When Do We Eat!

We’ve been busy producing sandwich images for Bar-S Foods. They are in the process of updating their photography for collateral and advertising purposes. So, in the last couple of days we’ve had our fill of  ham, turkey, juicy hot dogs and of course the famous corn dog…it’s all quit tasty!

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Not Just Beans And Rice

I got a whole new appreciation for Mexican cuisine while shooting 20 plus food images for Macayo’s menu and new web presence. The reason for my new found food joy is because we ate their food every day for lunch during are four day shoot. I never realized there was such a variety of food choices available. I always figured Mexican food was a once a month deal…now I could eat it every day! These are some of the shots from this project along with some behind the scenes snap shots.

This is the site design. It will be live by the first of March.

Behind the scenes.

Special thanks to my ace assistant Robert Humanski and the two styling twins Kim Krejca and Jill Flewellen.

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Mentors

I was in Santa Monica the last week of 2010 walking down the Promenade where every store you can think of resides. I walked into Restoration Hardware  just for the hell of it. As I entered I saw a silhouetted figure wearing a ball cap who looked vaguely familiar. I didn’t think much of it until I heard his voice. Holy crap that sounds like Arnold Rubinoff aka Mr. Rubinoof because that’s how you addressed teachers back in the late ’60’s. It was bizarre he hadn’t really changed  at all. He still had the same calm manner and wit  but now with a lot of gray hair and a goethe…the same old “Arnie.” We talked for a bit and exchanged all the basic information and made plans to get together when I returned to L.A. in two weeks.

We kept in touch via email and facebook and talked about his top ten students (I’m glad to be in that group) and made plans to meet January 14th at this great Delicatessen called Factors in Beverlywood, a suburb of L.A. Over cups of Matzo Ball soup we got caught up on our histories, photography and our philosophies of life. Arnold is still one of my mentors to this day along with Charlie Potts the head of the photography department at Art Center College of Design.

Mr. Rubinoff inspired his students to create thoughtful images and enjoy and embrace the technical side of the medium. I took every  photography class that was offered and I soon become his second hand flunky. Occasionally I would bum a ride home from him. While we were on the road he’d give me a personal assignment and expect it delivered back for a critique a.s.a.p. He saw my devotion to photography and suggested I apply to Art Center College of Design the same school he attended.

As time went on he got me involved with the school paper and the year book staff, which was very cool for a high school kid because I got to leave class early all the time to shoot school activities. Back in the day we used Speed Graphic cameras and 4×5 sheet film…try shooting football games with a camera like that! Anyway I could go on much longer but I don’t like reading long posts so I’m sure no one else does either.

Look up the word mentor in the dictionary and you’ll find a picture of Arnold Rubinoff. His big claim to fame is begin born the same year Kodachrome hit the streets. He’s very involved with photography in his retirement…like he tells me “I may be very busy but I still take an hour break every ten minutes.”

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Wedding Cupcakes?

Wedding cakes are no longer the big rage… it’s cupcakes…wedding cupcakes of all different flavors and designs.   The art director from Arizona Bride magazine contacted me about shooting the main image for the article “How Sweet It Is” and we discussed the creative direction for the image. We decided to go with a white, bright and open feel with lots of sexy highlights on the frosting and good deep shadows. Each bakery that was in the story brought a variety of luscious cupcakes for us to choose from…what a joy we got to shoot our cupcakes and eat them too! Arizona Bride magazine is published out of Minneapolis MN. by Tiger Oak Media.

Thanks to foodstylist Kim Krejca and art director Janet Mclaughlin.

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Sundaes in Winter

In December we had the opportunity to shoot some new sundae creations for our client Coldstone Creamery. Ice cream can be a real bear to shoot…You need lots of patience and a great food stylist. Each sundae is an orchestration of carefully placed drips, dabs and drops. Keeping texture in the whipped cream and sexy highlights in the toppings requires a ton of lighting finesse. I thoroughly rejoice in the crazy fun of creating these ice cream sculptures. I must say the stand ins were very tasty. Enjoy!

A special thanks to Kim and Jill the ice cream gurus and Rob Penney for his fine art direction.

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Who Doesn’t Like Brownies…

We’ve been shooting for Fairytale Brownies for several years and I must say the team we work with is outstanding. The story behind the company is equally outstanding. Eileen and David met in grade school, took a family recipe and created a great brand.

I get the most enjoyment in shooting still life and food photography, and this client allows us the freedom to explore ideas and approaches when we shoot the beauty shots for their catalogs.

The Set Up.

David Kravetz.

Sleepy Kari. Yours Truly.

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Ping Golf 2010

To know all things shiny! That’s what it takes to shoot for Ping, the premiere maker of fine golf clubs, bags and accessories. I’ve been shooting product and still life photography for Ping for ten years with Esser Design’s senior designer Kevin Sirois. Kevin has managed to make each of the catalogs fresh with new approaches each year. Over the years I’ve created a lighting scheme that requires little or no retouching. As you can imagine shooting a driver or a fairway wood is much like shooting the back of a spoon. The entire studio reflects in the club’s surface.

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