The Tweezer Times

By Rachel Sherwood

The NRA Show 2008 and the inaugural International Wine, Spirits & Beer (IWSB) Event in Chicago this past May revealed the hottest trends in restaurant and hospitality industries. The restaurant industry is one of the most diverse in the world and the NRA Show gathers all of its aspects under one roof. More than 2,200 exhibitors showcased their products in more than 890 product categories to 71,500 industry professionals from all 50 states and 115 countries. Industry leaders and culinary artists explored the newest products and services in technology, equipment, food, beverage, alcohol and environmental practices. Here are highlights of what’s fresh and exciting to support you in your food styling ventures.

Picked at Sundown, Delivered at Sunrise

A staple of food stylists everywhere, tiny greens can be difficult to find especially in cold weather. Sid Wainer & Son (New Bedford, MA) is a leader in the produce and specialty foods industry. You name it, they have it or they will grow it for you. Their latest venture into creating inner city farming operations has everyone excited. This will result in a national distribution warehouse offering customers immediate distribution directly from the farms. Sid Wainer & Son is committed to sustainable agriculture, preserving open farm land utilizing inner city space and bringing the highest quality, fresh produce, handpicked from the world’s finest farms. They lead the country in exploration of international produce, and specialty foods.

Looking for miniature? Herbs like epazote, and aromatic lemon thyme will grow to about 2 inches high before being clipped, washed, and packaged. Pea greens will be harvested at 5 to 6 inches. The tiniest African blue basil is growing, along with other doll-sized plants: chervil, popcorn shoots, carrot greens, shungiku, peppercress, golden beets, arugula, and red shisho.

Their policy of “never say never” ensures that items can be shipped overnight for last minute photo necessities. All orders are triple checked before leaving the dock. Their facility is also available for tour anytime if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Find stunning unique produce that is available all year by contacting Sid Wainer & Son at 888-743-9246 or visiting www.sidwainer.com.
Honey, I Shrunk the Lettuce!
As a stylist, we all know that size does matter. Iceberg lettuce, once the traditional favorite, gave up ground in recent years to romaine and leaf lettuces. Let’s face it – iceberg just wasn’t cool!
Boggiatto Produce has changed all that with their latest development of Garden Hearts® Iceberg Babies®. A reinvention of the classic, these single-serving size gems are smaller than softballs making them perfect for photo shoots. Create little lettuce bowls, unique salads, lettuce wraps, bite-sized appetizers and small plate specialties.
No more searching for that prefect little green. Garden Hearts® Iceberg Babies® are available year ’round. Order through your regular produce distributor or call 831.424.4864.
Looking Great and Going Green

Looking for new ways to be eco-friendly in the kitchen? Check out the new line of clothing from Chefwear featuring organic cotton, bamboo and hemp products produced using environmentally sustainable processes. I especially found great value in the aprons made of 100% Certified Organic cotton. Organic cotton plants produce longer-stable cotton fibers, which yield stronger yarn and more durable fabrics. The aprons feature an adjustable, flapless neck loop and roomy patch pocket. They are available in black or white with monogramming in a variety of colors. For more information visit www.chefwear.com.

A Saucy Situation Cleans up, Sauce Dispensing Re-Invented
No longer do you need to wait for thick gooey sauces to make their way to the tip when trying to finish the prefect shot.

The FIFO Squeeze Bottle features a bottom dispensing, no-drip silicone valve that keeps your sauce ready to squirt. Simply squeeze the bottle to open the valve and dispense product. Let go the valve and it automatically closes. Wide mouth openings on both ends make the bottle easy to clean and refill. Fill it from the top and it sits spout down without tipping over. Great for syrup pours! Choose from a variety of caps to best suit your styling needs. Also available with a precision tip ideal for decoration and detailed applications. To view a complete catalog, visit www.fifobottle.com or call 800-457-6454.

European Essentials
One last quick note—check out Tellier, a French manufacturer of small tools for culinary professionals. Their unique cutting and garnish tools are what caught my eye at the show yet they offer much more. Take a look and find your next favorite little tool at www.tellier.fr.
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Rachel Sherwood is an independent food stylist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary program, Rachel founded Impressions Food Styling & Catering in 2003. She has been a featured food stylist for the Taste of the NFL cookbook in 2004 and 2005. Rachel specializes in both print and film for the consumer and food service markets. Some of her clients include General Mills, Schwan’s, Lake ‘O Lakes, Dairy Queen, Deli Express, Old Country Buffet, Green Mill, Target, and Cub Foods. She is a member of Women Who Really Cook and a volunteer for Kid’s Café.

Herb photo © Stef Culberson, 2008

By Lisa Golden Schroeder and Mary Holloway

Okay, so we’re exaggerating a bit here, but the point is we like this clear sticky stuff to help us style our food.

For those of you who haven’t used it, clear gel (also known as clear jel, piping or decorating gel, modified food starch or agar agar) is a food grade cooked starch or gelatin substance that can be used to thicken sauces or puréed foods, to maintain a glossy, moist look, and to create a barrier from air on cut surfaces of food, etc. Its applications for food styling are endless, and because gels are edible, you can use them even if your client prefers “natural” styling. My favorite example for this is using clear gel to repair cracked piecrusts, versus using another styling favorite, Vaseline (petroleum jelly), which is not acceptable to many clients.

Clear gel comes in several different forms and each is handled a little differently. We spoke to Dr. Julie Jones, a food technologist and professor at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She explained the process of modifying food starches so they become very stable food thickeners. We won’t bore you with the food science (go to www.foodstarch.com for more technical information), but it helps to think of instant and cooked packaged puddings. Instant puddings have a modified food starch (based on corn, and chemically treated to make the starch very stable—in other words it won’t break down easily) added that has been “gelatinized” (cooked to evaporate the water, then dried to granule form). The starch in the pudding is now instant; just add liquid to rehydrate the starch and you’re ready to go.

Cooked puddings contain modified food starch that has not been gelatinized, so sugar is added to keep the starch granules separate (to avoid lumps when cooking), and the pudding is cooked with the liquid until the starch gels.

Clear gel powders come in instant and cooked varieties. The instant gel requires no addition of sugar to rehydrate it, it can be stirred into sauces to help thicken them and bind excess water (i.e. spaghetti sauces that bleed). Cooked clear gel requires some sugar to be added to avoid lumping (but don’t add too much, as sugar can decrease the starches thickening power), and then the gel is cooked until thick. It can take some experimentation depending on the kind of clear gel powder you can find.

For a really handy option, we like decorating or piping gel. It comes already prepared in tubs; its traditional use is in cake and cookie decorating and comes in colored forms, too. A large tub of piping gel will keep for several months, unrefrigerated. Commercial piping gel is made from agar agar, a gelatin derived from seaweed. This gel can be stirred into sauces to help thicken and bind them or to maintain a glossy surface. Following are more uses for clear gels, and no doubt you will have a few more ideas of your own.

MARY’S RULE #1: Always make up a supply of gel for a shoot - even when you don’t know that you might need it…because you might need it! (Isn’t this always a basic rule for all food styling—be prepared?)

*Mix a small amount of prepared gel in water to brush on sliced vegetables and sliced meats to maintain a fresh look.

*Use gel in pie fillings: this is the most common real-life use for clear gel, as a stable thickener for baked pie or pastry fillings. It will keep fruit fillings looking glossy, bright, and fresh—stir into fresh berries, sliced peaches, etc.

*Stir into cooked converted rice to keep the grains moist, but not oily. It allows the rice grains to hold lightly to each other. The grains can be moved as needed, without the grains lumping up.

*With shreds of cheese in the palm of your hand, thinly coat both sides of each shred. Place on foam plate (also lightly coated with gel.) Place individual shreds on styled food. Steam, if a melt is desired. This can be done ahead for pizza shoots—keep the cheese refrigerated until needed.

*Dilute gel to a medium-thin consistency and toss with pasta to keep pasta moist but not greasy.

*Add prepared gel to cheese sauce to keep sauce “spoonable” and glossy. This is particularly good for something like macaroni and cheese.

*Add gel to a white sauce - great for using on scalloped potatoes with a cream sauce, Alfredo pasta sauce, etc.

*Use when styling frozen convenience entrées—gel can enhance the sheen of sauces or re-create the look of a smooth, warm sauce when the sauce is actually at room temperature.

*Use gel to help adhere crumbs to breaded foods, or to repair broken or cracked piecrusts.

*Use to “crumb” sliced cakes or repair holes in baked goods by adding a touch of gel and added crumbs if needed to fill holes or give a more textured appearance.

*Stir instant clear gel into tomato or pasta sauces. It will bind up excess liquid that usually separates from sauces and pools on the plate.

*Stir into yogurt or puddings if you need them to mound nicely on a spoon for a lift shot.

I buy powdered Mira Clear Gel in 1# plastic bags from Glen’s Bulk Foods of Hutchinson, Kansas. Glen’s Foods is a bulk foods store frequented by the Mennonites of the area (telephone: 620-662-2875). They will fill orders by mail order and the gel is very inexpensive. I make up the gel, using about 2 rounded tablespoons per cup of water and cooking it in the microwave until bubbling and thick. It can then be thinned with hot water to desired consistency. It sometimes gets watery when kept in the refrigerator longer than a few days and will grow mold if left at room temperature for several days, so I make up a fresh supply every 2 to 3 days.

OTHER SOURCES

*www.sweetc.com (Sweet Celebrations; prepared clear piping gel from baking supplies)

*www.thestylingstore.com (they carry instant Clearjel powder + other thickeners)

*www.sugarcraft.com (Sugar Craft; prepared clear piping gel in a small tub)

*www.barryfarm.com (Barry Farm; instant Clearjel powder)

*www.foodstarch.com (National Starch & Chemical Company; order a sample of powdered Clearjel)

*www.kitchengifts.com (Kitchen Collectables; piping gel in tub)

*Local bakery suppliers or distributors

*Check out craft stores that carry cake decorating materials (especially for prepared piping gel)

DECORATING OR PIPING GEL
Try making this easy version of gel…

2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (Knox)
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups (500 ml) light corn syrup (Karo)

1. Soak gelatin in water. Heat over low heat until clear and dissolved. Do NOT boil.
2. Stir in corn syrup and cook just until simmering, but not boiling.
3. Cool completely. Store refrigerated for up to 2 months.

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Mary Holloway, a veteran food stylist in Orlando, Florida. She has styled for magazines, cookbooks, and major food companies for nearly 30 years. She’s also written, produced, and distributed 20 educational videos on ethnic foods and cooking equipment.

After our last weekend workshop in San Diego (with photo stylist Susan Linnet Cox of Photo Styling Workshops and food photographer Greg Bertolini (search our Talent Profiles to learn more about Greg) , I asked our students what they got out of our time together. Here are a few bits and pieces they shared with us…

From Lisa Monahan, a budding food photographer from Ann Arbor, Michigan (she and her husband own a fish market/restaurant as well):

“I learned so much from Greg! But here are 3 tips that stand out”…
1. Try using a colored gel on a bare bulb for reflections on glass, also different colored gels can be used at the same time.
2. Don’t be concerned about buying the latest, greatest piece of equipment- save your money! You’ll know when you have outgrown what you have.
3. Building a tent over your set for nice diffusion can be done with conduit and elbows from Home Depot and then draping a large scrim or fabric over it.

From stylist Cindy Epstein, who stepped away from the business for a while and is trying to brush up her skills…

“The most important things the workshop gave me were: a sense of self confidence in my skills, inspiration, and a terrific a feeling of comradery and synergy among my peers. I walked into the weekend with wavering confidence in my styling skills with the hope that the class would help me make a career decision about my next steps, and the message was loud and clear. Go for it!! I walked away with a real sense of self confidence. The validation I got from you was just phenomenal! I’ve still got my head in the clouds!” (Editor’s note: we concur with Cindy about having confidence in yourself. If you can’t believe in what you can do, no one else will either. The sangria shot below was shot by another student, Carl Kravats, who collaborated with Cindy after the class.)

From stylist/food writer Mary Margaret Pack, who is trying to bump up the amount of food styling she does as part of her writing assignments:

“It was an opportunity to re-acquaint myself with basic techniques and methods—as well as learn plenty of new ones—particularly since I don’t get to practice what I learn as often as I’d like.” Here are some favorite tips:

1. Reinforcement that serious and thoughtful food handling and preparation trumps “tricks” every time.

2. Using Rain-X as a moisture-beading agent;

3. Using a chamois to clean glass and china surfaces;

4. Putting salt in beer (carefulllly!) when the head begins to diminish;

5. The myriad uses of piping gel (Editor’s note: clear piping gel is available through cake decorating/supply houses. We’ll post an article soon about the many handy ways it can be used in styling…)

6. Using dental tools for fine work.

7. Great idea about including a photo in e-mails to clients and colleagues, within the larger context of follow-up and creating/maintaining professional relationships.

8. The fact that a mini-steamer exists; how to prep and drape fabric…(Editor’s note: we’ve found a hand-held version of the larger Jiffi garment steamer…search online for the best deals.)

9. How skills developed in other professions can apply to food styling. Example: chemistry with clients, knowing how to read and set boundaries, and discretion are all extremely important in both private cheffing and food styling.

10. It was a revelation to hear from Greg that food stylists don’t contact him enough. Definitely an “ah-ha” moment for me!

11. The importance of consistency in self-marketing efforts…timing, branding, etc.

“I could probably go on, but I hope this is the kind of thing you’re looking for. I did neglect to mention what a nice lagniappe the subscription to Tweezer Times™ is. Thank you for that along with everything else.”

Thank to all our students who made the weekend as inspirational for the instructors as we hope we did for you…Lisa Golden Schroeder

By Jeff Hage

When you opened your own photography studio, you probably didn’t plan on becoming a bookkeeper, janitor, manager, or sales and marketing expert. Yet, to make a business successful you often need to perform all of those tasks and more. You learn to be resourceful, asking the advice of friends and using trial and error to learn what works, and what doesn’t.

Keeping in touch with a long list of clients takes time and energy. It’s great to have a rep that can do the sales and marketing for you. Since I don’t have a rep, I’m always looking for new ways to reach clients more effectively and efficiently. What do you do when the marketing department is YOU, and the budget is tight? Reaching clients by mass mailings can be expensive, impersonal and the results are hard to track. Ads in resource books can be costly, and with the Internet they are falling out of fashion. E-mail can be an effective way to reach people, but again, it can seem impersonal if you send a simple message to a long list of people. Personalizing a message for each client can be time consuming.

There is a way to keep in contact with clients while researching what they like — and showing off your latest work —all at the same time. It just takes a bit of thought, some extra time when you’re shooting and tracking your results with a spreadsheet. It’s as easy as sending an email.

The next time you’re shooting, after you get the “client’s shot,” do a second version. Change the style: the light, some props or whatever you think will make a shot different enough from the original to prompt discussion. Or go from a high key scenario to a low-key one, use a shallow depth of field instead of a wide one, or change the viewing angle. Make sure the second shot is up to your standards and it’s a style you’re willing to use in the future.

Once you have the two shots to compare, you’re ready for clients to help you with your marketing. Send out an e-mail with the two shots and ask clients which they like best and why. Be sure to use the blind addressing so that the addressee doesn’t know others are getting the same e-mail. That will make them feel like you’re seeking their guidance.

A new business approach: the client as the target audience

When clients respond to the e-mail, sharing their thoughts and opinions of the new style, they are giving you valuable information. Information you can use to target your next marketing message toward their preferences. If you craft your messages well, you can have your clients answer all sorts of questions and even help solve a few problems. By creating a spreadsheet, you can track the e-mails sent and the responses received. The information in your spreadsheet allows you to tailor your marketing to be more effective, more targeted. The spreadsheet will also help you track who you contact, when, and how much work they assign you.

With a little extra effort you can collect the research needed to segment your marketing efforts while connecting with clients — and showing off your work. It also shows clients you value and appreciate their opinions.

Jeff Hage is an award-winning commercial photographer specializing in Food, product, and location shooting and has been in the business since 1986. Operating his own studio until 1996, he is now one of the owners of Green Frog Photo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Green Frog has an extensive client list, from blue-chip companies to ad agencies. Jeff attended the Center for Creative Studies College of Art and Design.

By Lisa Golden Schroeder

Photographer Gregory Bertolini, who specializes in food and fashion, divides his time between New York City and Southern California. Gregory holds a BFA in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and has 29 years experience working with regional and national accounts. He is currently working on his 3rd cookbook for the Macy’s department store culinary program and team-taught a three-day food photography workshop in San Diego in February 2008 (with Foodesigns and Photo Styling Workshops). His work can be viewed at www.gregorybertolini.com. Images below are courtesy of Greg and will be published in the upcoming “Flying Pan” cookbook.

Foodesigns: You really exhibited an extraordinary willingness to share what you know—do you enjoy the teaching/mentoring process?
GB: Teaching is a new venue for me, the little I’ve done has been quite rewarding and fun. I have always enjoyed working with photo assistants, I learn as much from them as they do from me, and the sharing of ideas is something I’ve always done, so teaching seems to be a natural fit.

Foodesigns: From what you shared with us during the workshop it’s obvious that you’ve really developed your marketing skills and been able to tailor your career to create a lifestyle you want. What is your best piece of advice to a budding food photographer about setting ground rules for building a business that would be successful for them?
GB: Lisa, The great thing about photography is that you can tailor the profession to your personality and lifestyle. First, you need to decide what type of life you want to live, then build your business around that life; if you want to work on big international accounts, and dream of travel, then you build your business where that type of work takes place. International cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, or Paris, offer those kinds of jobs but you must have the skills, education, and ability to travel that those accounts demand. If you want a quieter, or simpler life, then living in a smaller city, and working with local and regional clients will allow that lifestyle quality. Second, everyone needs to market themselves. You can be the greatest photographer, or stylist in the world, but if no one has heard of you, you’re going to have a tough time making a living. Third, the photographer who is starting out needs to draw-up a plan, or “road map” of the journey they want to take, then they need to stick to that plan. It takes years of commitment and work for a business to succeed (it took me 10 years). You will need the full understanding and positive support of your spouse, family, and friends. Do not measure your success or failure by a single job, a single year in business, or by other people’s fortunes–and failures. Be tenacious, don’t give up, give yourself simple daily goals and take one step at a time.

Foodesigns: Of all the marketing/promotions you’ve done over the years, which one or two do you think got the most attention or brought you the nicest/best job(s)?
GB: That’s a hard one to answer, as I market several different ways. I advertise in creative directories, I send postcards, and I have an e-mail campaign. Different clients respond to different marketing ideas, so it’s important not to limit yourself. I also target specific clients, whom I would like to work with, it could be a corporation, or an independent art director who’s work I admire. I often take potential clients to lunch, not to sell myself, but to listen to their needs and concerns; I call this “courting” its just like dating, you don’t want to be pushy or overbearing, you want to take it slow and easy. Sometimes I court a client for several months before I try to sell myself. You want to establish a friendship and professional respect first; this is the most effective type of long-term marketing. As for the best job, seeing your photos on the cover of a magazine, or a billboard, or on the side of a truck, rolling down a highway is fun, and a great ego booster. But some of the simplest jobs have been the best—having time to sit down after a shoot to talk and share some wine with a chef or author are definitely the highlights of my career.

Foodesigns: What are your top 5 favorite pieces of equipment or techniques you use when you shoot food?
GB: “The equipment question”… I get asked about equipment quite a bit. First, let me state that I think there is too much emphasis on camera brands and models. Most modern reflex cameras, with a lens that can focus close, will do the job. The equipment that is most important to me is lighting. It can be large expensive studio strobes, or a piece of tracing paper and aluminum foil used to control sunlight. Lighting is the key ingredient of a photograph, and a true professional is a master of light. My lighting kit is quite large, because of the variety of my assignments. It consists of seven cases of equipment and weighs in at about 300 pounds. Enough to fill a mid-size SUV. My camera kit is very small—two cameras and four lenses, and it easily fits under an airline seat. My equipment is just tools; I hold no emotional attachment to any of it. What really matters is the final outcome, the quality of the photographs.
One technique that I like to use, is to come up with a story for the photograph, this gives depth and interest to the scene. Say you’re shooting a piece of cake to illustrate a recipe. What story does that photograph say about the cake? Is the cake for a child’s birthday? Then the lighting should be bright and airy, the camera perspective might be that of the child’s, looking up at the cake from below a table lip. Maybe the cake is a dessert shared by a couple on a romantic evening, then the lighting would be more seductive and dramatic; I may put two forks on the plate, possibly crossed, indicating an embrace. The secret of a good photograph is to engage the viewer. Most of us use tools in our everyday lives, but we live by our feelings and emotions; the same should be true in photography.

Foodesigns: What do you expect from a food stylist (besides ice cream after lunch…)?
GB: A good food stylist always cooks me breakfast (just kidding Lisa!) A good food stylist brings professionalism to the shoot. Most photo shoots are planned well in advance, recipes are tested, color palettes are agreed on, serving dishes and table linens are purchased and approved. On the day of the shoot, the crew shows up and we produce the shot—simple. THEN the compressor on the freezer breaks, causing the ice cream for the shoot to melt; the client announces that morning that he has decided to change the color palette from pastel to primary; the three crates of strawberries that were just delivered have mold on them; and the photo assistant drops the hero plate (it’s always the assistant— never the photographer!) What happens next separates the professional from the amateur. A professional will figure out a way to overcome these obstacles, while maintaining a positive attitude—and the shoot becomes a success. That’s what I look for in a stylist: professionalism, the ability to change and problem solve as needed, and a smile. (Editor’s note: these are the attributes a stylist looks for in a good photographer and art director, too.)

Let me share with you what happened on a shoot two weeks ago. The chef/food stylist chopped the tip of his finger off while prepping vegetables (I have never had this happen on a shoot before). The chef remained calm, he heated a knife on the stove, and pressed the hot knife body against his finger to sear the fingertip and stop the bleeding. He then taped up his finger while the crew cleaned up the blood (lots of blood, counter, cabinets, floor), then went back to work. I offered, then, begged, to take him to a hospital and halt the shoot. But he insisted on working through the day. This was an unusual situation, but things happen. And one more thing…be sure you have liability insurance.

Foodesigns: What are your expectations of a “good” client (besides paying you on time)? In terms of their role during a shoot?
GB: A good client communicates his needs and requirements before the shoot. A good client allows the stylist and photographer to set the speed, tempo and attitude of the shoot. And a good client respectfully listens to suggestions from the stylist and photographer, even if he or she disagrees. You can also turn this around; a good stylist and photographer shows the client and all members of the crew the same equal respect.

Foodesigns: What are your favorite food or food-related situations to shoot?
GB: Desserts and wine. Desserts because they usually are colorful and have height, which are a delight to shoot. And wine, because of its importance in the history of food and civilization (plus the added bonus of sampling the leftovers.)

Foodesigns: You’ve chosen food and fashion as your specialties—how did this evolve for you? (I know some people equate food styling to make-up/fashion styling—we “make up” the food or enhance it so its best face is photographed…does this connect with you?)
GB: Food and fashion photography have a lot in common. They both require a high level of expertise in lighting, knowledge of changing styles and attitudes, and have an emotional attachment to the human experience. I purposely pursued fashion while in photo school, my food photography came about because of encouragement I received from an art director. Food and fashion photography has allowed me to travel around the world, meet interesting people, and make life-long friends. I consider myself to be quite lucky to be able to make a living out of a hobby I started as a teenager.

Lisa, thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinions and observations for you and your readers. If you have any follow-up, or additional questions, feel free to ask. And if your readers have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. (Greg can be reached at: greg@gregorybertolini.com)

By Barb Freda, Food Editor, Florida Table (www.floridatable.com)

Last March 2007, my dream job presented itself. After more than 10 years as a freelance writer, a fellow writer pointed me in the direction of a well-established publishing company. This company had just issued a test magazine to the local market, a magazine about the regional food scene, taking a look at food, chefs, restaurants, markets, trends, etc. The first issue went out without a single food person involved on the editing side, and errors made it into print. But it became a hit anyway, and the publishers decided to proceed with it as a quarterly magazine.

I chatted on the phone with the editor. She and I hit it off, but I remained wary. I asked her to send me a copy of the magazine, which she promised to overnight. When I opened the packet the next day, a glossy, beautifully photographed, full-color magazine was in my hands. I already wanted the job.

I did some research on editing jobs, decided what I needed to make and how to pitch myself. I met my boss and the publishers, who didn’t flinch at my asking price, the fact that I wanted to be a consultant, not an employee and the fact that I only wanted to work half-time. I was hired on the spot. When I was introduced around the office, I found out that someone had been hired before me.

She had lasted one day. I began to get a little nervous.

When I signed on, I was told I would be responsible for editing one section of the book (as magazines are called in the industry) and for reviewing recipes before they went into print, ferreting out errors. Of course for some things, that also meant testing recipes and tweaking them to make for the best presentations, etc.

For our first big photo shoot of pumpkin recipes, we used a stylist who came recommended. I was worried, because I knew our sensibilities were not in synch. But the shoot went professionally and smoothly: we learned about “pre-pro” and petty cash for food (I certainly had been expecting her to expense the food, but not asking for money ahead of time). We were surprised when the bill came with a kit rental fee and mileage for the two days of the shoot. No, she hadn’t used a contract, and although we all let her know we were new as clients, she hadn’t done much to explain how it would all go.

When the second shoot came up, the art director and photographer asked if I could just do the styling myself. I said yes.

I am confident in my culinary skills. I went to culinary school and worked for nearly 10 years in professional kitchens. I worked well with the photographer and the art director, and though we were all neophytes in this arena, the art director knew what she wanted, and I felt confident I could give her what she needed in the food.

Since then we’ve had four or five shoots with no major mishaps, and we’ve done some tough stuff that I had to figure out on my own: ice cream, sorbet and roast chicken (although by the time the roast chicken came up, I was in Lisa’s online class* and pestered her with questions). Because of my former career as a chef and a caterer, I already had a basic stylist’s kit, and I knew how to pack and transport food and how to work at difficult locations (I catered events in the middle of fields with propane-fueled ovens).

Because this is a food magazine, I am adamant that the food we shoot NOT be doctored. In fact, on that first shoot, the one shot that got doctored didn’t make it into the magazine–it looked so fake that I couldn’t approve it for print. Lucky for us, the trend in food photography is toward the natural, so a bit of melting on that ice cream and some uneven crumb in a cake? Looks great.

So my perfect job became even more perfect because I am getting invaluable experience I never expected to get. And I welcome it.

As food editor now, I look at every recipe with a critical food AND artistic eye. I find myself wondering how it will photograph. What can I do to the written recipe to make sure the end result is even prettier? I am developing a lot of the recipes myself, too, so I find I can really determine how a piece will look by the recipes I decide to develop. Of course, I am also thinking of how we will shoot the food as I’m doing all this, too.

I also study, STUDY food photography I see in the big guns–Martha, Saveur, Delicious, Real Simple, Gourmet, Bon Appétit. If I see something new as a garnish, I want to use it. When we did our chicken shoot, I lost sleep because I thought it wasn’t pretty enough. Of course, when I got back to the office and saw the photos? I was wrong. They aren’t perfect, but they are great. And I’m not looking for perfection, just excellence.

*Barb is referring to Editor Lisa Golden Schroeder’s Food Styling 101 class, an online course offered through www.photostylingworkshops.com.

I recently had a shoot for a magazine client in another city, one that is expecting the editorial and photo work that I do to upgrade the look of their food pages. My writing partner and I worked hard to create new ideas for the summer issues for next year, including a piece on refreshing sorbets and ice creams using seasonal fruit. Watermelon is a garden feature for the June/July issue, so we developed a simple watermelon sorbet for the article. Our photo session was scheduled, with the plan being that we’d post our progress at the studio web site for review as the day progressed. We needed to do three shots, so we made it clear that we expected the editor to be available during the day. As usually happens on shoots without a client on site, the editor had to be out of town at the last minute. So we were on our own most of the day–with a little input at the very end of the session. The editor saw two of the shots, offered a few suggestions, but basically said he really liked how we were proceeding. The watermelon sorbet shot in particular appeared to be just what he was looking for…

The next week we heard from the editor, who was back-peddling quickly: his manager thought that the slices of melon in the back glass didn’t make sense. That at a real picnic, slices of watermelon would be on a plate. Hmmm–would you be serving watermelon slices at all if you had made sorbet? Or so I was reasoning…we used the slices in the glass to give a flavor ID, so the sorbet wouldn’t be confused as raspberry or strawberry. So in the end they decided not to re-shoot (whew!), but we now know how literal they will be in the future. What do you think?

In September, long-time food stylist Carolyn Schirmacher dropped me a note. Carolyn is based in Portland, Oregon but also works in Seattle and other cities along the west coast of the United States. Her note made me laugh, as she wanted to share a very fun experience she had just had with Oregon Public Television. She related that they approached her about doing a segment for a show called “Art Beat” that profiles artists in their studios. They discovered her through one of those strange jobs we sometimes agree to, that required her to create a Caesar Salad that had a miniature Caesar (as in the Roman emperor) action figure frolicking among the greens! So food styling became an “alternative” profession that intrigued them…allowing Carolyn to simulate a photo shoot for the program, using two of her favorite clients that are part of the “eat local” movement: the Edible Portland publication and USA Pears. She did a fantastic job of describing what the job of styling is all about, with the teamwork and collaboration that is essential for a successful shoot. During the show you see her process of “roasting” game hens, a more involved process than I use–but it underscores there’s no one way to do anything in this biz! Click here to view the video of Carolyn unveiling the world of food photography…and many thanks to her for being such an articulate and professional spokesperson for stylists everywhere.

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Carolyn Schirmacher has practiced the art and craft of food styling for over 30 years. She loves collaborating with others that share her passion and uses the creative process as a means to uncovering the potential in every project. Living in Portland, Oregon since 1980 has allowed her to attract and maintain an eclectic client base. She is often relied upon to provide a production plan, conceptual development, photo art direction, product styling, props and lifestyle/ set styling. She has developed a niche with local studios and production companies as a resource for producing and creating special effects involving elusive materials involving fluids, fire, and organic materials. Her resume includes TV commercials, infomercials, cooking shows, packaging, editorial, catalogue work, and PR. A select list of clients include Coca Cola, Finlandia Vodka, Kellogg’s, Kroger’s, Western Family, Norm Thompson, Front Gate, Figaro’s Pizza, Western Family Foods, Trident Seafood, USA Pears, Corning Ware, Nike, Nixon Watches and LG Electronics. Carolyn can be reached at: carolynschirmacher@mac.com

This is reprinted from a past issue of The Tweezer Times™ from a few years ago…but we can never remind ourselves enough that recharging our creative batteries is really important!

The scenarios are similar. Here you are again, a frozen pizza or other homogenized fare in the middle of your workspace. You eyeball it, and it doesn’t respond. Or your client insists on showing their product the exact same way as they have for fifteen years, otherwise “our customers won’t recognize us.” Or even worse, you’re handed a wonderful magazine, cookbook, or film job—and you freeze. The freedom is almost too much; where do you start?

How can we keep our appetite for discovery keen? Feed our imaginations so we can allow ourselves to see wonderful possibilities in something unformed, ordinary, or even ugly? Battle the stress of deadlines, tight budgets, and unrealistic client expectations?

Creativity exists within everyone. It is the bread-and-butter of what we do as stylists, yet often we suppress it by our inner voice of judgment or feel we must express it upon command. Michael Ray, a Stanford professor who teaches a course on creativity, believes there are five qualities that define it: intuition, will, joy, strength, and compassion. To stimulate those qualities, it’s necessary to have faith in your openness to see and do new things, free yourself from your inner censor, carefully observe the setting, and ask important questions. He and others agree that creativity is not a moment of epiphany that produces a brilliant idea. It is a way of life.

Stocking Your Toolbox

Over the years, the most truly creative styling professionals we’ve talked to agree that being prepared for a job sets the stage for creativity. As a character in Madeline L’Engle’s novel A Wrinkle In Time says, “We can’t take any credit for our talents…it’s how we use them that counts.” By knowing your stuff—cooking technique, food science, specifics about a job, making lists, reading the recipes or knowing the product, shopping well and within the client’s budget—then you can clear your mind and open it to inspiration.

Horror and science fiction writer Stephen King recently wrote a marvelous book about the craft of writing. He cites an old popular movie, A Raisin in the Sun, as an example of a grounding moment in the creative process. A character in the movie cries out: “I want to fly! I want to touch the sun!” to which his wife replies, “First eat your eggs.” What a nice, commonplace analogy for laying the groundwork for creativity. King also devotes a chapter to the concept of filling your psychological toolbox with basic skills. If you haven’t learned the elements of your craft, then the artful part can’t be fully developed.

Another aspect of this is communication. When a job is booked, the first step is talking with everyone involved. Be a team player: invite yourself to pre-production meetings (at no charge, if necessary), make yourself available to the prop stylist, and educate the photographer about the issues you face in the kitchen. If you act like a key player in the process, trust and confidence follows and art will bloom.

The Spirit of Creativity

Maureen McKeon, a highly successful food stylist in Melbourne, Australia, presented a pyramid for working toward creative outcomes at a seminar on visual culinary artistry. Her pyramid base was devoted to dreaming—being expansive in thought about the world of creative options. The next step was design—narrowing the choices to the ones that are realistic and controllable. Step three was to decide—choose two or three of your best ideas and be ready to implement them. And the tip of the pyramid was to do—execute your best idea. We need to allow creative thought to seep into our thinking, and then take the process one step at a time.

She also spoke about the goals we strive for when in the studio, beyond creativity. We always need to remind ourselves who our audience or target is for the image. Is it reality or fantasy? Are we conveying information or a message? Can we achieve a visual hook that will draw the viewer in for a closer look? Is there approachability and appetite/sensory appeal? Can we use surprise or humor? Keeping these questions in mind can help drive the choices we make in our creative dreaming.

The current issue of Australian Vogue has a black-and-white ad for Rolex watches on the back cover. The image features Helmut Newton [Editor’s note: Helmut Newton died recently] and his wife June (known professionally as Alice Springs)—both notable European fashion photographers. The tagline on the ad is for perpetual spirit: “It’s not just what they see that surprises, but how differently they see it.” The same can be said for all of us—we each interpret projects in different ways, but a balance is struck when all the issues, goals, and personalities involved weigh in and evaluate the direction of the shoot. But independent visions can reach beyond the expected and give a view of a subject that may surprise and delight.

The Art of Composition

Composing or plating food is just arranging the parts so that a unified, harmonious whole is created. This can be done skillfully and with technical consistency, but it’s creativity and point of view that bring style. Personal preferences, regional, and ethnic associations will also bring a unique approach to presentation. Following trends may be a guide at times, but generally is a futile way to fuel creativity. Just because a look or style is “hot” doesn’t mean it will work for all applications. So strive to do the unexpected, and do not sacrifice good taste to appearance. The more complicated the plate composition, the stronger the sense will be that the food has been over-handled. Beauty can lie in minimalism—the freshest, seasonal food presented simply. And as always, beauty still lies in the eye of the beholder.

One of my favorite food photographers, an art director in a previous life, used to surprise me sometimes when I brought a styled plate to the set. He would spin the plate 180 degrees, despite my protests about what I had designated as “camera front.” Nearly without fail the camera’s view of the food was much more interesting and natural than what I had planned.

Inspiration and Child’s Play

Here are some tips for fostering creativity—there are many books on the subject, but the following suggestions can be part of daily life, as long as you allow yourself to observe and absorb.

1. Enjoy other creative pastimes; indulge passions for textiles, needlework, painting, or drawing. Go to museums, galleries, or exhibitions of other arts.
2. Keep a clip file of inspirational photos, food or otherwise—and attach a note that reminds you WHY it inspires you.
3. Read magazines, cookbooks, and other periodicals about food, culture, art, interior design, architecture. The whole world can offer inspiration.
4. Visit markets—ethnic, farmer’s, greenhouses, small specialty businesses. Learn about new produce, herbs, ingredients. Learn more about authentic cuisines.
5. Eat out and travel when you can—be curious, ask questions, experiment.
6. Cultivate relationships with chefs, cooks, writers, other stylists and artists, gardeners. Be willing to adapt other people’s ideas or visions of the world to your own work.
7. Be a kid again—rediscover the wonder of learning about new things. I ran across an article about a new exhibit at the Crayola Factory in Easton, Pennsylvania. You can go on a tour to learn how crayons are made, work in the Wax Works gallery creating your own art with melted crayons, and visit a hands-on gallery of folk art. And you can draw with markers on a 10-foot-high curved wall of tempered glass—enjoy the guilty thrill and not get into trouble! It’s kids’ play at its best, another place to discover the importance of creativity, to see things in a new way (to learn more, visit www.crayola.com).

Above all, always maintain a high level of integrity—to yourself, your clients, and your work. True creativity flows from focus and hard work.

We’re glad you asked us about this–cakes aren’t easy!

Q. I’ve got a layer cake shoot and need to style wedges of frosted cake standing upright on dessert plates. The client is the cake mix manufacturer, and they’ve given me just a few boxes of each flavor for the shoot! What should I do to make the most of what I have to work with?

A. (This is the follow-up from the stylist…)
I am glad that I spent Saturday baking the layers at the studio because the photographer then dropped a stand-in wedge into the layout and we could determine the size before the shoot day.

Here are some other things that helped:

I sprayed the cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour (or use cocoa) on the pans. I also placed greased and floured wax paper liners in the bottom of each pan, for easier cake release. I generally used one box of cake mix per 10-inch pan, lowered the heat to 325?F, and lengthened the baking time. I also wrapped the cake pans with wet paper towels pinned together around the outside of the pans so that the layers rose uniformly (or try the commercial cake pan strips you can buy at a cookware store.)

I used 10-inch pans so that there was plenty of cake from which to trim the wedges.

I loosely wrap the baked layers, placed them on cardboard cake rounds, and stored them in bakery boxes in the refrigerator for two days so they firmed up (you can freeze cake layers ahead, too.)

If a wedge is to be shown, cut the layers in half cross-wise to get them to fit between dowels so that then you can cut to the proper height with a thin serrated knife. Once I had the height, I cut out the wedges and made smaller wedges as my “in betweens.”

Put the layers together with the “in-betweens” and skewer everything together..

I laid the wedge down and piped in the in-between frosting (Betty Crocker Ready-to-Spread Frosting, stirred and thinned with a small amount of clear corn syrup or Karo).
Then I smoothed the piping with a small dental tool.

I stood the wedge up and positioned it on the hero plate and checked the position on camera. Then frosted the back side first and top last. Went back and smoothed or corrected areas with spit and dental tool. The art director actually asked that I mess up some areas to make it look more real because I had gotten the frosting very smooth in between the layers.

All in all, the day went well and the agency and client were very happy. You were so right that having a fair amount of angst (and advance prep) can help ensure a successful shoot. I realize that cake styling is definitely one of those areas that requires a lot of practice!