Episode #34
EP 34: Food Photography, Slowed Down: Costas Millas on Craft & Going Solo
This week at the fire, Shelly welcomes Costas Millas, the fine artist, graphic designer, food stylist, and photographer behind Made by Mr. Millas — for a conversation about creative process, patience, and building a solo business after two decades in design. Costas walks through how his food art stories began with a pink-and-black rhubarb series for an Instagram photo competition, the making of his award-winning Spaghetti series, and the deeply personal journey behind No Colour, his self-published, hand-numbered black-and-white photo book born out of a difficult year. They dig into mood boarding, letting ideas marinate, maxing out the gear you already have before buying more, delegating on big productions like his work for Fortnum & Mason, and why slow, meaningful creative work still has a place in an increasingly optimized, AI-accelerated world. Resources & Links Mentioned Made by Mr. Millas — website & No Colour book shop Costas on Instagram & LinkedIn : @madebymrmillas The Eat, Capture, Share competition, hosted by Kimberley Espinal Lola Fowler's Food Styling Diploma * World Food Photography Awards Podcast Gear: Studio Mic: Shure MV7* Headphones: Audiotechnica M50x * Laptop: HP Omnibook 7 * Mics for iphone/mobile Rode Wireless micro* Mic for camera or mobile: Rode Wireless GO III* *affiliate links. If you buy through any of these links it's supports the show, or supports Costas. Some Things Should Take Time “Not everything needs to be optimized — including in our business.” Costas's words this episode are a good reminder that a sustainable creative business isn't built on hacks alone. If you're ready to slow down and build the strategy underneath your creative work, start with the Basecamp Bundle — four foundational courses on swipe copy, visibility, usage licensing, and goal planning to get your business fundamentals in place. Check out Basecamp Bundle Step Into the Light: The Visibility Project Free , nine weeks, curated straight from guests on this podcast — one conversation dripped into your inbox each week to help you step into the light at your own pace. Sign up here About the Host Shelly Waldman is the founder of Creative Camp and host of the Creative Campfire podcast, a business education platform for commercial photographers and creative freelancers. Known as “The Analytical Creative,” Shelly is a working commercial photographer based in London whose background in economics and finance shapes her distinctive approach to pricing, usage licensing, business strategy for creatives and education design. About the Guest Costas is based in the UK and originally from a Graphic Design background, he started out as a hobbyist food photographer who loved to cook and bake, sharing images captured with his iPhone on his Instagram Made By Mr Millas. Now working full time as a Food Photographer, Food Stylist and Art Director, he is known for his bold and colourful style, his creative concepts and renowned Food Art Stories, including the self published book NO COLOUR. His clients include Nikon, Adobe, Fortnum & Mason, Fratelli Beretta and Clean Eating Magazine. He was named Food & Drink Photographer 2024 at The British Photography Awards and in 2025, was awarded the Food Stylist Award at the World Food Photography Awards Keep the Conversation Going Follow along on Instagram Buy Shelly a coffee Sign up for the Camp Bulletin If you loved this episode, leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — it helps more Campers find the fire.
