Here’s a detail of the various things that were embedded into the blocks of ice:

Getting back to on-the-go hand-held people photography, a genre where I began my career, was refreshing.  More than this, I felt a huge amount of excitement and respect for what was going on in these classrooms. You could see these kids were learning how to be successful!

Here’s a short video about Beyond the Bike.

In a very short time my generous friends have helped me raise almost $1,400 for this cause, but I still have a bit to go to reach my goal of $2,000.  If you feel moved, please take a look at my donation page and consider helping in this effort.  Thank you.

The apples and tree branches are real.  And it’s amazing what you can do with fake grass when it’s out of focus!

The other outstanding presentation for me was the last, with Clare Ferguson (stylist based in the UK) and Jeff Kauck (photographer based in Chicago).  One theme that both Jeff and Noel stressed was the need, during a bad economy, to give the client as much bang for their buck as possible.  To that end, they routinely run multiple sets and hire multiple crews.

Clare Ferguson’s enthusiasm for the material was contagious, and she closed by reminding us that to the rest of the world, what we all do every day is a dream job.  Whatever happens, never be bitter or cynical, because we make magic.  Never stop laughing; and never stop learning.  I would say a loud AMEN to that!

And here is a different stylist, and how they get set up in the kitchen:

You can see that both of these people are very neat and organized!  When you realize that unlike us photographers, the stylist is always working on location and likely to work in a different studio from one day to the next, it’s good to be ready to go with whatever you need.

Each stylist has their own way to do things, but there are a few tools we keep here in the studio for them which I like.  First is this hand-held steamer.  We cover the nozzle to reduce the steam flow and hold back any sputtering.  It’s great for gently softening a slice of cheese on a burger, for example, because it gives a warm and moist heat, without blowing or scorching.  You can get this from Amazon or places like Target, in the cleaning department.  They tell me this is for cleaning bathtubs.

Here’s another gadget, this time from Williams Sonoma and similar suppliers. It’s a tiny chef’s torch, super useful for adding bits of browning to edges of things like toast, bacon, and tops of crème brûlée of course.  This is a much different effect than the steam above.

So finally I’ll mention some of the odd things I’ve seen used. Can you guess what they’re used for?  Polygrip, Corn Husker’s Lotion, Bag Balm, Armor All, Wildroot Cream Oil, Vaseline.  Then there’s an amazing product called Zap-a-Gap (made by the Super Glue people).  It can stick greasy or wet things together, and fill gaps at the same time. And finally, for now, there are stylist’s staples like Kitchen Bouquet and Karo Syrup.

For those of you who want the real encyclopedic “last word” Bible of food styling, you’ll want to take a look at Delores Custer’s book called Food Styling.  She’s the master, and having this book is a must for those who are emerging food stylists, as well as for a lot of us photographers!