This is new, this is fun, this is my latest personal project! I wanted to really have fun with this project and challenge myself by going with my gut instinct. In the process of adding motion work into my portfolio I always found the stop motion pieces interesting. Taking a series of still images and sandwiching them together to make a 15-30 second piece was bringing the stills to life!
Going to the dollar store as a kid there are always the memories of the novelty toy section; you know the really quirky toys you could pull pranks on your friends or siblings with. Maybe these would be stocking stuffers. One really fond memory I have is getting silly putty and squishing it on top of newspaper comics and seeing the print go onto the putty. That was magic to me as a kid. How was I going to bring this back to food but still have fun with it?
If you have ever gone into the dollar store you should also be aware of the off the wall food brands and item combinations you have come across. For example: Larry The Cable Guy; he has his own food line, some of which is frozen biscuits and gravy. You may have seen Twinkies flavored ice cream. Another one is those widely toxic colored drinks that come in the gallons. There are some weird brands of food out there and you could probably find them at the dollar store.
The combination of novelty toys and weird branded and flavored foods brought me to my latest project on Dollar Store Dining. The stop motion piece of these really helps capture the life in the novelty toys but gives me the opportunity to take the setup farther and show more humor and relation between the toys and the food. I hope you enjoy; this is about having fun with food!
D.C.
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.
Brief History of Thanksgiving
How did Thanksgiving start? We gather each year with family and friends on this day sharing in big feasts but do we take the time to learn its roots?
In 1620 the Mayflower, a ship from Plymouth, England went on a journey seeking a new home to practice their faith freely. After a long and treacherous journey it brought them to the New World and landed at Cape Cod. Their first winter there was very brutal and lives were lost. Once March approached the remaining ship crew; the pilgrims came ashore to settle. The Native Americans who lived there helped and taught the pilgrims how to cultivate corn, catch fish among other helpful survival tactics. The next year the pilgrim’s had their first successful corn harvest that called for a celebration! That celebratory feast was the first unofficial Thanksgiving that we know today. Source: History.com
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
Portfolio Reviews 2015
Finally the week is coming up! I'm soo pumped to be meeting with Art Directors and Photo Editors from top agencies at NYC Fotoworks. I've been busy shooting and building new work for my book. ALSO will be premiering my new logo designed by the uber talented Nick Prestillo from AIGA. Book edit was done by my friend and photo consultant Neil Binkley
Photo Shoot Recap- Eating Well Magazine
It was great to get a call from Jim at Eating Well with a fun little project photographing parsley and ice cubes. They had a general idea what direction they wanted the photos to look but the rest was up to my creative direction and super talented food stylist Lisa Russell!
We started the day with the parsley creating a poetic, flowing photo of the flat leaves moving across the plexi. This image was running 3/4 of the page and to be photographed overhead lit from underneath. I really enjoyed this because the light really made the leaves glow green and with some of the leaves overlapping made for a neat contrast. We did a few setups of that shot but could easily be altered later by adding or removing leaves for the final shot.
For the ice cubes I knew this was going to be more challenging because they melt! :) We had plenty of options and recipes to go off of provided by the recipe developer at the magazine. The clear ones with green leaves and herbs I thought came out the prettiest. The ice cubes made with the colored liquids were also pretty but not as transparent when lit from underneath. We tried a few setups like that and also let some purposely melt to create a pastel liquid forming around cubes. The challenge with this was making it look pretty not so messy with a big melting mess. After trying some with that setup we switched gears to shooting them straight on and stacking them! I was surprised they held up as well as they did and not slide off one another. In the end I thought these were the best executed and what the creatives most closely wanted for the magazine.
Personal Project: Margins
I recently entered the ASMP LA photo contest that had the theme "Margins" interpret it anyway you want. Whenever I have the opportunity to push the boundaries with subjects (and involve food) I like to jump at the idea. For this series of images I interpreted the word margins as the mouth. We use it everyday and really it has its own boundaries or "margins."
I thought it would be interesting to play with the edges of the mouth while someone was eating. I would photograph their movements of chewing and carefully selecting food that could create a mess or fall outside the edge of the mouth. There are a couple from the series on my conceptual portfolio and more at my APA gallery.
Published: Vegan Casseroles Cookbook
This year has been so amazing, and this is the perfect way to end it with my 2nd cookbook that just came out! I was able to photograph Vegan Casseroles by Julie Hasson. The cookbook consisted of recipes involving Pasta Bakes, Gratins, and Pot Pies. I was amazed at how flavorful and beautiful these dishes came out. Vegan food is something not everyone is comfortable with. I love food and it would be very hard for me to live a vegan lifestyle but these dishes were really amazing. If you've never tried a vegan dish this is the cookbook you would want to find a recipe.
Link to cookbook
Here's a lasagne dish from the vegan cookbook
Photo Shoot: Culture Cheese Magazine
I had the opportunity to photograph Culture Cheese Magazine's upcoming Winter issue on Crème Fraîche. This cream can be applied to many dishes sweet or savory. The article I photographed and styled by Lisa Russell contained sweet and savory dishes such as twice baked sweet potatoes and Sticky Gingerbread Cake with Whipped Crème Fraîche. Below is just a couple shots that will be featured in the upcoming issue. Enjoy!
Felicia is now on Behance
Networking and getting your work out there to the creative public is an ongoing process. I'm excited to announce I have a live portfolio on the Behance network. You can find my recent work and projects in the works.
SITE: https://www.behance.net/perrettiphoto
Photo Shoot: La Colombe - Todd Carmichael
I’m a huge coffee drinker. Don’t start my day without a cup! When I was asked to photograph Todd Carmichael for Imbibe I was thrilled. Not only is he the CEO of La Colombe but he is a world explorer. He holds the world speed record for crossing the Antarctic on foot in 39 days, 7 hours, and 49 minutes. He is seen on the Travel Channel and a author. Needless to say he was a interesting guy. Photographing him in his element while sipping on the various brews of coffee he has produced and their newly released coffee rum was an experience.
La Colombe cafes can be found in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, D.C., and Seoul.
To top off the trip I got some of his La Colombe roasts, their cold brewed coffee, and their signature chocolate made with Eclat in West Chester!
http://www.lacolombe.com/
Available for stock
A lot of clients have approached me for certain images that fit the mold for quick turn around projects, as well as agencies in general asking for "sell able art."
My stock photography site with Offset based in New York has been growing and becoming an amazing tool in the creative process to better serve my clients. If your looking for an image that can be applied to a general Ad, promo for one of your food clients I have a constant growing library of food images just for that.
Please do not hesitate to reach out and find more about my services to you or purchase directly at your convenience from Offset.
