Hello, Kyle Dreier speaking.

Hi Kyle, this is Katie at Food Network Magazine.

Hi Katie, what’s up?

Are you available to shoot a five-pound cannoli?

Um, a “five-pound cannoli?” Count me in!

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Well, that’s pretty much how this assignment got started. Food Network Magazine’s editorial calendar included a story on “Big Food” and who’d a thunk that Nashville’d be the home of a cannoli that rivals the size of an NFL football.

Upon arrival at Savarino’s Cucina (located in the Hillsboro Village area of Nashville) we were greeted like long lost relatives—Italians are so good at embracing strangers (figuratively and literally).

Graciousness pours naturally from Corroda and everyone in his restaurant—even the regulars treat you like family. “Italian” plus “Southern” certainly makes for a generous helping of hospitality. Had we not been on assignment we would have accepted the offer to stay and partake in the wine and food.

Savarino’s Cucina famous Cannoli
Weight: 5.43 pounds
Length: approx. 13 inches

What next? Who knows, but I’m ready.

- Kyle

John Scarpati: a collection of musician portraits spanning back to the early 80s.
Cory Basil: paintings and drawings mired in deep and sometimes dark thoughts.
Rory White: fine art portrait assemblages known as RORSHAKs.
Kyle Dreier: photographic food pairings. See “Milk and Brownie”.

We turned the studio into a makeshift art gallery. Here then are some snapshots from the evening.

Pre-show in main “gallery” … aka studio.

Pre-show.

Pre-show.

Rory White takes the stage to get the music started.

Bird’s-eye view.

Bird’s-eye view.

Angelic Heather.

“Main” gallery.

Music with art … a must in Nashville.

Front room “gallery”.

Studio owner John Scarpati relaxing with Heather.

A Cory Basil original.

Studio aka Main Gallery.

Rory White in person.

Artist Cory Basil being 3-D art.

An original RORSHAK by Rory White.

Rory White showing a RORSHAK.

A big thank you to all the musician who played and to those who graciously donated time and resources to helping us pull this off. Next event at the studio? How about something with a little less efforts … I’m sensing another ping pong tournament.

-Kyle

Mix all these together in a restaurant and stir for 2 hours. What you get is a fun evening together learning the ins and outs of “My Stupid Camera” – a workshop from my series Shoot Eat Learn.

Fido (in Hillsboro Village, Nashville, Tennessee) played host to our workshop where the talented Chef John Stephenson and his right-hand Anitra served up a great meal for everyone while I got a little over excited about ISO, aperture and shutter speed. I can get pretty geeky about some of of this stuff.

We got to ponder life’s meaningful questions like “What happens when you increase ISO and decrease the shutter speed at the same time?” and “Why does increasing my aperture make the number get smaller?” And the cocktail party favorite “Have you ever seen what I can do with Bokeh?”

I enjoyed working with everyone in the class. Thanks go out to my assistants Rory and Ian for helping field questions and provide one on one with attendees. Based on the enthusiastic feedback I think this class could be a weekend workshop. Maybe someday we’ll do that.

I’m looking forward to our next Shoot Eat Learn workshop on Food Styling. Date to be announced soon.

- Kyle

According to about.com its origins date back to the Olmec Indians to about 1500 BC with the growing of the cocoa bean to then the making of a cocoa drink by the Mayans around 250 AD and then to the making a chocolate cakes for the elite and wealthy in the 1600s. It has been taxed, considered a medicine and yes, even an aphrodisiac.

I got a healthy dose of wonderful medicine recently with the Miley Barcus, proprietor of Nashville Chocolate Kitchen. I met Miley and her crew about a year ago at Food Network’s Food and Wine Show. Her approach to her creations is that of an artist – it’s more than just baked goods, it’s more than just chocolate. Let’s just say that time in the studio with Miley and her lead baker Jill proved to be a wonderful chocolate adventure.

Actually, there’s more to Nashville Chocolate Kitchen than just chocolate. They make “little cakes” which are like a cupcake but different. They are these great small cakes that are injected with just the right amount of frosting and are a perfect portion for two to share (speaking from experience here). Another fun treat is their “drizzle chips” which is the fun blend of salty and sweet. I could go on and on but I’d rather just stop and let you see the results. Here are a few.

And there you have some of the results from our food photography session in the studio. I’m happy to say that there were a few items that didn’t make it to the set but did make it home where Amy and I enjoyed their medicinal effects. The Mayans would be proud!

- Kyle

Gigi’s Cupcakes is in on this Fall thing, too. Gina shows up at the studio with a cornucopia of Fall themed cupcakes and Darlene and I set out to photograph thirteen cupcakes for their Fall menu. Flavors like Apple Pie, Pumpkin, Banana Pudding and Sweet Potato just to name a few.

If you’ve been around me for very long you know that I LOVE food, but contrary to popular belief, I don’t eat food off the set. I honeslty don’t know any food photographer who eats food off the set. It’s a good policy to keep, even as tempting as it might be to just sink your teeth into a wonderful looking juicy filet or slice of moist chocolate cake.

Just like many things in my world, there is a way around this chivalrous policy … extras! The extras on a shoot are those poor souls that were trying out for the lead role but didn’t quite make it. Maybe they had a lopsided top or a bent bottom. (Oh, by the way, we’re talking about cupcakes here.) The hero is the one that gets the spotlight and while he (or she) might enjoy that brief notoriety, they go from set to trash in the blink of an eye.

So, at the end of the day we end up with a kitchen full of extras just hanging around wondering what to do next. Being the curious one I am, I like to give each extra a chance, so we have somewhat of a free-for-all and do a cupcake tasting. May I give you my all time favorite? It’s the Derby Pie Cupcake. See below. I’m a fan for life. This up and coming star should not just be on the Fall schedule but should be front and center year ’round.

There you have it. Now, go down the street to Gigi’s and experience yourself. You won’t be sorry.

- Kyle

ps. Don’t forget about their mini-cupcakes. Super good which means they are super dangerous!

Actually, I should probably qualify why my answer is usually “no.”

In a situation like this, where we’re photographing drinks which are made to look cold, the drinks themselves might be room temperature at best plus they’ve been handled, squirted with various liquids “not for human consumption” and finger dabbed, poked and stirred. Even though we keep a clean set, I’m not one for drinking or eating something in which so many fingers have ventured.

Well, that’s enough of that. I don’t want to totally turn you off to what actually looks quenching.

Many thanks and credits go out to our great team Rory, Teresa, Whitney and Mollie. Great work all!

- Kyle

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Probably the most interesting aspect of this shoot was getting into scrubs to enter the surgical area. We were quite the site. The technology in the bi-planner room was amazing. I can only imagine what it’s like while actually being utilized. See the special green lighting in the OR room below which is used to assist during operations.

Critical Care Tower Atrium

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower Atrium

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower Atrium

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower - Nurses Station

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower - ICU Room

Vanderbilt Hospital Critical Care Tower - bi-planer operating room

This facility is amazing. I enjoyed photographing it. However, I hope that I don’t have to go there for any other reason.

- Kyle

At my booth passers-by will have the opportunity to be “shot with food”. I’ve got a couple fun photos that are large with a hole for people to stick their heads through. One is a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the other is a Le Crusset stock pot. It should be fun.

So, stay tuned. I’ll post photos after the even. For now, feel free to see my food photography site dreierstudio.com.

Most architectural photography assignments land me in relatively benign situations. There are times where I might be dangling from the edge of a building, walking on a steep roof or even navigating a dark mysterious basement. I’ve been in questionable places at questionable hours. (Oh, and contact with poison ivy … but that’s a whole other story.) Who would have thunk that photographing the new headquarters of the Nashville Opera at the Noah Liff Center would have produced a bloody fat lip, two loose front teeth and the headache of the decade.

Enter me, surveying the wonderful light coming into their Patron’s Lounge. I’m captured by the break in the clouds that are producing nice clean light shining through the skylight ceiling and casting sharp shadows with the typography on the perimeter.

In full-stride and mid-sentence I am stopped dead in my tracks by … what was that! Oh, I remember, we closed (and cleaned) the large glass doors for the previous shot. Ouch! A bit dazed, I receive sympathy and ice from everyone around me … my assist, my clients and some of the opera staff who come from their offices after hearing what sounded like a 175 pound man hitting a 4 x 7 foot glass door.

From examining my pristine face-print on the previously invisible glass door I could see that it was likely my less than shy chin that saved me from greater damages. One of my first thoughts (aside from “what was that!”) was “darn, no more corn-on-the-cob for me this Summer.” Ironically, my wife prepared corn on the cob for dinner last night. Needless to say, I had corn-off-the-cob.

This is one of the outtakes from the food photography session. You’ll have to wait to see the selected food photographs until it is published.

Rotier

I sure love being a food photographer in Nashville.

- Kyle