Emerald Bay Photography News and Updates

From a recent food shoot ...

Menu by the amazingly talented chef Lisa Glickman.
Wine furnished by the equally fabulous Twist Cocktails.


Indian Spice Beet Soup


Tuna Tartar Cornet


Beef Bourguignon


Exquisite wine selection...


Blood Orange Sorbet

Yes, I ate it all, and it was fantastic. If you want to wet your appetite just a tad more, cruise on over here.

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

Growing up in Central Europe and spending a good part of the first 20 years of my life traveling the continent, my architectural aesthetics were infused with all sorts of different styles: the ancient, romantic buildings of Rome, Florence and Venice; the playful designs of Spain; the straight-forward, functional structures of Switzerland and Germany; and finally - the ultra-modern, sober edifices of Scandinavia.

Over the last 8 years of my professional career as architectural photographer then, one important fact dawned on me: buildings are the mirrors of the people who live in them. So as much as the fire and passion of the Southern Europe people are reflected in their lush and soulful buildings, so also is the cool, precise and disciplined character of the Northern people echoed in the spaces they chose to surround themselves with.

Enter a stunning contemporary home in the Broken Top development of Bend, Oregon. This beauty is owned by a lovely couple of Icelandic heritage (and skillfully furnished by the talented folks from Complements Home Interiors). Sooo - can you see it?







For the rest of the images, mosey on over here.

Labels: architectural photography, Bend Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, interior architectural photography

I love the simple cleanliness of contemporary homes. No clutter - just sweeping elegant lines, white-washed walls, and lots of beautiful, naturally soft light. They are a blank canvas for the home owner to create a universe of art, color and style.

A few weeks ago, I was hired to shoot just such a home. Built by the talented Bend custom home builder, Hansmann & Sons Construction, and styled by the ever-amazing Pamela Armstrong at Complements Home Interiors, this home's clean lines perfectly embrace the exciting pieces of art that permeate the house.

What's most amazing however is the blend of styles: Contemporary and Western. Having myself contributed images to Thea Marx's book Contemporary Western Design, I am familiar with the concept of pairing a modern shell with often old-fashioned pieces of Western art.
This home however has achieved a rare and stunning combination of the both. But don't listen to me - see for yourself...







And of course to see the entire interior, go here.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon

Recently - more as a challenge to myself than anything else, really - I tippy-toed into the complex world of jewelry photography.

Yepp, there was a learning curve. And a huge one, at that.

But I was fortunate to at least have the privilege of being able to use a custom ring by my hugely talented friend, Bollywood's costume and jewelry designer Niharika Bhasin Khan, based in Mumbay, India.

And I'm actually pretty happy with the results. But you judge for yourself ...





More jewelry images to come soon!

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, jewelry photographer bend oregon, product photographer Bend Oregon

So I got myself a ring flash not too long ago, and finally got the chance to try it out on a client shoot.

Here are the yummy results!









I love how it glosses and tones the skin. I tried a couple of different backgrounds, and found a flat black painted, smooth wall in the gym to be ideal.

Try this at home!

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, editorial photographer Bend Oregon, fitness photography, sports fitness photographer Bend Oregon

In this economic age of steep declines in new home building, a lot of home owners are choosing to remodel instead of building new homes (always a good idea too to have contents insurance on your building though!). The building contractors that have tapped into that trend are currently experiencing brisk business. So it may come as a surprise that only very few of them have the foresight to take pictures of the projects before the alteration.

Yet - "before" and "after" images are the most powerful and valuable tool these companies have to increase their business for the future. There's nothing like pulling out a portfolio in a client meeting, snapshots of outdated, crummy areas right next to the professional images of updated, modern and fresh spaces. As cliche as it may sound - but not even the best verbal sales pitch in the world carries the power of those kinds of images to convince a new client that a remodel is the right thing to do, and to get them dreaming about the possibilities.

So in conjunction with the launch of its new website, Nautilus Construction recently hired me to shoot an "after" portfolio of a kitchen remodel. The home owner had "before" shots on hand I was able to match angles to.



Above and below images shows just how much modifying the overbearing bar was able to improve flow and traffic around the kitchen...



... and how much counter space was created by adding a shelf for much-used appliances and treasured cook books.



In addition, a slim new opening between the existing cabinets and the new shelf was harnessed to insert a pull-out spice rack. The hardware was updated to enhance the new modern look of the kitchen.



So whether you're a satisfied home owner, a remodeling business, or a finish carpenter - it's always great to have those "before" and "after" shots. And not just for insurance purposes, or to revel in the memories of what once was.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure I must mention that Nautilus Construction is a finish carpentry company in Bend, Oregon, owned by none other than my hubby - but for the purpose of this blog post, I think it's still a fine example of the point I'm trying to make.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, architecture, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, interior architectural photography

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

Gleaming metal. Clean lines. Sharp glass. Shadow and light, working together to create unexpected and dynamic patterns. Harmonic colors that enhance eachother, play off eachother, contrast and produce an environment of simplicity and grace.

These are the things I live for when doing architectural photography. Yes, I admit, I'm a junkie - my favorite fix being contemporary buildings.

So here's a good example I recently shot for an architect client:









Mmmmm. Mmm. Mm.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, architecture, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, interior architectural photography, photography

I'm so terribly behind in posting fresh images to my blog - a side effect of being always on the run and working, I guess...

But - I recently had the privilege and delight to shoot a portfolio for a company that specializes in concrete floors and countertops, and I thought I'd post some shots here. Not in the least because there's a special - and surprising - beauty to concrete that made me personally abandon my previously held (wrong) conception of cement as a rough material, suitable only for rudimentary construction uses.



Over the last few years, concrete has experienced a surge in interest as the versatile, clean and modern material that it is. Refined with color and in the hands of an artist concrete contractor, it can be turned into a thing of true beauty. It is nearly endless in its uses, highly customizable (with inlays and custom shades of color), easy to take care of, and stands up well to the test of time.





Wikipedia educates us on this interesting tidbit also: "Cement should not be confused with concrete as the term 'cement' explicitly refers to a dry powder substance. Upon the addition of water and/or additives the mixture is no longer referred to as 'cement' but 'concrete', regardless if aggregates have already been added or not."



And did you know? Unlike with a granite countertop, you're never locked into a certain color with concrete. Want to remodel that kitchen, but the new look doesn't jive with the current color scheme? No problem with concrete. You can simply have a new color applied over the old one. Cool, eh?

Look in the Sept/Oct issue of Concrete Decor Magazine for more of my shots.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, architecture, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, concrete, countertops, floors, product photographer Bend Oregon

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