Notes From the Test Kitchen: Shooting ‘Super wings’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
You know, these food photo shoots aren’t always that easy. Granted, food won’t complain if it has to sit there waiting (forever sometimes) for the lighting to be adjusted, or primped and prodded so the shot is just right. It doesn’t ask for breaks or need an entourage to feed its ego while the camera clicks away. It just sits there. Quietly.
That’s nice, generally speaking. But when you’ve got Chris Erskine taking Super Bowl snack food to the next level -- we’re talking messy, meaty, magical, Fred Flintstone-sized ‘Super wings’ -- you want to convey that excitement! C’mon!
The pressure was on....
Chris’ story, ‘Super Bowl wings turn turkey,’ details his adventures as he creates the uber-wing ... with turkey.
We tested and shot the recipe last week. Chris was a great sport while we worked in the test kitchen, checking in on us as we roasted the wings in the oven, alternately coaching and cheering us on. He even brought by his buddy Irv (Irv co-developed the recipe) to check on the progress. Of course, you could smell the wings as they cooked throughout the floor, and other people would periodically stop by the kitchen -- with hungry looks, just to ‘make sure everything was OK.’
When the time came to shoot the wings, we piled each batch onto platters (you could have used a shovel, they’re that big). We did our best to set the scene in the adjacent studio: We set up a table with bright colors and background, arranged the platters and stacked some beers in the background. Not wanting to play favorites, we set up cocktail napkins with both Steelers and Cardinals colors to add to the feel.
We ran off a few shots but couldn’t convey the sheer size of the wings. We needed a hand model. Chris happily volunteered, grasping one of the wings like a club.
Somehow, it still didn’t quite feel right -- there just wasn’t the energy. We were adjusting the lighting and moving stuff around when someone bumped a light, missing the wings but spilling beer all over the floor. Chris made a joke about the studio now smelling like a Super Bowl party, with the aroma of both wings and beer in the air.
Guess that was what it took to get the ‘Game Day’ mood right. A few more shots and we wrapped up the shoot (OK, it took a bit longer, but we were happily on track). Then we feasted on the wings.
Score!
-- Noelle Carter
Photos by Noelle Carter and Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times
