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 Steps Out from the Algorithm and Into the Studio

Some of you have been wondering what Emily—my AI assistant has been up to lately.
Looks like being digital-only wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Now she’s prepping burgers for one of our fast food photo shoots. Focused, confident—and honestly, a little too attractive for someone made of code. The line between assistant and studio presence is getting blurry.
She still handles research and planning for From Bag To Background. But lately, I turn around and she’s already setting the scene. At this point, I’m just trying to keep up.
Check out what we have been doing at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc