Janus

Scenes from yesterday's snow storm.

Great Food Photos: Tara Sgroi

I became familiar with Tara Sgroi's work after meeting Camille Becerra at Taste Talks last summer. Honestly I haven't been feeling too creative lately and haven't been photographing as much as I want or updating this blog as much as I wanted. But seeing Tara's beautiful photos and her incredibly awesome 15sec videos on her Instagram feed are really kicking me in the ass to be creative again.

Q. Can you tell me what you’re trying to capture when you take your food photos? A. I tell stories with my images and videos. My stories are related to food, people, animals, kids and my absolute favorite is when everything mingles together in a mess of a gathering where I can be invisible and capture every aspect of the moment.

Q. Do you see the world, your subject differently when you shoot video instead of photos? A. I've been shooting video for a very long time, but regardless of it was still or motion I've always set my shots up the same way, like a movie. With food photography in general, the challenge is to make something look appetizing without tasting it, smelling it or even hearing it. Motion is incredibly seductive, you can see how something pours or bubbles and even though you're not able to smell it, that movement in the cooking process is something everyone can relate to, they've seen it a million times but maybe they haven't seen it this close or at this angle. Video has a long way to go, people don't have that much patience for it, there's little or no budget for video yet and there's a sophistication in the way people perceive good photography that doesn't exist yet with video.

Q. What is photography to you? A. I love photography/video more than anything. My camera has taken me places I may not have gone to, it's gotten me up early to photograph first light when I would have rather stay in bed, its made me pretend to have a point of view when I didn't know what the hell I was doing and mostly its forced me to tell a story even if there wasn't one. But more than that, photography makes me look, it makes me take a deep breath and watch. Photography challenges me to look at something at a different perspective, in a different light, how the shadows change throughout the day or how something grows or decays.

Q. How did you get started in photography and how has your relationship with photography evolved from then to now? A. Ha, it's funny to think of a time when I didn't photograph. I went to school at the Nova Scotia College of Design and Art in Halifax, Canada and the first year we studied everything: painting, drawing, graphic design and photography. I wasn't a very patient art student, I was easily frustrated that I couldn't capture what was in my head on paper and I hated participating in critiques, they always ended up in group therapy­ like discussions. But photography was different, it had a magic to it, it was instant and gratifying. And because I liked photography I started to look at light and composition and how best to capture a moment.

When I moved to NYC at 21, I went to school at Cooper Union and had the best teachers I've ever had. They challenged my photography, compliments weren't easy to come by and they made me think about how to talk about images, forcing me look at what was in front of me. We were forbidden to shoot parades, animals, kids or old people. They were all exploitive genres, instead we were taught to look at our everyday lives, to find beauty in the mundane, that was the most valuable lesson I have ever learned.

The biggest change I think for my career came when things went digital. I have always been pretty prolific when I shot but not having a dollar sign attached to a image has allowed my clients to see how my perspective changes during the shoot. And knowing that the hero image has been achieved has allowed me to go further and experiment with light or the absence of light, many times the client sees their product in a way they never anticipated. That could have never happened with film, there was always the stress of not knowing if we "had" the shot, but you were only allotted a certain number of film rolls to get that hero shot. It sounds bizarre now. So with digital I've been able to play and grow, which wasn't possible then.

The most interesting change for me throughout my time as a photographer, has been Instagram. Being a photographer used to be so private and I never met anyone else who was a photographer. Instagram has become a way of sharing with other photographers and while it's even more competitive than it was, I think it's lit a fire and made photographers hungry for good photography. Competition is good, especially when everyone has a camera, but what Instagram has also reminded me is that a good photograph has nothing to do with what camera or lens you shoot with, a good photograph has always been about capturing a moment, great composition or a different perspective. Often, people who know nothing about photography take the best photographs because they're reacting to what's in front of them rather then worrying about the technical mumble jumble they just shoot. Instagram reminds me of Polaroid to some degree.

Q. Any food photography heroes? If not any photography heroes? A. This is tough........ there are so many good food photographers out there and I like each one for a different reason. I'm inspired by Nicole Franzen because she just so clearly loves photography and has the balls to constantly be looking and evolving. I love Andrea Gentl because every one of her images are like a window into her soul. I get excited by Sang An because he's always playing with light and trying new perspectives. Anita Calero's photography has the most wonderful just happened upon quality (even though I know it comes from a very knowledgeable creative sophisticated eye) I love how genuinely grateful her perspective is, like she's thanking every beautiful thing in the world with a click of her shutter. I want to live in everything that Roland Bello has ever photographed. It has to be more than food photography for me though, it gets kind of boring if it's just plate after plate... that's why I guess I chose the photographers, you start to feel as though you know the photographer when they're so prolific and you start to like them too.

Q. Best meal you had in 2013? A. I can't say because my meals are so intertwined with experience so here are three best meal experiences in 2013: In Tulum at Posada Margarita just off the beach with stars in the sky, candles flickering in the sea air and they make pasta to order. The second, Bowery Banquet dinners cooked by Camille Becerra were ridiculously good and it's just such an amazing collective of people and music. And lastly picking basil with my mom in Mexico and making the most incredible pesto for Christmas eve dinner.

All photos courtesy of Tara Sgroi.

Marfa, TX

It was my first time in Texas. The few times at the airport, on my way to another airport does not count. I wasn't sure what to expect since there is only so much you can "research" on a place. I knew beforehand that Marfa was where they shot the movie, "No Country for Old Men" and there is a big artsy community, thanks to Donald Judd, the minimal artist.

It's not the easiest place to get to from New York City. You fly into El Paso or Midland, with a layover in Houston, then you have to drive 3 hours south. Though once you start the drive, you're rewarded with some of the most beautiful landscape. Yes, Texas is flat, wide open space. It's quite refreshing, especially for people so used to cement, asphalt, subways and tall buildings. I do recommend flying into El Paso because on the way to Marfa, you'll pass the famous fake Prada store which is the sign that you're close to Marfa.

What's fun about Marfa, is really the mix of old timey, small town Texas with a splash of eccentricity. One side of the street has a DQ and abandoned houses while the other side has galleries and a Museum of Electronic Wonders that serve grilled cheese sandwiches at night.

Things To Do

Marfa Lights, the owner of Planet Marfa, the local beer garden, takes people in his pimped out bus to see the mysterious Marfa Lights. Of course you can go by yourself but if you have a big group like we did, I DO recommend getting him as your guide. Besides picking and dropping people off, he will also spend 30 minutes telling you all the stories and theories he collected over the years. There's also a bonus treat, the night sky. I have seen stars but never so many stars and I have never seen the Milky Way before. Just the view of the beautiful night sky is totally worth it.

Absorb every bit of art and culture at The Chinati Foundation. People are only allow in through guided tours. Well I can't comment on if it was fun or not since I didn't go. I imagine it to be similar to Dia: Beacon, which I have gone twice. My time was limited and I was more interested in exploring the town.

If big art foundation isn't your thing, there are tons of smaller galleries along the main road.

Things To Eat So one of the reasons why I skipped out on The Chinati tour was that I had a list of places to eat and I didn't really want to waste my time at a tour.

Buns N' Roses is where I found one of my favorite..FAVORITE doughnuts. For a $1, their doughnuts are simple, light and slightly chewy. And if you go early enough, you can get ones with doughnut holes. Be sure to also get a tasty breakfast burrito, $4. There is a list of free add ons. I got jalapeno and ham.

One of the bigger food businesses in Marfa, is Food Shark. Not only do they have a food truck, they also provide grilled cheese sandwiches at the Museum of Electronic Wonders and Future Shark.

They catered my friends' wedding rehearsal dinner and I got to try two of their tacos, mole pork taco with fresh corn pico and queso fresco and green chile chicken taco with creamy green chile sauce. And! Their sweet potato salad side was crazy good.

Mando is sort of like the local diner. The menu serves a mix of American classics, Mexican food and Tex-Mex. You can check out my post on Mando over at the food blog but as you can see (above), I ordered a monster sized dish. Chicken fried chicken. A battered and fried chicken breast, covered in gravy and served with a side plus a salad.

Fat Lyle's is a food truck and they catered my friends' wedding. They're pretty much known for their fried chicken (only on Sundays) but the food that I had at the wedding were all pretty solid.

Planet Marfa is the local beer garden that only opens on the weekends. The beers are cheap and there are many nooks and crannies filled with chairs and tables for a more intimate feel.

Frama, the only coffee shop in town (I think). It kind of reminded me of Brooklyn with it's scrabble tiles as menu and the all wooden floor boards. They also sell ice cream and next door is a laundromat (which actually owns Frama).

Where To Stay

There are many places to stay in Marfa. It is really up to your preferences. I stayed at the Thunderbird Motel, which was conveniently across from the wedding venue. It was also the place my friends recommended. For 3 nights, I payed about $450. It has that very Ikea, modern, minimalistic touch to it.

Few people stayed at the El Paisano Hotel, which is a historic hotel.

There's also El Cosmico. It is a 18 acre campground with refurbished trailers, tents and teepees for people to stay in. You can also bring your own gear and stay there.

And of course there are houses for you to rent.

I always wonder what would make someone live so far out of anything and everything. Marfa is quite an awesome town. I don't think I have been to such a welcoming town. Everyone was just so damn nice, even to the weekenders. It's quirky, random, slow, and definitely a place to explore. Explore the town, explore the wilderness, explore who you are.

Behind-The-Scenes At Taste Talks 2013

This past weekend I was photographing the first ever Taste Talks, brought to you by Northside Media Group and curated by April Bloomfield. Saturday started off with all-you-can-eat fried chicken, pancakes, grits, eggs, syrup at Brooklyn Bowl, along with pulled pork by Patrick Hallahan, drummer for My Morning Jacket. Spoilers, the pulled pork was quite amazing. The rest of the day included talks/panels with people like Paulie of Paulie Gee's, the Robicelli's, Dale Talde, Sarah Simmons, Questlove, Ben Conniff of Luke's Lobster and many more.

Sunday was the All-Star Cookout that paired up different chefs with one another to create a single dish. You know I'm into the sort of behind-the-scenes stuff, so I decided to get there an hour early to catch the chefs doing prep work. Also it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces (Nate Smith of Allswell, Tom Mylan of The Meat Hook) and got a chance to meet April Bloomfield herself, John Seymour of Sweet Chick, Noah Bernamoff of Mile End, Alexander LaPratt of Atrium DUMBO, Zahra Tangorra of Brucie, and Jon Feldman of Stumptown Coffee.