Brian Samuels

August 29, 2013

Photography

Profile: Katie Emmerson, Bar Manager at The Hawthorne (Boston)

Brian Samuels

August 29, 2013

Photography

The Company Swizzle - The Hawthorne Bar - Boston, MA

Katie Emmerson (Bar Manager at The Hawthorne, Boston)

Hometown:

Brockport, NY (near Rochester)

Experience:

Opening bartender, now Bar Manager, at The Hawthorne. Before that I was at Death and Co, Raines Law Room and Lantern's Keep in New York.

Favorite Classic Cocktail:

Manhattan- specifically a bourbon Manhattan served up with a cherry. This was the first classic cocktail that I fell in love with before I tumbled down the rabbit hole into this awesome world. I was drinking what all my 22 year old girlfriends were- vodka cranberry, White Russian, etc. Then I started dating a bartender and he decided I should try something different. Wow! What had I been missing!?

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Ingredient to Use in a Cocktail:

Tea! Everything from Earl Grey to Jasmine Green to Rooibos to Rose Cascarilla to Lapsang Souchong- teas are an amazing way to add complexity to a cocktail. Also, when made into tea syrups, it's also possible to created some interesting beverages for those that aren't consuming alcohol. I don't want them to feel left out!

Follow Katie and The Hawthorne on Twitter

The Hawthorne: 500 A Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

Drinks, In order of appearance:

[print_this]

The Noble Order

(created by Katie Emmerson of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

1.5 oz Famous Grouse blended scotch whisky

.75 oz Dolin dry vermouth

.5 oz Amaro Nonino

.25 oz Marie Brizard Apry

Grapefruit peel, for garnish

Directions

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass and garnish with grapefruit oil

[/print_this]

[print_this]

Lagavulin Julep

(created by Katie Emmerson of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

2 oz Lagavulin 16 yr

.5 oz simple syrup

Small fistful of mint

Directions

Rub the mint on the inside of the julep cup and place in the bottom. Add simple syrup and gently press with a muddler. Add whisky and stir. Slowly add crushed ice while stirring and watch the frost form on the outside of the glass. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a bountiful sprig of mint.

[/print_this]

[print_this]

Artemis

(created by Nicole Lebedevitch, General Manager of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

1.5 oz Small's gin

.75 oz Dolin dry vermouth

.75 oz fresh lemon juice

.75 oz simple syrup

2 leaves of basil, torn in half

Directions

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass over ice, top with tonic.

Garnish with a lemon slice and flowering herbs.

[/print_this]

[print_this]

The Company Swizzle

(created by Katie Emmerson of The Hawthorne)

Ingredients

1 oz Del Maguey Crema Mezcal

1 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry

.75 oz fresh lime juice

.5 oz ginger syrup

.5 oz Velvet Falernum

Directions

Mount all ingredients in a highball glass. Add crushed ice and swizzle until all ingredients are incorporated and a frost forms on the outside of the glass. Top with crushed ice. Garnish with 2 dashes each of Angostura and chocolate molé bitters and a sprig of mint.

[/print_this]

Brian Samuels

August 23, 2013

Personal, Photography

Why I Love Taking Pictures With My Phone (+ Some Tips/Tricks)

Brian Samuels

August 23, 2013

Personal, Photography

Seafood Display at Whole Foods (photography by Brian Samuels)

The first time I brought a camera into a restaurant was over two years ago. This was before I'd purchased my first smart phone, and I lugged around my hefty camera and lenses wherever I went. Despite the challenges of carrying a camera everywhere, this was my creative outlet and I loved capturing my favorite restaurants and landmarks.

Ever since I started working professionally as a food photographer, I do like to take a break from my camera from time to time. Sometimes you just need a little space. I rarely bring it along when we go out to eat or are traveling anymore. On a recent trip to Vegas, I only took my camera out once, opting to use my phone to take all my pictures.

As a photographer, there's something very liberating about shooting with a smart phone. First off, you can be discrete about taking pictures. It's easier to capture the environment of a restaurant when you're not whipping out a massive lens. Both patrons and servers get weird when they see a camera pointed at them (and I don't blame them for that... it's a bit intrusive). A phone, however, can be used to take a picture without anyone noticing.

iPhone Food Photography Tips from Brian of A Thought For Food

I also feel like I've grown tremendously as a photographer because of the amount I shoot with my phone. I'm constantly finding ways to get creative in an environment when the light may not be ideal. Or I see a dish and think, "Ok, what are all the ways I can shoot this?" and, to my husband's dismay, I play with every option. It gets me thinking outside the box and that may be the most important thing for us as artists.

Over the last few months, I've started teaching classes on iPhoneography for folks who are interested in amping up their food photos. I wanted to share a few points from that class with you today:

1. Remember that taking pictures with your phone is the same as using a DSLR... consider the key elements of photography: subject, composition, and lighting. Some dishes or ingredients aren’t always going to be bright and colorful, but there should be something about what you’re photographing that’s going to be interesting to the viewer. Use the other elements (composition and lighting) to elevate the subject or create a mood.

2. Action can be the subject.

3. Texture does a lot to make a smart phone image interesting. This can be as simple as shooting the dish on a rustic table (think aged wood) or textured background. I've gone as far as to put my food on the sidewalk, using the bricks as my surface.

4. Use natural light... and never use the flash! I see it all the time. I'm at a restaurant and someone takes a picture and they light up the room with their phone's flash. My suggestion, and this goes for all restaurant photography (even with a DSLR), is to only shoot during the day (or during day light). It's incredibly difficult to take a shot of food with your phone in a dimly lit room. Even if the dish is beautiful and the composition of the shot is perfect, the picture is going to come out super grainy.

5. Shoot from above. Because the iPhone doesn't have the same depth of field capabilities as a DSLR, shooting from the side doesn't always work as well as one would like. The best way to capture a dish (or a whole table of plates) is to get the shot from above. If you do shoot from the side, keep your shot simple and with minimal props, because everything in the shot will remain in focus.

6. Taking pictures is fun! If your friends are joining you at a restaurant, let them in on the experience. You can even let them be your model. They'll like that. And then let them eat. They'll like that more.

To see some more of my iPhone shots, head on over to Instagram. And to see my husband's pictures of me taking pictures of food, check out his Tumblr page, Waiting For It: Married to a Food Photographer.

The above pictures were taken at the following places (listed in order of appearance):

Whole Foods (Andover, MA) Barbuto (New York, NY) West Bridge (Cambridge, MA) Four Seas Ice Cream (Centerville, MA) Mei Mei Street Kitchen (Boston, MA) Lyric (Yarmouth Port, Cape Cod, MA) Island Creek Oyster Bar (Boston, MA)

Brian Samuels

August 11, 2013

Photography

Silent Sunday: The Big Summer Potluck 2013

Brian Samuels

August 11, 2013

Photography

The Big Summer Potluck 2013 (photos by Brian Samuels)

Big Summer Potluck Cookies by Jen Schall (photos by Brian Samuels)

Earlier this year, Maggy asked if I would be the official photographer for The Big Potluck and over the past few months, I've had the pleasure of attending and shooting their first Big Traveling Potluck in California and, most recently, the fourth annual Big Summer Potluck. It's a lot of work photographing a multi-day event, but it's also a ton of fun. We spent the weekend at both the Anderson household, where a fabulous dinner was served Friday night, and the Bucks County Audubon Society for a full day of speakers (which included cookbook author Joe Yonan of The Washington Post, Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, and Jessamyn W. Rodriguez of Hot Bread Kitchen), delicious food, and cocktails. Pam, Maggy, and Erika outdid themselves and I was so honored to be there to capture these moments.

I was also asked by KitchenAid to do a recap of the event (and talk a bit about their involvement as sponsors of the event) on their blog. Head over here to check out that post and to see a few additional pictures from BSP.