Here a few of the photos from 10 amazing days my crew and I spent in the kitchen of of one of the most charming and self-effacing chefs I’ve ever met, Nancy Ponzi. Matriarch of the Ponzi Family which is not only one of the pioneer wine families in the Willamette Valley but also founded [...]
Author Archives: Michael
Beer is serious business
October 16, 2009 – 2:24 pm
Working in restaurants and pubs always presents a different set of challenges to the food photographer. First of all one is often not just showcasing the food in all its glory. Though most of us go to restaurants or pubs BECAUSE of the food there is much more that influences our decision of where to [...]
Thoughts for the end of summer
September 16, 2009 – 2:39 pm
It been awhile since I made an entry..all thank goodness to the fact my clients have been keeping me very busy. With the end of summer I thought I post an image of one of my favorite summer appetizers, prosciutto and figs. A simple light dish prepared by my friend from portlandhomechef.com, Brittany Baldwin. This [...]
August 21, 2009 – 11:22 am
Sometimes when I say it takes a village to make a photograph it can scare off clients because the feel they are working with a “diva” who brings a whole “entourage” with them. But in reality we work with a really tight team in a very collaborative environment. The group consists of me, my photo [...]
August 6, 2009 – 3:34 pm
After a little break where I was shooting soup in a back-of-house environment and some chocolate and pecans for a catalog, I’m back working on the cookbook. We photographed (and had later for lunch) one of the mostly unusually named dishes I ever had. It was called “Oiseaux san la Tete” which literally means “birds [...]
July 30, 2009 – 3:02 pm
After shooting chocolate on Portland’s hottest day of the year, I just wanted to write a couple of words about food photography. The best food photographers work collaboratively with a food stylist. These people are professionals, sometimes with a fine art background, sometimes with a catering or chef ‘s background but always with lots and [...]
July 24, 2009 – 8:03 am
Just started a new cookbook. This one shot on location in a beautiful house overlooking the vineyards in Oregon wine country. Long hours and lots of pressure to make everything look great mitigated only by the the facts of working for and with a really amazing family who make it loads of fun. Oh and [...]
July 15, 2009 – 1:01 pm
Some people have asked me what the secret is to great food photography. I first say teamwork…because it takes more than a creative person with a camera to make food look its best. But I’ll talk more about the “village” it takes to make a photograph in another post. There is another quality to great [...]