Local Photographer Spotlight: Miachel Pruett

Known for her dreamy and crisp images, Miachel Pruett is a still life photographer specializing in food, drink, and beauty. Pruett has worked with many stand-out brands from Quaker Oats to Starbucks and Whataburger and encapsulates their branding while still producing creative and thoughtful photos. She has even been involved with passing on her knowledge by teaching courses with Moodelier. 

I got the chance to learn more about her work via email as follows below. 

How did you get started in photography? What drew you into food/ branding photography in particular?

Miachel Pruett: I started out by shooting recipes for my food blog. This slowly led to shooting on-location food, beverages, and restaurants for editorial like The Wall Street Journal and New York Magazine’s Grub Street. After a few years of freelancing I accepted a full-time position as Head of Photography at mindbodygreen, where I managed all of the in-house photography and stock photography needs. Here I fell in love with studio photography and all the possibilities of commercial still life! Now I’m back to freelancing, continuing to explore and grow creatively in my photo studio.

You've worked with some big names including Starbucks, Whole Foods and Sephora, what has been one of your favorite clients to work with and what are some of the challenges you've faced when working with clients?

MP: One of my all-time favorite clients has been the clean beauty brand Shaz & Kiks. It’s a mix of shooting still life and lifestyle, and we have a blast collaborating on set.

My challenges related to clients are usually tied to growing pains. In the beginning, it was hustling to land clients. Now that I’ve been doing photography for ten years, I’m learning how to balance life and work instead of overbooking my calendar.

Do you have any interesting stories of how you landed a gig with a client?

MP: My very first client! We were both standing in line for Food52’s The Piglet party, and I struck up a conversation with her. We hit it off, did a great shoot together, and are still friends to this day.

Who is your dream client that you'd love to work with some day and why?

MP: Some of my dream clients would be the clean beauty retailer Credo, supplement brand Moon Juice…and the local drink company Fronks!

I loved your food emoji series! It's such a fun and creative project. What was the inspiration behind this series and what was your favorite emoji to create?

MP: Thank you! I had entered myself into a photo competition and needed to offer a series, so I created a pop art spin-off using whole ingredients and emojis. At the time I was in a habit of making personal photo series centered on natural foods and this one came naturally to me.

Each piece took quite a while to make, but I loved the tactile nature of building each one. My favorite was the poo emoji because it took a couple tries to get the right ingredients (and because it’s the most used emoji in texts between my sister and me).

How does your approach and equipment change for close up shots of food versus wider spreads with more elements? How do you decide what shots to take in terms of storytelling?

MP: In my opinion, the biggest differences between wide and close up shots come down to lenses and lighting position. For tactile macros, I favor the Canon 105mm and low-placed light to get more dramatic shadows. For wider spreads, I usually use the Canon 35mm and higher lighting.

In what ways do you think using motion or gifs helps tell a brand's story better than a still photo?

MP: With the right movement, motion can make a still photograph even richer. I like adding a cheeky element like a hand grabbing a prop or adding complexity through a subtle touch like a shadow drifting in the background.

What are your most trusted pieces of equipment you'd feel lost without?

MP: My Canon 5DS and lenses! I used to regularly rent my equipment from Adorama in NYC and Precision Camera here in Austin, and now I’m grateful to have them permanently in my bag.

Do you have any upcoming projects you'd like to share?

MP: I worked with a super talented food stylist to create a personal video series on beets. I’m kind of a nerd about vegetables, fruit, and whole foods, so it’s near and dear to my heart!

You can find more of Pruett's work on Instagram and her website.