Reka Csulak
1. Can you introduce yourself and talk about how you got into photography?
My name is Reka Csulak, the founder of Three Pod Studio. I am a creative food and product photographer based in Espoo with 5+ years of international experience in shooting for leading brands and mentoring talented creators.
The reason why I got into photography was my love for food. I wanted to illustrate my food blog with better visuals, so I got myself an entry-level DSLR in 2018 and then started the learning curve of mastering my new gear and various software for post-production.
I challenged my vision from the very beginning by entering social media challenges and professional competitions and it did not take long until my vision, style and technical execution got recognised. These achievements confirmed my idea to turn my passion into a profession.
2. Where did you study photography?
Most of the time I self-studied photography through trial and error in the early stages, and then I systematically started to invest in my education and seek portfolio-building opportunities. I
3. Do you remember your first shot? What was it?
The first food photograph I took for other reasons than preserving memories on my phone's camera roll was taken of gingerbread cookies I finely decorated with royal icing to illustrate my blog post at Christmas of 2016.
When it comes to more professional gear, I photographed a traditional Hungarian braided bread right after buying my first DSRL.
4. What equipment do you use?
I have two Canon DSLR cameras with multiple lenses to cover all scenarios. My studio is well-equipped with all the necessary strobes, modifiers and stands that are required for commercial work and I curate my own prop collection with 600+ unique items including handmade backdrops with my own design that cannot be found elsewhere.
5. What do you hope to achieve?
I would like to make an honest living that brings stability and peace to my personal life. I aim to achieve this by creating award-worthy concepts for my clients + supplying them with the type of visuals that brings them closer to their marketing and sales goals, and by delivering professional practices to my mentees so they can master their own craft.
6. What compliment inspired/touched you the most?
The indicator of a project
7. What inspires your unique storytelling?
I like to create a concept that helps to deliver a message in a way that no words or commentary are necessary for the viewer to understand it clearly.
8. What THREE (3) words describe your photography style?
Motion, harmony, impact.
9. Congratulations! As the winner of the European Photography Awards, what does it mean for you and your team to receive this distinction?
Thankfully this year is no different from the last one in that sense that my work ranked high again with 2x Platinum Winners and 1x Honourable Mention in the Commercial Photography category. These titles are given by a prominent jury of industry professionals, so it is truly a milestone in one
10. Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2023 European Photography Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
I submitted these entries because they nicely represent the wide spectrum of custom content production work I do and represent the unique vision and creation style that sets my work apart from other submissions.
11. How has winning an award developed your career?
If I think about professional development, the prominent jury has made a strong statement by selecting my work, which will serve as a straightforward and credible reference to my present and future clients + mentees. Winning, personally also makes me trust my own vision and creative decisions even more as an artist.
12. Name 1-3 photographers who have inspired you.
In general, I am inspired by individual works of art more likely than their author, but as a beginner, my first and biggest inspiration was the work of a Hungarian photographer and food stylist, L?rinc Szendeff.
I would also like to mention a Finnish photographer, Mika Lev
13. What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out, by a mentor or your role model?
"The best camera for photography is the one in your hand."
The equipment you use rarely limits your vision, creativity, and style. Professionals often debate what
14. What advice would you give someone who would like to become a photographer today?
If photography is your hobby, then make sure to enjoy the creation process and experiment a lot
15. What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
When you are working on a client project, you often translate someone else
16. How do you stay in that space of being receptive to new information and knowledge?
Try to identify the technological innovations that potentially will change the industry forever, and add the necessary skills to keep up with the demand for these. When it comes to trends, be more selective, pay attention only to those which genuinely resonate with you, and create something that radiates your unique vision and personal style - this way you can stay credible.
17. Anything else you would like to add to the interview?
No, thank you for the opportunity! If you find any typos, please feel free to correct them.
