Holiday Beverages!
December 20th, 2009
The "Holly Day Martini" and a few of her sparkling friends!
In early September, our studio took the call from Wegmans to photograph two drink recipes that were developed to help Menu Magazine readers refresh themselves cheerfully throughout the holiday season! The images would run in the Menu Magazine Holiday Issue, the article beginning on page 58. I was to work alongside art director and good friend, Michael Buckley, and was fortunate to have the wonderful Jennifer Morse working with us, too! Together, we would execute the photography in the Tastings Restaurant dining room and lounge areas. Bartender Extraordinaire, Janet Rudney, of Tastings Restaurant fame, and currently of Next Door Bar and Grill, had created the yummy recipes and would be making the beautiful drinks for us to photograph on the day of the shoot. Michael came over to the studio and went over the list of necessary props with Kathy, and things began falling into place. On the morning of the shoot, Jennifer met me at the studio, we loaded the gear into the truck, and headed out to the Pittsford, NY location.
First off, we decided upon our location for the article’s opening image. The Tastings dining room was chosen in this case for its spacious environment, as well as for the windows and lighting fixtures that would provide some out-of-focus interest in the background. This shot would feature the “Holly Day Martini,” and sparkling wine. The martini recipe combines the flavors of fresh strawberries, pomegranate and citrus, with a kicker of vodka (optional) to help boost the holiday cheer level up a notch or two! We did another shot of the same martini recipe, without the accompaniment of sparkling wine, in the lounge area of the restauant. This was a much tighter composition, and Michael performed his “votive candle magic” to help bring life to the environment.
Strawberries, pomegranate, and citrus make this martini a festive holiday treat!
My favorite shot of the day, though, is the one we did of the “Cozy Coffee” recipe. Janet can do some amazing things behind the bar, and this creation of hers had Michael and I anxious to do some sampling! The coffee smelled so good already, but when Janet topped the mugs off with perfectly roasted mini-marshmallows, the visual appeal of the drinks was increased dramatically! After a little bit of “marshmallow primping,” and some “foam and bubble artistry,” we had our shots done for the day. All sampling was done after Five O’clock, in case anyone is wondering!
Cozy Coffee! You simply can't go wrong with marshmallows and vodka!
Camera: Hasselblad H2 with Leaf Aptus 65S digital back.
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