Conceptual Series: Pop Art!

This was a fun series to shoot because popcorn, as simple of a product it is every piece popped has unique traits you cannot repeat twice. I’m a fan of popcorn and being in the food business, why not?! I wanted to challenge my technical capabilities in this series with use of macro photography, lighting, and focus stacking; things I would apply to my other commercial work.

The results were so fascinating and fun to see unfold in the stacking process. You might sort through bags of popcorn and hold a piece that looks interesting but once it’s in the light it’s not, and vice versus. Focus stacking allowed me to showcase the depth in the miniature scale of the food and make it feel much bigger when fully in focus. Also allowing the popcorn to be shot on black by itself removes the illusion of the scale of real popcorn and lets your imagination take over.

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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!

Recipe: Roasted Beet Hummus

I know we all love hummus but do you want to kick it up a notch? Use beets! Especially in the cold months where are body needs immune-boosting nutrients, beets are high in vitamin C, and potassium. We had a much earlier recipe posted using the greens of the beets which also are very healthy. So all around it’s a great vegetable to cook with.
This recipe is super easy and not much different than your average hummus recipe with chickpeas.  What’s great about hummus is you can really cater it to your specific taste so have fun.

Ingredients
    •    2 small roasted beets (peeled)
    •    1 15-oz. can (1 3/4 cup) cooked chickpeas, mostly drained
    •    zest of 1 lemon
    •    juice of 1/2 a large lemon
    •    healthy pinch salt and black pepper
    •    2 large cloves garlic, minced
    •    2 heaping Tbsp tahini
    •    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
    1. Roasted beets:
        Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  loosely wrap beets in foil tossed with oil. Cook through for about 45-50 minutes. Let cool then peel and cube.
    2.    Once your beet is cooled and peeled place it in your food processor. Blend until only small bits remain.
    3.    Add remaining ingredients except for olive oil and blend until smooth.
    4.    Drizzle in olive oil as the hummus is mixing.
    5.    Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil if needed. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water.
    6.    Will keep in the fridge for up to a week.