Nick Anderson is a professional food photographer and lifestyle filmmaker based in Milwaukee, WI

I started out in engineering, with a degree from college (and a full-time job), and quickly found out that wasn’t the career for me.

It wasn’t filling my soul with that fire and satisfaction I thought it would. I found out real quick that chasing around sunrises and sunsets in Colorado with my camera in the summer of 2016 was wayyyyy more fun. The dopamine rush it provided after I nailed a sunset shoot was AMAZING. After I captured a handful of National Geographic worthy sunsets, I realized how immensely time consuming this new hobby I had started was getting to be. Not to mention the monthly gas bill for my car had seen better days.

I decided to switch gears a bit. My love for cameras still remained but how could I focus my attention on something more approachable, and manageable from my home in Colorado. —Food. I can shoot food. Surely there’s an industry for that, right? Not knowing anything about…anything, I started shooting food. I started @forkinpancakes (now, @JEBBWEST) with the intentions of having a platform that I could grow and hone in my skills as a food photographer. I asked all the stupid and silly questions in the beginning to fellow food photography Instagrammers. I learned and I studied, every day before and after work, shooting when I could. I was fully prepared to “embrace the suck.” I knew I was going to be terrible at this food photography thing for a while, but it was only a matter of time before I emerged on the other side, confident with my work.

You have to “embrace the suck” — in everything you’re starting for the first time.

It wasn’t long before a few brands reached out to me on Instagram and asked if I could do some of their food photography on a monthly basis for their social channels. With A LOT of hard work, (before and after regular engineering work) I plugged away at this passion of mine. Late into the night and early into the morning most nights. I didn’t watch TV for a whole year (no joke). I was fully invested and committed to making this a full time thing. If only I could make the same amount of money shooting food as I do my engineering job, I could quit and make turn this passion into reality.

In February of 2018 (16 months later), I walked into my boss’ office and told him I was going to pursue food photography full time. He couldn’t believe I was serious. We talked for the rest of the day together and he couldn’t have been more proud of me for going after something I was so passionate about. We still talk to this day just to catch up. He was a great boss.

It was also a scary moment. Leaving a pretty kush job with all the bennys and a pretty damn good salary to potentially losing all your clients in a month and sleeping on a rug in the street. But I knew I would never reach my full potential if I didn’t go after the unknown: full time photography and videography.

It’s worked out pretty well for me. And I’m thankful for that. Beyond thankful I made that leap into the unknown of growth potential and ultimate satisfaction with the work I get to perform on a daily basis.

I’ve made some great connections in this rather small and insanely cool industry.

My wife, Kelsie and I currently live in River Hills (just north of Milwaukee) and we have a beautiful son named Beckham and a pup named Banks. Each day is different for me, and I love that. I love the variety of my work from shooting food all day in the studio, to filming lifestyle videos downtown Milwaukee. And filming a picturesque wedding on the countryside or helping out a restaurant re-do their entire menu photography, I’m so grateful to have the variety.

It keeps my creativity invigorated and my brain sharp.

I love the work that I do, and I hope you do too.