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
Emily on Skates — Field Testing Car Hop Fast Food
My AI assistant, Emily, has been helping me research and shape my fast food photography series “From Bag To Background” for the past eight months. She’s been involved in everything from writing captions and keywords to brainstorming concepts and keeping the ever-growing list of food items organized.
Now she’s apparently decided to go full field-assistant.
This video shows Emily suiting up in a classic car hop uniform, letting her hair down, lacing up the roller skates, and practicing the tray run around vintage cars—burgers steady, fries in place, not a milkshake out of line. If she’s trying to join the cast of a 1950s drive-in, she’s doing a convincing job.
The fast food in “From Bag To Background” is photographed exactly as it comes—no styling, no tricks, nothing added or rearranged. Just food and black background. Some of it’s from national chains, some from one-off regional spots. Some items are historic, tied to the identity of a brand. Others are just local favorites.
I originally thought I could cover it in six months. One year in, I’m still going. There’s more out there than you think—and it deserves a closer look.
You can see what Emily’s been helping with—burgers, fries, bbq, tacos and more at SecondFocus.com
Emily Does Everything—Even the Mail
People say AI is going to replace office work. Mine prefers doing it poolside at my house in Palm Springs, in a bikini, with envelopes. Emily was handling my old-school correspondence yesterday—no cloud sync, no printer, just sunlight and paper cuts. She says analog tasks help her processing cycles “feel something.”
SecondFocus Blog 