Cow Parade

As I mentioned in my last blog post I have been able to expand my personal project to two really amazing farms in the New Jersey and surrounding area. This will be an on going personal project capturing the farm and farmers through the seasons hopefully leading up to a year of work.

Being curious is a big part of creating this new imagery. While at the Cherry Grove Farm one of the workers was talking to me about their upcoming cow parade! “A cow parade?!, what is this?”, I asked with excitement. Well I had to go to see for myself. Below is just a small piece of the day to incorporate into my farming project.


Recipe: Homemade Pasta

In my experience I think homemade pasta does not get the attention it deserves. I feel people are intimated by the thought of making it yourself. It’s really a simple recipe with only a couple ingredients needed!

Making a well with the flour and adding the eggs was a hard thing to accomplish; I know I didn’t get it on the first try. I’ve found if your scared of making a egg mess all over your kitchen put it together in a bowl! In the end you will get the same product. Also you want extra flour on standby to flour your surface when kneading the dough.

There’s a great recipe at Food Network with directions and the amount needed for each ingredient: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/fresh-pasta-recipe.html


Personal Project: The Orchard

Personal projects are always something I enjoy working on. It requires a vision and time! Some photographers have personal projects that span a year, while others maybe over the course of a week. I can’t say there’s a right or wrong answer here. It has to be what your feeling and how satisfied you are with the images. When I go into personal projects they may last 3-6 months depending on how many final shots I’m looking to create, the time it takes to make them, and the budget I have allotted for travel, food, props, etc.

My last project I worked on was cartoon food which I really had a great time shooting. Some of my other past personal projects and my professional work have left me in the studio. I was looking for another challenge, and all I could think of was doing something outside in the elements. Working on location is something I haven’t done in a very long time; probably since college. I found this really great orchard right outside the city that seems to have a lot of potential for photos. I’ve only been there once and I had this rush of excitement being there shooting something new and different for myself! I’m excited to see where this takes me. Here’s just a couple shots from that day.

Getting Ready For Fall Seasonal Foods!

Summer and Fall are probably my two favorite times of the year. I really enjoy the summer for the weather and the beach! Fall because the leaves change beautiful colors, there’s pumpkin carving, and I think one of my top seasons for fruits and vegetables! Things I look out for in the Fall are apples, brussels sprouts, and figs! These are so versatile and beautiful I love experimenting with them. This year I plan on doing more savory dishes with apples and figs such as incorporating some cheese. For brussels sprouts I always bake them with cubed slab bacon which is great! However I want to change things up and try some slaw or cold salads with maybe a vinaigrette. Another reason I love this time of year is making soup. It’s cold enough where I can get away with eating soup all day.

Here are some links to get your season started:

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/brussels-sprouts-recipes

http://www.marthastewart.com/275229/fig-recipes/@center/276955/seasonal-produce-recipe-guide

http://www.southernliving.com/food/holidays-occasions/apple-recipes

 

Italy Tour Follow Up: Stock Photography Opportunities

Photos For Stock

As some of you know I recently traveled to Italy touring Venice and Rome. I couldn’t of asked for better weather. People were mentioning in Venice the high and low tides and how St. Marks Square floods. Luckily I did not encounter any issues like that. I was able to touch on most of the major landmarks in Venice and come across some beautiful surprises capturing different things. After visiting the calm and serene town I would certainly come back in a heart beat and urge anyone that has not been there to check it out. The city actually reminded me a little of Zurich, Switzerland. It had to be the pastel tall buildings that lined the narrow cobble streets and the windows flourishing in bright, fresh flower arrangements. The plus though about this city was no hills!

As for Rome, it was just as gorgeous but you could definitely see a more developed economy and city vibe. Also Rome has plenty of hills and steps. There was still lovely cobble stone lined streets, pastel colored buildings, and plenty of notable landmarks. I was taken back by the large ruins that still stood today. This made for great images. One day I had a trip planned for the country side of Rome visiting a notable winery. 30 minutes driving out of the city instantly you were surrounded by rolling hills and greenery. Making our way up a long, hilly road we reached a higher altitude and rows of grape vines, and olive trees. Once again it was a picture perfect scene!

Beyond the vast landscapes of European culture the food was to die for. Everything was freshly prepared and served. I walked away from this trip at least 5 pounds heavier, haha! The pasta, pizza, wine, salads, and fish. At the very least I can say this was another trip I will never forget.

If you are looking for imagery of European culture, specifically in Venice and Rome please feel free to reach out and see how I can work with you on your next project. If you would like to see some images I can send them via Dropbox for convenience. Also if your interested in images from some of my past trips such as Munich Germany, Zurich Switzerland, or Paris France please don’t hesitate to ask!

Of course you can see more of my stock photography here: http://www.offset.com/artist/Felicia+Perretti


Travel Plans: Italy

I've been enjoying the end of the summer and just getting ready for my trip to Italy. My boyfriend (whose is also a commercial photographer: www.josephmkitchen.com) and myself will be leaving first week in September traveling to Venice and Rome! I feel you should really do international travel at least once in your life and while your younger. Traveling through the states I plan on doing when I'm older.

I enjoy traveling because it gives me time to explore new cultures and recharge my creative process. Seeing the world differently where you cannot always get that in your own country. I look forward to hearing new languages and trying to speak them too ;) French and Italian are certainly on my list of languages to learn. I can speak a little of both but nothing fluent... yet!

Stay Inspired!

NJ Monthly Photo Shoot: The Farm & Fisherman Tavern + Market

If anyone is familiar with great food and BYOB’s in Center City Philadelphia Farm and Fisherman would be on that list. Now they’ve expanded into a bigger and better location right in New Jersey. My most recent shoot for NJ Monthly took me to Cherry Hill to see The Farm and Fisherman Tavern and Market. It was a beautiful interior for dining and drinking. To the one side was a casual grab and go lunch spot where you could also purchase local sourced goods like cheese and chocolate! I was able to try some of their most popular dishes and I certainly had a couple personal favorites. One of the first things I shot was their Breads and Spreads appetizer. It came out on a wood lazy susan filled with locally sourced vegetables and house made spreads to dip with. Also with this dish was an amazing pita bread warm, fresh, and fluffy right from the oven! My other favorite had to be the panini sandwich dressed with cauliflower. Yum! The list can go on but I’d go check it out yourself.

Fancy Food Show- NYC Jacob Javits Center

The Fancy Food show in New York just happened this past weekend. I could probably write a book about my food experiences I had over just 3 days. What I can say right now is, if you can go to the show! The amount of food, the quality of food, and the places the food has come from is more than any foodie could ever ask for. Food is the keystone to our very existence and it was proven at the show.

I arrived Sunday morning, checking in as press and picking up my credentials. Being a food photographer this event is a ideal place for me, from the networking, to improving my craft at tasting and understanding different types of cheeses and meats. If you’ve never been to the event before you have to understand to pace yourself and possibly have a game plan before showing up to this. There were approximately 2,000 + food and beverage vendors on the 3 floors of the Jacob Davits Center. If you don’t know what your doing you will easily be stuffed and light headed within the first hour. I came with a list of go-to vendors I really wanted to get myself in front of. Even when I did that I was still overwhelmed but I think overall it was still a successful event for me.

I really enjoyed the balance of national and international foods that were there. I would like to talk more specifically about certain foods and experiences I had there in a separate blog post because it’s just so much yummy information.

Photo Shoot New Jersey Monthly: Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten

I recently was hired by NJ Monthly to photograph the new Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The drive was ok, but well worth it when I pulled up to the front of this stoic, beautifully crafted building right on the water. It looked like the exterior was the shell of a old factory and walking in it certainly had the reclaimed look. The interior had floor to ceiling windows, exposed brick and artifacts filling the room. There were rows of communal tables with the backdrop of hand painted murals representing the good old days! This location seated so many people it was not a surprise to walk up a few flights of steps to this huge bar roof deck that had tiered seating. The walls were covered in this beautiful floral and greenery arrangement for aesthetics and energy.

If the building itself wasn’t impressive enough Chef James Avery had such a passion and experience for German fare it was a match made in heaven. I quite possibly tried and photographed everything on their menu. There were some specifics for me to cover like the bavarian pretzels, beers, potato pancakes, but also their oysters “Braten”. These oysters were served hot on a bed of salt baked with pretzel crumbs and herbs. The flavors were unreal! Another favorite of mine from the menu was the Blumenkohl; fried cauliflower.

 

BTS Photo of Felicia working!

BTS Photo of Felicia working!

Photographer's gotta eat too!

Photographer's gotta eat too!

APA NY Photo Contest Winner

I was so excited to find out I was one of the winners in this years APA NY Photography Contest! I entered the Still Life + Food category with one of my new personal projects I'm working on currently titled "Cartoon Food." I'm re-creating iconic foods from well known cartoons or cartoon movies and photographing them. The winning shot was my recreation of Homer Simpon's pink doughnuts. It incorporated the blue and yellow of his skin and pink doughnuts were in the white box.

I'm still currently shooting some ideas for this project and plan to send out a personal promo along with my new logo!


Portfolio Reviews 2015

Finally the week is coming up! I'm soo pumped to be meeting with Art Directors and Photo Editors from top agencies at NYC Fotoworks. I've been busy shooting and building new work for my book. ALSO will be premiering my new logo designed by the uber talented Nick Prestillo from AIGA. Book edit was done by my friend and photo consultant Neil Binkley

Dessert Professional 22nd Annual Top 10 Pastry Chefs In America

Last night was a great event by Dessert Professional with big name sponsors such as Kitchen Aid. The event was held at La Venue on W. 28th Street. The event honored the top 10 pastry chefs in America! You can imagine how many amazing sweets there was to try. It was great to see pastry chef Jimmy Leclerc of Laduree USA showing off his amazing macaroons. Also among the group was Lisa Bailey of D Bar in Denver/San Diego, Miroslav Uskokovic of Gramercy Tavern in New York, and William Werner of Craftsman & Wolves in San Fransisco. All the winners served amazing sweets so I certainly had to pace myself going from table to table.

Here is the list of winners:

Lisa Bailey- D Bar

Michelle Gayer- Salty Tart

Jimmy Leclerc- Laduree USA

Salvatore Martone- Atelier Joel Robuchon

Maura Metheny- Norman Love Confections

Thomas Raquel- Le Bernardin

Thiago Silva- EMM Group

Miroslav Uskokovic- Gramercy Tavern

William Werner- Craftsman & Wolves

Zac Young- David Burke Group

Memorial Day Weekend Recovery!

What a crazy, jam packed, long, restful weekend I had! We started by seeing the new movie Mad Max which I highly recommend. Also ordering the pretzel bites with cheese (that took me way back). I continued the weekend by cooking with Joe making a huge tray of lasagna for a really fun personal project I’ve been working on. I can’t say anything yet because I’m still working through it and don’t want to spoil any of the fun! Among the BBQ’in, drinking frenzy I managed to make some of my favorite eggplant.

It’s good because it’s so darn easy. For me eggplant is healthy candy. I could eat it all day anyway. If there’s one way though I would cook it for the rest of my life it would be pan seared with breadcrumbs. Just slice the eggplant about 1/2in thick or thinner and let rest on some paper towels for 20min. While the eggplant is resting scramble 1-2 eggs in a bowl and pour italian breadcrumbs in another bowl. Heat a all clad skillet with vegetable oil until it’s hot! Take a fork a dip the slice of eggplant in the egg than into the breadcrumbs till both sides are covered. TIP: You can add an extra step and do flour between the bread crumbs to add extra flavor and crunch. Repeat the step until you fit enough eggplant flat in the pan and cook each side until browned. Remove the slices from the pan and drain on a brown bag. Once they have cooled and the extra oil has seeped out enjoy a crunchy slice of goodness :)

Italian Market Street Festival 100th Anniversary

This past weekend marked the 100th anniversary of the Italian Market Festival in Philadelphia. Originally from Philadelphia and being Italian(oh! and to continue my after-birthday shenanigans) it made complete sense to come out for the weekend to walk the crowded 9th street to drink and eat my way through! The Italian Market has evolved tremendously including more of a Mexican inspired neighborhood while still keeping to its roots and classic Italian food. Some staples you can find along the street are Sarcones, Ralph’s, Monsu, Di Bruno Brothers, Claudio’s, and Fante’s (the original William and Sonoma.)

The festival kicks off on Saturday May 16th at 11AM and closes Sunday May 17th. The streets are packed with people hustling through trying pulled pork sandwiches, grilled mango and corn on a stick, indulging in elaborate pineapple Pina Colada drinks. This is just naming a small portion of what you will find. Among the food vendors on the streets the produce stands are also open as well as the brick and mortar retail shops. Artists are also invited for the weekend selling their hand made goodies whether a scarf or a flask made out of clay! At certain intersections were stages with live bands playing covers of the latest hits or a DJ playing tunes. You could be drinking a beer and standing around having a good time. This year was certainly a fair not to be missed.

Cinco De Mayo!

Cinco De Mayo (5th of May) commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France during the Franco-Mexican war. As Americans know it today it has evolved into the celebration of Mexico’s culture including parades, street festivals, and traditional Mexican foods.

Photo Shoot Recap- Eating Well Magazine

It was great to get a call from Jim at Eating Well with a fun little project photographing parsley and ice cubes. They had a general idea what direction they wanted the photos to look but the rest was up to my creative direction and super talented food stylist Lisa Russell!

We started the day with the parsley creating a poetic, flowing photo of the flat leaves moving across the plexi. This image was running 3/4 of the page and to be photographed overhead lit from underneath. I really enjoyed this because the light really made the leaves glow green and with some of the leaves overlapping made for a neat contrast. We did a few setups of that shot but could easily be altered later by adding or removing leaves for the final shot.

 

For the ice cubes I knew this was going to be more challenging because they melt! :) We had plenty of options and recipes to go off of provided by the recipe developer at the magazine. The clear ones with green leaves and herbs I thought came out the prettiest. The ice cubes made with the colored liquids were also pretty but not as transparent when lit from underneath. We tried a few setups like that and also let some purposely melt to create a pastel liquid forming around cubes. The challenge with this was making it look pretty not so messy with a big melting mess. After trying some with that setup we switched gears to shooting them straight on and stacking them! I was surprised they held up as well as they did and not slide off one another. In the end I thought these were the best executed and what the creatives most closely wanted for the magazine.


National Beer Day

Today is the greatest Un-Birthday/Holidays you could experience. We can thank our former president Franklin Roosevelt for this. Today is National Beer Day! 82 years ago Roosevelt declared it legal to sell, and brew beer ending prohibition.

Time has 8 reasons to love beer on beer day: http://time.com/money/3773998/national-beer-day-why-we-love-beer/