Back in the studio with our favorite client Gorton’s Seafood! Hook Line and Savor family of fish is doing so well they have extended it and we were shooting their newest flavor; Everything! Just like the bagel, that was so tasty! It had a great crust and Helen the food stylist came up with perfect herbs and flavor Q’s that went along well. In addition to shooting that we got to shoot a new packaging shot for their Pub Style Cod. This was beautiful with the rustic wood surface and earthenware plate. The cod was paired with steak fries and a crisp golden beer. That was new for me incorporating a beer into a packaging shot, such a perfect idea! It came together really well. The lighting was a broad and soft approach as if there was window light being used. Beautiful shot to end the day with. Great working with the team!
Boston
Photo Shoot B.T.S.: Gorton's Seafood Grilled Fillets
What a fun week working with Gorton’s Seafood again and food stylist Helen Jones. We got to photograph some of Gorton’s signature fish products with new photography and updated design. Overall the imagery was beautiful, fresh, and natural feeling. A great product you can enjoy for dinner or even lunch. Can’t wait to see the final shots in stores! Check out our B.T.S. from the shoot.
BTS: Aramark Photo Shoot
It was so exciting to get the call for a new push Aramark was doing for their annual report and other advertising outlets. They wanted something fresh and to really "raise the bar" on their offerings to potiental clients. They are the 2nd largest in the food business in North America and have clients all over in different capacities. We had a day of shooting food items on different surfaces creating unique environments. Debbie Wahl handled the food styling and Lisa Russell did props. The agency creative flew in from California and Aramark came to the shoot. We had a lot of fun and came out with really exciting work! You can see a little B.T.S. below.
B.T.S. Ommegang Brewery Photo Shoot
If anyone knows me, they know I have an appreciation for good beer. Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown, NY has a variety of some of the best beers in the country. I knew of their brews before they became famous with the Game of Thrones specialty beer they put together. HBO came to them with the idea to create beer for the show! I’ve been in contact with the brewery before about working together, and finally the timing was right. Ommegang had recently redesigned their labels and needed updating for their brochure. There are about 8-9 beers that were re-done that needed to be photographed and paired with a food entree that spoke to the beer as well as their restaurant at the brewery. We planned the shoot around half of that because some were more of a priority than others. It was great working with these guys because of the creative freedom in the food styling and final recipes as well as the general prop direction. The shots had to have a rustic feel and clean background if they needed to run text over them. The main purpose for these shots was to update their brochure so vertical shots were needed. Working with my team and the designer from the brewery was a lot of fun and the day went smooth. In the video I included just a couple of my favorite final shots.
*That cheese and meat spread was something! :)
BTS: Food Photography Workshop at The Art Directors Club
What a great event and turnout for this past weekend's food photography workshop. It was great to share my experiences and tips I've learned over the years to help the students improve on their own photography. We had a packed afternoon of talking lighting setups, camera programs, and the importance of styling. I did a live demonstration on set shooting and building a sandwich. I also discussed the importance of hiring and working with a food stylist as well as a prop stylist.
Everyone broke out to separate tables building their own sets with props supplied and also making their own sandwich to photograph! You can see a time lapse below of the days events.
I would love to continue this workshop at other locations in New York City as well as New Jersey, and Philadelphia. If you are a food or prop stylist and want to collaborate on this please reach out! Also any studio spaces that would like to host us.
Food Photography Workshop Saturday March 12th 2016
I'm so excited to be working with The Art Directors Club on a food photography workshop at their NYC headquarters. It will be an exciting day of shooting food discussing how to craft your shot providing tips and tricks! Also touch on the benefits of working with food stylists and prop stylists. At the end will have a fun critique looking at what everyone shot.
You can find more info here and register for the weekend workshop, it will be fun :)
Don't forget, ADC month of March is Photography month.
Recipe: Buffalo Wings
I don’t have a deep fryer at home and buffalo wings make me feel guilty enough so these baked buffalo wings were a good trade off. I was really craving the buffalo style wings with that real orange sauce so this recipe I didn’t need to add to much extra butter. You can buy this style sauce at any supermarket, it’s usually next to the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce which also offers an awesome wing recipe on the bottle.
What you will need:
3/4 cup flour (this yields for about 20 wings, depending on the size and quantity of the wings you may need more or less flour)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 or 1/4 cup melted butter (whatever your feeling!)
1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, seal, and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.
*I also had a grate between the foiled pan and the wings just so they could get a little crispier.
Friday Farm Follow Up
This mild winter has been great so far. I’ve been continuing my personal project photographing at the farms with weather I’m able to stand in for a few hours! However I would like it to snow at least once so I can get shots of the farms in a wintery setting.
Baby calf being fed milk and nutrients by Andrew the farmer at the dairy farm
Cocktail Recipe: Mint Julep
This was fun to photograph and also very challenging because it involved so much ice! I could see myself revisiting this shoot and re-doing it now knowing the difficulty of shooting so much ice at one time and it all looking good.
The history of the mint julep is interesting but the presentation to me is what really sparked my interest. The stainless steel cup and bright grouping of fresh mint drew my eye in. After doing research and reading about the drink it was almost like a slushy for adults which I think any adult would be OK with.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon Mint Simple Syrup
Crushed ice
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) bourbon
1 (4-inch) cocktail straw or coffee stirrer
1 fresh mint sprig
Powdered sugar (optional)
2015 In Review
2015 is coming to an end. I continue to grow and learn as a photographer and business owner. There are many things I can say about this past year and where I see myself in the future, however I always like to turn to inspirational quotes by successors I’ve learned from who just say it so much better. Let’s raise a glass and cheers to 2016!
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney
Photo Shoot B.T.S. Texas Jack's BBQ
This was a great project we were able to pull together right after the Thanksgiving holiday. The client was working on a tight deadline with the restaurant having a soft opening and then opening for business start of the week! We were able to capture their authentic smoked meat dish offerings and showcase their amazing bar assortment. The restaurant had an amazing interior designed from the ground up with reclaimed wood and decor. The restaurant sat on a busy street just outside Washington D.C. It is housed with the historically preserved “EAT” sign having their own neon sign to match. Their smoke master and Food Network winner Matt Lang had some impressive dishes to share and we were excited to be apart of it.
Amazing Food Stylist: Harry McMann
