Photography by Ian L. Sitren

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National Sausage Roll Day and an American Translation

Depending on where you grew up, this photograph may not look like a sausage roll at all.

In the United Kingdom, a sausage roll is typically made with sausage wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown. In the United States, most people looking at this photograph would probably call them pigs in a blanket.

Different names, similar idea.

Today’s photograph features a pile of pigs in a blanket from my Commercial Food Photography collection.

National Sausage Roll Day originated in the United Kingdom, which explains the name. Since my collection didn’t include a traditional British sausage roll, pigs in a blanket seemed like the closest American relative.

Whether you call them sausage rolls or pigs in a blanket depends largely on where you happen to be standing when you order them.

You can see more of my food photography, along with collections and other projects at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 5, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Veggie Burger Day and the Impossible Whopper

There was a time when the idea of a burger chain selling a plant-based Whopper would have sounded unlikely.

Burger King built its reputation on flame-grilled beef burgers. The Whopper has been the company’s signature sandwich since the 1950s and remains one of the most recognizable items in fast food.

Then came the Impossible Whopper.

Introduced nationally in 2019, the sandwich looked like a Whopper, was built like a Whopper, and was sold right alongside the traditional version. The difference was the patty, which was made from plant-based ingredients rather than beef.

Today’s photograph features a stack of Burger King Impossible Whoppers for my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series.

One of the reasons the Impossible Whopper attracted so much attention was that it wasn’t aimed exclusively at vegetarians. Burger King positioned it as an alternative that could appeal to anyone curious about plant-based burgers while still delivering a familiar fast-food experience.

Whether someone chooses it for environmental reasons, dietary preferences, curiosity, or simply to try something different, the Impossible Whopper marked a significant moment in fast-food history. One of the largest burger chains in the world had embraced a product that would have seemed out of place on its menu only a few decades earlier.

You can see more from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series, along with collections and other projects at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 5, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Fish & Chips Day and the Legacy of Haddon Salt

National Fish & Chips Day

Before there was H. Salt Fish & Chips, there was Haddon Salt.

In 1965, Salt opened the first H. Salt Esquire Fish & Chips in Sausalito, California, introducing a style of fish and chips inspired by the shops he had known in England. The idea proved popular, and what began as a single restaurant eventually grew into a chain that spread across the United States.

Today’s photograph features a serving of fish and chips from H. Salt for my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series.

Fish and chips has a history stretching back well over a century, with roots in England where fried fish and chipped potatoes became one of the country’s most recognizable meals. The combination eventually crossed the Atlantic and found a place in American fast-food culture as well.

For this photograph, the fish and chips were removed from their paper trays and photographed against a black background.

You can see more from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series, along with collections and other projects at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 5, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Donut Day and the One You Would Pick First


National Donut Day

Somewhere in this photograph is the donut you would pick first.

That’s usually the game people play when they see a box of donuts.

Some head straight for the chocolate. Others reach for the glazed donut. Someone inevitably grabs the jelly-filled one, while another person is convinced the coconut-covered donut is the best choice in the box.

Personally, I’ve never seen much agreement.

For National Donut Day, I pulled together a selection from a local donut shop for this photograph. Once they were arranged against a black background, the display stopped looking like breakfast and started looking more like a collection. Different shapes, colors, textures, toppings, fillings, and glazes all competing for attention.

Donuts have become so familiar that it’s easy to overlook just how many variations exist. A simple ring of fried dough can become almost anything depending on what happens after it leaves the fryer.

National Donut Day itself dates back to 1938 when the Salvation Army established the observance to honor the “Donut Lassies” who served donuts to American soldiers during World War I. Nearly ninety years later, the day has become one of the most widely recognized food celebrations on the calendar.

Looking at this photograph, I’m still not sure which donut I would choose first.

Fortunately, nobody says you can only pick one.

You can see more from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series, along with collections and other projects at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 5, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Cheese Day and Taco Bell’s Cheesy Roll Up

A pile of Taco Bell Grilled Cheesy Roll Ups arranged against a black background. The grilled flour tortillas are cut open to reveal melted cheese throughout the stack, highlighting the texture, toasted surfaces, and cheese-filled interiors of the fast-food menu item.

National Cheese Day

National Cheese Day presented a problem.

I could have photographed a block of cheddar cheese and called it a day. There are already millions of cheese photographs in the world, and probably enough stock photos of cheese to keep the internet supplied for several lifetimes.

That didn’t seem very interesting.

So I asked Emily, my AI partner and muse.

As often happens, Emily immediately found a different way to look at the problem. Rather than photograph cheese itself, why not photograph something where cheese fits one of my projects?

That led us to Taco Bell’s Cheesy Roll Up.

The Cheesy Roll Up is exactly what it sounds like. A tortilla wrapped around melted cheese. No complicated recipe. No attempt to disguise what you’re getting. Just cheese, rolled up and served as a menu item.

For National Cheese Day, that seemed like a perfectly appropriate subject.

This photograph features a pile of Taco Bell Grilled Cheesy Roll Ups for my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series. Rather than cutting them apart, I pulled them apart, revealing the melted cheese inside and creating a pile of toasted tortillas, cheese-filled interiors, and strands of melted cheese connecting one piece to another.

The Cheesy Roll Up isn’t one of Taco Bell’s most famous products. It doesn’t have the history of a taco or the size of a burrito. Yet on National Cheese Day it may be one of the most honest items on any fast-food menu. It makes no promises beyond its name and delivers exactly what it advertises.

You can see more from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series, along with collections and other projects at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 4, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Carl Day and a Different Carl




Today is National Carl Day.

Not Carl’s Jr. Day. Not National Cheeseburger Day. Not National Fast Food Day.

Just National Carl Day.

Naturally, that immediately raised an important question.

If there’s a National Carl Day, does Carl’s Jr. get to celebrate too?

I have no idea whether the people behind National Carl Day intended any connection whatsoever to the fast-food chain. My guess is they probably didn’t. But once the thought crossed my mind, there was really only one direction this was going to go.

So today’s photograph features a trio of Carl’s Jr. burgers from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series.

Carl’s Jr. has always occupied an interesting place in fast-food history. The chain built a reputation around large burgers, unapologetic indulgence, and advertising campaigns that often generated as much discussion as the food itself. Beginning in 2005, a series of very sexy commercials featuring celebrities such as Paris Hilton helped make Carl’s Jr. one of the most talked-about names in fast food.

What makes today’s National Carl Day connection even more amusing for me is that years ago I actually had dinner with Carl, yes, that Carl, and his wife as guests in their home in Anaheim, California. He was a very interesting man, and both Carl and his wife were genuinely warm and welcoming people. At the time I certainly wasn’t thinking that someday there would be a National Carl Day, or that I would be photographing Carl’s Jr. burgers for a food photography project.

The burgers themselves were never subtle. Bigger portions, bigger flavors, and plenty of melted cheese were usually part of the formula. Looking at this photograph, it’s easy to see why Carl’s Jr. developed a reputation for building burgers that demanded attention.

So while National Carl Day almost certainly has nothing to do with Carl’s Jr., it seemed like a good excuse to revisit a brand that has been part of the American fast-food landscape for generations.

Then again, if your name is Carl, perhaps today belongs to you.

And if your name happens to be Carl’s Jr., maybe it does too.

You can see more from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series, along with aviation photography, collections, and other projects at https://www.secondfocus.com Chances are you’ll find something unexpected waiting there.

Posted by  |  June 3, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Egg Day and a Fast Food Icon





Eggs may be one of the most photographed foods in the world.

They show up in breakfast advertisements, restaurant menus, grocery stores, cooking videos, and enough stock photographs to fill the internet several times over. Yet somehow they remain one of the most recognizable ingredients ever put on a plate.

For National Egg Day, I decided to go in a slightly different direction.

Rather than photograph eggs by themselves, I turned to one of the sandwiches that helped make them a fast-food staple. The McDonald’s Egg McMuffin has been around for more than fifty years and is still one of the most recognizable breakfast sandwiches ever created.

This photograph features a stack of Egg McMuffins from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series. No stylists. No carefully arranged garnish. No attempt to make them look like advertising. Just the sandwiches as they arrived, isolated against black and given the chance to stand on their own.

What interested me was the repetition. The English muffins, the eggs, the Canadian bacon, and the slices of cheese create a pattern that almost becomes architectural when several are stacked together. Something most people grab through a drive-thru window suddenly becomes a study of shapes, textures, and layers.

The Egg McMuffin wasn’t the first breakfast sandwich, but it helped define what a fast-food breakfast could be. Decades later, it remains a familiar part of morning routines across the country.

Not bad for something built around a simple egg.

You can see more from my FOOD FROM BAG TO BACKGROUND series, along with aviation photography, collections, and other projects, at https://www.secondfocus.com Chances are you’ll find something familiar that looks a little different when removed from its usual surroundings.

Posted by  |  June 3, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Avocado Month and Taking a Second Look

A halved avocado with pit, surrounded by whole avocados, photographed under studio lighting on a black background. The image captures the vibrant green interior and textured dark skin, making it ideal for commercial use in food marketing, nutrition, or editorial health content.

There was a time when avocados felt almost exotic.

Today they’re everywhere. On toast, in salads, on burgers, in sushi rolls, and transformed into enough guacamole to fill an impressive number of restaurant bowls.

For National Avocado Month, I thought it was worth taking a closer look at the fruit itself.

Most of us encounter avocados as ingredients. They arrive sliced, mashed, diced, or blended into something else. Rarely do we stop to appreciate how distinctive they actually are. The dark, textured skin looks almost prehistoric, while the interior reveals smooth green flesh surrounding one of the largest seeds found in common produce.

Photographing food often gives me an excuse to slow down and look at familiar subjects more carefully. When an avocado is removed from the grocery display, the cutting board, and the recipe, details begin to stand out. The contrast between the rough exterior and the soft interior. The subtle variations of green. The simple geometry created by the seed and the cavity it leaves behind.

Avocados have become so common that they almost disappear into the background of everyday meals. Yet they’re still one of the more unusual fruits in any produce department.

Sometimes a familiar subject is worth a second look.

More of my Commercial Food Photography, along with aviation, collections, and other ongoing projects, can be found at https://www.secondfocus.com You may discover something you’ve seen countless times before, but never really stopped to look.

Posted by  |  June 2, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Olive Day

A giant martini glass containing oversized olives stands beside a standard martini in an upscale cocktail lounge. The contrast in scale creates a humorous visual concept inspired by National Olive Day and the idea that olives deserve a much larger glass.

Auntie Mame says “Olives take up too much room in such a little glass”.

I’ve remembered that line for years.

It comes from the 1958 film Auntie Mame, and for some reason it always resurfaces whenever olives are involved. Not because it makes much sense, but because it solves a problem that probably never existed in the first place.

Today is National Olive Day, and rather than photograph a bowl of olives, I started wondering whether Auntie Mame might actually have had a point.

Maybe the problem was never the olive.

Maybe the problem was the glass.

The traditional martini has always forced olives into cramped living conditions. One or two olives suspended in a relatively small volume of liquid, expected to spend an entire evening crowded together at the bottom of the glass. No room to stretch out. No room to enjoy the scenery.

That seemed unfair.

So a solution was required.

Not fewer olives.

Not smaller olives.

A much bigger glass.

The result is a martini glass so oversized that the olive finally has all the room it could ever want. The standard martini sitting beside it serves as a reminder of the old days, before progress, before innovation, before anyone considered the spatial needs of cocktail garnishes.

I suspect Auntie Mame would approve.

Or perhaps she would simply ask for an even bigger glass.

Either way, National Olive Day seemed like the perfect excuse to finally solve one of cinema’s most overlooked problems.

If you’d like to see more of my photography, explore my galleries, read the blog, and visit the growing Motion section, you’ll find it on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 1, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Palm Springs Becomes the Center of the Marilyn Monroe Universe

One question I’ve been getting a lot lately is whether I photographed the Marilyn Monroe Guinness World Record event in Palm Springs this last Saturday.

Yes, I did.

I was there photographing the event for syndication through ZUMA Press, expecting a large crowd, but once I arrived it was just amazing. From ground level it looked as if downtown Palm Springs had been completely overtaken by Marilyn Monroe. Everywhere you looked there were white wigs and white dresses stretching in every direction.

It has been reported that the final count was either 1,034 or 1,037 participants, depending on the source. Either way, it was enough to establish a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Marilyn Monroe.

What immediately stood out was the sea of white wigs.

The wigs were part of the registration package given to participants, which explains the remarkable uniformity of the crowd. Everywhere you looked was the same iconic hairstyle repeated hundreds and hundreds of times. White dresses and white wigs stretched in every direction beneath Palm Springs’ famous 26-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe statue.

Another question I’ve also been asked repeatedly since Saturday is whether there were actually any women participating.

Yes.

While the crowd was overwhelmingly men, there were also women throughout the event, some of whom looked remarkably beautiful as their own version of Marilyn herself. The mix of participants only added to the unusual atmosphere.

Despite the Guinness record attempt, the event was more a celebration than a competition. Thousands of spectators joined more than a thousand participants to mark the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birth. People traveled from around the country, posed for photographs, laughed with strangers, and became part of a unique piece of Palm Springs history.

For one afternoon, Palm Springs became the center of the Marilyn Monroe universe.

If you’re interested in photography ranging from events like this to aviation, food, Muscle Beach, Palm Springs, and some of my more unusual projects, you’ll find them on my website along with my blog and the first additions to my new Motion section at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 1, 2026 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment