Los Angeles Food Photographer
Why I photograph Food & Wine
As a Los Angeles food photographer, I have deep-rooted connection to food and wine. I’m always on the hunt for the unique dining opportunities, and killer wine and spirits when traveling from dive bars to greasy spoons and Michelin starred restaurants. My fascination with food and wine started after I graduated high school and moved to NYC to attend college. I attended School of Visual Arts in Manhattan to study painting, photography, and sculpture but dropped out after 2 years and began working in some of New York’s top kitchens, beginning in Soho, before it was gentrified. In the early 80’s restaurants were serving Nouvelle Cuisine and French wines were king. Shortly after my move into the city, I began learning about French wines at Windows on the World with Kevin Zraly. In 1981 it was uncommon to have foodstuffs from all over the world stocked on shelves in gourmet markets. I don’t even think the word gourmet was commonplace in our vernacular. It was a time when Dean & Deluca had one location on Prince Street in Soho and Belgium Endive and Foie Gras could be easily found Paris but were rarities in the US’s gastronomic consciousness. During this time in the 80’s the California wine market was daydreaming of being the powerhouse it is today. Fast forward to 2017 California is producing world-class wines, and gourmet food products are commonplace in today markets.
Why Do I Photography Food And Wine?
I’m addicted. I dream about what I’ll eat every day. Where I can taste the next amazing dish, find the most amazing produce, and new wine producers. It’s part of my soul, a key ingredient of my daily existence.
It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I started taking photography seriously. And since then, it’s been a wild ride. I’ve been able to turn my passion into a career that is constantly changing. Over the years, photography as an occupation has allowed me to travel to Paris, Venice, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Normandie and more. I’m fascinated and moved by gorgeous food and delicious wines. Some of the images below are photographed for clients with natural light and in the studio. And personal work that I’ve photographed at open-air markets and use as promotional pieces to garner more business.
My go-to camera gear set up is Sony mirrorless cameras and lenses. The a9 and a7sii and the Rx1Rii. Always in my bag is the following glass: The magnificent Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS, FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, Sonnar T* FE 55 mm F1.8 ZA and Distagon T FE 35mm F1.4 ZA . The RX1Rii is my take with me anywhere camera and has a cool feature: a macro ring on the lens bezel that allows me to photograph as close to 8″ with some wicked bokeh. These days my a9 is my primary shooting camera for on location and in the studio with the a7sii as a backup. Please note that the a7sii is a highly capable camera which I used exclusively for the last two years.
Having spent over a decade in the food and wine industry allowed me to establish personal connections with “insiders” and has allowed some access to the industry. However, I’ve still needed to market myself and seek out new clients.
Below are images I’ve photographed from Los Angeles to Europe and used in a self-promotional magazine that I’ve published through the great folks at Blurb. If you’d like to experience my brand of photography up close and personal I’ll be giving live shoot and talk on November 11th from 10am – 12pm at the legendary Samy’s Camera store on Fairfax in Los Angeles. The info is down below.
