Tadd Myers: Making the Cut

BY Wonderful Machine 22 September 2016

Hailing from the land of longhorns and leather goods, Dallas photographer Tadd Myers is no stranger to the craftsmanship of the cattle industry. Tadd’s work has an aesthetic that feels industrial and home-grown, which appeals to both industrial and food clients. For top-notch meat packaging company Standard Meat, hiring Tadd for their latest campaign was an easy choice.

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Agency HZDG (responsible for Standard Meat’s campaign) found Tadd through several online searches. They responded well to his style of work featuring images of working people as well as food photography. While their initial search was nationwide, they were happy to learn that Tadd was Dallas-Fort Worth based. Standard Meat, which is a family-owned business, also has meat processing and packaging facilities there. The company prides itself on innovative and thoughtful preparation that caters to any client’s individual needs.

Next, Tadd had a few conference calls with Creative Director Gillian Goodman and Account Supervisor Stephanie Kay. They decided on a loose, realistic style that would show the authenticity of the Standard Meat production process.

food photography; a close-up of raw meat getting cut by family business Standard Meat

Tadd and his team have plenty of experience conveying an honest and genuine tone in their work. They were to show the company’s process in a way that didn’t appear altered or staged.

raw meat being cut on a wood cutting board at a meat production facility

By keeping our shooting process mobile and very flexible we were able to create diverse images that tell Standard Meat’s story in a more authentic way.

a piece of raw chicken is cut with a water laser

small pieces of chicken are seasoned in a metal bowl

Gearing up to work in a food safe facility brought along its own set of challenges for the team. Their main goal was to be able to move around the facility with little impact on the floor. Having a larger crew helped, as it allowed Tadd to stay mobile throughout the day.

With 2 assistants and a digital tech (shooting tethered) we were able to move around this sanitary environment with very little disruption to their production lines.

image of a seasoned steak on a granite countertop

Working with the production floor supervisors, they made sure their gear would be safe for the sanitized environments. Tadd also planned their load-in and staging areas with the agency as well as the client.

Our crew had to take extra steps to ensure that our presence that day would not impact food quality and/or safety, which was accomplished by keeping our production footprint as compact as possible.

workers in hardhats, white coats and blue gloves handle meat that is sectioned off

raw beef is handled in a sanitized environment

Another important consideration for the team was how to work in a refrigerated environment for an extended amount of time. The cold temperatures had the potential to affect not only the team but their gear as well. Extra steps had to be taken to prevent slow downing the crew over the day.

cubes of raw meat are lined on a black surface

Despite the challenges, the shoot wrapped with the quality and efficiency that Standard Meat lives by. From its processing and packaging to its website design and photography, the company takes its standards of excellency seriously. They were happy to add Tadd’s images to its careful branding.

tearsheet from standard meat's website showing a close-up of Tadd Myer's food photography of the raw meat

The images are currently being used for Standard Meat’s new website that went live a few months ago, and Standard Meat purchased a collateral usage license enabling them to use the images in various other applications, including company brochures.