Food Photography
Happy Holidays! 2023 was an exciting year with lots of new clients and fun projects. It’s great to continue challenging myself in my work and growing my business connections. It was my first full year working with my rep Carolyn Somlo who has been a great production partner. Can’t wait to dive into 2024 and work on more exciting projects.
Enjoy this tasty whipped coffee drink for the holidays styled by Janine Kalesis.
Wow! This must be the year of contests. So excited to be included in AI-AP 39!! https://www.ai-ap.com/
“This year’s distinguished jury included: Maïa Booker, The Wall Street Journal; David Cooper, Freelance Photo Editor; Maura Friedman, National Geographic; Lauryn Hill, WIRED; Amy Kellner, The New York Times Magazine; Robert Miller, The Washington Post; Laura Oliverio, CNN; Amy Silverman, Airbnb; Allyson Torrisi, People; Karen Williams, Freelance Photo Director and Producer; Andrea Wise, ProPublica; and Cengiz Yar, Rest of World.”
Excited to share for a 2nd year in a row I’am shortlisted in the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023!! I always look forward to entering contests, and this is one of the best out there. It’s great to be recognized for the hard work put in to making memorable food photos. This year I entered an image from my Leftover Series! I entered it in the category MPB Award for Innovation.
You can see the whole list of talented photographers shortlisted here: https://www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com/pink-lady-food-photographer-of-the-year-shortlist-2023/
This concept has been on my mind forever! A kitchen staple that is so versatile it was the perfect vessel to capture food. I came up with common uses we use aluminum foil that leave residues, grease, colors, and burn marks. In a normal situation we would crumple this up and throw it away. I wanted to capture the beauty in essentially this piece of food trash before it made it’s way to the can. A fun part of this project was how easy it was to manipulate the foil and it hold it’s shape created. There had to be a feeling of movement as if it was actually dancing in mid air. The lighting and rigging on set was really important to me for this project to get the idea across. I used muted backgrounds and surfaces so the colors of the food really stood out.
What else do you use foil for??
This was a fun creative exercise exploring simple foods and viewing them through fresh eyes. Working with my medium format system allows me to explore products under a close view without obstructing the quality of the image output. The color spectrum I was able to produce with these images made for a magical photograph! The play with light and shadow, and shallow depth of field turned the food into abstract objects allowing you to immerse yourself into the photo.
Understanding this really helps with creating packaging photography for my clients which is one of my Favorite things to shoot! I love those super tiny details and how the light is shaping the product.
I love what I do because you never know where your next food project may take you! The Violife brand 100% Vegan is a fun, tasty, and fresh product hitting the shelves in the USA! I’ve been working with the T&C team creating colorful social assets featuring their products used in recipes. Each month we have been shooting different recipes that may correlate with an upcoming FOOD holiday or special event. The recipes are tested and concepts are sketched out for each recipe. Lisa Russell helps with styling, art direction and sourcing props for each setup. Each recipe gets a hero still image and a supporting stop motion. So fun to watch these shots come to life. Make sure to follow along @violifeus
This personal series I conceptualized and shot captures the real food and real orders of everyday customers that shop at Wawa. I wanted the food to feel heroic so I incorporated bright colors that play off the brand as well as strong lighting to cast shadows and highlights giving the food dimension, and shooting at a lower angle to make the food feel big. This was so fun to go through each order and compliment the drink choice with food. Being from the Philadelphia area I know what Wawa is all about! Hope you enjoy these fun photos.
What a fun coffee project. The team at Weber Shandwick, and Nepresso came up with really creative concepts to showcase Hispanic Heritage Month. They chose beautiful Nepresso coffee recipes and were paired with custom illustrations that were added to the coasters we photographed. The props were minimal and really allowed the Nepresso drinks, glassware, and illustrated coasters shine through. These images were shared on Nepresso’s Instagram account during the months of September and October. Each image had a story to tell and was beautifully featured. Really proud of this work my team and I were able to create!
Drink Stylist: Takako Kuniyuki https://tkuniyuki.com/
Prop Stylist: Maya Rossi http://www.mayarossi.com/
Studio: Space28 https://www.space28.com/
Excited to share for the month of July I’m the featured photographer on Digital Transitions blog! You can read the full Q&A and see some of my recent work HERE
“This month, we couldn’t be more excited to feature the incredible work of our client, commercial food and beverage photographer Felicia Perretti. She is located in New York City with a specialty in advertising, packaging, editorial, and video for food and beverage clients across the country. Felicia’s extensive passion for the food and beverage industry remains a constant in her daily life and has guided her professional career.”
It was so fun to work with Buona Vita again, this time updating their photography for their meatball cookbook and other collateral! With the new photography they are relaunching a new website and logo. The creative look for these shots was clean, modern, and appetizing. We really wanted to highlight the great quality in the meatballs. Also showcasing all the amazing ways you can use their product. The meatball is so much more than just a topping for your pasta. Can’t wait to see these shots up on their new site. Make sure you check out their products at your local supermarket.
When you voluntarily stop drinking alcohol for a month. After the holidays, and…2020 the drinking can get the best of us and this is a great way to ease into the new year. Take the time to hit the reset button on yourself and mentally connect with one self. :)
I’ve been participating in dry January for 5 years now! I always feel better after the month. It honestly improves my sleeping, overall health, and concentration on every day tasks.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a drink or 2 but relaxing after a long day doesn’t always have to be with a glass a wine. Think about this while starting the new year fresh. Also check out some of these great drink alternatives I love.
Aha Seltzer: https://www.drinkaha.com/
Polar Selter: https://polarseltzer.com/
Perrier & Juice Flavored Sparkling Beverage: https://www.perrier.com/us/perrier-juice-drink
Bubly: https://www.bubly.com/#/
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!
Always look forward to a chocolate shoot! When it’s John and Kira’s I know it’s not going to disappoint. They are a great client to collaborate on ideas and their vision for the brand. Lisa and myself really have creative freedom to elevate their chocolates every time. Always a great shoot! The difference this time was the limiting of people on location because of COVD-19. Following the previous precautions I’ve taken on other projects since the shut down and insight from ASMP, the leading industry photography organization I knew my clients were in good hands as well as my crew.
When I think of bread that reminds me of summer, hands down it is King’s Hawaiian! It was an awesome project to work on that Chuck Studios executive producer Elyse Sara brought me on to. We had 2 days on set with a limited crew because of COVID-19 to capture beautiful kitchen scenes and super tasty recipes using the various King’s Hawaiian products. The kitchen sets were modern, contemporary with warm colors and greens peeking in. Helen Jones styled the recipes perfectly to really elevate the bread and flavor cues! Propping and set dressing was done by the amazing Christina O’Neil. We had all the COVID-19 regulations in place and we all felt safe on set. Also since the client could not be there we were able to setup a private Slack channel and use ZOOM to conference in the team. It was a seamless experience and would do it again. At the end of the day we got some awesome photos. Can’t wait to see them in the wild!
Please consider supporting this cause by purchasing a custom face mask. CLICK HERE
Profits of EVERY SALE goes to https://www.jamesbeard.org/openforgood Open For Good, campaign to support the recovery and rebuilding of the independent restaurant industry.
I haven’t had much time to share on here my photos from our trip to Australia. As you saw in my last blog post we came home and immediately had to self quarantine, then the country went into shut down mode. Nothing we could do! I did have time to work on my scrap book album with trip highlights but I want to share some of my favorite moments abroad.
As you know Joe and I are big fans of traveling to wineries and tasting locally made wine. Australia of course is home to one of the world’s most beautiful wine regions; Yarra Valley, about an hour outside of Melbourne. It DID NOT disappoint. We mapped out a few days to stay in the Yarra Valley going to various vineyards (14 total?) and see some of the most spectacular views.
If I had to pick our top three wineries we drank/ate/toured at it would be 1. Oakridge Wines 2. Tarrawarra Estate 3. Yering Station
Good resource here for the wineries: https://visityarravalley.com.au/
OAKRIDGE: The views were unmatched. The design of their winery was able to transport you into the vineyard as if you were walking through it. The large windows surrounding everything made that possible. We stayed for their pre-fix lunch and I had the best EMU. Business casual, but not stuffy at all, which I love about modern dining.
TARRAWARRA ESTATE: I don’t know if I really want to call them second, they were equally as good as Oakridge. The views were beautiful. Again the architecture (award winning!) was amazing to witness. The cellar door was really really cool! We also stayed for their lunch, I had the kangeroo, it was prepared like a sausage, really good.
YERING STATION: Entering their cellar door was breathtaking. They had up a sculpture art exhibit that made it feel like a museum walking through. Beside the overcast skies that day it was very cozy inside. Their wine selection was so good and you could tell they had a passion for their wines. This is a must stop!
A Few Others Highly Recommend:
-Coombe
-De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate
-Domaine Chandon
-Punt Road
-Yarra Yering
Bondi Beach
How are you doing?
Looking back at my February email to this months, wow, what a stark difference. End of February my husband and I left for a much needed vacation to the beautiful country of Australia. The brushfires were clearing up and the trip as a whole was fantastic. The food, views, and people were great; really a trip of a lifetime!
In those short 3 weeks away, we were leaving Australia on one of the last normally scheduled flights by Quantas to America. We landed in San Francisco to see the news coverage of the travel ban to Europe. The immediate following days everyone’s world turned upside down. Business came to a halt and an illness was creeping among us.
As I write this we are starting to adjust to the new normal. We are creating a virtual routine with friends, family, and co-workers. The same goes for me while running my business. I’ve reached out to several of my clients to see how they are doing and what I can do to help. When the time is right to get to the new normal of working I’m there for support. Like others adjusting and working from home, I have a home photo studio setup and working well. In addition to email, text, and phone, I have ZOOM the virtual platform where you can share screens live and I can mirror my tethered screen so you can see the images come through. If you have food or product that needs to be captured please know I’am here for you. COVID-19 might of removed me from my normal studio, but it certainly didn’t take my creativity.
It was great to get a call from the Chicago office of The Food Group. It’s been a dream to work with these guys because we all share a true passion for food! We worked together on a B2B campaign for The Clemens Food Group showcasing a wide range of their quality pork products. The shoot consisted of 2 concepts over 2 days. The first day was to capture this large overhead scene of their raw pork products styled beautifully. Food stylist Nicole Twohy was perfect for the job. Her and her team in the kitchen brought out the prepped pieces while Kristine Trevino the prop stylist helped place them on the set. We had a layout to follow which was key to reference during the shoot.
The next day was fun; we got to create beautiful cooked pork recipes each plated uniquely for a table scene overhead as if you were dining at a restaurant. We had a hand model from Bella agency serving a platter into the top of the frame featuring juicy ribs, yum! Each recipe was carefully tested and chosen prior to the shoot so we knew which plating would work best and the colors all complimented each other. In the end we walked away with some great photos, couldn’t of done it without the team. Can’t wait to see these shots in the wild!
This was a fun series to shoot because popcorn, as simple of a product it is every piece popped has unique traits you cannot repeat twice. I’m a fan of popcorn and being in the food business, why not?! I wanted to challenge my technical capabilities in this series with use of macro photography, lighting, and focus stacking; things I would apply to my other commercial work.
The results were so fascinating and fun to see unfold in the stacking process. You might sort through bags of popcorn and hold a piece that looks interesting but once it’s in the light it’s not, and vice versus. Focus stacking allowed me to showcase the depth in the miniature scale of the food and make it feel much bigger when fully in focus. Also allowing the popcorn to be shot on black by itself removes the illusion of the scale of real popcorn and lets your imagination take over.
Happy Holidays! Ending the year on a sweet note. 2019 was packed with amazing projects, new clients, returning clients, and travel. My dream as a business owner! Thank you again for trusting me with your creative concepts, working as a team to bring the vision to life. I look forward to this with every project and with every new year creates these new opportunities. See you in 2020!!
I will be starting the year off right with a trip to Australia end of February to early March. Any food or sight seeing recommendations please send them my way.
Sincerely,
Felicia
