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

National Pizza Month - Pizza Promo

October is National Pizza Month! Of course we need to dedicate a whole month to our favorite food group. There are other pizza holidays throughout the year, but this is the big one. I’ve always wanted to do a fun over the top printed promo and this was the perfect opportunity.

This month was not just about any pizza, but a great way to showcase my shoot I did overseas for Domino’s PIzza! Get right to the heart of the project and show the tasty, beautiful, cheesy pizzas we shot over the month. YUM!!

To make this promo really fun and creative I worked with graphic designer Amanda Stringer on a concept of a pizza box with my branding and a photo booklet to go with it. In addition to the booklet to make it run and interactive I had a QR code made that would take you right to my website and the BTS Video from the shoot. Also I found this really cool pizza frisbees, and build your own pizza stickers!

The promos were sent to a super targeted list of pizza brands across the country and their coinciding agencies that also work with them. I sent out for the month of October my newsletter highlighting the pizza shoot and talking about the promo.

B.T.S. Domino's Pizza MENA (Middle East North Africa Division) International Advertising Photo and Video Shoot

This project was a great way to finish out 2021 and ring in 2022 with a month long advertising project in the Middle East. I don’t know where to start with this amazing opportunity to shoot for a dream client! I hope all the behind the scenes will help do it justice. There were months of pre production planning this shoot while still dealing with international travel during COVID. In the end everything came out great and the client loved the shots.

The first half of the shoot was the still components. We went through and captured fresh imagery for their menu showcasing all the different pizza offerings and sides. Beautifully styled by Jamie Kimm. In addition to the menu items we captured combo deals that they regularly advertise. The New Yorker pizza was a very prominent pizza we shot. Really great hand tossed pizza with big slices just like in New York City! The most exciting and challenging aspect of this shoot was getting the cheese pulls right. Jamie’s attention to detail and experience was paramount in getting these shots right.

After we captured the still components the last 2 weeks we shot various short video moments of cheese pulls, wings dipping, sauces being poured onto pizzas, and beautiful details of the regional ingredients. These videos will be used on their digital sings in store as well as social media. I couldn’t of done this project without the local rental house Action Filmz who was able to put together all the lighting and grip I needed and deliver to Abu Dhabi. Highly recommend!

We had 3 core surfaces we used for the different channels the images and video were going to be showcased on. I had a super talented local prop stylist fabricate these. Again highly recommend Caroline of Food Art Concepts. Domino Blue Color was very important!

We had just a couple days off to site see and enjoy the local food. Some of the best I’ve ever had. The weather was in the 80’s and sunny, no humidity Every Single Day. What a beautiful place.

Hope you enjoy these images as much as we do. Any questions on this project or if you have similar needs please feel free to reach out.

Happy Holidays: Reflecting on 2021

Happy Holidays! Blessed to have another amazing year of work and to have started getting back to in-person meetings, and shoots. 2020 was a real blur and 2021 still had its ups and downs. I’m thankful for all the crew and clients that worked with me this past year. Couldn’t of done it without you!

As a photographer it’s rare you get to meet other photographers in the field and for me that would happen at industry events like holiday parties or portfolio reviews. I was so happy when BLVD Artists brought back in person reviews. It was great to see fellow photographers and agency folks an arms reach away. Human connection is so important and necessary in personal growth.

Creating personal work is always on my list and it was another successful year collaborating with super talented stylist shooting really cool work.

To finish out my year into 2022 I’m very excited to be shooting my first international job with a very well known pizza brand. Can’t wait to share the news when I return!

Happy Holidays

Sincerely,

Felicia

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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!

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

Fancy Food Show Part 2

Artichoke Basille's Pizza

I wanted to have a separate post going into more detail the vendors I met and food I tried at the Fancy Food Show this year in New York City. I think the first vendor that had the largest impact on me and was a crowd favorite was Sir Kensington. As I was walking toward to convention center I was greeted by a large billboard with Mark Ramadan and Scott Norton who brought the brand to life. There is a whole back story that I invite you to read on their website: http://sirkensingtons.com/story In the end they did walk away with a Sofi award for outstanding condiment, specifically their special sauce. Overall I did enjoy the product, dijon was my favorite as well as the packaging. It was cute.

Another favorite of mine during the show was Slate Roof Creamery. Two gentlemen, Mark and Rik were running the booth and director of operations. The products were different types of butter which were very tasty! Original concepts of theirs were sweet butters but now they’ve introduced more savory flavors which were very very good.

Some of the brands and foods I came across during the show were unique, such as Just Hemp Foods from Canada. Packaging and design drew me in first followed by a pleasant sales person. They certainly played up the Hemp name referencing the drug, either way it was a tasty and healthy product. They were sampling their hulled hemp seeds, and toasted salted hemp seeds. I personally enjoyed the hulled hemp seeds. They had a creamy texture and were not crunchy. The product could easily be eaten as is or added to a smoothie or shake for lunch. They also sell hemp seed oil and protein powder.

During the show I tried to avoid friend, fatty foods but the brand The Perfect Bite which sold frozen food, defrosted as appetizers, snacks, sides, amongst other things was surprisingly good. At the time they were sampling their mini quiches which were so good they tasted freshly made. I wish they had more out to sample but if I was convinced with the one then they were truly quality. They lived up to their name as the perfect bite.

Turning the corner I was welcomed by sunny Florida Natalie’s Juice. The booth was so welcoming I had to stop and try their juices. It certainly put a smile on your face trying their variety of juices such as orange, grapefruit, and lemonade. I gave them two thumbs up and brownie points for being so pleasant!
Once again I was blown away by a frozen food. It was a New York local company which I wasn’t familiar with. Artichoke Pizza, which started and still is currently a real pizza store front with locations in Manhattan and other spots. I have a lot of pizza places on my list to go to in New York so I don’t know how this missed the list. They were sampling their frozen pizza line and it was just like you walked into their store and ordered a fresh slice. It was packed with flavor and fresh ingredients. Once again very very impressed with the frozen food quality.

I will end this post with a very cultural, genuine experience I had with Made In Morocco. A rep from the company saw me walking the floor and insisted I come check out their booth. It could of came across as salesy but I was having such a good time I was Ok checking it out. Once I got closer I could hear this beautiful Moroccan music and a festively decorated booth full of sweets, food, and Moroccan tea being served. I felt like I was in another country being handed all sorts of food to try and given a glass of their tea in a proper Moroccan glass. It was quite the experience and their food and style of cooking is so unique with the smell and spices they use.