The Rosevale is a restaurant opening at the Civilian Hotel in Times Square and I was tasked to photograph their cocktails but also some process shots of their cocktails in action. The Carver Road Hospitality-led beverage director, dressed to the nines, and provided a great background for these shots.
In a previous post I had mentioned that I was hired to photograph for the Bagatelle restaurant group at their pop-up space in Soho’s La Duree. Here are some of the food photos from the shoot.
Knappogue Castle Whiskey is an Irish spirit company with which I have been fortunate to do a good amount of work, cataloguing some local mixologists creating cocktails with Knappogue in bars around the city. My relationship with them started at a pop-up they were doing in the financial district at an Irish pub in which they were producing cocktails with their whiskey and pairing dishes of Irish cuisine. Here are some samples from that shoot.
In a previous project, I showcased some catering spreads from Rhubarb but they also had me shoot passing trays of their delicious little canapes. Here are some samples.
Granita Grille is a famliy owned and operated Italian bistro in Westwood, NJ. They were in need of a marketing facelift so they hired me to shoot their menu, a few times. They really liked the idea of showing human elements in the shots so you’ll see that in this selection from the shoot.
Brazilian Churrascarias aren’t al that common in NYC. Outside of the global chain, Fogo De Chao, there are some great options including Platforma, located in Hell’s Kitchen with a very large menu of table side carved meats. Although we did a second shoot with a more tempered and dramatic set-up for these meats, these are some selections from the first shoot which I think pop well, and have a flashy modern take on carved meats.
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.
Orwashers is bakery, originally from the UES and located as well in the UWS, which delivers and makes a lot of wholesale deliveries all around the city. In addition to shooting their catalogue for wholesales, I went into their bakery and shot some process shots, a look behind the bread.
Rhubarb is a catering group, originally from the UK, that has a presence in the US. I was hired to photograph some of their catering spreads and make the tables look full, which was easy to do considering how much food was set up. There were two set-ups and here are some samples.
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.
Sinigual is a chain of Mexican restaurants. I was hired to produce imagery of their menu for their marketing, featuring their signature dishes, margaritas and table side salad and guacamole presentations.
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.
Remedy Drinks produces sugar-free kombucha that, with a little creativity, could be used to create a variety of cocktails. With the styling help of RHC, I was hired to capture some festive drinks in time for the holidays.
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.
In addition to wonderful cocktails, the restaurant also serves a diverse menu with a diverse choice of banquettes, all very colorful and great visual accompaniments to the dishes.
Shooting on location is always exciting. As a photographer, you’re forced to search for viewpoints and perspectives that make use of the space and engage elements that may have been at once overlooked. Valerie, a cocktail bar and restaurant in midtown, has a lofted ceiling, which has a great vantage point of its downstairs bar, behind which is a towering wall of lights, which, when unfocused, produce a stunning backdrop for beverages.
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.
