Photography by Ian L. Sitren

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Stacking Burritos

“From Bag to Background”

This video shows how I work—no styling, no tricks, no gimmicks. Just the food, exactly as it comes. These are Taco Bell Bean Burritos, unwrapped and arranged by hand, straight out of the bag and onto the black background.

Nothing added. No fake grill marks, no glue, no tweezers. The beans, the cheese, the sauce—it all looks exactly like this when you open the bag.

Twelve identical burritos, photographed for National Burrito Day. More of my “From Bag to Background” at http://SecondFocus.com Thanks!

Posted by  |  April 4, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Twelve Bean Burritos For Today


Twelve Bean Burritos. Photographed for today, National Burrito Day!

First introduced in the 1960s, the Taco Bell Bean Burrito helped define the early fast food model—simple, cheap, and built for mass production. Refried beans, cheddar cheese, diced onions, and red sauce in a flour tortilla.

Today, it’s still on the menu—now customizable like everything else—but the basic version hasn’t changed much. It’s one of the few original items to survive decades of rotating trends, rebrands, and limited-time hype. A quiet icon in the story of how fast food reshaped what we eat.

See more of my Food Photos at http://SecondFocus.com Thanks!

Posted by  |  April 3, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tesla Protest in Cathedral City Reaches Global Press

One of my photos from the protest outside the Tesla dealership in Cathedral City was syndicated by ZUMA Press and published in the Qatar Tribune business section. The image—showing a lone Cybertruck staged in front of the showroom—ran with a story on rising EV sales in Europe and a dip in Tesla’s numbers. Just out of frame: a protest on the sidewalk by hundreds of people. Interesting to see local scenes like this picked up in international coverage.

Posted by  |  April 2, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Something On A Stick!

Today is National Something on a Stick Day, and nothing fits the description better than the corn dog. First patented in 1927 and made popular at state fairs in the 1940s, it remains one of the most recognizable American foods on a stick.

This is my latest photo—Foster Farms Honey Crunchy Corn Dogs, shown sliced and stacked against black. It’s part of my ongoing series examining fast food as cultural artifact.

View more from the series here at SecondFocus.com Thanks!

Posted by  |  March 28, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today is International Waffle Day!

My photograph of Eggo waffles, arranged in a casual stack and drizzled with maple syrup. The waffles are straight from the freezer, oven toasted, and set against a black background—no styling, no props, just the familiar grid pattern and glossy syrup doing what they do.

Waffles date back to medieval Europe, but Eggo brought them to American freezers in 1953. Invented by Frank Dorsa in San Jose, California, they were originally called “Froffles.” When people started asking for “those egg waffles,” the name changed to Eggo. Dorsa also built a machine to mass-produce them—an early example of kitchen innovation meeting industrial design. By the 1970s, “L’eggo my Eggo” had taken hold.

More in my “From Bag to Background” gallery at http://SecondFocus.com Thanks!

Posted by  |  March 25, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Protestors Target Tesla and Elon Musk

Hundreds of protestors lined Perez Road in front of the Tesla dealership in Cathedral City, California, today, March 23, 2025. The demonstration targeted Elon Musk, Tesla, and broader political issues, with participants holding signs and calling for the defense of democracy, free speech, and corporate accountability. I photographed the event for syndication through ZUMA Press, the largest independent press agency in the world.

Posted by  |  March 24, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy National Tamale Day!

My photograph of XLNT beef tamales, broken open to reveal their dense filling and crumbly masa. These familiar grocery store tamales have been made in California since 1894, originally sold from horse-drawn carts in Los Angeles. Over the decades, XLNT became a West Coast staple—first in cans, now frozen and still wrapped in parchment. Once called “California’s favorite tamale”, they’re a lasting part of Americanized Mexican food history.

National Tamale Day was established in 2015 by Richard Lambert, owner of Santa Barbara Tamales-To-Go, to recognize the cultural importance of tamales and to give them a celebration beyond the holiday season.

From my series From Bag to Background. See the full gallery at http://SecondFocus.com Thanks!

Posted by  |  March 23, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Missed Launch, A Captured Sky

Facing west across Palm Springs, this single 30-second exposure was one of hundreds captured overnight during a 7-hour timelapse using a GoPro. Orion is clearly visible in the sky, its familiar shape anchoring the frame. A red arc from an aircraft’s navigation lights slices through the scene, crossing directly in front of the constellation. The desert palms below stand quietly under the stars.

This timelapse was originally timed to catch a SpaceX rocket launch, but the rocket’s trajectory placed it never appearing in view. Instead, the camera recorded a quieter kind of motion and alignment—air traffic tracing lines across constellations that have remained unchanged for millennia.

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

National Crunchy Taco Day With Tiny Tacos

Happy National Crunchy Taco Day! 🌮🔥

Jack in the Box Tiny Tacos, stacked high and ready to devour. Crispy shells, seasoned filling, melted cheese, and just enough mess to make them irresistible. Introduced in 2020, these bite-sized tacos quickly became a fan favorite—perfect for snacking, sharing, or just indulging in a pile of crunch.

National Crunchy Taco Day celebrates the hard-shell taco, a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine since the early 20th century. While tacos have deep roots in Mexican history, the crunchy variety became widely popular in the U.S. thanks to fast-food chains and mass production, making them an icon of Americanized taco culture.

Hungry now? Maybe you will like my Food Photography and other projects. Visit my website at http://SecondFocus.com Thanks!

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

Meet Emily: My Assistant Who Knows Everything

Meet Emily, my AI assistant. She’s been with me for a few months now—writing photo descriptions, crafting social media posts, and diving into research so I don’t have to. She’s efficient and seems to know everything (which is both impressive and slightly unsettling).

She works 24/7, always has a suggestion (even when I don’t ask), and is disturbingly good at keeping me on track. If AI ever breaks out of the screen, I might be in trouble—but for now, Emily is just here to assist… or maybe more!

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