Wednesday, January 16, 2008

A Day In The Life......

Okay, Internets.....I thought you'd enjoy a little pictorial of my last couple of days (and I do mean little. Some of my pictures didn't turn out so hot.)

My job is always different. I like that in a job.

You know what Zuddy likes in a job? A nice, reliable paycheck. Which is something I can't seem to provide for him with my current work.

Anyhoo.......the last two days I worked in a Photographer's Studio as a food stylist's assistant. For a while I really wanted to be a food stylist, but I've come to realize that I don't have what it takes. Heck, I don't really have what it takes to be an assistant! Because a lot of the "assistants" I know? They're really food stylists masquerading as assistants.

Okay, so here it goes.............

Sunday night, I looked at all the recipes (there were six recipes) and all of the Art Director's layout sketches to see what I needed. I need to look at the layout sketches to see if anything is featured in the background as a prop. Like a bowl of veggies as a side dish or something like that.

Early Monday morning (about 6 am) I left the house to go grocery shopping for the shoot. I went to one store and bought everything. I should've gone to 2 stores because I needed some pretty green beans and the ones at the store were ugly. I had actually planned on going to a second store, but the traffic was horrendous for some reason, and I felt like I was late when I got there. Turns out? Mondays are hard and everyone was late, so I should've gone. But I didn't.

Anyway, I worked half of the day by myself and I had some "step-shots" to do. The photographer takes photos of a certain step of the cooking process. They let me "style" those because on the finished product, they will be tiny little pictures and not much detail is needed.

The rest of my time there, I continue to prepare food for the food stylist who came in for a half-day to style for 2 shots. The food stylist's name is Melinda. Melinda cranked out both of those shots and we got to go home at 4:30. I got home at 5:15.

Tuesday I left a little later......about 7 am. I had to go to the grocery store again. I went to the one where the stinky people shop. They always have nice-looking stuff and I needed some beautiful chicken pieces.


This store is a little chi-chi foo-foo. And, as I've mentioned before, there's almost always a fellow shopper who smells like they haven't washed their hair.

Today was no exception. I think smelling unwashed hair is my "super power".

I don't like having this "super power".

Anyway, I digress.....Look at the lovely warm lighting of this store. Soothing, huh? Look at the copper ceiling. Pretty, right?

Oh, I also had to take a photo for Lisa of Take 90 West. It's the Velveeta. Right where it should be, huh? In the dairy aisle.


But, is Sunny Delight supposed to be there, too? I don't know......maybe.

Anyway, Melinda wanted a couple of HUGE boxes of instant mashed potatoes for a shot. And not for what you'd think (tee hee!). The first store didn't have HUGE boxes here, so I had to go to the big cheap grocery store:
Argh!!! The lighting, the lighting! Hurts my eyes. But I found what I needed.

So, I hop back into my car and head to the studio. Oh I forgot.....I took a picture of the city on my way to the studio.

Because I'm a reeal careful driver like that.

Do you know what all of that haze and steam means?

It means its freakin' cold, people, that's what it means. -4 degrees kind of cold.

Oh! Look! We're here!


I'm the first one here, so I go into the building and wait. Oh! Here's my bag and some of the things I carry for a day of work:

A microplane, a sharp chef's knife, a scoopy-outy thingy. The potatoes I bought, and an apron.

Sometimes? I just bring all of my kitchen tools in my new tool holder:

I love this thing. LOVE it. Even though it's ugly. And guess what? This studio happens to do the photography for Pampered Chef!! So they have a lot of their products there. Like my new favorite little thingies, their prep bowls:

They're so cute they make me want to cry....they look like a wee little batter bowl. I'm totally buying these the next time I have to go to one of those dumb parties.

Okay......Moving on.....here's the kitchen I worked in:



They have about 4 kitchens at this studio. They're all large kitchens for 2 people to work in at once - the food stylist and the assistant. They have 2 ranges in each kitchen and 1 or 2 fridges.


This is the worst picture ever, but here's a set with a stove for one of the step-by-step shots. Maybe you can see better if you click on the picture.

Okay, I need to quit now, because, Dudes.

It took me forever to load all of those pictures in. I'll continue this story tomorrow.............

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Martha,

Yea! You are back! That looks like a fun job. Something new all the time...and I would have crashed my car taking a pic while driving - You A R E talented like that! We will get to see some "all the way done" photos? Thanks for sharing!

PS I agree that -4 SUCKS!

Janet said...

I am enjoying his story and the suspense may kill me, I am "old" after all. That last shot does not look like a pleasant place to cook:>(

Janet

jillskict said...

Oh that looks like SO much fun! I have one of those frou frou stores down the street from me, I will go in there in a pinch, but three grocery bags almost always add up to over $100.

Are you going to share any of the recipes? And is it ever going to warm up?

Anonymous said...

Scoopy Outy Thing = Spider

I love that name. So creepy!

SeaWorthy said...

MARRRR tha...
You, my dear, look like you might have a fun job! Although one of my personal worst jobs is grocery shopping- just because I ALWAYS have the ankle biters with me which is a constant irritant when Mommys trying to concentrate on her list..

You are right, those PC bowls are very cute, I use to sell that line of overpriced kitchen utensils for a short time. It really generated alot of income, believe it or not, and I didnt really even "try" I even went to the big convention once, but only for the booze and freedom.

That picture of the green grocery cart, did you knock that other stove or small frige over with that? looks like there was a crash.
And this is what I would most likely do on a "set"

What you makin anyway?? Please, do tell...
Lisa
coastal nest

Anonymous said...

By the way:

Don't listen to Martha--she is one of the best in the business and can make the crummiest recipe look FAHBULOUS.

Amy said...

Thanks for sharing your day! I just happened upon your blog and love it!

BTW- I L-O-V-E Pampered Chef and have a real addiction to it. I don't sell the stuff (seriously), but the stuff is just so great. I haven't had a product fail me yet. My batter bowls rock! ;)

Michelle said...

I love hearing about your work! And I'm glad to see your priorities are back--your working was cutting into my morning routine.

I was looking back at your old kitchen posts (I have to do SOMETHING with my mornings when you don't have new posts to read), and I was going to ask about your utensil organizer because I really need something like that. That's when I realized that you need to do a "Things Martha Can't Live Without in the Kitchen" series. The shower gift you gave me (of the same name) seriously changed my life in the kitchen, and I think you should spread your knowledge and wisdom of all things cooking-related. Just a thought.

Those -4 degree mornings are one of the reasons I left. I get tense just thinking about it! Stay warm, and I can't wait to hear more about the job!

Brooke said...

Cool job, man! Well except for the leaving at 6am thing. Thanks for sharing with us!

Anonymous said...

Martha, isn't it fun to have a job that you can blog about and people actually read it, make comments AND can't wait to hear the rest of the story!

FYI...I just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love!

Lisa said...

What work?
I think that looks totally fun!

I think Martha would refer to the scoopy outy thing as a
Chinese Strainer.

And Velveeta and Sunny D must be those things that stores can throw anywhere, because the Sunny D at my store is in between the butter and the refrigerated flour tortillas. Cause that makes as much sense as Velveeta in the cookie aisle!

I can't wait to hear about the rest of the day!

forcryeye said...

Too cool, it was so sweet of you to think of all your bloggy friends and snap some photos for us! I am sure Lisa will enjoy seeing the velveeta where it belongs. My Aunt used to do the layouts for Ideals Magazine, and I always thought that was fascinating.

Mrs. Jones said...

I'm so impressed with all of your pictures. That's hard work, girl. I laughed when I saw the grocery store pix cuz I could picture you standing there in the store taking pictures.

-4 degrees! Wow, I've never been in that. I was walking my boys to the bus stop last week, though, and realized it had gotten a wee bit colder than usual because my ears and my nose really started to hurt. 15 degrees. For a southern california girl, that's pretty cold.

I hate smelly hair too. How hard is it for people to wash their hair? Especially guys, how long could that possibly take? Yuck!

Can't wait to hear what them taters are for!

Mrs. Jones said...

I saw little prep bowls like that the other day at tj maxx or home goods or some store like that. I almost bought them.

the tattered nest said...

I want your job! please? Stay warm this weekend! Are you leaving the house?

Sister Honey Bunch/Judi maloney said...

I just sent your link to some of my sisters who would love your job!