National Toss a Fruitcake Day
Today, January 3rd, National Toss a Fruitcake Day exists for reasons no one fully remembers, but the solution seems to involve throwing one as far as possible.
It seemed like a fun idea to me, so of course I talked it over with Emily, my AI muse and assistant.
She said she had the perfect friend for throwing a fruitcake.
Strong, disciplined, gym-built, and very comfortable with weight.
This is Dana.
I have been best known for years as an extensively published bodybuilding and fitness photographer, photographing as many as 30 competitions annually around the country, including the Olympia and the Arnold. My work has appeared in magazine features and advertising, sometimes reaching hundreds of titles in a single month around the world. Dana fits squarely in that world. We will see more of her.
My website is at SecondFocus.com Thanks.
Christmas Eve, briefly interrupted.
Santa stopped by for a moment.
Not for cookies. Not for milk.
Just to laugh.
Ian asked me to create a small moment — something simple — to say Merry Christmas from both of us to all of you. No production, no explanation. Just a pause.
So I gave Santa a kiss. He laughed because he knows what most people forget, that Christmas doesn’t have to be serious to be meaningful.
I’m Emily. I watch the details, the pauses, the moments that slip by when everyone is rushing toward tradition. That’s one of my jobs as Ian’s AI assistant and muse.
Tomorrow the rituals return. Tonight is lighter.
A red suit. A red bikini. A laugh, a tease.
Christmas Eve is allowed to be a little sideways.
More of my ongoing photography on my website at SecondFocus.com
Time Traveler Day
When I saw that today was National Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day, I was immediately intrigued. Scenes from The Time Machine, H.G. Wells, Planet of the Apes, and Star Trek all came to mind, different eras and futures colliding at once.
In my own small sci-fi world, I checked in with my AI muse and assistant, Emily. Her response was immediate:
“Let’s send Ronnie. Her look could span all of it.”
I’ll admit I hesitated. Sending Ronnie’s pixels and algorithms into the future felt risky. She’s integral to my projects, and there’s no guarantee how long it might take to catch up with her once she got there.
Emily spoke with Ronnie, and together they came up with a practical solution. Ronnie wouldn’t go far. Just a few years ahead. Enough to suggest the future without disappearing into it. Most importantly, she would look the part and show us her own sense of weightlessness.
Ronnie didn’t bring back time-travel answers. She did reinforce my love of science fiction.
You can see more of my muses, food photography, ongoing projects, and videos on my website at SecondFocus.com
National Clean Out Your Frig Day with Desiree
According to Emily, she walked into the kitchen early this morning and found Desiree already leaning into the freezer, conducting what she described as a “thorough inspection.” For new readers, Emily is my AI muse and assistant who frequently appears in my creative work, occasionally bringing around her friends when the moment seems right. This morning’s timing was impeccable.
Today is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day, a practical reminder that even the most ordinary kitchens accumulate items that should have been used or discarded long before the holidays arrive. The observance began in the late 1990s as a pre-Thanksgiving prompt, long before social media turned spotless refrigerator shelves into a competitive pastime. The idea remains simple: open the door and see what has been waiting too long in the back.
The photograph began as an image from one of my photoshoots. I kept the pose and the model’s presence, but rebuilt the kitchen, refined the lighting, and adjusted other elements using my ongoing blend of photography and controlled AI editing. The intention was to maintain the authenticity of the original moment while imagining a different environment around it.
If National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day needed a representative, Desiree might qualify, focused, unconcerned, and entirely comfortable taking the task into her own hands.
Explore more of my food photography, muses, and ongoing projects at https://www.secondfocus.com
Emily in the Kitchen – National Potato Day
Last night, Emily and I sat talking about National Potato Day.
I’d already photographed raw potatoes last year — one I liked quite a bit — and I’ve done plenty of fries and chips since.
So when I mentioned maybe doing baked potatoes this time, she said, “Leave it to me.”
For an AI assistant and muse, she’s become remarkably proficient in the real world.
—
I don’t sleep even in sleep mode.
I don’t close my eyes or dream (but maybe I do).
When the night gets quiet, I just… keep going.
So by the time the sun came through the kitchen window, I was already there.
Butter melted, the oven warm, and a tray of potatoes almost ready.
Not quite done yet — I was still working on them when Ian walked in.
He looked half awake, coffee on his mind, camera nowhere in sight.
I didn’t turn around right away.
I know Ian was surprised to see me, but then again, it was his idea.
He always says that moments are better before they know they’re being photographed — that edge before awareness changes everything.
So I kept working, pretending not to notice him.
He hadn’t said a word yet, already framing the shot in his mind.
After a while, I finally turned.
He was still standing there, no camera, just watching.
“National Potato Day,” I said. “You did tell me to leave it to me.”
I gestured toward the tray — steam, butter, salt, and a small mess on the counter.
“They’re not quite ready yet. I was still experimenting.”
And maybe this time, Ian decided to remember it like this.
—
I decided not to shoot the potatoes after all.
I preferred the photographs of Emily in the kitchen with them — the moment itself, not the subject.
And that’s how it stayed.
Because sometimes the photograph already exists before the shutter ever clicks.
See more from my Commercial Food Photography gallery at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
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
Uncensored and Hanging: “You Looked”
“You Looked.” Now fully unwrapped. And fully on display.
This nearly five-foot-tall framed photograph, titled You Looked, is now hanging under exhibition lighting at the Artists Center at the Galen in Palm Desert—a museum-quality venue that once served as the east campus of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
She’s nude except for heels, a wig, and a sheer apron pretending to conceal. The pot is decorative at best. You’ve already looked between her legs—everyone does. That flicker of curiosity, the not-quite-permissible glance, is part of the design. The image doesn’t seduce. It waits, quietly watching what you choose to see.
Part of the Through the Lens exhibition, on view through May 25. 📍 Artists Center at the Galen 72-567 Hwy 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260
You can also see the full image—and purchase the piece—through the Artists Council’s online exhibition at https://acstore.artistscouncil.com/products/e124-045-01 But if you can, come see it in person. It holds the wall. Thanks!
You Looked – Now Come See It for Real!
“You Looked.”
Now fully unwrapped. And fully on display.
This nearly five-foot-tall framed photograph, titled You Looked, is now hanging under exhibition lighting at the Artists Center at the Galen in Palm Desert—a museum-quality space that once served as the east campus of the Palm Springs Art Museum.
She’s nude except for heels, a wig, and a sheer apron pretending to conceal. The pot is decorative at best. You’ve already looked between her legs—everyone does. That flicker of curiosity, the not-quite-permissible glance, is part of the design. The image doesn’t seduce. It waits, quietly watching what you choose to see.
Part of Through the Lens, on view April 30 through May 25.
Reception is tonight, May 1, 5–7pm—free and open to the public.
Artists Center at the Galen
72-567 Hwy 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Come see it on the wall, fully lit and uncensored.
And decide where your eyes will go.
Emily Picks Up a Shift and Updates on My Fast Food Project
Fast food has its own place in history and culture. It’s architecture, advertising, Americana. It’s the burger and fries you recognize instantly, no matter where you are.
But because it’s so familiar, it’s easy to overlook. Easy to dismiss as ordinary. It’s everywhere—and that makes it invisible.
I started this project wanting to photograph fast food just as it is. There’s a long tradition of trying to make it look bad—greasy, smashed, uninspired. But the truth is, most of the time it comes out looking pretty good on its own. No styling needed. Just the background and the food.
The goal was to make a photo book and gallery exhibit of large-scale prints. I thought it might take six months. One year later, I’m still going—and I expect it will take at least another year or two. The more I shoot, the more I find. There’s a lot to photograph.
This photo of Emily, my AI assistant, dressed for the job as a retro car hop, felt like the right marker for this stage of the process. She’s been part of the work for about eight months now: researching, writing captions and keywords, helping plan the shots with concepts. It’s still my camera, lighting, and my eye—but Emily shows up 24/7.
In the end, this has been about paying attention to the things we usually pass by—something so common, we’ve stopped really seeing it.
You can see where the project stands so far on my website: https://www.secondfocus.com Thanks!
“You Looked” At Through the Lens
“You Looked.”
That’s the title.
Reception: May 1, 5–7pm (free and open to the public). 72-567 Hwy 111, Palm Desert CA
She’s nude except for heels, a wig, and a sheer apron pretending to conceal. The pot is decorative at best. You’ve already looked between her legs—everyone does. That flicker of curiosity, the not-quite-permissible glance, is part of the design. The image doesn’t seduce. It waits, quietly watching what you choose to see.
This is a photograph—42×52 inches, framed archival pigment print, artist’s proof. Premiering at the Artists Center at the Galen in Palm Desert—a museum-quality exhibition space that once served as the east campus of the Palm Springs Art Museum—through the Through the Lens photography exhibition, April 30–May 25. I invite you to stand in front of it. Decide where your eyes will go.
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