Thirsty Thursday!

Another Thirsty Thursday is upon us and we're craving something Sweet and Salty, just like the photo {below} taken at Sierra! The whole image just looks so refreshing...Where are you Summer? We're ready for you and will be drinking these in the meantime, in hopes you'll arrive soon:)

Salty Dog

                                                       5 oz grapefruit juice

                                                       1 1/2 oz gin

                                                       1/4 tsp salt

Pour all ingredients over ice cubes in a highball glass.

 Stir well and serve.

 (Vodka may be substituted for gin, if preferred.)

Recipe courtesy of drinksmixer.com

faking it

We fake it a lot around here;) As long as we're not shooting product for packaging that is {a big no no in the food photography world}. One instance being with beverages. It's not always constructive to use real ice in shots....seeing that it tends to melt {really??} and time is usually a major factor in shoots.
So that brings me to our little friend...fake ice. Yes there is such a thing and it comes in many different shapes & sizes as well as a few different materials. Ah the possibilities!
Some ice floats and some sinks and depending on what you're intentions are with the shot, one will probably be used over the other. There are even little 'tricks of the trade' to make the shot not look fake including spraying dulling mist on glasses or pitchers, in order to create a frosting effect {frosted mug please!} and then spritzing them with water to give the illusion of perspiration. Are you feeling cheated at this very moment? Please don't:) It just means we're good at our jobs and may even be considered optical illusionists. Which brings me to the main question...

Can  you tell which ice is the imposter?

thirsty thursdays

It's Thursday and I'm sure everyone is in need for one of these! A new blogger ritual for Sierra will be to showcase a beverage photograph and accompany that with a recipe! I couldn't really help myself when I came across this photograph that we shot last winter {Yes winter...doesn't it look straight out of a backyard?!}. Margaritas are definitely a favorite and made that much better with FRESH mangos:) Happy Thursday!

Mango Margarita

2 oz tequila of your choice

¾ oz Grand Marnier

1 oz mango nectar

¾ oz orange juice

¾ oz lime juice

1 tsp simple syrup

Slice of mango, for garnish

Sugar, for garnish

Rim your chilled margarita glass with sugar. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it up! Strain into the glass with a bit of crushed ice. Garnish with mango slice and enjoy!

photo of the week

A new Wednesday ritual will be a 'photo of the week' feature! This will be a great way to showcase some of our best work as well as some new work. This week we're featuring two photographs as a mini series.

{love the rustic feel of these photographs}

Chicago Style

The Chicago Style hot dog, not to be confused with the Coney Dog, Slaw Dog, Chili Dog, or Italian Style Dog. I think everyone gets my point, there are a lot of different ways to serve hot dogs! Each of these recipes is a combination of several ingredients that definitely need to be accompanied by a napkin. However, the deliciousness of all these ingredients combined, pose a little dilemma when it comes to photographing them.

The combinations {though yummy} can get a little muddy in presentation. So the task at hand is how to photograph all the components clearly and beautifully {while also keeping everything looking appetizing!}. With every recipe shot, we clearly identify each of our ingredients, then assemble the recipe in a way that showcases each of them without being too obvious with placement {nothing too perfect!}. Sometimes it can take hours getting these tiny details just perfect. It may seem like a tedious process but in the end the shot is what makes all the time and effort worth it!

Chicago Style Hot Dog Ingredients

{sport peppers, to top off the recipe} 

{dill pickle relish...LOVE the color}

{tomatos cut into wedges}

 {the classic poppyseed bun}

 {perfectly grilled hot dogs}

{and a quick shot of the final product...SO bright & colorful!} 

The search for the PERFECT grill marks

Yes...that's right...the perfect grill marks. It's an art and one needs to know their grill personally in order to recreate a natural looking grill mark. You don't want the grill marks to look too thick, thin, or unnaturally spread out. Some stylists create an outline of the grill and grates in order to match the burgers to the grill that they will be photographed on. Like I said...an absolute art.

I can seriously smell the aroma of the studio, on this day by simply staring at these photos. The whole place smelled like a summer barbecue! So cruel since it's just barely grilling season...soon though...and in the meantime enjoy the torture below:)

{grilled bun anyone?} 

{browning the burgers before applying the grill marks} 

{intricately placed grill marks} 

{sometimes a darkening agent needs to be applied to achieve the perfect color!}

Friday Favorites

Hey Everyone! Sorry for the slight lack of posts this week but this week was very eventful at Sierra. Hot Dogs and Hamburgers are actually very complex contrary to what some people might believe. This week was spent shooting and styling their complexity, playing with fire {FUN!}, and assisting in creating great dining scenes for shots. Here are a few of my favorite moments and also "soon-to-be" blog posts. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

{styling sliders...the fine art of melting cheese} 

{setting up for a fun lifestyle shot of the product} 

{getting to see a pheasant while working in the back kitchen/studio!} 

{chicago style hot dog...a great chicago classic}

{the grill shots! i have a fun video of the flames and will save the excitement for it's own blog post!}