Earl Studios Puts Focus On Capturing Success

Some food advertisements look so good that there is no other choice but to go out and buy their products.

You can thank people like Jeremy Mayhew for that.

He is the owner of Earl Studios, an Amherst photography and videography business that makes magic with weddings, commercials, sports, portraits and artistic shoots. But his real passion lies in capturing the pure, delicious essence of food.

“I feel at home when I am working with food,” he said. “It is always great, because it was what I was meant to do. I understand it and I connect with it.”

The food lover and multimedia expert had run his studio part-time alongside his job running UNH’s website. However, this month he left his position and turned Earl Studios into a full-time operation.

His studio currently focuses on local businesses, which includes clients like Frederick’s Pastries, Rustic Leaf, Chunky's Cinema Restaurant and The Riverhouse Cafe. He has also worked with national companies like Stonyfield Farm.

Pouring his efforts into the studio is a huge leap of faith for Mayhew. He wants to see his small web design company, which he started in college 15 years ago, turn into a successful multimedia studio that caters to clients of all sizes. Right now he has a lot of work to do in order to grow and maintain his business.

“It is exciting; this is my life now,” said Mayhew. “If I don’t work now and hustle, I don’t eat and I don’t have a home. There is much more passion and energy in the way I market the business and go out and find new clients. I am taking everything and making a go at something that could be huge.”

The struggle is half the fun for this local business owner and he has never been so excited to get out and work in the field he loves.

And, of course, he gets plenty of opportunities to work with food.

Mayhew said he started cooking when he was 6 years old and has been infatuated with the culinary arts ever since. He has worked as a food service specialist in the army and as a restaurant chef over the years.

“Food is at the core of who I am. There is just this passion for food that was always there.”

His first food photo was a wedge of cheese with an herb, and he soon learned that a lot of time and energy goes into capturing food. It can take up to an hour just to shoot one dish after taking the food apart, building it back up and making it look its best. 

“You can’t just take a dish from the kitchen and take a photo,” said Mayhew. For example, he had a photo session with a burger from Chunky's Cinema Restaurant, and that is now an iconic photo for their menu.

Just one expertly-done picture can increase business and get customers in the door. Mayhew said that some choose to just take shots with their iPhone, but a poor picture of food equals poor results in marketing it. He makes sure the food looks great and there are marketing and branding strategies behind the photos.

“The goal for Earl Studios is to be a one-stop shop for a company,” he said. “The things I do will last for years and years.”

The future's looking bright for this local studio and his business has been picking up since he took it on full-time. He hopes to one day shoot commercials for big companies like Coca Cola, but said that he still wants to continue working alongside smaller local businesses as they expand.

“Want to see my smaller clients grow so we can do things we are doing, but in a bigger way,” he said.

Jeremy Mayhew has a diverse portfolio of work, but his favorite thing to shoot is always pastries. His connection to food is especially strong with delicious sugary treats.

“You don’t have to do much to it, no matter what you do it is going to come out nice. There is something warm and happy and homey about a cupcake or a piece of cake.”

Learn more about Earl Studios at Earlstudios.com or visit his Facebook page for more.