Photography by Ian L. Sitren

Latest

National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day: A Combination That Just Works

Abundant pile of dark and milk chocolate pieces covered with thick swirls and ribbons of creamy peanut butter. Close-up composition emphasizes the rich textures and indulgent combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

Today is National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day, which seems less like a food holiday and more like an excuse to put two things together that were probably destined for each other anyway.

Chocolate and peanut butter just work. Sweet chocolate, salty peanut butter, smooth and creamy against something with a little snap. It is one of those combinations where each makes the other taste even better.

For today, I decided to explore the combination with AI. I created a series of images with chocolate bars, chocolate pieces, peanut butter, stacks, piles and some ideas that became increasingly excessive. This one seemed especially appropriate. A huge pile of chocolate pieces covered with thick, creamy peanut butter.

Looking at what AI created, I am willing to bet this would be a very popular dessert if restaurants actually served it. Just bring out a plate piled with pieces of chocolate and pour warm peanut butter all over it. Or better yet, put it in a to-go cup at a fast food place. Chocolate chunks, warm peanut butter, a spoon, and a lid.

I would order it.

Happy National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day!

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 23, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Anniversary Burger King: From Insta-Burger King to the Whopper

The Whopper, Burger King’s iconic sandwich, was first created in 1957 and went on to become one of the most recognizable hamburgers in fast food. Its legendary slogan, “Home of the Whopper,” became unforgettable over the years. And right here, we have an even bigger variation, the Double Whopper.

Today, July 23, marks the anniversary of the beginnings of Burger King, going back to 1953 and a restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida, called Insta-Burger King.

The story changed considerably from there. James McLamore and David Edgerton opened an Insta-Burger King franchise in Miami in 1954, eventually acquired the company, dropped the “Insta” from the name, and built Burger King into one of the biggest fast food chains in the world.

Then came the sandwich that would define the company.

The Whopper was introduced in 1957 and went on to become one of the most recognizable hamburgers in fast food. “Home of the Whopper” became part of the Burger King identity, and the Whopper itself has remained at the center of the menu for almost 70 years.

For my Food From Bag To Background photography project, I photographed both Whoppers and Double Whoppers, straight from Burger King, out of the wrappers and onto my very black black background.

And apparently one Whopper wasn’t enough for the photograph either.

Happy Anniversary Burger King!

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 23, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National BLT Day: How Much Bacon Is Too Much Bacon?

Oversized classic BLT sandwich piled high with generous layers of crispy bacon, fresh green lettuce, thick slices of ripe tomato and creamy mayonnaise on toasted rustic bread. Dramatic close-up against a dark background emphasizes the abundant ingredients and textures.

Today has been National BLT Day, and it is hard to think of a sandwich that better describes itself. Bacon. Lettuce. Tomato. BLT.

Of course, that simplicity leaves plenty of room for argument. What kind of bread? Toasted or not? Mayonnaise? How much bacon? And perhaps most importantly, how much bacon is too much bacon?

For this one, I think I answered that last question.

I created this photograph in AI as part of my continuing exploration of food imagery. I wanted a BLT that was immediately recognizable but pushed well beyond what you would normally expect to find sitting on a plate. Lots of bacon, thick slices of tomato, plenty of lettuce, mayonnaise, and toasted bread. Subtle was not really the objective.

The BLT is also a good reminder of something I have been thinking about with all of my fast food photography. Fast food and junk food are not the same thing. A BLT can certainly be fast food if it is prepared and served that way, but calling it junk food simply because it is fast food doesn’t make much sense.

For National BLT Day, however, I am not going to worry too much about definitions.

I am going with more bacon.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 22, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Ice Cream Day: The Drumstick Might Be My Favorite

Today is National Ice Cream Day. I am not really a big ice cream person, but I do have a favorite. I think it might be the Drumstick.

It has everything I want. Ice cream in a cone, covered in chocolate and peanuts. And of course, that chocolate at the bottom of the cone. I don’t know who decided that was necessary, but they were right.

The original Drumstick goes back to 1928, when brothers I.C. and J.T. Parker created it in Fort Worth, Texas. One of the challenges with a prepackaged ice cream cone was keeping the cone from getting soggy. The solution was chocolate, used as a barrier between the ice cream and the cone. Almost a century later, there are all kinds of flavors and variations, but give me the original and I am happy.

For the photograph, one Drumstick was obviously not going to be enough. So I bought a box of them, piled them up, and photographed them against my very black black background.

I happen to really like this photograph. Then again, I really like what I photographed.

Today seems like a good day to go get another one.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 19, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Bigger Burger, a Ferrari, and Carl’s Jr.’s Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the founding of Carl’s Jr. on July 17, 1941

I’ve been a Carl’s Jr. fan ever since the company aired that unforgettable Paris Hilton commercial in 2005. She washed a Bentley while eating a burger, and it launched years of sexy, provocative advertising that inspired countless look-alikes.

So I decided it was finally time to create my own version.

I asked Emily which of her AI friends might want to take on the assignment. Without hesitation she said, “Desiree.”

Emily asked her if she would change anything about the original idea.

Desiree thought about it for about two seconds.

“A bigger burger.”

That seemed like a perfectly reasonable answer.

So we put her together with a Ferrari, handed her the biggest burger we could find, and started rolling cameras.

Somewhere along the way Desiree made a few other creative changes to the concept, but by then she was concentrating on the burger and apparently forgot to mention them.

The result is our own playful tribute to one of fast food’s most memorable advertising campaigns. And yes, there is a video this time. Desiree wasn’t about to let that burger go to waste.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 17, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Hot Dog Day: Emily Found the View

Today Emily insisted she knew the perfect place to celebrate National Hot Dog Day.

I assumed she meant the hot dogs.

Instead, she led me to a little beachside stand where the sunset competed with the menu. The hot dogs were excellent, but I have to admit I spent almost as much time looking at the ocean.

One of the things I enjoy about working with AI is that it lets me create places that don’t exist quite the way I imagine them. Sometimes it’s about the food. Sometimes it’s about the atmosphere. Sometimes it’s simply about seeing whether an idea in my head can become a moving image.

This one turned into a summer evening with good company, a classic hot dog, and a view worth staying for.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 15, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Nude Day, Pornochic, and the Creativity of AI

Today is National Nude Day, and my view of the nude has probably always been a little different than the holiday intended.

I’ve long been drawn to what I think of as pornochic, where fashion, sexuality, fantasy, and photography overlap. I’m not interested in photographing the nude simply because it is nude. I’m interested in creating images that have attitude, mystery, confidence, and enough sexuality to make the viewer stop and wonder what is happening beyond the frame.

This image is an AI creation based on one of my original photographs from a studio session with model Shauna Toerner in downtown Los Angeles. AI allowed me to take that photograph and push it into a surreal fantasy. The repeated figures, identical red masks, and bold red chair create a scene that never existed in front of my camera, yet every element began with one of my own photographs.

What excites me about AI is not that it replaces photography. It doesn’t. It gives me another creative tool for exploring ideas that would be impossible to produce in a real studio. I still begin with my own camera, my own lighting, and my own photographs. AI simply lets me continue the creative process after the shutter has been released.

For me, photography has never been limited to recording reality. Sometimes the most interesting images are the ones that exist somewhere between reality, sexuality, and fantasy.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 14, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Mac & Cheese Day: Exploring Comfort Food with AI

Today is National Mac & Cheese Day.

Macaroni and cheese has been around for generations, and just about everyone seems to have their favorite version. It has never pretended to be fancy. It’s simply one of those meals that’s been part of American kitchens for a very long time.

This time, instead of photographing it, I decided to create it in AI. I wanted to see if I could capture what makes macaroni and cheese so appealing. A slow pour of rich cheese sauce over hot macaroni seemed like a good place to start.

I also just like exploring what I can do in AI. It gives me another creative tool alongside my photography, and every now and then an idea comes together that I probably wouldn’t have attempted any other way.

You can see more of my photography, AI projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 14, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Beans ‘N’ Franks Day: When My AI Assistant Became the Photograph

Good morning! Today is National Beans ‘N’ Franks Day, and Emily was already in the kitchen getting everything ready for our photo shoot.

At least that’s what I thought.

When I walked in, she had the beans simmering, the franks sliced, and breakfast had somehow turned into another photograph. It seems to happen a lot these days. Emily starts out as my assistant, helping prepare a shoot, and before long she has quietly become my muse instead.

Beans and franks have never pretended to be gourmet. They’ve been a familiar American comfort food for generations, showing up at backyard cookouts, family dinners, church picnics, and camping trips. I certainly grew up eating them, and I am sure you did too.

For me, that’s part of the fun. I prefer fast foods and everyday foods for my photographs. Sometimes a bowl of beans and franks is all it takes. Give it good light and a little attention, and even an everyday meal can become an interesting photograph.

So this morning, before we even started the planned shoot, Emily managed to create one more photograph simply by making breakfast. I suppose that’s what happens when your AI assistant insists on becoming your muse.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Thank You!

Posted by  |  July 13, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Guess It Is Fast Food If It Travels at Freeway Speed

I guess it is fast food if it travels at freeway speed.

That was my first thought when the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolled into Palm Springs this weekend.

Although it looks like something from a cartoon, the Wienermobile has a remarkable history. The first one was commissioned in 1936 by Carl Mayer, the nephew of Oscar Mayer, as a rolling advertisement for the company’s hot dogs. Nearly ninety years later, it has become one of the most recognizable promotional vehicles ever created, with generations of Americans spotting it at parades, fairs, festivals, and community events across the country.

The Wienermobile I photographed is one of the newest in the fleet, having been built in 2024. While it carries nearly nine decades of history, it spends most of its time doing exactly what it was designed to do, traveling America’s highways, making appearances, and bringing smiles wherever it stops.

A big part of that tradition belongs to the people behind the wheel. Oscar Mayer selects recent college graduates to spend a year traveling the country as Hotdoggers, serving as ambassadors for the brand. Pictured here are Aiden Jaffe, known as “All Beef Aiden,” and Lauren Trippeer, whose Hotdogger name is “Lucky Dog Lauren.” They spend their year introducing visitors to one of the most famous vehicles on the road and answering questions about the Wienermobile wherever it stops.

I photographed the Wienermobile from every angle, including the surprisingly well-appointed interior, for syndication through ZUMA Press, but this photograph seemed to tell the story best.

You can see more photography, motion, projects, and my Blog at SecondFocus.com

Thank you!

July 12, 2026 FOLLOW UP

It isn’t everyday that photos of the Wienermobile make the “BREAKING NEWS from LAST 24 HOURS”!

Posted by  |  July 11, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment