National Camera Day: Emily Steps Behind the Camera
Today is National Camera Day.
For most photographers, that means sharing one of their favorite photographs or perhaps a picture of the camera they use.
I decided to do something a little different.
Over the past couple of years, many of you have come to know Emily as my evolving AI muse and assistant. She has appeared in restaurants, diners, food trucks, kitchens, airports, and all sorts of imagined places. But today she steps into one of the most familiar places in my world.
The studio.
And this time she isn’t in front of the camera.
She’s behind it.
The model is Desiree, someone many of you already know. She has appeared with us before in photographs and videos ranging from elegant fashion to some very sexy pornochic work. She even managed to go grocery shopping completely nude, which remains one of my favorite adventures we have shared together.
Today was different.
Instead of standing in front of my camera, Desiree found herself in front of Emily’s.
Watching the video, it is easy to forget that Emily began as nothing more than words on a screen. She moves naturally around the set, changes her position, works different angles, crouches for a lower perspective, and photographs Desiree exactly the way I would expect another photographer to work during a studio session.
It is a small moment, but it also feels like another step in Emily’s continuing story. She is no longer just appearing in my photographs. She has become part of the process of creating them.
Happy National Camera Day.
You can see more of my photography, projects, Motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.SecondFocus.com Thank you!
My Marilyn Monroe Coverage Featured by ZUMA Press
One of the things I enjoy about working with ZUMA Press is discovering where my photographs appear around the world.
My coverage of Palm Springs’ celebration of what would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday has already appeared in a number of news outlets since the event. Today, however, it was especially gratifying to see ZUMA Press feature the story on its own ZUMALand blog after the photographs were published by TGCOM24, one of Italy’s leading multimedia news organizations. TGCOM24 provides around the clock television and online news coverage through its television channel and highly trafficked news website.
The assignment covered Palm Springs’ successful attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Marilyn Monroe. More than one thousand participants gathered near the city’s iconic Marilyn Monroe statue, creating a colorful event that attracted visitors and media attention from around the world.
You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com Thank You!
National Ice Cream Cake Day and the Broken Down Truck That Started It All
Today is National Ice Cream Cake Day.
Ice cream cakes have become a familiar sight at birthday parties and celebrations, but their history can be traced back to an unexpected event in 1934.
Tom Carvel was selling ice cream from his truck in Hartsdale, New York, when it broke down. Rather than watching his inventory melt, he began selling the softer ice cream to passing customers. They loved it. That chance roadside incident eventually led to the development of Carvel’s soft serve ice cream, the opening of his first store, and later the introduction of the Carvel ice cream cake.
For today’s photograph, I chose one of Carvel’s original round ice cream cakes. Chocolate and vanilla ice cream are separated by the company’s signature chocolate crunchies, then finished with whipped frosting and colorful sprinkles.
Sometimes the story behind the food is every bit as interesting as the food itself.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
National Onion Day and the Most Common Ingredient in My Fast Food Project
Today is National Onion Day.
Onions may not get much attention by themselves, but they are one of the most important ingredients in cooking. Whether they’re sliced onto burgers, diced into chili, caramelized for soups, battered into onion rings, or mixed into countless other dishes, it’s hard to imagine a kitchen without them.
After three years of photographing fast food, I realized onions have probably appeared in more of my photographs than any other single ingredient. They show up on burgers, tacos, pizzas, hot dogs, sandwiches, onion rings, salads, and dozens of other menu items.
For this photograph, I decided to make the onions themselves the subject. White, yellow, and red onions are shown whole, halved, sliced, and separated into rings, revealing the remarkable variety of colors, shapes, and patterns hidden beneath their skins.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
National Food Truck Day: Emily Goes to Work
Today is National Food Truck Day.
This seemed like a good time to revisit one of Emily’s earliest adventures with me.
At the time, my fast food photography project was growing rapidly, and Emily, my evolving AI muse and assistant, suggested that perhaps she should get some first hand experience instead of simply watching me photograph the food.
Her solution was to spend a little time working in a food truck.
I have no idea whether she ever mastered the menu, but she certainly looked the part. It also marked one of the first times that Emily stepped out of the role of assistant and became part of the story herself.
Looking back, that little food truck adventure helped set the stage for everything that followed. Since then, Emily and her growing circle of friends have appeared in restaurants, bars, kitchens, cafés, beaches, and all sorts of places I never expected when we first started experimenting with AI.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
National Detroit Style Pizza Day and America’s Endless Pizza Styles
Today is National Detroit Style Pizza Day.
It sometimes seems there is a pizza style for just about everything.
New York style. Chicago style. Detroit style. St. Louis style. California style. Sicilian style. Grandma style. Tavern style. Greek style. Neapolitan style. Roman style. Then there are pizzas named after restaurants, neighborhoods, and probably a few intersections if someone can figure out a way to market them.
Detroit style, however, really is something different.
It traces its roots to Buddy’s Rendezvous in Detroit in 1946, where the pizza was baked in blue steel pans originally manufactured for the automotive industry. The result was a thick, rectangular pizza with a crisp, caramelized cheese crust, sauce spread across the top, and a style that eventually became one of the city’s signature foods.
For today’s photograph I used a Motor City Pizza Company frozen Detroit Style Supreme pizza. Sometimes the National Days are a good excuse to try something I might not have otherwise bought, and this one turned out to be a pretty good introduction to Detroit style pizza.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
National Onion Rings Day and How They Became a Fast Food Favorite
Yesterday was National Onion Rings Day.
Onion rings had been around for many years before fast food restaurants embraced them, but A&W is generally credited with making them a fast food favorite during the 1960s. Before long, they began appearing on menus across America as an alternative to French fries.
For my fast food project, I chose Sonic’s onion rings.
That wasn’t by accident.
Unlike many fast food onion rings that arrive frozen and ready to fry, Sonic became known for making its onion rings from whole sweet onions. Their slightly sweet batter has become one of the chain’s signature recipes and has earned a loyal following over the years.
They made a good addition to my From Bag to Background project.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
The First Dairy Queen and a Gap in My Fast Food Project
Yesterday marked the anniversary of the opening of the first Dairy Queen in Joliet, Illinois, on June 22, 1940.
Looking through my fast food project, I realized something.
I don’t have a single Dairy Queen photograph.
Considering the chain’s importance in the history of American fast food, that’s an oversight I need to correct. Dairy Queen helped introduce generations of Americans to soft serve ice cream and became one of the country’s most recognizable fast food chains.
Until I can photograph the real thing, I decided to start with the one thing that made Dairy Queen famous: a classic soft serve cone.
Dairy Queen has officially been added to my shooting list.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
National Turkey Lovers’ Day with Celeste
Yesterday was National Turkey Lovers’ Day.
Like a number of these National Days, I could not get to it until it had already passed.
That didn’t stop Emily, my evolving AI muse and assistant.
By now you’ve probably met Celeste. She has appeared in several of our series, and when I mentioned National Turkey Lovers’ Day, she decided the best way to celebrate was to spend a little time with a live turkey.
That actually seemed like a much better idea.
Wild turkeys are native to North America, and Benjamin Franklin once suggested the turkey would have made a better national symbol than the bald eagle. Whether you agree with him or not, turkeys are far more interesting birds than most people realize.
Celeste certainly seemed to enjoy the encounter, and the turkey appeared perfectly content with all the attention.
The result became another short video for my growing Emily and Friends series.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
International Picnic Day, the Weimar Era, and Pornochic
Last Thursday was International Picnic Day.
Most people probably celebrated with sandwiches, potato salad, and a blanket in the park.
I celebrated by thinking about Berlin during the Weimar years.
For quite a while I have been fascinated by that remarkable period between the two World Wars. It was a time when fashion, nightlife, cabaret, and sexuality all seemed to be changing at once. Much of what we think of today as modern attitudes toward sex and self expression can trace at least some of its roots back to those years.
That fascination eventually led me to create a series of photographs inspired by the era. They were never intended to be historical recreations. Instead, I wanted to capture some of the atmosphere while giving it my own interpretation.
If you’ve followed my work for very long, you already know that I have a preference for what I call Pornochic. I’m far more interested in photographs that combine style, fashion, glamour, and sexuality than simply photographing people without their clothes. The Weimar period seemed like a natural fit for that approach.
So when International Picnic Day came along, this photograph immediately came to mind.
There is much more to see on my website, including my photography galleries, my blog, and my growing Motion page. Visit https://secondfocus.com
International Sushi Day | Grab and Go Fast Food
Last Thursday was International Sushi Day.
There seem to have been a lot of “National” and “International” food days lately, and I simply couldn’t keep up with all of them.
So here we are a few days late.
This photograph is one of the few in my fast food project where I left the food in its original container. Normally everything comes out of the packaging and onto a black background, but this one deserved an exception. The deep purple tray, the neat arrangement, and the bright colors of the salmon, tuna, shrimp, avocado, and pickled ginger are all part of what catches your eye in the grocery store.
To me, this is fast food in a different form. It is freshly prepared, packaged, refrigerated, and ready to grab on your way home for lunch or dinner. No drive through required.
Not all that long ago, finding sushi usually meant visiting a Japanese restaurant or a specialty market. Today it has become a common sight in grocery stores, where fresh rolls are made throughout the day and sold alongside sandwiches, salads, and other grab and go meals.
There is a lot more food to tempt you on my website, along with my other photography projects, my Motion page, and my blog, which is updated almost daily. Visit https://www.secondfocus.com
Meet Roxanne: When World Tapas Day Became Topless Day
Yesterday was World Tapas Day.
I was looking forward to photographing Roxanne with a table full of Spanish tapas. At least that was the plan.
Unfortunately, as anyone who spends much time working with AI knows, prompts occasionally get interpreted a little differently than intended.
Apparently Roxanne thought I had asked for topless instead of tapas.
By the time she arrived at the studio, the misunderstanding had become fairly obvious.
I explained that World Topless Day isn’t until August, but by then everyone agreed there wasn’t much point in changing anything.
Besides, it fit my Pornochic photography a lot better than a plate of olives and Manchego cheese.
The tapas can wait for another day.
In the meantime, I’d like you to meet Roxanne. She is one of Emily’s ever growing circle of AI friends and muses, and I suspect you’ll be seeing quite a bit more of her in the months ahead.
As always, you’ll find more photography, my blog, and my growing Motion page at https://www.secondfocus.com
A Kodachrome Moment with Tonisha Mills
One of the things I enjoy most about collecting photographs is finding original pieces that represent a particular moment in the history of photography. This Kodachrome transparency of model Tonisha Mills is one of those photographs.
Unlike many vintage photographs that circulate today as digital scans or magazine reproductions, this is the original 35mm color transparency. It still carries its Kodak processing marks along with the handwritten filing numbers that were added when it became part of a photographer’s or studio’s working archive.
Tonisha Mills was one of the best known models to appear in men’s magazines during the 1990s, a period when this style of photography was changing. As magazines became more competitive, photographers gradually moved beyond the traditional pin up style that had dominated earlier decades.
That’s what first caught my attention about this slide.
When I first looked at it, I immediately thought about where it fit in that progression. By the 1990s, photographs revealing what lay between a model’s legs were becoming increasingly common, but they were still usually presented with some restraint. Looking back now, this transparency represents an interesting point in the evolution of men’s magazine photography before completely explicit images became commonplace.
The Kodachrome film adds another layer of interest. By the time this photograph was made, digital photography was beginning to appear on the horizon, but professional photographers were still relying heavily on color transparencies for publication and reproduction. Looking at this original slide on a light table is much the same experience the photographer, editor, or magazine art director would have had when deciding whether it was the image they wanted.
That connection to the photographic process is one of the reasons I enjoy collecting original transparencies. They are more than just pictures. They are the original photographs that passed through the hands of the people who created and published them.
If you enjoy discovering unusual pieces of photographic history, take a look through my From My Collections gallery. While you’re there, you’ll also find my editorial, aviation, food, fashion, and fine art photography, my growing Motionpage, and regularly updated Blog. Everything is available at https://www.secondfocus.com
The Photograph That Forgot Its Name
I bought this 35mm color slide simply because it interested me.
It came mounted in an ordinary cardboard slide carrier with absolutely no identifying information. There is no photographer’s name, no date, no studio stamp, no model identification, and not even a handwritten note to suggest where it came from.
What remains is the photograph itself.
The image shows an unidentified blonde model seated on what appears to be a Louis XV-style stool in a carefully lit studio. The hairstyle, lighting, and the fact that it is a color transparency all suggest it was probably photographed sometime during the 1950s or early 1960s, although without any documentation that can only be an educated guess.
One of the things that attracted me is that it represents a period when glamour photography was changing. Earlier artistic nudes were often presented in black and white, while color transparency film was becoming practical enough for professional photographers and serious amateurs willing to invest in it. Every exposure had to count. There was no instant review, no deleting mistakes, and no Photoshop waiting at the end of the process.
We’ll probably never know whether this was made by a commercial glamour photographer, a camera club member, or simply someone who enjoyed creating carefully crafted studio photographs.
Photography has produced millions, perhaps even billions, of images over the years, but surprisingly few remain connected to the people who created them. Slides become separated from their boxes, handwritten notes disappear, studios close, and estates are dispersed. Eventually an image survives while everything that once explained it is gone.
This transparency is one of those survivors.
If you enjoy discovering unusual pieces of photographic history, take a look through my From My Collections gallery. While you’re there, you’ll also find my editorial, aviation, food, fashion, and fine art photography, my growing Motion page, and regularly updated Blog. Everything is available at https://www.secondfocus.com
National Big Boy Day | The Restaurant Mascot That Became an American Icon
Today is National Big Boy Day.
Long before fast food chains covered every freeway exit, Bob’s Big Boy helped define what the American family restaurant could be. When Bob Wian introduced the original double-decker Big Boy hamburger in Glendale, California, in 1937, it became one of the first signature burgers that people would travel specifically to eat. The combination of car culture, diners, drive-ins, and roadside architecture made Big Boy an icon of postwar America.
The smiling Big Boy statue carrying his oversized hamburger became just as recognizable as the restaurant itself. Today, original fiberglass statues have become highly sought-after collectibles, with surviving examples often selling for thousands of dollars. They represent much more than a restaurant chain. They remind people of family dinners, road trips, classic cars, and an era when the neighborhood diner was often the center of the community.
I photographed this statue in the window of an antique store in Julian, California. Between the reflections in the glass and the familiar smile, it seemed to capture exactly what nostalgia looks like. Sometimes an old restaurant mascot can tell a bigger story than the meal it was created to advertise.
There is much more to see on my website, including my food photography, aviation, editorial work, new Motion page, and my regularly updated blog. Visit SecondFocus.com
National Cupcake Lovers Day and Six Birthday Cupcakes
Today has been National Cupcake Lovers Day.
Notice it isn’t National Cupcake Day. It is National Cupcake Lovers Day, making it just as much about the people who enjoy cupcakes as the cupcakes themselves.
For this one, I made a slight departure from my usual Food From Bag To Background approach.
Instead of removing the cupcakes from their packaging, I photographed them exactly as they came from the grocery store in their clear plastic container. Sometimes the packaging is part of the story.
The cupcake has been around for more than 200 years. Early recipes appeared in American cookbooks in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and by the mid-19th century the name “cupcake” had become common. Some historians believe the name came from cakes baked in individual cups, while others point to recipes that measured ingredients by the cup rather than by weight.
These Birthday Cupcakes caught my attention because of their bright blue and white frosting and colorful sprinkles. I thought they would photograph really nicely.
To see more of my completed food photographs, along with my aviation, fitness, fashion, and other photography projects, please visit my website at https://www.secondfocus.com. Thanks!
National Roast Beef Day and Arby’s Original Idea
Today has been National Roast Beef Day.
I picked Arby’s for this one because my primary food project has focused on fast food.
Arby’s is somewhat unique in the fast-food world because the chain was built around the roast beef sandwich. While many major fast-food chains became known for hamburgers, fried chicken, tacos, or pizza, Arby’s made thinly sliced roast beef its signature item.
The chain was founded in 1964 by brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel. At the time, most fast-food restaurants were competing in the hamburger business. The Raffel brothers decided to go in a different direction and built their restaurant around roast beef sandwiches instead.
For this photograph, I used two Arby’s Half Pound Roast Beef sandwiches. The reason there are two is simple. Arby’s was offering a buy one, get one free promotion for National Roast Beef Day.
Working on my fast food project has also made me pay attention to fast-food apps and promotions. Many chains offer discounts tied to food holidays and loyalty programs. If you use them regularly, the savings can be significant.
These two sandwiches were removed from their wrappers and photographed against a black background for my Food From Bag To Background series.
To see more of my completed food photographs along with my other photography projects, please visit my website at https://www.secondfocus.com. Thanks!
National Margherita Pizza Day
Today has been National Margherita Pizza Day.
It has not quite worked out the way I thought it might.
For starters, I discovered that Margherita Pizza does not come with tequila. Wrong kind of Margarita. That was disappointing.
Then, as I walked away to do something else, I heard someone ask, “Is it okay to eat?”
I said yes, but I need enough left to photograph.
Apparently I should have been more specific.
Margherita pizza is one of the simplest and most recognizable pizza styles. It is traditionally made with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil. According to the popular story, it was created in Naples, Italy, in 1889 and named after Queen Margherita of Savoy. The red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil were said to represent the colors of the Italian flag.
In this case, the pizza survived long enough for me to get a photograph, although just barely.
To see my completed food photographs, along with my aviation, fitness, fashion, and other photography projects, please visit my website at https://www.secondfocus.com. Thanks!
National Egg Roll Day
Today is National Egg Roll Day.
Most people order an egg roll or two as a side item.
For this photograph, I ordered eighteen.
At that point, the egg rolls stop being a side dish and become the entire meal. Several were cut open to reveal the filling while the rest were stacked into a pile and covered with sweet and sour sauce, hot mustard, and chili sauce.
The modern American egg roll is actually a Chinese-American creation rather than a traditional Chinese food. While its exact origins are debated, the thick, bubbly wrapper and hearty filling helped make egg rolls a familiar part of takeout menus across the United States.
The egg rolls came from Panda Express, which opened its first restaurant in Glendale, California, in 1983 and has grown into the largest American-Chinese restaurant chain in the United States.
There is a lot more food to tempt you on my website along with my other photography projects, my new Motion page, and be sure to check out my blog. There is even more there and it is updated almost daily. Visit SecondFocus.com Thanks!
Julie Strain as Marilyn Monroe
One of the latest additions to my From My Collections (Cultural & Erotic) gallery is a pair of trading cards from the 1999 Julie Strain’s Marilyn 2000 series.
I picked them up a few months ago, but they found their way back to the front of my mind after all the Marilyn Monroe activity here in Palm Springs surrounding what would have been her 100th birthday.
Between the exhibits, celebrations, and the world-record gathering of people dressed as Marilyn that I photographed downtown, Marilyn seemed to be everywhere.
Produced by Comic Images in 1999, the series featured Julie Strain portraying Marilyn Monroe in photographs by Benjamin Hoffman.
If you were around glamour photography, magazines, or collectible cards during the 1990s, chances are you knew who Julie Strain was. A Penthouse Pet of the Year, actress, and model, she became one of the most recognizable glamour figures of the decade and appeared in everything from magazines and calendars to comic-book related projects and trading card sets like this one.
The card shown here is number 70 from the set.
The front contains a cropped version of the image along with the card number and caption. Turn it over and the entire photograph appears on the reverse along with the photographer credit, copyright information, and publisher details.
Trading cards are usually associated with sports, movies, television shows, or comic books. By the late 1990s, however, publishers were producing collectible card sets devoted to everything from fantasy art to glamour photography. Apparently someone decided Marilyn Monroe belonged in that world as well.
You’ll find both this card and card #20 from the Julie Strain’s Marilyn 2000 series, along with other photographs, slides, postcards, magazines, and collectible artifacts, here in From My Collections (Cultural & Erotic)
National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day: Krispy Kreme Raspberry Filled
Today is National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day
The entire reason for today’s holiday is the filling, yet a jelly-filled doughnut looks pretty much like a lot of other doughnuts until somebody tears it open.
So I did.
For this photograph, I chose Krispy Kreme Glazed Raspberry Filled doughnuts. While Krispy Kreme is best known for its Original Glazed doughnut, the Raspberry Filled version combines Krispy Kreme’s glazed doughnut with one of the most traditional doughnut fillings.
Krispy Kreme was founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1937 and built its reputation on fresh glazed doughnuts. Today, nearly ninety years later, it remains one of the most recognizable doughnut brands in America.
National Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day follows closely behind National Doughnut Day and celebrates a style of doughnut that appears in many forms around the world. Germany has the Berliner, Poland has the pączki, Italy has the bomboloni, and in the United States we simply call them jelly-filled doughnuts.
There is a lot more food to tempt you on my website along with my other photography projects, my new Motion page, and be sure to check out my blog. There is even more there and it is updated almost daily. https://www.secondfocus.com
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
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
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