He traded photos for free meals to build his portfolio. Now Aaron Van shoots nine venues on Disney property and he's just getting started.
Award-winning food photographer AaronVan knows that "the starving artist" archetype is a real thing. Because he lived it.
As a talented Florida food photographer balancing a full-time ad agency job, he was desperate for a way to build his portfolio — and his new photography business — so he could break free from the daily grind of his 9 to 5.
"When you're building your portfolio, you just need things to take photos of. I called out to restaurants and said, 'Hey, if I bring out my equipment and take photos for your business, would you give me food?'"
It was a humble start to what is now a full-time food photography business. But this kind of success didn't happen overnight.
"You don't just quit your job and get lucky enough that you fall into the right thing. It takes a lot of time."
It wasn't until age twelve, when Aaron's grandfather gave him a Nikon film camera, that he first felt like he could create something himself. Growing up in Massachusetts, and later Florida, his family didn't have much money to develop film — so opportunities to experiment were scarce. He majored in digital arts in college and joined an ad agency in 1998, where the rise of digital cameras finally gave him room to explore.
Aaron spent years building his portfolio — taking consumer shots, family portraits, whatever would pay — but he struggled to turn it into a full-time career. Around 2014, his interest in food grew as he cooked more for his family. When a favorite restaurant held a recipe competition, he entered on a whim. The prize was a trip to Ireland and cooking lessons with Chef Kevin Dundon at Dunbrody House in County Wexford.
He won. And he brought his camera.
"For that week I took nothing but food photos and loved it. I absolutely loved it."
By the time he made it home, his direction was clear. One day while shooting for his portfolio in a downtown Orlando restaurant, a passing stranger mentioned he had restaurants that could use Aaron's expertise. The man worked for a national restaurant group with venues at Disney Springs — and three Italian restaurants in Epcot. Three years later, he's still one of Aaron's biggest clients.
"I currently shoot for nine venues on Disney properties. You always hear it depends on who you know and luck… I do believe that he was my lucky moment, but I also put myself in that situation to be noticed because I was doing the things that needed to happen to build a business."
For Aaron, that means never stopping the learning — a lesson reinforced by over sixty courses he's taken across topics from advanced lighting to marketing to storytelling.
"I see so many people that work hard and they're not growing. It's not just about the photos. You have to do the studying and the learning to really understand your craft."
"I'm a fairly glass-half-full kind of guy and for ten years I've been building a business and I haven't quit on it. There's no reason it can't be done."