Wonderful Machine Best of 2025

Excited to be featured as one of the best photographers of the year from Wonderful Machine!

Favorite Photographers of the Year

To celebrate the new year, we asked some of our favorite photo editors, art producers, and creative directors to share with us their favorite photographers of 2025. We compiled that list, and in no particular order, we’re sharing them with you here!

See the list here: https://wonderfulmachine.com/article/personal-best-2025/

B.T.S. Photo Shoot: Love For Pizza

When creatives get together! Pizza was on the mind, and no better team to call upon than Janine Kalesis, and Penelope Bouklas to bring it to life. We brainstormed indulgent pizza slices and created unique environments around each concept. Incorporating talent was important to tell the story of each slice. We have Molly and Licha from Vie Agency who brought their A game! Dominique Noelle did an awesome job on hair and makeup and their looks worked well with each setup. Experimenting in the studio with lighting and cameras is part of the fun. We were able to get funky wider shots that created completely different vibes. It was one way to stretch the scenes and make them more versatile, things clients are always looking for. Love this series, and there were too many to post here!

Thank You Crew!!!

Studio: Simple Studio

Food Stylist: Janine Kalesis

Prop Stylist: Penelope Bouklas

Hair and Makeup: Dominique Noelle

Talents: Vie Agency - Molly Brodowski and Licha Gonzalez

BTS Photos and Photo Assist: Jarrett Murphy

Atkins Packaging -Splash Work!

Fun week in the studio creating stunning photography for new packaging with Atkins! Great team to get the job done!

Food Stylist: TakakoKuniyuki  https://www.tkuniyuki.com/

Digital Tech: Zach Felts https://www.zachfelts.com/

Assistant: Regina Tamburro https://reginatamburro.com/

Splash/Rigging: Nathan Destro of Performing Rigs https://performingrigs.com/pages/about

Retouching: Daymoon Studios https://www.daymoon-studios.com/

Studio: Space 28 https://www.space28.com/

Rep: Carolyn Somlo Talent http://www.somlotalent.com/

Lurzer's Archive 200 Best Photographers Edition 12

This was exciting news to receive that I was one of the chosen photographers to be in Lurzer’s Archive’s next edition for 200 best photographers! I love the diner series I shot with food stylist Janine Kalesis and prop stylist Penelope Bouklas, and I’m glad they chose those images for print!

For over 40 years Lürzer’s Archive has been curating the very best in commercial creativity. Beginning as an archive of the best in print and video campaigns, we now encompass the ever growing gamut of creative commercial output.

B.T.S. Spring Awakening Series Shoot

This personal series has been brewing for awhile. I wanted to create these sculptural images that incorporated raw ingredients and flowers. I wanted to shoot this when fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers were peeking in season. This allowed us to have the flexibility to source some stunning options! My stylist did not let me down. I got to work with food stylist Judi Orlick and Florist (and ceramic artist studio owner!) Zofi Lipton on this shoot. I was so excited when they were on board to help bring this vision to life. We narrowed down the ideas and left room in the day to just explore and play around. I wanted the lighting and propping to be dramatic. Once the food and flowers touched the surface the vibrant colors and interaction of the two things just came to life in the shot. Beside minor dust spotting and creative rigging these are true to what we captured in studio. It was great to shoot at Simple Studio, the perfect still life studio with a view! Assisted by Jarrett Murphy

AI-AP American Photography 41 Chosen Winner!

It was such a nice surprise to get an email from AI-AP that I was a Chosen Winner in this years contest! It’s such a great contest to enter with the various judges, and fun party at the end of the year to help celebrate the artists! There’s so many amazing shots by so many talented photographers it’s great to be among them.

The chosen shot was a fun favorite from my personal series Diner Food shot and styled with Janine Kalesis and Penelope Bouklas. Our minds together create some stunning work! The whole series from this which is on my website/blog is great to look at as a whole. This particular shot of the cherry pie is so graphic and certainly was a sketched out idea from the shoot.

B.T.S. Casino Shoot

When an idea comes to life! I collaborated with my creative team, penelope bouklas and Janine Kalesis to come up with a vintage inspired casino night. We incorporated vintage props as well as food and beverage. I created the lighting and composition to help set the tone of the environment. There were so many great moments from this shoot it’s hard to just pick a few. Noreen Eddy, our hand model really helped capture the mood and added the perfect human element to our story

B.T.S. PRE Raise The Steaks Campaign!

I really got to flex my creative muscle with this project! Lots of planning and prepping led up to this fun filled shoot directing and capturing stills for PRE Brands and their “Raise The Steaks” Campaign! The project was filled with bold, bright colors that weaved through their own branding. We got to work with a talented crew and group of models in studio to capture a bright day grilling and chilling. Each setup incorporated a bold color and we were able to pair it with a recipe. The grand finale was an overhead outdoor vibe in a group setting showcasing an array of the brands offerings. This is a product you want to cook at your next summer get together! I love how the final piece came together, and all the amazing stills we captured from each setup. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!!

Carolyn Somlo - Producer/REP

Gadi Solis - DP

Collin Breimeier - DIT

Thomas Schroeder - Gaffer

Emmanuel Terrell - Grip

Cindy Melin - Food Stylist

Arden Kelley - Food Stylist Assistant

Dominic Cordilla - Prop Stylist

Geoff Binns-Calvey - Special Effects/Grill Fire Guru

Izzie Copeland - PA

Shot At Parchment Studios

Test Shoot With Janine Kalesis and Penelope Bouklas

2024 started off with a bang! I collaborated with food stylist Janine Kalesis and prop stylist Penelope Bouklas to create these vibrant scenes incorporating cannabis and some indulgent food. Each environment had a color scheme which was complimented with accent props sourced by Penelope. Each food component was styled and created by Janine. This was a super team!! We were able to work around the scenes and capture all sorts of variations, crops, and angles. Can’t wait till the next one.

Check Instagram for more shots from the shoot!

@perrettiphoto

@foodstylistnewyorkcity

@penelope_props

End of Year Thanks!

Happy Holidays! 2023 was an exciting year with lots of new clients and fun projects. It’s great to continue challenging myself in my work and growing my business connections. It was my first full year working with my rep Carolyn Somlo who has been a great production partner. Can’t wait to dive into 2024 and work on more exciting projects.

Enjoy this tasty whipped coffee drink for the holidays styled by Janine Kalesis.

APA Chicago 10th Annual Artist’s Perspective Exhibition Selected!

Excited to be a selected photographer in the 10th annual APA Artist’s Perspective exhibit!

APA Chicago, “Natasha Egan, Executive Director at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, has completed judging our 10th Annual Artist's Perspective Personal Work Exhibition. We are pleased to announce that she has selected 47 images from 42 artists to be featured in our one-night exhibition on Friday, April 28, at Fulton Street Collective. Our celebration includes drinks, food, fun, a photo booth, and more - please join us.”

Fri 28th Apr, 2023
7:00pm–10:00pm

Fulton Street Collective
1821 W. Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60612

Free Admission

Link to event and all photographers to be in the show:

https://chicago.apanational.org/events/entry/10th-annual-2023-artists-perspective-exhibition/

B.T.S. - The Not Company Shoot

NotCo What a fun brand to work with! It was so exciting when they reached out to work together on shooting new photography and video for their NOT chicken patties and their brand new NOT MILK product line. The vibrant colors in the brand were used in the background as well as table settings. We had a variety of set options for the recipes we shot. Tiffany Schleigh food stylist created indulgent dishes for us to capture. There were a variety of recipes that used plant based cheese, yummy sauces, and layers of goodness. When I tried their chicken patties and nuggets I coulnd’t belive it wasn’t actual chicken! They were so good!!

Along with the creative team we were able to work with the super talented kid model Miles @milesandre_14 He had fun expressions and excitement with each dish as well as the NOT MILK Chocolate Milk and regular Milk products. So much fun tossing things in the air.

We got to work with one of my favorite studios, Space28. We were able to shoot table top imagery as well as use their kitchen to shoot other dishes and Milk drinks.

Can’t wait to see all the shots out in the wild. You can find their products at a variety of stores like Whole Foods, and Giant Food Stores.

Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023 Shortlisted!

Excited to share for a 2nd year in a row I’am shortlisted in the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023!! I always look forward to entering contests, and this is one of the best out there. It’s great to be recognized for the hard work put in to making memorable food photos. This year I entered an image from my Leftover Series! I entered it in the category MPB Award for Innovation.

You can see the whole list of talented photographers shortlisted here: https://www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com/pink-lady-food-photographer-of-the-year-shortlist-2023/

Stills - Beyond Meat Commercial Shoot

This was a really fun shoot in Los Angeles at the end of the summer. I got to work with the best, Chuck Studios from Amsterdam and my favorite Table Top Director Olaf van Gerwen. Food really does get famous here. It was a real treat to be with a fun, creative team. Olaf was capturing the beautiful video work with food stylist Joseph Celis. After the scenes were wrapped I came onto set to work with the stylist, and models to capture various stills of the Beyond Meat Product and the recipe that went with it. It was great to capture the natural moments and real expressions of the talent. Of course we highlighted the food and showed how appetizing it was! It was a really great product to work with. The Beyond Team was there for the shoot and loved everything we were able to capture for them. It was a busy 2 days at the various spots on location. We captured a back to school scene, friends at their apartment, and a outdoor BBQ scene. It really takes a village to get these projects off the ground. I’m so glad I was able to be apart of it! You can see the work out now.

Go buy Beyond Meat, it is soo good!!

Personal Series: Leftovers

This concept has been on my mind forever! A kitchen staple that is so versatile it was the perfect vessel to capture food. I came up with common uses we use aluminum foil that leave residues, grease, colors, and burn marks. In a normal situation we would crumple this up and throw it away. I wanted to capture the beauty in essentially this piece of food trash before it made it’s way to the can. A fun part of this project was how easy it was to manipulate the foil and it hold it’s shape created. There had to be a feeling of movement as if it was actually dancing in mid air. The lighting and rigging on set was really important to me for this project to get the idea across. I used muted backgrounds and surfaces so the colors of the food really stood out.

What else do you use foil for??

Fine Art Food Friday

This was a fun creative exercise exploring simple foods and viewing them through fresh eyes. Working with my medium format system allows me to explore products under a close view without obstructing the quality of the image output. The color spectrum I was able to produce with these images made for a magical photograph! The play with light and shadow, and shallow depth of field turned the food into abstract objects allowing you to immerse yourself into the photo.

Understanding this really helps with creating packaging photography for my clients which is one of my Favorite things to shoot! I love those super tiny details and how the light is shaping the product.

Perretti Photography LLC Now On Workbook!

Excited to share I’am now apart of Workbook! It is the place to get your work seen by top agencies in the industry! I’m excited to share some of my latest work and projects here. The involvement of Workbook’s staff making sure I showcase the best work and projects shows how dedicated they are to their artist. I hope you will take some time to check it out. Let’s work together!

https://www.workbook.com/portfolios/perretti_photography

---

Felicia Perretti is a commercial food and beverage photographer and director based in New York City. She works nationally with food and beverage clients in advertising, packaging, editorial, and video. She has worked with food and drink in all shapes and knows how to craft the right team to get the job done! Her passion for food and beverage shine through on set as well as outside of work in her everyday life. Whether it’s trying new restaurants, traveling, or cooking with her husband Joe. Send her an email or give a call to discuss your next project, she would be more than happy to chat!

Featured Photographer on the DT Blog

Excited to share for the month of July I’m the featured photographer on Digital Transitions blog! You can read the full Q&A and see some of my recent work HERE

“This month, we couldn’t be more excited to feature the incredible work of our client, commercial food and beverage photographer Felicia Perretti. She is located in New York City with a specialty in advertising, packaging, editorial, and video for food and beverage clients across the country. Felicia’s extensive passion for the food and beverage industry remains a constant in her daily life and has guided her professional career.”

---

Felicia Perretti is a commercial food and beverage photographer and director based in New York City. She works nationally with food and beverage clients in advertising, packaging, editorial, and video. She has worked with food and drink in all shapes and knows how to craft the right team to get the job done! Her passion for food and beverage shine through on set as well as outside of work in her everyday life. Whether it’s trying new restaurants, traveling, or cooking with her husband Joe. Send her an email or give a call to discuss your next project, she would be more than happy to chat!

B.T.S. Photo Shoot for Victoria Beer

Dream job!! Working with beer, but not just any beer; Victoria. What a great easy drinking beer in the summer with the right balance of malt taste. The team at Upshot had a beautiful deck put together for this shoot and I was so excited to bring these shots to life for them. The bright sunlight feel with the long cast shadows created a amber glow for the beer that was beautiful to capture. In the studio we had to create an environment that you may dream of drinking this beer in. Paola Andrea did not disappoint with her creative approach to the stucco walls and palm leaves that filled the frame. To finish off the shots a hint of food and refreshing look to the beers Kate Buckens brought her “A” game! Also one of our pour shots we had talent Rafael Medina of Bella Agency do the honors. Great shoot all around. Can’t wait to see the shots out in the wild. Working remotely with the agency through the ZOOM platform once again worked well for everyone.

---

Felicia Perretti is a commercial food and beverage photographer and director based in New York City. She works nationally with food and beverage clients in advertising, packaging, editorial, and video. She has worked with food and drink in all shapes and knows how to craft the right team to get the job done! Her passion for food and beverage shine through on set as well as outside of work in her everyday life. Whether it’s trying new restaurants, traveling, or cooking with her husband Joe. Send her an email or give a call to discuss your next project, she would be more than happy to chat!

Dry January 2021!

What is dry January?

When you voluntarily stop drinking alcohol for a month. After the holidays, and…2020 the drinking can get the best of us and this is a great way to ease into the new year. Take the time to hit the reset button on yourself and mentally connect with one self. :)

I’ve been participating in dry January for 5 years now! I always feel better after the month. It honestly improves my sleeping, overall health, and concentration on every day tasks.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a drink or 2 but relaxing after a long day doesn’t always have to be with a glass a wine. Think about this while starting the new year fresh. Also check out some of these great drink alternatives I love.

Aha Seltzer: https://www.drinkaha.com/

Polar Selter: https://polarseltzer.com/

Perrier & Juice Flavored Sparkling Beverage: https://www.perrier.com/us/perrier-juice-drink

Bubly: https://www.bubly.com/#/

---

Felicia Perretti is a commercial food and beverage photographer and director based in New York City. She works nationally with food and beverage clients in advertising, packaging, editorial, and video. She has worked with food and drink in all shapes and knows how to craft the right team to get the job done! Her passion for food and beverage shine through on set as well as outside of work in her everyday life. Whether it’s trying new restaurants, traveling, or cooking with her husband Joe. Send her an email or give a call to discuss your next project, she would be more than happy to chat!