Meet Jennifer Arce | Food and Product Photographer and Stop Motion Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Arce and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have no idea hahaha. I don’t have any background in the art world. Actually, I went to college to study Pharmaceutical Chemistry (super unrelated to the creative field!!!) I never thought I would be doing the type of work I do today for a living. If someone had told me I’d be doing creative work as a photographer five years ago, I would have laughed at it because I thought I was everything but a creative person. I think starting a new life in a new country was key. I’m 100% sure I wouldn’t be doing photography today if I would stay in my country. I guess my career is a testament to what people call the American dream!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a food and product photographer who brings life to still images through motion. I love what I do, and helping businesses showcase their products in the best possible and creative way is my jam. My versatility, personality, ideas, and passion for devouring and learning everything about photography are what sets me apart from others. I consider myself a versatile creative because I am able to combine still images and video to create unique content that makes people stop and watch, and I’m not bragging (or perhaps I do), but few professionals can do that. My clients find in me a partner that can see their product and think about what can be possible from the perspective of a photographer, a stop motion artist, and a videographer. I can combine two or all of them into one final asset, which I guarantee makes a product shine like no other. Although I have a particular photography style that I like, I can do whatever type of work a client needs. Does it also count as versatility, right? I consider myself a nerd when it comes to photography learning. If you ask me what my ideal weekend plan is, I’d probably say that it is to watch any class, course, tutorial, etc., on the internet about photography and then take my camera and play in my studio with what I learned. This is, and I hope it continues to be my favorite plan. Photography has awakened a desire for learning that my career never did. I think I found my true passion, and I’m so grateful that I can spend my days doing it.
The last five years have been life-changing for me. Everything has been new, challenging, and exciting, from moving to a new country and starting a new life to learning a new language and starting a new business. In the beginning, I had to overcome many limiting beliefs, and I still do. I’ve learned things about myself and things I’m capable of that I never thought about, and that has been very rewarding.
I remember 2021, I had just registered my business, and one or two months after launching my website, this guy reached out to me asking to shoot his cookbook. I could not believe it. I thought that was a joke or a mistake. My English was not good then (and still is not, hahaha), so I spent two days preparing for the call with him, scared that he would not hire me because he could not understand me.
So many professionals have dreamed about shooting a book their entire life, and here I was, a beginner photographer with the opportunity in front of her eyes. So many challenges came with this project, but I’m so glad I pulled it off. The book was published last year by one of the most important publishing houses in design and photography and today is an award-winning and best-seller book. By the way, the book was about one of the most iconic restaurants in New York, which makes the whole story even more unbelievable.
This experience was the beginning of my career as a photographer and taught me so many valuable things: 1) That I’m ready to take on any project, even if I feel like I’m not. 2) that I’m a good photographer that provides value to others and 3) That nobody cares if my English is not perfect; they care about the quality of my work, and that’s it.
I want people to see me and my brand as a reliable partner and source of information for all things photography. I want everyone to know that I’m on a constant journey to becoming the best photographer in the world, not competing with other photographers but with myself, and that I will put my heart and soul into every product, business, and entrepreneurship that comes to my door because that’s just what I love to do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Breakfast at Zak the Baker in Wynwood. Then a walk around Wynwood, Design District, and Downtown. Lunch at Cvi.che 105
I’m not sure how feasible it is to do this in one day, but I’d take them to see the sunset in Naples. I’m in love with this place. After the sunset, I’d take them to dinner at any of the restaurants on 5th Avenue.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a big shout-out to Jack Wild and its photography Club “The Art of Photography.” Pre-covid, we used to gather weekly in the main library in Fort Lauderdale. He was my first mentor and teacher and gave me so much valuable feedback back there when I was doing photography just as a hobby. His career and work, and the way he sees the world through photography, inspired me to pursue it as a career. The Female Food and Product Photographers Community (FFPP) has connected me with many talented local female photographers. I’m also grateful for this group because they have become my support network in the last year or so. We are friends that help each other, and now I feel I’m not alone in my journey as I build my business. I highly recommend that any female photographer join the group run by my friend Antonella Re.

Website: https://arcephotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferarcephotography/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arcephotography/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenniferarcephotography/

Image Credits
Jennifer Arce Arce Photography