editorial
Competitive polo player Dale Johnson and his horse Sunny were such a treat to photograph! I met him down on a beautiful ranch in Half Moon Bay, California. The Kitchn has a column, The Way We Eat, profiling interesting people and what they eat in a typical day. You can read the story here.
I’m proud to share these Lunar New Year still lifes made in collaboration with Abacus Row to ring in the Year of the Ox. We incorporated auspicious flora and foods like peonies, chrysanthemums, pomelo, citrus, and lychee. And can’t forget that little quail egg! We’ll be offering both a LNY calendar and art prints with 100% of proceeds benefitting Good Good Eatz, a local nonprofit formed during the pandemic, that offers aid and business development for Oakland Chinatown and other POC and immigrant-owned small business throughout Oakland. Check instagram in the coming week for more details on how to purchase a calendar or print!
A mix of lifestyle and product photos for Oakland-based spice company, Diaspora Co, with prop styling by Jillian Knox. The whole Diaspora Co. team (pictured below) brought the good energy and helped create a festive Diwali spread. I love seeing the journey of this small business —they’ve grown from carrying their hero spice, turmeric, to carrying an ever-expanding collection of spices, collaborations, and masala dabbas!
I’m proud to share this festive shoot published in Food & Wine, featuring blogger and cookbook author, Hetal Vasavada of Milk & Cardamom. She baked up these color and delicious treats inspired by Diwali, the Indian festival of lights that takes place in November. I loved the use of decorative flowers and gold that feels so celebratory and special.
I photographed this dream food story for the latest issue of Bon Appétit magazine. It features the incredible Salvadoran food of Popoca restaurant and a first person account of Anthony Salguero’s food journey. Shot on location at Popoca in Oakland! Props by Jillian Knox.
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR /gung hay fat choy —it’s the year of the (metal) rat! These still lifes were a favorite collaboration, styled by myself and Christine Trac of Abacus Row. We printed up some dual sided posters, with the green image on the front and a Lunar New Year calendar, designed by Christine, on the back. I still have a handful, so please send me a note if you’d like one!
It’s always a pleasure working with the folks at St. George Spirits —it’s clear everyone there loves their job and is passionate about the craft. They’re an independent distillery in Alameda, California that makes some very special spirits. At the helm are distillers Lance Winters and Dave Smith. During this shoot, the warehouse had the best all-encompassing smell of pears, since they’d literally used tons of the fruit that week to make their brandy and liqueur.
Dave Smith
Lance Winters, Dave Smith
St. George Distillery
Borsch Mobile serves up Ukranian and Russian comfort food on the go. I photographed owners Igor and Kirill on assignment for SF Magazine.
In collaboration with journalists Ariel Plotnick and Samantha B. Clark, this series on TEPCO plate ware. They produced a zine and radio piece on KQED celebrating this bit of local history!
Bar Manager Julie at The Miranda in downtown Oakland, and their "Pull Up to the Bumper" cocktail.
On editorial assignment for Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). A portrait series of their Bay Are grads/creatives in their places of work. Such a lovely talented bunch!
Recent editorial tearsheets for Oakland Magazine's Food Issue. Shot on-location at restaurants Duende, Sequoia Diner, The Star on Park, and Paradise Park Cafe.
Nyum Bai has a new Oakland restaurant in the Fruitvale district. They serve delicious Cambodian food for the soul. From a dream editorial assignment on Asian American chefs for the Food Issue of East Bay Express.
Chef and owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen, Tanya Holland, for a story on Oakland cookbook chefs for Oakland Magazine. Was rooting for her on Top Chef this season!
New images from restaurant shoots at San Francisco Magazine food critics' favorite new restaurants -- there is a good variety including Rooh, Dad's Luncheonette, Nyum Bai and Single Thread Farms.
A big thank you to my 82-year-old neighbor, Pat, for graciously hand modeling for this shoot for the food issue of East Bay Express. She's showcasing scoops from East Bay's original ice cream shops. I learned Fentons started in the 1880s!?
Delicious meat-on-a-stick eatery The Kebabery opened down the street from me, with food by chef Traci Matsumoto-Esteban. Photographed for the East Bay Express.
Thrilled to have worked on this month's cover for San Francisco magazine's Food issue! They wanted to incorporate their three food critics' favorite Bay Area dishes, with visual inspiration from 1950s cookbooks. Prop styling by Joanna Andreoni and food styling by Amanda Anselmino from Kern Represents.
A new still life series inspired by the art of ikebana flower arrangement (morimono = the art of arranging with fruits and vegetables) with a touch of 80s interior design with stylist Grace Suh.
From a recent e-commerce shoot with one of my fav clients Kris Nations Jewelry. I usually work with them on seasonal lookbooks, but this time they wanted a clean and timeless look focusing on images for their web shop. We shot about a hundred of their classic best-selling earrings, necklaces and bracelets. It was a great team of ladies working with founders/sisters Kim and Kris, stylist Liz Baca, hair and makeup artist Victoria Boggiano and Sophia Jackson from Scout Models.
