorithm?



In this episode of Mediavine On-Air, Stephanie Keeping and Melodee Fiske of Pretty Focused break down their system of taking amazing photos that drives pageviews and expands their audience. Using real life examples and statistics on how a few principles for their photos greatly increased their popularity, this episode is great for food bloggers that are just starting out or trying to recalculate their business.



Make sure to listen to the full episode and let us know what you think!







Helpful Resources



Stephanie and Melodee's PresentationPretty FocusedPretty Focused Courses








https://youtu.be/uspLQAVGi6E




Transcript



[MUSIC PLAYING] JENNY GUY: Hey, everybody. Welcome. Hello. Say hi. Welcome to another episode. Sorry, we were in here just totally getting down--



MELODEE FISKE: I love it.



[LAUGHTER]



JENNY GUY: --during the intro. And we were adding each other through the-- yeah, I mean, if you can't start with a little dance party, I think you're doing something wrong.



MELODEE FISKE: Just go home. Just go home if you're not going to dance.



JENNY GUY: True that. That's very true. Well, welcome to another Mediavine Summer of Live. I'm your host, Jenny Guy. And as we saw from that beautiful intro, it is summer. But regardless of how we feel about it, summer is just flying by.



So my first question for you guys, and for my guests, is, how are you making the most of it? How are you enjoying summer? I have personally been on a bruschetta kick. And there's nothing like summer produce. And in my humble opinion, cooking is the most fun around the holidays and summertime.



So I made some with tomato, basil, and red onion. And it was dinner. I broiled my bread with Trader Joe's garlic olive oil. And then I drizzled with my homemade balsamic syrup. And I was like-- I was feeling very--



MELODEE FISKE: Summer.



JENNY GUY: I felt very-- yes. I felt summer. The pictures were very colorful. Of course I had to take pictures.



STEPHANIE KEEPING: Yeah.



MELODEE FISKE: Right.



JENNY GUY: I mean, because if--



MELODEE FISKE: What else would you do?



JENNY GUY: Why would I make food if I wasn't going to take pictures of it? Eating is--



MELODEE FISKE: Photos, or it didn't happen.



[LAUGHTER]



JENNY GUY: Exactly, exactly. So I mean, what's the point of life if you're not capturing-- it's dumb.



MELODEE FISKE: Exactly.



JENNY GUY: Why would I go to a restaurant if I wasn't-- yeah, it's silly. But for publishers, social media is a terrific way to showcase their content and grow their followings. But the question is, how do you create a compelling image that actually brings people in, makes them click? And you guys, my guests are here to help. Let us meet them.



So, Stephanie Keeping and Melodee Fiske were moms who wanted to stay at home with their kids. A kitchen, a camera, and a computer helped them do it. Melodee, a former teacher, had two little kids, loved her job, and still wanted to be able to contribute financially to her family. As a hobby photographer for several years, starting her own thriving home-based photography business seemed like the answer.



Stephanie was in a similar boat. She'd quit her corporate job and was building a blog, Spaceships and Laser Beams, so she could stay home with her young son. But she was burning the candle at both ends as she balanced photography, growing page views, and building brand sponsorships and social following, giving an amen to all of my content creators out there.



STEPHANIE KEEPING: Yeah.



JENNY GUY: Feel it. Mhm.



MELODEE FISKE: Yeah.



JENNY GUY: Melodee felt burned out working as a wedding and portrait photographer and wanted to work more with bloggers and influencers to establish her business on her terms,