Brian Samuels

June 14, 2015

Photography

Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA)

Brian Samuels

June 14, 2015

Photography

Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Barrington Coffee - The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Flour Bakery - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Bee's Knees - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Sweetgreen - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Sportello - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Drink - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Blue Dragon - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Bastille Kitchen - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Tavern Road - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

Row 34 - Silent Sunday: The Restaurants of Fort Point (Boston, MA) | A Thought For Food

For more restaurant photography, check out my portfolio: www.briansamuelsphotography.com

Featured:

Barrington Coffee

Flour Bakery Bee's Knees Supply Co.Sportello Drink Blue Dragon Bastille Kitchen Tavern Road Row 34

Brian Samuels

June 1, 2015

Personal, Photography

Why I Love Taking Pictures With My Phone (+ Some Tips): Part 2

Brian Samuels

June 1, 2015

Personal, Photography

Smart Phone Food Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

I used to take my camera all over the place, lugging a DSLR and a 50mm to every restaurant. I'd try to remain inconspicuous as I grabbed shots of the dining room and each plate that was brought to the table. I'm sure I wasn't as subtle as I thought I was being.

Things have changed a lot over these last three years. Smart phones have effected my experience as a photographer. It's allowed me to not only develop my photographic style, but it's given me the chance to hone my skills. Since my last post on smart phone photography, the quality of the cameras has gotten exceedingly better. I never thought I'd get to the point where I'd look at a picture on my computer and think, "Did I take that on my phone or my camera?" Everything is crisp and clean, with very little grain. It's a very exciting time in the world of photography and, today, I want to go over a few points about what I think about when I'm making photographs with my iPhone. In the below examples, you may see a slight difference in the quality. The majority were taken with an iPhone 6+ but others are older and were photographed using an iPhone 5s.

You can view my earlier post here: PART 1

1. Tell a story

There's always a story to be told. What that story is and how it's told is up to the photographer. I spend a lot of time thinking about what it is I want to say in a picture. Rarely is it a closeup of a finished dish. I like to pull back and reveal something else in the scene or show action. Food is so much more than a pretty plate. It's about how it's prepared, who is preparing it, how it's being served, where it's being served, how it's consumed (You get the point). Sometimes that's much more compelling than a beauty shot.

2. Location

I think showing where you're dining - the vibe of the restaurant, the movement of the dining room, the decor - is just as visually interesting as the food. Look around and you'll find a lot to capture, from the table setting to the excitement of the open kitchen to the sign hanging outside the front door.

3. Ingredients

It's not uncommon for me to return from the market, unload the bags, and get to work setting up scenes of chopped up fruit and vegetables, dressed fish, or plates of cheese and sliced bread. Unadulterated (uncooked) ingredients are a joy to play with because there are endless ways to capture them. A container of kumquats pop on a dark, rustic surface, while some bunches of fresh herbs pairs perfectly when placed atop a sheet of parchment. It gets the creative juices flowing when you start with these images that, a way to warm you up before you get to the final dish.

4. Remember, there's a whole world outside of food

I know it's funny to say this, but I think it's important for food photographers/bloggers/Instagrammers, to take pictures of things other than food. It teaches us, as artists, to look at the beauty that surrounds us every day. Spend time walking around the town or city you live in or go into the backyard with your child or dog. Take pictures of friends and family. It's all about capturing moments.

Smart Phone Photography Tips by Brian Samuels of A Thought for Food - www.athoughtforfood.net

For more tips and tricks on taking pictures with your smart phone, check out my first post. And you can follow along on my food journeys over on Instagram.

Locations featured in this post (in order of appearance): Ostra - Boston, MA Neptune Oyster - Boston, MA Lone Star Taco - Boston, MA Egg - Brooklyn, NY Coppa - Boston, MA Blackbird Doughnuts - Boston, MA Soc's Ice Cream - Saugus, MA Cafe ArtScience - Cambridge, MA Mei Mei//SOWA Open Market - Boston, MA

For more restaurant photography, head on over to my portfolio page.

Brian Samuels

May 3, 2015

Photography

Silent Sunday: A Trip to Tabasco (Avery Island, LA)

Brian Samuels

May 3, 2015

Photography

On Friday, I returned from visiting the Tabasco factory at Avery Island, Louisiana. The attendees of the trip were given an inside (and incredibly detailed) look at their impressive operations. Tabasco has a very deep and elaborate history, but what hasn't changed since their inception in 1868 is the recipe: a mixture of ground peppers, salt, and vinegar. The blended peppers and salt, known as a "mash," are aged in bourbon barrels for three years. Tony Simmons, Tabasco's CEO, tests the quality of each mash by smelling and tasting it (as a newbie, just standing in the same room as the mash overwhelmed my senses). Once tested, the skin and seeds of the peppers are removed from the mash and then, finally, the vinegar is added. When the sauce is ready, it's bottled, packaged, and distributed around the world (all of which is done on site).

Featured above are pictures from the factory tour, as well as some photographs of a cocktail demonstration by Nick Detrich (Cane and Table; New Orleans) and Chef Aarón Sanchez (owner of Johnny Sanchez in New Orleans and Paloma in Stamford, CT).

Disclosure: While Tabasco covered travel expenses and is in conjunction with the TABASCO® Tastemakers program, all opinions written in this post are my own. The post is an introduction to a series I will be producing throughout the year featuring Tabasco products.

Note: The images in this post were photographed with both a Canon 5D Mark iii and my iPhone 6 plus