Penny de los Santos
Penny De Los Santos is a visual storyteller, photographer, and director who has traveled the world documenting people, food, and culture for publications including National Geographic, Bon Appétit, Saveur, and Eating Well. From the historical all-male dining clubs of the Basque Country to third-culture life on the Mexican-American borderlands, these experiences are at the heart of Penny's work — shaping the subjects they choose and the way they make photographs. Her distinctive perspective and creative style have attracted commissions from Starbucks, Walmart, Target, and Martini & Rossi. She has also received numerous grants and fellowships, including the National Geographic Photography Grant, the Eastman Kodak Photography Grant, the Canon USA Photography Grant, and the Parsons School of Design Marty Forsher Fellowship. Penny is based in New York City.
With a foundation in documentary and travel photography working for National Geographic for the first decade of her career, and shooting for clients like Bon Appétit and Saveur, Penny De Los Santos walks participants through a real professional food shoot, complete with stylists, props, and all the prep work that happens before the camera comes out. Participants will get a front-row look at a high-end commercial shoot.
An honest conversation with photographers and industry professionals about what it takes to build and sustain a career in commercial photography. Pricing, client communication, dry spells, this panel gets into the parts of the photography business that you can't afford to overlook.
Penny leads an exploratory walk through Minneapolis food culture, from markets to restaurants to local producers, looking for the stories, people, and moments that make a place unique.
A panel with food and beverage photographers on craft, culture, and storytelling, exploring how commercial food imagery can function as a cultural force rather than just a marketing vehicle. A grounded discussion about what it means to make work that is intentional, honest, and genuinely connected to the human experience of food.
Penny brings her documentary instincts to portraiture, exploring how to build trust with a subject quickly and make images that tell a story rather than just capture a face, drawing on years of shooting people alongside food and culture across 40 countries.
Space is limited. Get your passes today.
