Emerald Bay Photography News and Updates

Traditionally, the Thanksgiving feast is an opportunity to give thanks for the bounty of food, bestowed by a successful summer and fall harvest.

Given however that most people don't hunt or grow their own food these days, it just becomes a beautiful ceremony - a chance to gather around the table with family, friends and loved ones, and share some good chow.

If you're lucky like me though, and accidentally surround yourself with foodies who cook up the perfect storm of dishes, it becomes an opportunity not just to feast the stomach, but also the eyes...:

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, editorial photographer Bend Oregon, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA

One of my biggest and most stout resolutions this fine new year will be to EAT LESS, eat more modestly, and consume food with greater attention paid to nutrition and calories.

For example, my breakfasts will likely look like this every day (eggs = protein. protein = good):



Something like this for lunch will probably address my nutritional needs (I see fiber in there! I swear I do...), in conjunction with also looking pretty:



And me thinks that a serving of protein such as this will be appropriate for my dinners. Oh, yes, it will.



In closing: Thanks for humoring me. I'll go back now to gnawing on that side of bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon.

Dishes created by the talented and fabulous Chef Adair and photographed by yours truly.

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the fun I had shooting the Deschutes Brewery's annual Fresh Hop Tasting.

Last Saturday, I went back to the fabulous Mountain Room. This time to get some shots for the brewery as they were getting ready to host a fundraiser for the Bethlehem Inn. The venue had gone from casual to elegant in a snap...



...and the food accompanying the affair was equally sophisticated:


Entree One - Fresh Pacific Prawns Crusted with Quinoa, Served with Causa Morada & Sofrito. By Hola!


Entree Two - Rack of Lamb, Stuffed with Spinach, Feta & Fennel. Served with Lemon-Oregano Roasted Potatoes and Wilted Chard. By Deschutes Brewery. Paired with Jubel Ale.


Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Caramelized Bananas and Toffee, by Jody Denton @ Merenda/Deep

And then there was beer too.

Need I say more?

Oh - and in case you haven't seen it: check out the brewery's rockin' new website! The videos are particularly cool. Way to go, DB!

Labels: beer, Bend, Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, Deschutes Brewery, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, product photography

Truly good food is a little bit like a symphony: Elegant. Graceful. Sophisticated. Eloquent. With bold notes and delicate undertones. Sweeping, and yet demure. It can make your head swim, your heart flutter, elevate your mood, and help you forget your everyday life.



Science has tied the chemical dopamine to food - a stimulant your brain releases upon receiving a rewarding experience. Most commonly though, dopamine is associated with love.

So do love and food replace eachother? Maybe. Doubtless however is the fact that when the two meet, something extraordinary is created. Someone who cooks with passion can spawn something far superior than someone who may be educated and skilled in the culinary arts, but is just going through the motions.



And every so often I come across someone whose cuisine is imbued with that passion, that devotion, that intoxication with food. Her name is Lisa Glickman, and she is a personal chef, right here in Bend. I met her on a food shoot last March.

I'll never forget the first time I tasted her food. It rocked my world. Steaming, home-made ravioli were filled with the most delicate and flavorful mushrooms, embraced by simple white truffle oil and delightfully crunchy pine nuts. The lamb was cooked to perfection - impossibly tender and juicy. More like butter than anything else. The red-wine poached pear with the vanilla bean creme fraiche was sweet, but at the same time light and awash with complex flavor.



I left the party that evening with a swing in my step, taste buds that would dance the conga for hours to come, and the certain knowledge that I would worship Lisa's talent for a long time. Ok - make that "all eternity".



If you ever have the pleasure to taste her food, you'll know from the first bite that you just got lucky. As for myself - did I mention that I love my job?

Labels: Bend photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography, product photography

I don't even think I need to elaborate past the headline ...





More options on how to delight your palate in the Home Cookbook section of Bend Living, out on newsstands now.

Labels: chocolate, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography

In the world of magazine publishing, working a few months ahead of the print deadline is nothing unusual. So the results of the assignment that took me to San Francisco last July only just hit the newsstand last month.

You can check out the article "Sushi Quest in the City by the Bay" in the March/April issue of Bend Living Magazine - or, given their rather meager selection of images from that assignment, take a minute and indulge in a sort of "extended version" of the adventure...

Truth be told - at first, the idea of a quest to find the best sushi in a city, awash with some of the freshest seafood on the coast and a selection of great restaurants featuring it, seemed rather intimidating. For me personally however - as a sushi aficionado - the promise of spending 3 days reveling in raw fish approached a small slice of heaven.

Oh how very, very, wrong I would be.

Between some rigorous net research, recommendations from friends and my editor, writer Vi Ho and I settled on three restaurants to check out: Blowfish, Sudachi, and Kyoya. With swing in the step, elated tastebuds, camera gear and notepad ready in hand, we arrived at the first place, Blowfish.

Now - to make raw fish look attractive and appetizing, you sometimes really have to work hard. That goes for both the chef and the photographer. Blowfish however really had the presentation down, which made things decidedly easier for me:





Maybe it was the combination of dishes, maybe it was the sashimi - my small intestines didn't really care to make that distinction. They only knew that a short while later, they were very, very unhappy. And not being able to ignore them, so was I. Because in effect it prevented me from being able to enjoy the sushi - and any other solid food, for that matter - served up to me in the following two days.

Talk about being in a depression situation. Here I am - in one of the world's greatest seafood cities, a veritable plethora of choices tantalizing me at every turn, and kind chefs and restaurant managers serving up a seemingly endless procession of (free) dishes. And just the mere thought of tasting a piece of fish making my stomach squeamish.

Mostly I felt bad for the restaurants - they worked so hard to accommodate us and make a good impression. So I tried to be a trooper, indulged in the offered miso soup and edamame, smiled and nodded, and instead of salivating over the offerings, focused on making their food look good.

Sudachi's miso was indeed memorable - but (I was told) even more so were their unusual combinations of sashimi and exotic oils and condiments:





Kyoya shone with their exquisite presentation skills, but Vi proclaimed that their Shrimp Tempura roll was quite other-wordly too. How I wished I could have tasted it ...





After all was said and done, we returned to Bend - satisfied with our quest, and loaded with great story material. Even my intestines had arrived at a place of peace again. Alas, I'm still waiting for that subtle sushi craving to return.

Labels: commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA, food photography, photography, sushi

Life is challenging without sugar.

Trust me. I know.
I'm going through withdrawals as we speak.

Such is the sacrifice you make when doing a little Spring cleaning on the ole carcass. But hey. I know, it's temporary only. Luscious chocolate cakes, covered with thick shiny coats of couverture and adorned with ripe sweet raspberries loom in the not-too-distant future...

In the meantime, I have to satisfy my cravings by chewing on a low-fat cheese stick - while convincing my discriminating taste buds that it's really a Snickers.

For the rest of you, there is this:



Yepp, it's a berry cobbler with home-made whipping creme - photographed on a recent shoot for Bend Living magazine's "Home Cookbook" section. For the recipe, check the May/June issue.

Labels: commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography

In Bend, the name Blacksmith Restaurant has for years been synonymous with exquisite cuisine, an elegant atmosphere and above-average service. Now they've added something else to their arsenal: a hipper-than-thou bar, artfully lit by a dazzling, alabaster-like counter.



A few weeks ago, they hired me to shoot that new space, its fabulous drinks, appetizers and some of their signature dishes. Such as ...


... this deliciously spicy Habanero-Pineapple-Basil Martini. You're guaranteed you won't find another drink like it anywhere this side of the Cascades!


... or my personal fave: The refreshing Blackberry Collins.


These unsuspecting little corn dogs are actually stuffed with buttery, melt-in-your-mouth lobster and make great appetizers ...


... but if you sport a bigger appetite, consider the Blacksmith's tender and juicy "Cheese Steak".

I've tried it all, and I know I'll be back for more.

Labels: commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography

Fresh herbs and vegetables are oftentimes what truly makes or breaks a dish. Choice tomatoes, tender basil, aromatic thyme, earthy sage - they all are essential ingredients in many fine recipes.

For a chef to grow his own garden is practical, omits a trip to the store, guarantees freshness and quality, and can ultimately save the restaurant or catering company quite a bit of money.

If you're lucky enough (like my client Chef Adair in Sonoma County, CA) to live in a climate where a garden can be kept year-round, the question doesn't become whether to grow something, but rather what to grow.

Maybe some lovely thyme ...



... for delicious roasted potatoe wedges?



Or how about some tender chives ...



... for a melt-in-your-mouth lobster sandwich?



Ahh. Yes. The choices...

Labels: commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA, food photography

Rolling right along with my recent food photography obsession ...

crostini [kroh-STEE-nee] 1. Meaning "little toasts" in Italian, crostini are small, thin slices of toasted bread, which are usually brushed with olive oil. 2. The word also describes canapes consisting of small slices of toast with a savory topping such as cheese, shrimp, pate or anchovies. 3. Sometimes crostini refers to the equivalent of a crouton used for soups or salads.

In this case however, the crostini has been topped with a delectable homemade spread of kalamata olive and sundried tomato, adorned with a dollop of Creme Fraiche and a tiny taste of fresh thyme. Courtesy again of Chef Adair.

Labels: commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA, food photography

One of the finest, most highly-priced ingredients in cooking: the Black Truffle.



A member of the fungi family, the truffle reveals its subtle nutty flavor best when thinly sliced. On a recent photo shoot for Chef Adair, I had the pleasure of shooting the fabulous truffle and letting a piece melt on my tongue.

Yum.

More information about the truffle and its legendary qualities right here on Wikipedia.

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA, food photography

Sighted at the BendFilm 2007 Sunriver Realty party:



A chocolate-covered strawberry, dusted with edible gold ... how novel!

More goodies from Cafe 3456...

Labels: BendFilm, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography

Don't blame me if you suddenly have an irresistible craving for scallops and fava beans ...

I'm just the messenger.



This delicious dish (and many more to come), brought to you by Chef Garrett Adair.

And yes. I got to eat it too.

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA, food photography, scallop

Freshly back from my trip to chocolate-infused Switzerland, I got the opportunity to shoot some really yummy sweet treats during an event at Balay in downtown Bend.



They were tiny delicate cups of chocolate, filled with silky mousse. And lush, juicy strawberries, dipped in dark chocolate and decorated to look like tuxedos. And did I mention the heart-shaped truffles?



And yes - after I shot them, I ate them (thank you to Sweet Tooth for letting me take some home too. They didn't last very long ...).

Being Swiss, I'm very picky about my chocolate. But this stuff rocked. And it reminded me of why I love to shoot food. Because I get to eat it afterwards.

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, chocolate, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, Editorial Photography, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography

The past few weeks have been delicious.

Mostly because I got to spend a week in the California Wine Country, just north of San Francisco, shooting a couple of food assignments.

One of them was for my good friends at Canape Catering - and the combo of my new Canon 5D camera and the kick-ass 100mm, 2.8f macro lens produced some seriously stunning results.

So strap on your bibs, folks - because the following images might make you drool so hard, it could short-out your keyboards ... ;-)











Didn't get enough yet? Check out all the images from the shoot ...

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photographer San Francisco CA, food photography

A few months ago, Grant Ellis, a freelancer writer for the Canadian Globe and Mail newspaper, interviewed me for an article about food photography, and the new tech infatuation of people whipping out their digicams before their fork at the restaurant.

Cruising around on Google today, I found the article got finally published, and it's indeed quite interesting - and at times hilarious.

I quote: I'm reminded of my own trip to China two years ago and the moment when I started taking pictures of my food. Afterward, I had trouble reasoning with myself. Why had I just taken a half-dozen photos of a bearded Shanghai crab, soon to be dismembered and devoured?

Eating I understand, but why did I feel the need to immortalize this transient, perishable subject? After all, by the power and pleasure of my consumption, I was essentially just conspiring to turn the thing into poop.

Thank you, Grant. I really needed this most inspiring mental image for my next assignment ...

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography

Recently photographed at Scanlon's Restaurant:



And yes, I got to eat it too. It was fabulous. Look for the recipe in the December edition of Bend's own Gusto Magazine and for more images here.

In other food-related news: Grant Ellis, a freelance journalist writing an trend article on the rise of amateur food photography for Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail, noticed the article on food photography I wrote a while back for O'Reilly (no doubt due to its kick-ass Google rating) and interviewed me for it. I'll be posting a link to the finished piece when I get it from Grant.

And last, but not least - my favorite sushi restaurant (and one of the all-time best on the entire West Coast, in my humble opinion) Sushimotos in Sunriver has changed owners. The original chef, Ed Metcalfe, is heading back to the Bay Area to start a new sushi bar. His talents will no doubt be sorely missed by regional sushi-afficionado, but I hope to get down to his new place soon - and maybe even do some food photography for him while I'm at it.

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography

I'm back from my trip. Since I'm still a bit jetlagged, and haven't completely joined the living again, y'all have to wait a wee bit longer until I'm ready to post pics and stories from the trip.

In the meantime however, I do have a special little nugget for the alert reader interested in photography: an article I wrote for O'Reilly on food photography.

The article's been well received so far - the Digital Photography Blog has included it into their lineup of useful articles on the topic, and
USA Today Online has mentioned it in conjunction with highlighting the O'Reilly Digital Media site as one of their picks for "Hot Site".

Labels: editorial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food photographer Bend OR, food photography, photography