Welcome to Saltwater Studio!
We are a Santa Cruz based collaboration of creatives, here to make your brand as beautiful and exciting as you deserve it to be. Together we have years of experience, vision, creativity and skill. We are your one stop shop for photography, recipe development, creative direction and social media strategy. We custom tailor our services to your needs in order to give you a streamlined experience while having fun along the way. We'll work together to strengthen your brand awareness and capture your customers' attention. Come hang with us!
Meet the Team
Amanda Chasten - Photographer
Amanda is a food photographer based in Monterey, CA. She loves creating clean and simple food photography for national brands, small to medium food businesses, and local restaurants. Amanda has been honing her craft since 2020 and has taken several courses to learn photography. She is dedicated to continuous learning and constantly seeks new perspectives to enhance her work.
Her degree in Food Science from the University of Delaware gives her a strong background that aids in recipe development and the overall understanding of food. She also has several years of experience working in the produce industry, in both food safety and new product development. She uniquely combines her scientific and cultural knowledge of food with her artistic talents to create beautiful, eye-catching food imagery and motion.
Emily Caneer - Food Stylist
Emily is a Food Stylist and Recipe Developer based in Santa Cruz, CA. Starting young, Emily worked in a food photography studio in Monterey (born and raised) learning the ropes and eventually moving on to assisting Food Stylists in San Francisco. After 7 years assisting other stylists and learning how to cook, source, improvise and collaborate, she went out on her own as a lead stylist in 2015. Since then, Emily has styled for top food brands, cookbook publishers and magazines, working across the Bay Area, honing her style and loving every minute in this delicious and creative field.
In 2023, Emily moved with her family to Santa Cruz to be closer to her home town and start to build a community of creatives that can serve the vibrant food community of the Monterey Bay and beyond. She is excited to bring everything she’s learned back home and elevate the food scene through beautiful imagery.