First established in 1938 by The Salvation Army to honor the “Donut Lassies” who served donuts to soldiers during World War I, National Donut Day has grown into a celebration of a uniquely American indulgence.
For the occasion, I photographed an assortment of Krispy Kreme donuts—stacked and unstyled, just as they came out of the box. Glazed, chocolate frosted, pink with rainbow sprinkles, maple, cinnamon sugar, and a few others. No tricks or props, just donuts on a black background.
It’s part of my ongoing “From Bag to Background” project—photographing fast food exactly as it is, isolating it from branding and context, letting it stand on its own.
Krispy Kreme began in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when Vernon Rudolph bought a yeast-raised donut recipe from a New Orleans chef and began selling hot glazed donuts through a hole cut in his bakery wall. The brand became known for its light, airy donuts and the signature “Hot Now” neon sign that still draws crowds.
Tomorrow is National Egg Day, and I’ve been photographing six white raw eggs—whole, cracked, and smashed—on my black background. This short video captures part of the shoot: eggs breaking, yolks spilling, and everything landing just where gravity intended.
The final photograph goes live tomorrow. For now, here’s some egg chaos to get things rolling.
This isn’t melted cheese for nostalgia’s sake. It’s ten Sonic grilled cheese sandwiches—photographed exactly as they came, stacked into a slightly chaotic, slightly perfect wall of toast and cheese. A quiet cult favorite on the Sonic menu for decades. Cheap. Unchanged. And still here.
A slow build of melted cheese and toasted Texas toast.
Ten Sonic grilled cheese sandwiches, stacked one at a time—no styling, no props, just what comes in the bag. This stop-motion video is a teaser for tomorrow’s full photo drop for “National Grilled Cheese Day” (April 12).
Fast food. Black background. Nothing extra.
📸 Watch the stack come together— 🧀 Come back tomorrow for the final shot. 🔗 http://SecondFocus.com
Twinkies, twenty of them for National Twinkie Day today!
April 6, 1930 — James Dewar invents the Twinkie in River Forest, Illinois. He names it after a roadside ad that read: “Twinkle Toe Shoes — the kids’ favorite”. Banana filling at first. Vanilla took over during WWII, and never left.
Since then, they’ve been everywhere: bunkers, lunchboxes, courtrooms, campaign speeches, urban legends. They were discontinued in 2012, mourned like pop stars, then brought back in 2013. This is nostalgia. And a little bit of history.
A true deli icon. My photograph of a Reuben sandwich—layered with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing on crispy grilled rye. A sandwich with history, tracing its roots to early 20th-century America. Some say it was created in Omaha during a late-night poker game in the 1920s, while others credit Reuben’s Delicatessen in New York City. Either way, it’s been a staple for over a century.
And with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, this is my way to enjoy corned beef, instead of corned beef and cabbage, which I don’t like a lot!
See more of my food photography and other intriguing photo projects at http://SecondFocus.com Thanks!
Some things are so familiar that we rarely stop to look at them differently. In my latest video, M&M’s take center stage—not as a snack, but as a mesmerizing display of motion and texture. Shot in close-up, the candy-coated chocolates rotate, filling the frame with an endless blur of color. With no background or outside context, the viewer is fully immersed in their movement.
The History Behind M&M’s
M&M’s were first introduced in 1941, designed specifically for U.S. soldiers in WWII who needed a chocolate treat that wouldn’t melt in their hands. The sugar shell coating solved that problem, making them a practical ration. In 1954, their branding became legendary with the introduction of the slogan: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”
Over the decades, M&M’s evolved. The colors have changed (tan was replaced by blue in 1995 after a public vote), and flavors expanded beyond the classic milk chocolate. Today, Mars Inc. produces over 400 million M&M’s every single day.
Exploring Motion in Food Videography
This piece is an exercise in minimalism. By removing distractions, the focus remains solely on the candy’s glossy texture, uniform shape, and movement. The rotation creates an almost hypnotic effect—what is normally a static object becomes dynamic, alive.
Food photography often emphasizes stillness, but motion transforms perception. Whether it’s steam rising, a sauce dripping, or candies rotating, movement brings a new layer of engagement to an otherwise simple subject.
For more of my striking food photography and other visual work that challenges the expected, visit SecondFocus.com.
How does movement change the way we experience everyday objects? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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