Test Shoot: Produce

Copyright Perretti Photography 2011

Test Shoot: Produce

Radish

Copyright Perretti Photography 2011

VENDY AWARDS!

   Philadelphia is making food history.. This Saturday is the 1st annual vendy awards which will be held at The Piazza at Schmidts. Food vendors in the city are just as important as the restaurants that feed our great city. Each vendor has its own character, taste, location, and loyal customers. Vendors can serve you coffee to mexican food, to BBQ, and anything else.

    Going to college in the city I’m familiar with street vendors and their cooking expertise so I’m glad we are having our first vendy awards in the great North Libs of Philadelphia. To name a few judges so far this year are Mayor Michael Nutter, Jennifer Carroll, Drew Lazor, and Lindsay Lidge. The list is growing of food experts so you know the vendy winner will be worthy of the award.
    The vendy awards originally started in New York in 2005 and has been called one of the greatest food events ever seen. It’s no surprise Philadelphia has jumped on the vendor cart and is holding the event also. The barriers of food and culture are starting to blend together between New York and Philadelphia where the quantity and quality of places to eat and drink are becoming comparable. This is the start of something great!

Tickets are still on sale but limited. So buy yours now!

If you are attending send me your best vendy photos for me to post and share with everyone.

You can find ALL your needed information here:

http://streetvendor.org/vendys/philly/

@vendyawards

Food Friday #12 Andrew Scrivani

 Andrew Scrivani

New York Times Food Photographer

http://andrewscrivani.com/

1. What made you decide to be a photographer?

I was interested in photography since college. I met my friend Joe Fornabaio after High School. He was starting his studies at SVA in NY. I was attending Baruch College across the street...I spent more time there then at my own school and my love of photography was born.

2. Contributing to the New York Times as a photographer has that been a large
part of your success in your career?

It has been the work that has defined me as a professional. The byline added legitimacy to my work that I may not have had in other publications. The fact that I went from unknown to a regular contributor to the Times changed my life, personally and professionally.

3. Does the New York Times approach you with stories and let you run with them? Or do you collaborate on a angle to photograph the food and people involved?

I started shooting in restaurants and gradually moved into the studio work you see now published. I used to get a lot of art direction but as the years progressed and my technique was cemented they offered my the chance to in essence art direct myself. They give me a very wide berth and trust me. There are collaborations on specific pieces and I'll often have a general direction they point me in but I am lucky that they trust my vision. They have really allowed me to grow as an artist on a very big stage.

4. With studio work you usually designate the whole day if not week to shooting food with stylists, but for the newspaper is the story sprung on you last minute and you have one hour to go and shoot it?

It's not quite that harried but short notice delivery has become a bit of a specialty for me. Because I cook and style or have a team of people I work with regularly we operate as a well oiled machine. We can turn stories around in a time frame many other shooters could not. When I do work with a bigger team and a longer time frame it seems like a luxury.

5. Who are some of the notable chefs you have worked with?

Chef Pichet Ong has become one of my closest friends. We met on a job. I have worked with Daniel Boulud, Julian Medina, and scores of other chefs here or in other cities. Many times I work with their recipes and never actually meet in person but talk on the phone and through email. Many times when we meet for the first time it's like we are old friends.

6. Do you enjoy shooting at restaurants or out on location at someone’s kitchen or party?

Honestly, I prefer my studio but it is nice to get out and actually see people now and again. The reason I prefer the studio is control. I like that I have the light I am used to and all of my tools at my disposal. Being in foreign spaces is a lot more work. It's fun...but the days are always longer.

7. Do you travel outside of New York to photograph food? If so where have you gone?

Yes, and I love it. I have shot food all over California, Seattle, Portland, Nice, France, Berlin, Germany among other places here and abroad. The light quality is so different in different locales and it always adds something special to the images.

8. When shooting cookbooks do you photograph what is actually in the recipe or do you create a dish that the viewers can visually understand what it is supposed to be?

That's a great question. The answer is...it depends. Sometimes we break down a recipe to it's component parts to make it more visual or descriptive. Sometimes we shoot it as is. It really depends upon the story we are trying to tell. Sometimes it's about beauty...sometimes it's about learning. It all depends upon the focus of the book.

9. Do you have a favorite type of food you enjoy shooting?

That's easy. Dessert.

10. Has social media and the Internet really help you in making new connections with potential clients?

It has been the single most important way to market what it is that I do. I have made amazing business contacts, new friends and clients with social media. The community is very embracing and I truly appreciate the reception I have gotten from bloggers, Tweeters, Facebook Friends and websites. It is essential to what I do.

Liquid Bread

For this Friday post I wanted to share with you the VERY tasty beer recipe my boyfriend and I came up with.

 

It took me back to my vacation in Vermont this past summer :)

 

You can order beer ingredients online along with the tools to make it at home, or find a local beer supply distributer.

 

 

3 lb. Pale Dry Malt Extract
6.5 lb. Pale Ale Malt
3 lb. Mild Ale Malt
.5 lb. 15L Crystal Malt

2 oz. Warrior Hops
2 oz. Citra Hops
5 oz. Cascade Hops

Northwest Ale Yeast

Steep all grains for 40 minutes at 155 degrees F.  Drain and rinse.  Add Dry Malt Extract and bring to a boil.  75 minutes of boiling.  Add .25 oz of Warrior, .25 oz Citra, and .5 oz Cascade at 75, 45, 25, 15, 10, 5, and 2 minutes of the boil.  Cool to 80 degrees and add yeast.  Dry hop the rest of the hops.  Primary fermenter for 7 days; secondary fermenter for 12 days. 

 

Useful Links:

 

http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/

 

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/

http://www.northernbrewer.com/

 

http://morebeer.com/

 

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/

Food Friday #11

John F. Carafoli

http://www.carafoli.com/

 

http://www.bu.edu/foodandwine/photography/

1. Being in the food styling business for numerous years now have you noticed any change in the way you do your job?

Over the years the business has become more restrictive do to several factors: A. There are many more layers of corporate people involved and people are always trying to please the person above them. The best result comes when the client themselves are actually at the photo shoot. Things move faster with direct input. B. The economy is tight now and budgets are watched very carefully. Everyone is cutting costs and budgets..

2. What kind of art did you major in while attending art school? Were your intentions to pursue that as a career?

 

I graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and majored in Fine Art and Design. I moved to Chicago and my first job was with the University of Chicago Press as Art director. I worked in Chicago for several years as a designer/art director working for magazines, advertising agencies and publishers. My last job was in publishing as creative director managing ten designers. I left that job and Chicago, moved back to the East Coast and pursued a career in food. 

3. Was it hard to get your work published? How long did that take?

 

I started writing for the Boston Globe, working with photographers who shot my articles. They got to know me and started hiring me as a food stylist.

 

4. Who was your first breakthrough client?

Boston got to small so I moved to NYC. There I continued my writing for magazines and wrote my book Food Photography and Styling the first book on the subject. There was nothing out there so it was fairly easy to get it published. It took about a year of writing and pulling it together.

 

5. One of your titles is a food consultant, can you explain what you actually do? Does it tie into working on set and styling food?

Under the umbrella of food stylist/writer, I am also a consultant working with restaurants and companies developing menus and recipes. I am a “conceptual” person.

 

6. Teaching food styling and cooking classes did you find that there were more aspiring food stylists or chefs?

 

I also have taught food styling course, recipe writing and development and theme cooking classes.

 

7. Looking at where you are in your career do you think you have more editorial work or advertising work? About equal?

 

My styling work consists of advertising, editorial, and packaging. I enjoy styling my own recipes for clients because if I don’t like something in a recipe like color I can change it. Lately I have been doing lots of “liquids” drinks.

 

8. Who was the most notable photographer you have worked with?

 

I have worked with so many great photographers it is difficult to name one good one. It usually has to do with simpatico (on the same wave length) more than anything else. It is a difficult business and we are problem solvers so there has to be this connection. 

9. Where do you look for your inspirations?

My inspiration comes from being open to new ideas, working with creative individuals, bouncing concepts and ideas off of them and of course traveling. Creative people cannot work in a vacuum.

 

 10. For your shoots do the art directors/photographers look to you for recipes or is it a joint collaboration?

I do bring my art directing background into the photo shoot if it is appropriate for me to do it with out threaten anyone.

 

Food Friday #10

Debbie Wahl

http://www.debbiewahl.com

1. Reading your biography it looks like you had a passion and vision for a food career at a early age, was food a big part of your family growing up?

My mom was an excellent cook!  What amazed me was that although she worked full-time, we always sat down together for a full home cooked dinner that included vegetables, salad and a main course. I was her little “sous chef” and always had my assigned chores to help get dinner started.  When I was about 12, I read a book about someone working in the test kitchens at General Mills and I realized then that was something I would love. I attended Ohio University and got a B.S. degree in Commercial Food with an emphasis in food for business. I also received  a minor in Communications which required coursework in art, advertising and marketing—I draw upon what I learned from those courses in almost every job. 

2. Where are you originally from? Where do you currently reside?

I’m originally from Ohio but reside in Maryland. I was recruited by Marriott Corporation to come to the DC area and never left. I mainly work in Pennsylvania, D.C., and Florida. But I love to travel for work—I think I am headed to Texas for a job next week!

3. How did your other services you provide come into play when being a food stylist?

Having a Bachelor of Science in Foods required me to take chemistry and a lot of food science courses.  This proved to be tremendously helpful in knowing how foods are going to react.  Working in restaurants and test kitchens at both Marriott and Stouffers gave me valuable experience in the food service area—knowing how to scale up or down recipes, knowing restaurant equipment, etc.   I mainly do food styling now, but occasionally I am asked to provide recipe development and media support for chefs—it is always fun to do that—I appreciate their skill and they appreciate the fact that I can make their food look good for the camera.

4. Has being a member of different organizations helped your career in making new friends or job opportunities or both?

With over 25 years in the business, I have made a lot of contacts—many of whom have become good friends. Being exposed to actual production—through visits to various production plants has given me great background knowledge. In food styling, it’s knowing where to find that absolute best items for the shots –great produce suppliers, farms,  bakeries,  butchers and fish suppliers,etc.

I’ve used NRA (National Restaurant Association , Linkedin, and IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) for contacts. Early on, a group called Home Economists in Business (HEIB)was terrific in linking food stylists and other women in the Food Business. I met fellow food stylist, Lisa Golden Schroeder, at the HEIB Minneapolis Food on Film seminars. She and other contacts I made there have been most valuable.  In fact Lisa and I now co-teach an online food styling class through http://www.photostylingworkshops.com  It’s fun to compare notes with peers and see what they are going through. I’ve gotten job opportunities through Google. Now 85% of work is word of mouth and with my established relationships. Clients such as McCormick, Campbell's, Perdue, and Friendly’s are some that I have had for many years.

5. Did you start out on t.v. and film styling or was it photography?

I first went to T.V. commercials for Stouffers as their company representative—it was there I saw wonderful well-known food stylists in action. My very first food styling job on my own came when I was actually still working for Stouffers—had to style a hot fudge brownie sundae with real ice cream.  I still cringe when I think about it!  Along with print and film styling, I styled for a couple of feature films ---I loved the grand scale of all the movie production, including the massive amount of food needed.

6. Who was your first break through client?

Marriott (which owned Roy Rogers, and Big Boys) was my first big client when I start free lancing.  At the time, Roy Rogers owned about 250 restaurants so I did a ton of print work for them in New York and traveled for them to L.A. for tv shoots.

7. What type of food do you enjoy styling?

I like styling everything. I like the variety. Styling produce is great because the natural beauty and organic shapes. I like to keep things loose and playful as far as my styling. The trend now is a little loose. A casual real approach is what most clients want now—nothing overly styled.

8. I know putting food under hot lights is hard to keep fresh but styling on a grille with a open fire, is that harder? Do you use real fire?

I’ve styled with real flames. I had to keep replacing the food because it would burn up. Now many photographers shoot images of grills with flames and then shoot the food on the grill separately and merge the two shots together.

9. Where do you look for your inspirations?

I look online--Donna Hay, Martha Stewart,  Real Simple, and all the magazines. I look at other stylists work. Donna Hay’s work was groundbreaking in the 90’s. She was the pioneer in the selective focus, “blown out”  look.

10. Do you think social media such as Linkedin helped your career? Is a lot of your work now word of mouth?

Social media is important. It’s helps get your name out there and gives you a chance to show your experience.  A website is essential—but the website just sits there unnoticed unless you have a way to draw people to your site.