Meet Maelynn Le | Food Photographer and travel food blogger

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

Hi Maelynn, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
I think the most important lesson that my career has taught me was patients is key and you have to work for what you want to achieve your goal. I knew that building myself as a content creator and food photographer was not going to be easy but I always felt that there was a certain deadline that I wanted to reach or I wanted this opportunity at a time frame. I think I was impatient having these thoughts inside my head saying “I need to be this age in order to be successful” or “in this amount of time, I want this opportunity and if I don’t reach that deadline, it’s over.” As I became better at photography and better at marketing, I realize it’s okay if it takes me longer for me to reach where I want in my career. It’s good for me to set goals but I think it was unhealthy for myself to set a deadline on my career goals because that builds up more pressure, stress, and anxiety for myself. If some other content creator gets an opportunity I wanted before me, good for them but I will get there eventually and focus on myself, not on other people and their success. I’m happy for them but I’m not going to be disappointed in myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets me apart from other people is that I have my own style of photography. I believe that the photos I take are based on myself and not copying someone else’s style. If there is a style of photography that I like, I try to recreate it but restructure it in a way that is mine. Not plagiarism, but find ways for it to be mine instead of taking someone else’s idea. I want my food account to scream my name and show my authentic work to my audience. My photo style might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but what matters is it looks clean, creative, eye-popping, and I want to be myself. Because I believe in myself, the capabilities I have, and the fact I don’t doubt or 2nd guess myself, that’s how I got to where I am today. It was not the easiest road for me. I’m still a college student and having school and work can be messy. There are times I have to sacrifice an opportunity I got for work but school takes over that and therefore, I miss my chance at a great opportunity that I threw away. I’ve gotten better on how to make my career and college work because I’m organized and determined that I can manage. I think along the way, my career has prepared me for life and college. I started this food photography journey as a teenager and have grown not only as a photographer, but as a person as well. With my job, I learned about communication, leadership, managing a team, organization, and self-awareness are the lessons I learned and am learning still. Those traits I gained will help me through the rest of college, and work in the future. I am more mature than most college students and I am so determined to finish, and start working. The world should know instead of me partying and drinking, I am a self disciplined woman that people should not take for granted, underestimate my intelligence, nor make false claims because I am a young college student.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So for those of you who don’t know, I currently live in San Francisco, CA. Some of the main attractions in San Francisco that are popular that a visitor should check out are the Golden Gate Bridge, the Ferry Building, Chinatown, Lombard Street, the SFMOMA, Fishermen’s Wharf, and Union Square. Obviously, there are many great shops, dining, and experience to check out in San Francisco. One of the food places I highly recommend checking out is called Pineapple King Bakery. It’s honestly one of the best bakeries in San Francisco that is located on Irvine Street near Golden Gate Park. My favorite item to get there is their Guava bun because the guava flavor is very punchy and the pineapple bun is nice and sweet but not overly sweet. Another food place I recommend is U dessert story. Their desserts look so extraordinary like their Thai crepe cake and their bingsoo. Definitely a must check out in the San Francisco area because they have Instagramable desserts that are eye popping but taste awesome as well. Another must check out spot in San Francisco is Yank Sing which is a dim sum spot that has 2 or 3 locations. Remember those carts you see that have dim sum items, unfortunately a lot of business had to discontinue that because of the pandemic. Now, since the COVID numbers have gone down, Yank Sing is one of the few Chinese dim sum spots that still have cart operation. They come to the table and you just pick out what you want. It’s quick, fast, and easy. Honestly, San Francisco is the best city to go for dim sum since we have a large Chinese American population. These are just some of the best restaurants, food places, and attractions that are a must go when you visit San Francisco.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my family because they support me with my career and I love them so much. They always gave me encouragement for me to be happy with my life and I couldn’t ask for a better mom and dad who gives me their love and support. Thank you mom and dad for giving me the strength and power I have today because of your mentorship as parents.

Another shoutout I would like to dedicate this to are my followers who supported me. My followers are my encouragement in terms of why I keep doing what I do even though it’s hard for me sometimes to do my job, I feel all of my followers in a way, show love towards me and I feel so supported to my followers that love my content.

My friends are my next support group that I look towards for love and support. They are always happy for me and they have given me the encouragement I need to become successful. Some days, I have my days where I’m very stressed or something goes wrong that I can’t control. Whenever I feel that way, they are just one phone call away and my friends are ready to listen, and help me out. Thank you to my close friends who have supported me throughout this journey, I am so lucky to call everyone of my close friends my friends.

Thank you to all of the small/large businesses that I have worked with who want the best from me. This job wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for everyone who have worked with me. The amount of food you guys share with the community is truly beautiful and amazing! Continue to strive out there in making your community proud!

Website: https://jupiterdevours1.wixsite.com/my-site

Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.flexitarian.aholic?utm_medium=copy_link