National Hoagie Day was yesterday
Which is about right. These things never seem to line up with when you actually have the food in front of you. They pass, mostly unnoticed, and then a day later you’re standing there with two Firehouse Subs and a camera thinking… now it’s relevant.
Firehouse started in Jacksonville, built by two former firefighters who turned the concept into something very specific. Steamed meats, soft rolls, a heavier sandwich that doesn’t try to hide what it is. It’s direct, a little excessive, and that’s the point.
So instead of chasing the calendar, I went after the structure.
Cut into sections, stacked, compressed, pushed together until it stops reading as a single sandwich and starts becoming something else. Bread, meat, cheese, all exposed at once. No clean halves, no careful spacing. Just density, texture, and everything competing for attention.
That’s where my photography tends to land. Not documenting the sandwich, but pulling it apart visually and rebuilding it into something more deliberate. Something you look at, not just something you eat.
And in that form, it becomes less about lunch and more about the way it holds the frame. Something to study for a moment.
More of my food photography and much more on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com
National Reuben Sandwich Day
Every year on March 14th, National Reuben Sandwich Day gives the classic deli sandwich its moment.
While the sandwich has long been associated with New York delicatessens, the origin story most widely accepted today points west. In the 1920s, a grocer named Reuben Kulakofsky is said to have requested the sandwich during a poker game at The Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. The hotel’s chef prepared it, and the sandwich quickly became a house specialty. In 2013 the city of Omaha formally declared March 14th as National Reuben Sandwich Day in recognition of that story.
For my From Bag to Background food photography project, the approach is simple. The food is photographed as it arrives, without stylists or staging, isolated against a black background. The sandwich cut in half reveals exactly what makes a Reuben a Reuben: stacked corned beef, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and the dressing running through the layers.
There is also the well-known cousin to the Reuben, the Rachel, which swaps the corned beef for pastrami or turkey and replaces the sauerkraut with coleslaw. A different personality, but the same idea.
If you enjoy seeing familiar foods presented this way, you can explore more of the From Bag to Background series and other food photography on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com
National Panini Day — Grocery Store Counter Style
Finding a panini in the world of fast food is a bit like spotting a vintage sports car in a grocery store parking lot — rare, but worth the stop. My hunt ended here in Palm Springs, not at a café or chain, but at the counter of Jensen’s Foods. Freshly made when ordered for takeout. Not fast food fast, but quick enough.
This is their Arrivederci Panini: peppercorn turkey, white cheddar, Genoa salami, onion, pepperoncini, and basil on focaccia bread, finished with Italian vinaigrette. Pressed to order, sliced, and packed to go — it’s proof that “fast” can still be fresh.
The panini — an Italian term for a small bread roll or sandwich — became popular in Italy in the mid-20th century and found its way into American cafés in the 1980s and 1990s, often prepared on a ridged grill to create its signature pressed texture and golden stripes. Once considered an upscale alternative to the standard sandwich, today the panini is a staple in cafés and delis around the world.
Photographed here against my signature black background, the stacked halves show off the grilled bread, melted cheese, and layers of savory filling. A fitting way to mark the day — and maybe an excuse to pick up lunch.
Hungry? More of my Commercial Food Photography on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
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.
SecondFocus Blog 