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

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

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

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

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