A picture is worth a thousand words, a great picture is worth a thousand times more than that.
My goal in photography was always to become a food photographer and to be the best food photographer that I can be. Food photography has been my passion since the mid 1980s. What I had quickly learned is that while there are food photographs everywhere you look,
most of the work is going to the big names or to portrait/wedding photographers that don’t specialize in food photography and don’t have all the necessary skills needed (a classic case of you get what you pay for.) Especially when the little guy with the needed expertise and experience is in a small market that is right next door to the largest food photography market in the world.
To pay the bills, I started taking on product photography work. I showed some product work on my website but, I never promoted it.
Now, I do much more product photography than food photography (something that I wish was the other way around.) From bags to bottles, centrifuges to cleaning supplies, I get it all. I guess that it’s time to start a promotion for product photography.
If you are following me, you have probably already seen my Food Photography Photo Book. Now, I have also created a Product Photography Photo Book. Please take a look at my new book and let me know what you think.
Food stylist and chef Michael Giletto and I have been collaborating on creating awesome food photography since March, 2010. We met when I advertised on Craig’s List for a food stylist and Michael answered the call. We share a vision and when The Belmar Arts Council announced its art exhibit “TOGETHER: Artists Sharing a Vision”, I knew immediately that this was custom made for us.
The exhibit will run from Wednesday, October 18 though Friday,November 17, 2017. The reception for the event will take place from 5pm until 7pm on Saturday, October 28. 
The Belmar Arts Council is located at 608 River Road, Belmar, NJ 07719. Michael and I are looking forward to seeing you at the reception.
n find my bird images at 
of these images have been taken from my bedroom window, looking at the feeders in my back yard. This is where you can find me when I’m not shooting food or products.
here is anything that really strikes your fancy and if you wouldn’t mind, forwarding this post to someone that you think might appreciate seeing these images.
isit my food and product 
I’ve participated in group photo shows before but, I’ve never had my own show. I am very excited to tell you that 14 of my food photos are on exhibit at 12 Farms restaurant in Hightstown, NJ. This is a farm to table restaurant and they exhibit images related to either farms or food. 
When it comes to lenses, size matters. I have been doing bird photography with my 100-400 mm f/5.6-6.3 Canon lens and loving it. 400mm is big but not big enough to really get the birds at a distance. 
So, I took a loan of a 600mm f/4 Canon lens and was very excited when it arrived. The images it produces are excellent but there is one big problem…the lens is enormous. Hand holding this lens is difficult. I was able to do it on a bright sunny day at a very high shutter speed but, there has been no sun all week. 
I was only able to use the lens on a tripod. Normally, that is not a problem for me (I do have 4 tripods) but when trying to shoot song birds, you have very little time to find the little fellow in your viewfinder, focus and shoot before the bird flits to another branch. The woodpecker and cardinal were shot at my bird feeders in the back yard while I am crouched in front of an open bedroom window waiting for them.
I took the lens to Sandy Hook, hoping to find some migratory birds and water birds. Water birds were much easier, as they stay in one place for longer. They were just very far away. The only migratory bird I found there was a cedar waxwing.
Personally, I’ve had a good year. I, as well as my family and friends, have been fairly healthy. I’ve travelled to exciting places and have made plans to travel to even more exciting places. I’ve met so many wonderful new clients. My business was good and to top it all off, I got a new laptop 🙂 While feeling the stress of the world as a whole, my little world is doing fine. I hope that yours is as well.
I advertise myself as a food and product photographer, but mostly I push the food photography. I LOVE food photography. Shooting food has special challenges and therefore special intrinsic rewards when you get those awesome images. (And the food left over from the shoot is an added bonus.) I like to think that I just
do food photography and that is what I say in my elevator pitch (which I have yet to use in an elevator.)
These usually have to be clipped (also called silhouetted.) This means that they are cut out of the background, leaving the pure white background often found on websites and required by Amazon.
Many of my product images are from food clients that manufacture and sell food in bottles, jars or boxes. Many of those 
also create recipes from their products and we shoot the recipes as well. I’ve got a great team which includes a food stylist and a recipe developer.
interesting challenges. Often there are lit up displays that need to be shot with the rest of the image properly exposed. This
requires the blending of two images…one of the product and one of the glowing panel. In one case, the light was ultra violet (black light) and it created a purple glow.
My family never did this but, as I watch families on TV, they have a tradition of going around the table to say what they are thankful for. I would have a hard time with this one…too many things to be thankful for. Family, friends, health, comfort, travel, and freedom to do what I love.
s as a commercial photographer’s assistant. I fell in love with commercial still life and wanted to become a professional food and product photographer. But, unlike wedding photography, you can’t do that on weekends so I just did photography as a hobby again.
Photography by Jerry, LLC 