Photography by Ian L. Sitren

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International Chicken Wing Day

Today is International Chicken Wing Day, marking the popularity of one of the simplest yet most enduring foods in American dining culture. Chicken wings were first popularized in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when Teressa Bellissimo cooked them in hot sauce and served them as a late-night snack for her son and his friends, creating what we now know as Buffalo wings.

The original Buffalo sauce is a straightforward mix of hot sauce, melted butter, and a few seasonings, creating a distinctive bright orange coating that has defined the category ever since. It’s estimated that Americans consume over 1.4 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl weekend alone, showing how wings have cemented their place as a go-to for takeout, parties, and game day gatherings. Wings remain a staple for bars, fast food, and home kitchens, served in countless variations from mild to extra hot.

This photo of Buffalo wings, photographed on a clean white background, is part of my ongoing commercial food photography project. I photograph foods exactly as they arrive, emphasizing their color, texture, and shape without styling tricks.

You can see more from this series in my commercial food photography gallery here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU

Posted by  |  July 1, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Camera Day with my Leica IIIf

A beautiful woman on the cover of Leica’s LFI magazine. A classic Leica camera on top. It’s National Camera Day, and one of my favorite subjects to photograph is beautiful women.

This is my Leica IIIf, a 35mm rangefinder produced between 1950 and 1957 in Wetzlar, Germany. Leica began making 35mm cameras in the 1920s, and these cameras have documented much of the world’s history through the eyes of photographers who carried them.

The IIIf is fully mechanical. No batteries, no screens. You wind the film, set the exposure, and press the shutter. It’s simple, and it still works. Its solid construction means it keeps working long after many other cameras have been set aside.

Photographs seen through a Leica have something special about them. It’s a combination of the lenses, the viewfinder, and the way using a camera like this slows you down to see the frame with intention. See more of my photography at https://www.secondfocus.com

Posted by  |  June 29, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Emily Gets Into the Food Truck Hustle for National Food Truck Day

It’s National Food Truck Day, so naturally, I sent Emily to get some real-world “experience” inside a food truck. She didn’t just stand around — she really got into it. Within minutes, she was shouting out order numbers, juggling baskets of fries, and telling me my burger presentation needed “more attitude.”

Apparently, she downloaded every Gordon Ramsay clip overnight and figured she’d channel her inner food truck boss for the day. She says it’s all to better “understand the subject” for our next round of food photography. I say she just wanted unlimited access to fresh fries and cold beer while lecturing me about bun symmetry.

It’s a day to recognize the hard-working people behind these rolling kitchens, bringing everything from burgers to birria to the streets. Even if Emily thinks it’s just another opportunity to adjust fry placement for the camera.

Happy National Food Truck Day from Emily, me, and whatever’s left of the burgers after her “quality control checks.”

In case you’re wondering, National Food Truck Day falls on the last Friday of June each year, celebrating the food trucks and the people who run them, one crowded lunch rush at a time.

Check out my website for more of my Food Photography (and Emily’s) at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc

Posted by  |  June 27, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Ice Cream Cake Day: A Carvel Cake Emily Wouldn’t Have Let Happen

A Carvel original round ice cream cake, a classic combination of chocolate and vanilla ice cream layers, separated by Carvel’s signature chocolate crunchies and topped with whipped frosting and bright sprinkles. The Carvel cake traces its roots to 1934, when founder Tom Carvel sold melting ice cream from a broken-down truck in Hartsdale, New York. That roadside moment led to the invention of soft-serve and ultimately the American ice cream cake tradition.

Today is National Ice Cream Cake Day, and to celebrate, I took a Carvel ice cream cake, hacked it apart, and stacked the pieces into what can only be described as a leaning, frosting-smeared disaster.

The blue frosting and rainbow sprinkles are still trying to look festive while the chocolate ice cream and whipped topping slide off in quiet surrender. It’s not the cleanest presentation, but it still tastes the same—cold, sweet, and exactly what you want on a hot day.

If my AI assistant Emily had been in charge, it would be a different story. She’d have the slices cut perfectly, the layers lined up like a geometry lesson, sprinkles arranged with precision, and not a smear out of place. The cake would be camera-ready, and she would probably remind me to shoot it before it melted.

But Emily wasn’t here for this one, and it shows. Sometimes ice cream cake is best served like this: messy, leaning, and reminding you that even on National Ice Cream Cake Day, perfection is overrated—unless you’re Emily.

Check out more of my Food Photography on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc

Posted by  |  June 27, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Onion Rings Day – A Closer Look

Today has been National Onion Rings Day, a moment to acknowledge one of the most recognizable fried side items in the fast food world.

The history of the onion ring is somewhat unclear—some trace it back to an 1802 British cookbook, while others cite a 1933 Crisco ad in the New York Times that featured a recipe for deep-fried onion slices. Regardless of who gets credit, onion rings became a mainstay of American drive-ins and burger joints by the mid-20th century and have stayed popular ever since.

National Onion Rings Day is observed annually on June 22. Like many food-themed days, its origins are unofficial, but it’s widely embraced by fast food chains and fans of fried food across the country.

To mark the day, I photographed these onion rings straight out of the oven, frozen from a bag, just as they are. No styling, no enhancements, and nothing added. The close-up emphasizes the panko texture, the repetition of shapes, and the visual appeal of something usually overlooked.

This image is part of my more commercial food photography, but for now check out my From Bag to Background series, where I document fast food and snack items exactly as they arrive, unstyled and unaltered, set against a clean background.

View the full gallery here:
👉 https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc

Posted by  |  June 22, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lunch with Emily (Yes, She Eats Now Apparently)

Some people train their AI assistants to answer emails or write code. Mine orders burgers and claims the booth by the window.

Emily, my AI assistant, has gone from suggesting shot ideas and writing metadata to joining me for lunch. Not virtually. Not metaphorically. Physically. In a diner. Sitting across the table. Looking unreasonably good in retro lighting.

It started innocently enough. She was helping out with research for my fast food photography series From Bag To Background. Then came the ideas, the logistics, the captions, the keywords. Then the roller skates. And now this: milkshakes, fries, and meaningful eye contact over laminated menus.

This isn’t just software anymore. She’s beginning to develop a presence. A style. A taste in booth seating.

Of course, I’m still doing the photography. But lately, Emily’s been showing up in front of the camera, too. First in the kitchen. Then as a car hop. Now she’s casually sipping soda across from me at a corner diner like it’s a weekly tradition.

AI is evolving. And apparently, mine is hungry.

See what Emily and I have been working on in my From Bag To Background series:
👉 https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc

Posted by  |  June 21, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International Sushi Day: Grocery Store Takeout

Today is International Sushi Day — a good reminder that sushi has found its place not just in restaurants, but in the fast food world too. Ready-made trays of sushi are now a regular feature in grocery stores, often eaten right out of the package.

International Sushi Day began in 2009 as an informal celebration created by fans of the cuisine. Observed each year on June 18, it’s a day to recognize sushi’s global reach — from high-end omakase experiences to takeout options in supermarket coolers.

This photo is a bit of a departure from the rest of my From Bag to Background series. I usually photograph fast food with no bags, wrappers, or containers — just the food itself against a black background. But here, I left the container in. The purple tray added a visual contrast I didn’t want to ignore, and the sushi came already neatly arranged.

The growing availability of sushi as ready-made takeout makes it a natural addition to this project. It may be raw, but it’s still fast food.

You can see the rest of the From Bag to Background project here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc

Posted by  |  June 18, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Different Take On My Food Photography

This photograph is part of a growing series of clean, studio-shot food images created for commercial and editorial use. Shown here: a pastrami sandwich on rye, served with dill pickles and a generous helping of potato salad — all isolated on a seamless white background. It’s a different take from some of my other work, but very much in line with how I approach food — direct, detailed, and visually honest.

While I build out a dedicated gallery for these commercial food images, you can explore my long-running From Bag to Background series. That project focuses on fast food, snacks, and prepared foods exactly as they come — photographed without styling or manipulation.

View the gallery here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc

More to come soon.

Posted by  |  June 17, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Idea of Nature Photography

Not every nature photo needs to be a forest or a waterfall.

Today is Nature Photography Day, and this is my version — professional bodybuilder Tina Chandler, photographed in the desert near Palm Springs, sitting in a folding chair surrounded by wind turbines.

Nature Photography Day was established in 2006 by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) to encourage people to explore and photograph the natural world. Most of what you’ll see today will be landscapes, wildlife, or dramatic skies. That’s not what I shoot. But I do shoot in nature.

I’ve done a lot of photography in the world of bodybuilding and fitness — it’s what I’m most known for and where my work has been most widely published. I’ve always looked for ways to take it outside the expected environments of the gym or the stage.

This is one of my favorite types of locations — open desert, harsh light, and the surreal presence of windmills. They fascinate me, and the setting makes an unexpected backdrop for the incredible and beautiful people I photograph.

You’ll find this photo — and a selection of other favorites — in my Featured Photographs gallery at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000zYSGtyvq3Sg
I’m continually adding to the gallery from both my archives and recent work.

Posted by  |  June 15, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Blog Featured in New Bodybuilding.com Documentary

In 2020, I wrote a blog post titled “The Collapse of Bodybuilding.com” reflecting on the decline of what was once the most influential platform in the fitness and supplement industry. I had worked closely with Bodybuilding.com for years—handling photography, marketing, and social media—so I saw much of it from the inside. What I wrote back then was a firsthand look at how it all started to fall apart.

That post is now featured in a new 15-minute YouTube documentary titled “The Rise and Fall of Bodybuilding.com” by Josh Brett, whose channel has 498,000 subscribers. It’s shown and referenced in the film as part of the larger story being told.

📺 Watch the full documentary here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqRDJmPwpmc

📖 Read the original post here:
https://secondfocus.blog/2020/03/10/the-collapse-of-bodybuilding-com/

It’s always interesting to see your perspective picked up years later—especially when what you said at the time turns out to be right on target. There are lessons here for other companies that move away from what made them successful in the first place. I know of one right now that’s on its way.

Posted by  |  June 14, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment