Food Stylist Whitney Kemp and I embarked on another food art adventure with this Jackson Pollock inspired banana split. Hershey’s Chocolate, Strawberry and Caramel Syrups offered some fun surprises and colors…and they played amazingly well together.

Here are a couple of details images from the banana split art.

You can see our earlier Jackson Pollock inspired Hot Dog art where ketchup and mustard provide some interesting interactions.

Stay tuned for what comes next—no one knows, not even Whitney or me.

– Kyle

ps. See more of Whitney’s food styling work here.

I’m a huge fan of breakfast for dinner. Given the opportunity I like to monopolize the kitchen and transform into a short-order cook. I wish I had a cape. I’m not sure how my kids will one day descibe their dad whipping up french toast, waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon…and serving it up for dinner. Let me clarify, not all of those at once—that’s simply the spectrum of possibilities.

All the options are great, but there’s something comforting to me about a straightforward eggs and bacon breakfast…er,uh…dinner. Oh heck, breakfast for lunch is good, too. Let’s not get too rigid about when we can have this dynamic combo.

So, herein are a couple of images I did as a part of a new look I’ve been developing. I’m not going to get into the technical aspects of these images but will say that I am enjoying some of the surprises that emerge in the shadows. That reminds me of something a friend of mine (who is a gaffer) said once “We don’t make light, we make shadows.” Yes, I agree. It’s the shadows that make things interesting. On set, we call it “drama” and often ask for more.

So, here’s to more drama! …and breakfast for dinner!

What about you? What’s for dinner?

– Kyle

A couple of weeks ago we had a break in our schedule allowing us time to do some personal work…time to raid my twine collection. I don’t know exactly what started all my tying up food with twine but it’s certainly turned into a bit of a direction for me.

Initially I thought the food pairings were the first of my tied food but then I remembered the tying madness started much earlier—around 2008 with some still life images I did where I took objects that don’t necessarily go together—dried roses, old drill bits, rusty railroad spikes, fresh asparagus—and tied them all up with twine. That was then.

So, here are a few images—food objects not only tied but also hanging.

If you’re a psychologist maybe you can help me understand what my “tied food” means. As far as I can tell, it simply means I like random things tied with twine. But who knows, maybe there’s more to it than that. Feel free to speculate.

– Kyle

When I was growing up my mom made Brussel sprouts now and then. (Nope, I didn’t grow up in Brussel—I grew up in Dallas, Texas.) Sitting around the dinner table and being expected to eat these cabbage-like oddities felt more like punishment than anything, but over time I developed a taste for them—I think if for nothing else because they offer such a different experience.

Even today I enjoy them now and then to break up the meal-time monotony. Laure (our caterer) prepares Brussel sprouts for us on occasion and there’s never any left over. (Our crew certainly likes to eat…maybe I’m working them too hard.)

I think Brussel sprouts simply don’t get enough well deserved attention. They’re really healthy when prepared right and they have great flavor. Admittedly, I’m a little weird–I like to dissect mine as I eat them. They’re just so interesting.

-Kyle

I go through phases now and then with my likes and wants. It plays out in various ways from what I wear (heavy cotton t-shirt with pocket) or what I eat (banana smoothie with sun-butter, rice milk and oats) or how I spend money (vintage pie and cake servers). I kinda get myopic and somewhat obsessed for brief periods of time, then I move on and find something else to satisfy my attention.

Lately I’ve been a little obsessed with bacon. This isn’t necessarily a major obsession but more like a fascination—one I’ve been exploring and photographing lately. Raw bacon. Cooked bacon. Basically any bacon…except for Kevin.

I know I’m not the only one thinking about bacon. Ever see Bacon Dental Floss or Bacon Bandages? Click here and you will.

I’ll have more bacon thoughts and images to share later, but for now I thought you might like to contemplate one of my latest images.

Hungry for bacon?

– Kyle

It’s no secret that I’m a texture-holic…I love visual and tactile textures. I can’t get enough.

Amy and I have a friend (Kristin Murray) who is an accomplished potter…or is it potterer? Ceramicist? I don’t know the technical or appropriate title…she’s a talented artist who works with clay and glazes and bisques and fire and other mediums to create unique usable vessels. Her work is definitely an intersection of form and function.

The depth of color and texture in Kristin’s work is what draws me in. (Homer Simpson voice: “Mmm…texture”.) In photographing her work we were able to accentuate the subtle beauty in each of her pieces…sometimes seeing detail with the camera that we couldn’t with our naked eye (thanks to the 40 megapixel PhaseOne digital back).

On the technical side, I often get questions about shooting with “natural light” or “available light”. People love the feel and the mood of natural lighting. I do, too. There’s an old saying about shooting “available light”…a photographer will shoot with any light “available”…strobes, lamps, sun, etc.

Shooting natural light is fast and the results are wonderful given the right circumstances, but…there are external factors that effect shooting with natural light. The time of year can play a big role with the angle of the sun and the number of daylight hours. And then there’s the weather, oh the weather. When we’re at the mercy of the weather I don’t get much sleep the night before a shoot. (See video of how rain made a surprise visit to a location shoot. Click here.)

Yes, I admit, I’m a bit of a control freak. I like predictability. I thrive on being able to produce consistent results. We’re already navigating a number of other variables on a shoot…that’s why I like to have control of lighting as much as possible. So, in most cases we recreate the “natural” look in the studio so we can get the job done rain or shine, year round.

On a personal note, Amy and I actually have a set of Kristin’s bowls we use at home and they are very functional and add a nice aesthetic to our meals…even when it’s corn flakes.

-Kyle