Featured as an artist with Create in Place
I am proud to be part of a community of artists who provide an option for brands, art buyers, and entrepreneurs to acquire images made in a home studio during our pandemic crisis. This option ensures images can be created in compliance with during “shelter at home” rules in many locations. It also keeps the artist safe.
Check out my new portfolio at Create In Place, a new agency for commercial photographers who offer the option to create images in their home studios. It was just launched by Heather Elder and Jim Baldwin. Contact me if you want a quote.
Advantages to my studio
I am a CIA trained chef who can style and shoot. My studio is a detached studio at my house so it has the capability to create in place!
Here are just a few of the many benefits my service brings to my clients:
- Fast Wifi to communicate fast electronically and you can see the shoot in realtime.
- One-stop-shop to prepare, style, and photograph food or products, plus use a medium format Phase One camera to save my clients money while bringing a stellar image to the finish.
- Props, props, more props: An exclusive collection of high-quality amazing props that have been curated from a lifetime of working on many projects including European markets, many antique stores, and artisan’s studios are on-site with no additional rental fee or shipping time needed.
- Strobes and space: Multiple tabletop setups with plenty of professional lights, storage, refrigerators, and freezers.
- Professionally equipped kitchen in my house that is very easy to work in and has an amazing array of equipment and tools.
- No studio rental fees or permits needed. Shelter in place compliance.
- Fresh stuff: There is an onsite garden with fresh herbs, flowers, veggies, and fruits. Bay area stores all deliver here!
- Bay Area location: The studio is in Castro Valley, a suburb of Oakland, located just 30 minutes from San Francisco by car or BART.
Studio tour
Props and surfaces have been collected over decades from many favorite sources including:
- Europe
- Artisan wood craftsman
- Antique dealers worldwide
- Artists
- Art paper stores
- Italian tile importers
- Napa kitchen stores
- and more!
My formal culinary training was at the Culinary Institute of America (I interned with the photographer plus trained to be a chef) as well as in Europe, followed by a career as a pastry chef at two Hyatt Hotels so I can make and style food as well as products. My clients love this lean creation process. I love the “commute time” as well as the fact that Berkeley Bowl delivers to my house and the farmer’s market is only a mile away.
If you can ship your products or have them delivered to me in Castro Valley, CA, I can shoot them. My special creation process even includes your input in real-time! I can send you photos via text message or email so you can comment and make changes. I offer Zoom, Facetime, Skype, Capture Pilot online, or whatever works best for you for digital collaboration.
My new home-based, detached studio at my house in Castro Valley is large enough for several shooting stations, complete with uber-fast (1G) Wifi, my curated collection of props, a professional kitchen, plus my new natural light patio studio:
3 raised-bed, organic “victory gardens” are now growing. They will ensure access to many different types of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers for photos. Check out the bags of soil. These include coconut coir for organic aeration of the soil. I just bought the house so more projects to come. It is a beautiful 1943 retro house with so many nice features and gardens.
Stay tuned – more victory garden process shots coming soon. I look forward to shooting on location when the stay safe at home restrictions are lifted. Masks are ready!
Contact me if you need images. I would love to help! Services include art direction and branding, set design and test shots, styling, photography, retouching, compositing, and file output for any project from social media to web to an app to print.
Latest news and commissioned projects: