Tag Archives: Boston Food Photographer

Pizza Pizza

We all decided to give up our summer diets for one day only when the smell of freshly baked  pizza permeated the studio last month.  There was no escaping the grip this cheesy goodness had on our senses – it smelled so good even the camera couldn’t get enough…

After a day of shooting and help from master food stylist, Catrine Kelty, we delivered the ad-worthy shot above.  The ad is featured in this month’s BJ’s journal.

Catrine uses a heat gun to keep the cheese nice and melty until Michael gets the perfect shot.

Doubling as a prop stylist, Catrine never fails to bring a wide array of props… this lady really knows what she’s doing.

Close-up of the heat gun in action… must keep that cheese melted to remain picture perfect!

Michael studies the layouts to make sure the lighting is perfect.

***CLIENTS!  New feature: All of the images Michael shoots on set can be viewed real-time on the oversized flat screen TV in our client sitting area.  Now you can sit back, relax, and oversee the shoot from the comforts of the massage chair!

After a long day, it’s time to serve up some hot slices.

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20th Anniversary

It is hard to believe it has been 20 years since I opened my first studio! It feels like yesterday that I welcomed my first client at 355 Congress St., in the late spring of 1992. I have enjoyed every day and every shoot; it has never felt like work to me.

I would like to thank each and every client I have had the privilege to work with over the last 20 years.  It is largely due to their loyalty and innovative ideas that the last 20 years in business have been so rewarding.  I’m not in this alone; my staff of professionals makes it possible for me to focus on what I love most: capturing the perfect image.  It goes without saying that without the support of my family and friends, I would not have achieved this level of success.

Although many things have changed in the photography industry since I snapped my first photo with a Pentax K1000, the way I think about my clients has remained consistent. From day one, my philosophy has been to bring my clients’ vision to life within the comforts of my studio.

My first studio at 355 Congress St.

Former producer, Heather, and I brainstorm before a shoot.

My first client Computervision, Inc., sent me around the globe for 5 weeks in 1993. I traveled with two assistants to South Korea, Italy, Germany, France, Japan (pictured) and Canada photographing CEO’s and factories for companies such as Hyundai, Siemens, Audi, and Fiat, to name a few. That’s me on the far right, with assistant Jeff to the left of me.

33 A Street Before

33 A Street After

I wanted a place where I could provide a comfortable space with all of the amenities. Luckily, I found a building that was a diamond in the rough at 33 A Street right in South Boston. This has been my home away from home since 1998 and continues to be today.

The patio area at 33 A Street became an outdoor shower for models, Sylvia and Mark, during a shoot for Crabtree & Evelyn.  Assistants Aldo (far left) and Joe (right) had a fun time too!

(From left) Goji, Jeff, Mark, myself, and Al behind-the-scenes at a baseball stadium for a Papa Gino’s shoot.

Hanging out with Jay Leno after I shot his portrait in Burbank, California. I found out that our families descended from the same town: Avellino, Italy!

Below are some of my favorite portraits and personalities from over the past 20 years. It’s been quite a ride – thanks again to everyone who has made it such a memorable adventure!

And here are just some of the thousands of products I’ve had so much fun shooting over the years.

I’m very excited to see what the next 20 years hold for the future of the studio.  If they are anything like the past 20, I can’t wait to get this party started.

– Michael

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Did Someone Say Mezze?

Sometimes you just want a good snack — you’re not yet hungry enough for a full meal, but don’t have the energy to make it to the next big one.  Our recent cravings for mezze led us to pick up some artisan cheeses, olives, and dips.  Only one problem: they turned out to be so pretty, we just had to photograph them before diving in.

This Friday afternoon, we invite you to enjoy our colorful array of small plates — just don’t let them spoil your dinner!

Mediterranean olives swimming in a pool of olive oil.  Paired with a silky Spanish cheese and warm crusty bread, this combination is a feast for both the eyes and the lips.

We whipped up a fresh batch of fire-roasted red pepper hummus and thought it would pair well with olive oil-brushed French bread, hot off the grill.

On a hot summer day, who doesn’t love fresh peppers dunked in a cool, creamy dip?

Spanish Manchego never looked so pristine.

Pretzel Crisps have become a favorite go-to snack around the studio.  With a little creamy French Onion dip, who could have just one?

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Alien Invasion! The Men in Black are Back

Here come… the Men in Black. (again)

While we may secretly wish that we could announce we shot Will Smith’s promo portraits for the upcoming Men in Black III premiere here at the studio, we are proud to say that we did play a fun role in the promotion of the new film, which premieres nationwide this Memorial Day weekend.

We had the unique opportunity to help kick off ice cream season with some of Baskin-Robbins’ new flavor tie-ins to MIB III, which is predicted to be a summer blockbuster.  Enjoy some of our behind-the-scenes shots below, and indulge yourself in a scoop (or two or three) at your nearest Baskin-Robbins store this weekend.  What better way to kick off summer than with some Lunar Cheesecake or Pink Surprise Cake ice cream, a Spacey Sundae, or the new Triple Mocha Cappuccino Blast?

Aliens invaded the studio for one day only — though we had to do some hand grooming before taking them on set.

Prop designer, Shannon Shea (“The Captain”) flew in from Los Angeles to “handle” our alien hand. He paid close attention to every intricate detail on the hand, which was actually used in MIB III.

Cradled by alien hands, Lunar Cheesecake ice cream makes its debut on set.  Videographer, Justin, captures some behind-the-scenes footage in the background.

Michael works his magic behind the lens, capturing the perfect angle of the Triple Mocha Cappuccino Blast.

We think the final ad turned out great!

Have an extra 30 seconds? Check out our video to get an even closer look behind-the-scenes:

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Fun with Fruit

Once we saw the concepts for this shoot we were really excited. It was an action packed day as food stylist Mary, had to fly in for this one day shoot. We had four different flavored smoothies to shoot, along with hero shots of each fruit. The final ads came out awesome – see them below and also take a look at the behind-the-scenes photos!

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Our attention to detail is so important to us, we break out the Pantone book to match the color of the smoothie.

The Few.  The Proud.  The Hero Fruit!

Is Michael using magic to suspend the strawberry in mid-air?

Michael creates the perfect water drop.

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In Style with BJ’s

We had the great opportunity to shoot for the BJ’s Member Journal recently. Working with their creative team and many different talented stylists over the course of multiple days was a fun time. The variety of the sets and shots are one of the great parts of shooting for them, as well as seeing some familiar faces.

Always relaxed and calm, Sara Mills-Broffman stakes her spot on the beach set, for the next shot.

Prop stylist turned florist, Caroline Woodward trims the stems of these beautiful roses.

Food stylist Sunny Ricks sorts through and cuts up the best pieces of fruit for an attractive and appetizing looking platter.

Multi-talented stylist and hair/make-up artist, Courtney Kilmartin keeps a watchful eye on the models skin under the studio lights.

The guest of honor, Lulu,  blissfully takes a nap in Loretta’s arms.

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Quench Your Thirst

All of this blissfully warm weather lately has been making us pretty thirsty here in the studio.  So… we decided to quench our thirst with some delightfully sparkling beverages to transport us right into the New England summer.  (or at least until we reach the bottom of the glass and the chilly temps return)  Here are some pieces of eye candy we shot… they might just inspire you to make some citrusy cocktails of your own this warm weekend.  Cheers!

Drinking 8 glasses of water per day can just get plain old boring.  But how about adding a dash of lemon and few sprigs of mint?  Yes, please.

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Blueberry cocktails never looked so inviting.

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Splish splash… Florida oranges are back in action for the summer.

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Jen (food-stylist-for-the-day) works some behind-the-scenes magic.

Jen, where’d you get those bartending skills from?

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Life of a Scoop

We’ve been known to do a few behind-the-scenes videos in our day, but a few months ago we decided it was time to do something a little different; a bit more… unexpected.  We wanted to take our audience (you) on a journey through an actual ice cream photo shoot, to see what really goes into getting that perfect shot of mouth-watering, creamy-cool goodness… but through the “eyes” of the ice cream, itself.  Our client, Baskin-Robbins, was kind enough to let us put their delectable ice cream on stage for its 15 minutes of fame… resulting in our short video, “Life of a Scoop.” (keep scrolling down)

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the video shoot to whet your palette.

Michael and Justin set up the shot so it looks great from every angle.

Ice cream stylist, Mary–always a good sport–wore a flattering GoPro Helmet Cam so that we could all take an intimate look inside the life of an ice cream scoop.

Swirling the ice cream tub (as Mary cut it in half) created some cool visual effects for our video.

Please LIKE our video on the APA Short Video Contest page to increase our rating in the contest… it’ll only take a second and we’ll owe you a scoop.  Enjoy the show!

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Everyone’s a little Irish…

We’ve been having lots o’ fun this week, gearing up for St. Patty’s Day in Southie–the capital of Irish Boston and humble home to our studio.  Join in on the fun and check out some behind-the-scenes photos from our recent St. Patrick-inspired splash test… because hey, if you can’t drink beer during normal business hours, you might as well splash it.  Sláinte!

The spotless calm before the storm.  Let’s get this party started!

Digital Tech, Jen, skillfully creates the perfect splash, while Michael and our incredible intern, Elise, look on in amazement.

Studio Producer, Caleb, tries to defy gravity with a different technique – the reverse splash.

The Aftermath.  Guinness, green beer, and Heineken kegs… who ever said we had to be all work and no play?!

The Final Ad.

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PASTA MIA

Michael’s fond childhood memories of the smell of homemade pasta came to life during this shoot. It was a wonderful way to spend the day returning to his roots, making great pictures of handmade fettuccine and ravioli along with some gorgeous vine-ripened tomatoes.  While Jen is not working on setting up lights and whizzing through file management for our clients, she is a gourmet cook at home. Enjoy our behind-the-scenes photos of her making the pasta… and then feast on the final images!

Ravioli stuffed with ricotta.

These tomatoes would make a wonderful primavera sauce.

Fettuccine the way it should be: Fresh!

The Italian word for tomato is pomodoro… Translation: “golden apple.”

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Jen uses her ingenuity as she hangs the pasta on a C-Stand.

An old family cookbook can’t be wrong when it comes to tasty recipes.

Jen carefully punches out the ravioli.

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