According to some handwriting analysis experts, the way an individual crafts their written word can reflect more than 5,000 different personality traits. Let us all channel the science of graphology and peek into the psyche that is our enchilada-loving, creatively-driven, studio leader’s mind… we’re going to guess there are a lot of empty chocolate wrappers rolling around in there somewhere, hah!
– Dreier & Company
“Thai Food” by Kyle Dreier
About two years ago, my husband and I bought our first place together. Ever since, we have been in full-fledged nesting mode. Now that we have a space to call our own, nesting has been accompanied by the “dinner party bug.” There is no mistake that I’ve been bitten and this summer so far, we have hosted countless gatherings. Which as of late, has lead to a certain amount of entertainment idea fatigue. It’s certainly not the people giving me pause and we have so many other friends that we want to entertain, but the pressure to host the perfect evening has had me weighed down… “Isn’t food supposed to bring people together, not apart?!” (Insert image of me shaking my fist towards the sky.)
All that said, I’ve been on a mission to simplify the food + friends = fun equation. Which got me thinking, how can I apply the food fun I experience daily at the Dreier & Company studio into activities to gather around the home with friends? When I boiled it down, I found three ingredients that make our studio stand out: the people. thoughtful details. being flexible.
With those three ingredients and recent photoshoots in mind, here are some ideas to jazz up “entertainment” at home. Join me in rebelling against the sit-down dinner!
Popsicle Party
During the hotter months, Dreier & Company will often make afternoon popsicle runs to Las Paletas to give clients and crew a sweet refresher on set. Why not have friends over for popsicles during the peak of a sunny day? Turn on the sprinkler or grab a kiddie pool, and let the fun begin! If it rains, let your inner kid splash the puddles with your popsicle in tow.
Neighborhood Block Party
We’ve got a friendly and welcoming crew here at the studio who know how to make clients feel at home. Embrace a “fast friends” motto, get outside and meet the neighbors! Use your driveway, porch or alley as the meeting point and serve simple dips, hotdogs and hamburgers. Invite your new neighbor friends to bring drinks, their favorite side or a yard chair to kick back and mingle.
Dog Bar
It’s no secret that our team is full of animal lovers. (A dog or two may or may not have made appearances in the studio before, hehe!) Have a fenced in yard? Call the buddies on a week night, tell them to bring Fido over for a play date. While the dogs bark, sniff and play… catch up on the daily grind over a few beers at your new “dog park” watering hole.
Crawfish Boil
Recently Dreier & Company has been experimenting with making food “fly” on camera and we tested on a southern, crawfish boil. It was so hilarious to see the little crustaceans soar on camera! So, what is easier than a one pot meal for a large group of guests?! (Hint: Nothing, hah!) Spread the meal out on newsprint and let your guests dive into the messy goodness and chat the evening away.
Backyard Movie Night
Grab a solid, light color bed sheet and hang it outside to project a movie on. (FYI: There are countless homemade smartphone projector hacks on Pinterest.) Spread out on the yard or porch and feast upon pizza, popcorn, M&Ms and mega gulp sodas… get lost in talking the finer points of “chick flicks” vs Quentin Tarantino vs Pixar’s greatest hits… much like we do in the office.
I hope you’re feeling as inspired as me!
– Emily
Food Photography by Kyle Dreier | Styling Contributors Teresa Blackburn, Paul Grimes & Whitney Kemp
It’s hard to believe that it’s already July and the middle of summer – time really does fly! The year so far has been a busy one and we’re looking forward to even more food filled photoshoots as 2016 progresses. It’s been especially entertaining to look back at all the behind the scenes images on our Instagram account and to reflect on the fun/inspired/silly/productive/chocolate filled times on set. So, why don’t we take really quick stroll down memory lane and take a peek at life on set…
– Dreier & Company
P.S. Keep up with us and all our food filled shenanigans by following us on Instagram. If Facebook is more your style, rest assured, you can find us there, too.
We’ve said it before, but its worth repeating… “recent” is a relative term in the world of professional photography. Our food centric photo + motion studio is consistently buzzing with activity and we’re always shooting new work for different advertising, corporate and editorial clients, but often we’re not allowed to share the photographic goods for several months. The images and videos we shoot are for carefully crafted campaigns and prominent publications that are planned weeks/months/years in advance, so we absolutely understand the need for a little secrecy.
All that said, we’re happy to share some work we did back in December for fast food Italian eatery, Fazoli’s. Chances are you might even have a Fazoli’s restaurant in your neighborhood, as they currently operate approximately 217 restaurants in 26 states. Now take a look at these mouth watering meals and see if you’re not in the mood for pizza, pasta and endless breadsticks (we know we are!)… hehe!
– Dreier & Company
Food Photography by Kyle Dreier | Food Styling by Teresa Blackburn
Well, lookie here… it’s our third installment of company questionnaire time, hehe! Today we all get to peek behind the curtain of Emily’s mind. She’s Dreier & Company’s resident Marketing & Prop Wrangler. Emily does the heavy lifting in marketing and puts her art/design background to good use for the studio. Upbeat and to the point, let’s see what Emily has on her mind…
– Dreier & Company
I can’t pretend to know much about American football (I grew up playing soccer after all) however I am VERY familiar with and keep stats on the snacking that accompanies any major sporting event. For example, if you haven’t ordered the Chicken & Waffles at a Nashville Predators NHL home game… you’re missing out! It can also be said that I’ve earned my referee stripes judging my friend’s guacamole recipes. Back in January, Dreier & Company had the pleasure of shooting lots of party perfect snacks for Parade Magazine’s Super Bowl Snacks edition. Can you say… ready, set, YUM!?
For some reason, snacks just taste better at a Super Bowl party. I don’t know about you, but I always feel like I need a few weeks away from crowds and groups activities after the Thanksgiving / Christmas / New Years rush as a form of “social recovery,” if you will. That said, the Super Bowl has always been my “ice breaker” to reintroduce me to large group socializing. It’s invigorating to pull the grill out in the middle of winter and cook up some hot dogs, hamburgers, wings and such all while shouting nonsense at the TV indoors. Snacks really are a unifier… you’ll have all sorts of friends come out of the wood work (that you probably didn’t see all season long, haha) with their chips and dip in tow to cheer and enjoy the camaraderie. No matter which two teams make it to the big game, if there are super snacks involved… it’s a win-win in my book!
And if you’re a soccer fan like me, why not give some of these recipes a try as you watch and celebrate (or weep, haha) during the UEFA Euro 2016! 🙂
– Emily
Food Photography by Kyle Dreier | Food Styling by Teresa Blackburn
