HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Continuing Year of the Freelancer

Here's to us--small business owners and "work for hires"...in the words of a colleague, we're "like celebrated house guests. We show up, do our jobs well, then leave." Let's make ourselves indispensable this year!

2010 Forecasts

Check out a blog post at the Consumer Trendline center about the Winter Fancy Food show in San Francisco. Along with cool new consumer food items, learn what the flavor experts at McCormick's are predicting will be the hot new taste combos this year.

And think about what veteran food photographer Greg Bertolini has to say at The Invisible Stylist blog (January 30 post) about the advent of new technologies (his current musings are also in The Tweezer Times). With Steve Jobs' announcement of the new Apple ipad, we could be on the verge of a new way of conducting business...

Chefs Turn to Tweezers

Food stylists have used them for years. Now high-end chefs are embracing one of our indispensable tools: tweezers.  Check out a recent New York Times story about the newest addition to the high brow batterie de cuisine.

Unique Styling Opportunity

Considered a center of excellence, the Reader’s Digest photo studio staff produces 100% digital food and product photography for leading food media brands including Taste of Home and Every Day with Rachael Ray. The full time, comprehensive studio staff of over 15 photographers, set stylists and food stylists collaborate with editorial and test kitchen teams to produce all the images seen in these high-profile publications. The in-house studio is conducting a nationwide search for a new, experienced food stylist to join their team. Visit the Reader's Digest career postings for details. 

Foodesigns Revamp

We are in the process of revising and updating Foodesigns. So check out our new look in early 2010, with a strong return of informative new posts at The Tweezer Times™. It's been a tough year with technical glitches, but we're looking toward a terrific 2010!

International Conference on Food Styling & Photography 

The highly successful International Conference on Food Styling & Photography, held at Boston University, will return in June 2011. Targeted to both experienced as well as novice photo professionals, this unique event only happens every two years.

Visit  www.bu.edu/foodandwine/conference, to read the full program descriptions from this past year's event. The keynote speaker, kitchen science guru Harold McGee, shared his insider views of the most current cutting edge techniques embraced by world renowned chefs, and what he thinks will trickle down to commercial food photography.

Other prominent food photography professionals were featured as well, including renowned editorial food photographers Christopher Hirsheimer and Deborah Jones; international food stylists Clare Ferguson and Delores Custer; and Eugene Mopsik, Executive Director of ASMP. Look for conference highlights in The Tweezer Times™ in January 2010. Dates for the 2011 event are now posted at the conference web site, which will be updated in the coming month.

2009 JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER! Anyone who's attended a culinary conference, Food on Film®, or the International Conference on Food Styling & Photo in Boston will know Shirley. She sort of goes by a single name amongst those of us who cherish her exuberant sharing of kitchen chemistry. We covet our copies of CookWise, her book on problem-solving in all manner of cooking--and look forward to seeing her performances with renowned food authority Harold McGee. Her willingness to unravel the mysteries of kitchen problems in her numerous "The Doctor Is In" sessions at conferences has made her the go-to person when cookbook writers and food stylists are stumped by recipes that just won't work properly. Now her new tome, BakeWise, The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking, has just won a James Beard Cookbook Award. We can't recommend it highly enough as a resource for your office or studio--baking has more potential pitfalls than other kitchen endeavors. And in photography we don't have time to deal with disasters. So be sure you've got Shirley Corriher whispering in your ear.

New Business Resources

Pick up a copy of a new book from one of our favorite marketing guru Ilise Benun. Her expertise is apparent in "The Designer's Guide to Marketing & Pricing: How to Win Clients and What to Charge Them." She and her co-author, Peleg Top, emphasize that this is a great guide for all creative professionals. They've also recorded a series of podcasts to accompany each chapter in the book, ready for download at I-Tunes. What are you waiting for? Visit her website for details... 

If you are a budding food stylist or know someone who's interested in learning more about the business, consider buying the newly released "A Day in the Life of a...Food Stylist". This 18-minute DVD is a full-length interview with veteran food stylist Lisa Golden Schroeder and includes a tour of the tools that stylists use and short demos of a few styling techniques. Find out what it takes to break into this fun business! To order your copy, drop us a line.