restaurant
The third element of this shoot, which I have showcased in two other entries was to capture the space and atmosphere. The team at Bagatelle was very specific about the style and tone of the images, and, as you can see, they all carry a very specific style that is a departure from how I usually shoot.
Eater NY brought me on to photograph the opening of Atlanta-based chain Slutty Vegan in Brooklyn and it was an unexpectedly raucous block party. The line for the vegan cheeseburger chain ran around the block and, due to a lot of other press photographers, it was quite a fight to get shots of the burgers themselves. I snuck into the tiny, chair-less restaurant, and into the kitchen with a handheld light to get some shots but we were lucky enough to get a few burgers to shoot outside the restaurant.
I was asked by the Bagatelle restaurant group to photograph their garden pop-up in the rear garden space of La Duree in Soho. In addition to photos of the restaurant, the space, and the atmosphere, they asked me to produce some GIFs of the evening as well. I’ve produced cinegraphs before so this wasn’t very challenging but it was still fun to try to find moments of motion in the evening.
Peppi’s Cellar was a very cool, very fun speakeasy-style bar underneath the former Gran Tivoli of Nolita. The bar slung cocktails, gourmet dishes and occasionally a jazz band performance. Here is a sampling of some of their dishes I shot.
I have been very fortunate to work frequently with Peak, the highest restaurant in the city (and maybe the country), that rests on the 101st floor of the Hudson Yards complex. Not only is the restaurant high up, but the food also sits at a very high quality. Here are some samples.
Leonelli Taberna was a beautifully designed restaurant at the Evelyn Hotel from chef Jonathan Benno, who still runs the eponymous Benno in the same location. These photos were photographed for Eater, and later licensed by the restaurant themself for their usage.
Cognac 55 was a grand brasserie in Times Square that has since been replaced, but I was hired to photograph their beautiful interiors, that invokes the concourse of Grand Central.
I was hired by the Serafina restaurant group to photograph all of their New York locations, including White Plains and East Hamptons. Here are some of my favorite shots from the various locations.
Evi’s Bakery comes from the team (and the same street) of Olmstead and Maison Yaki. Given that this shoot focused on breakfast items, I did a little experiment. I’m used to diffusing my life with a soft box, to soften shadows and create a kind of tempered elegance to the food. For this shoot, I used no diffuser and kept the light hard, trying to imitate some harsh morning light. I notice this is a growing trend in food photography and, as a photographer for hire, it feels empowering to demonstrate different styles of photography, with the ability to give a client options.
At the base of One Vanderbilt, one of the city’s newest monolith’s, lies the entrance to Le Pavillion, from the Boulud restaurant group. With towering windows facing Grand Central and the Chrysler building, the space itself is full of flora which creates a serene garden atmosphere for guests.
I actually photographed Saga twice - once when they first opened to cover a story about their space and their impressive wrap around balcony with stunning views. Apparently their food is quite good and I returned to shoot the food as well as some night views, which were quite spectacular.
The Independent is a midtown-gastropub owned by The Stout Hospitality group. As one might imagine, in addition to all sorts of elevated bar-fare, the restaurant is known for their mixology and beer selection. These photos were taken for The Stout Hospitality Group for the marketing of The Independent.
As a food photographer, you don’t often get to eat the food. It gets cold, it’s not fully cooked, or you’re just too busy shooting and trying to get to your next gig. As a non-motorist, I’m always trying to keep my load light, and put as few things in my hands as possible when I travel, so when I am asked by a restaurant if I want to take something to go, I always want to answer “yes” but I am often burdened with having to bring the food and all my gear with me, and if I’m going to another shoot, I feel it would be uncouth to present myself with a doggie bag. Nevertheless, the stars aligned at this shoot where I was able to try the food, and take some home, and it was delicious. This shoot was assigned by Eater and you can view more and read more about this wonderful restaurant here. Here are some shots that didn’t make it to the website, and some that did:
Greta had popped up in my neighborhood and, after striking up a conversation with the owner at their opening, we discussed photography and a few weeks later I was helping Greta get set up. This micro coffee shop serves delicious Israeli/Mediterranean dishes with their own coffee in a delightfully designed nook. In addition to the dishes, I was tasked to also shoot their interiors and beverages.
Similarly to Lexus’s Intersect, the car manufacturer, Genesis, created a space to showcase their product, as well as bring in Seoul-exclusive restaurant brand Onijum to the space. This was photographed for Eater NY and you can read more about it here. Here are some outtakes from the shoot:
The prestigious Carlyle has opened a new space which I was fortunate enough to shoot for their marketing collaterals. This was one of the first shoots that I started using my 100mm macro lens, which if of of the few prime lenses in my arsenal. For efficiency, I’m usually using zoom lenses (including my 24-70mm) but having an entire restaurant closed for the shoot allowed for plenty of space to move around, which allowed for greatly flexibility using a less flexible lens.
