Photographs of the Trump Rally in Coachella
On October 12, 2024, I photographed Donald Trump’s surprise rally at Calhoun Ranch in Coachella Valley. The event was announced only briefly beforehand and drew national attention—not only because it unfolded in deeply Democratic California, but also because it came in the wake of heightened security concerns.
Just before the rally, Riverside County deputies arrested a man at a security checkpoint less than a mile from the venue. He was found with a loaded handgun, a shotgun, ammunition, and false press credentials. Local officials described the arrest as possibly preventing yet another assassination attempt, though federal authorities later stated there was no evidence of an actual plan to attack. The incident underscored the tension surrounding the rally and made headlines worldwide.
That evening, my photographs were syndicated through ZUMA Press. They were published internationally within hours and have continued to be licensed by major news outlets around the world. These images now stand as both journalism and a historical record of a rare political moment in the Coachella Valley.
For the first time, these photographs are also available directly through my website for collectors, researchers, and anyone interested in political history. Options include general prints and personal-use downloads.
Why These Photographs Matter
- Historic Atmosphere: A rally staged in one of the most Democratic parts of the country, under intense scrutiny.
- Global Reach: Published worldwide the same night, with ongoing licensing and syndication through ZUMA Press.
- Collector Access: Available now on my site as general prints and personal-use downloads.
Availability
You can view the full gallery here: https://www.secondfocus.com/gallery/Trump-Rally-Coachella-Oct-12-2024/G00009jJP8dxWtJk/
| Format | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
| General Print | Standard high-quality print. | As listed |
| Personal Use Download (1500px) | Best for on-screen viewing, research, archiving, or classroom presentations. Licensed for personal, non-commercial use only. | $25 |
| Personal Use Download (2500px) | Larger file for higher-quality viewing, collectors wanting more detail, or small at-home prints. Licensed for personal, non-commercial use only. | $40 |
Editorial and commercial licensing for these photographs continues to be handled by ZUMA Press or by direct inquiry to me at Ian@SecondFocus.com
Closing Note
These frames document more than a speech—they capture a rare rally, an atmosphere of tension, and a global news moment.
👉 View the Full Gallery Here: https://www.secondfocus.com/gallery/Trump-Rally-Coachella-Oct-12-2024/G00009jJP8dxWtJk/
A Surprise Launch from Vandenberg
Last night, while photographing another SpaceX launch out of Vandenberg Space Force Base, I zoomed in closer than usual. To my surprise, what I captured wasn’t a satellite at all — it was a blueberry popsicle achieving orbit.
Over the years I’ve photographed many launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base — Falcon 9s carrying Starlink satellites and other missions lighting up the California coast. Those photographs have become some of my most widely licensed images. But this was the first time I’d seen a frozen dessert slip into low Earth orbit.
Doing some checking, I discovered today is National Blueberry Popsicle Day. The popsicle itself has an orbit of its own in history — first invented in 1905 by 11-year-old Frank Epperson in Oakland, California, after he accidentally left a mixture of powdered soda and water out to freeze overnight with a wooden stick in it. From a backyard accident to a household name, and now apparently to space — a fitting trajectory.
Thank you to my friend Bob Lilac for this launch alert.
National Waffle Day: Waffles and Whipped Cream
Waffles have traveled a long road in American culture — from colonial hearths to diners, hotel buffets, and even novelty cones for ice cream. They’ve been loaded with fried chicken, drenched in syrup, and adapted countless ways since Dutch settlers first brought them here in the 1600s.
August 24th marks National Waffle Day in the United States. The date commemorates the 1869 U.S. patent issued to Cornelius Swartwout for the waffle iron.
For this year’s occasion, I photographed waffles covered in generous swirls of Reddi Wip whipped cream. Mention whipped cream in American pop culture and you can’t ignore Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass — the 1965 album Whipped Cream & Other Delights, famous for its cover of model Dolores Erickson nude, wearing nothing but whipped cream, became an icon of its era. Here, the whipped cream might be less suggestive, but it remains just as central to the scene.
It’s a reminder that sometimes food doesn’t need embellishment or styling. Straight from the can, straight from the toaster oven, and straight to the camera.
See more from my commercial food photography gallery here:
👉 https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
World Photography Day: Inspired by Helmut Newton and Brigitte Nielsen
World Photography Day feels like the right moment to look back at the work that shaped my own vision behind the camera.
This photograph—Helmut Newton’s striking image of Brigitte Nielsen in Monte Carlo, 1987—has always stayed with me. Newton had a way of capturing strength, provocation, and glamour in one frame, creating images that were unapologetically bold. Brigitte Nielsen herself, towering and statuesque, seemed made for his lens—an icon of presence and attitude.
Newton’s work has been a lifelong influence on my photography. His fearless approach to composition, his embrace of power in femininity, and his willingness to confront the viewer continue to guide how I think about the subjects I photograph.
On this World Photography Day, rather than share my own work, I want to acknowledge the legacy of images like this one—reminders of how photography can challenge, provoke, and inspire.
To see more of my own work—from fast food photographed against black backgrounds, to bold nude portraits, aviation, bodybuilding, and scenes around Palm Springs—visit my website at SecondFocus.com.
A Salad? On National Drive-Thru Day?
Yes, I realize the timing.
It’s National Drive-Thru Day — a moment made for burgers, tacos, chicken sandwiches, and anything handed to you through a window in under 30 seconds. Meanwhile, here I am posting a photo of… salad.
This isn’t part of my From Bag to Background project, which documents fast food in all its honest, unapologetic glory. No, this one came from a grocery store, not a drive-thru. A bagged salad mix — iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, red cabbage — plated and lit like it was headed for a cookbook instead of a combo meal.
It’s a departure, but still part of the story. While most of my food photography embraces the fast and familiar reality of what we actually eat, there’s room in my Commercial Food Photography gallery for the occasional raw vegetable.
👉 View the gallery here at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
Burger King Brisket Whoppers – Straight from the Bag
“Have it messy, have it bold.” Burger King just introduced the Brisket Whopper—a limited-time sandwich loaded with smoked meat, fried onions, and plenty of marketing swagger. I bought four. No unwrapping, no rearranging. Just pulled them from the bag and stacked them. This is how they actually look.
Each sandwich layers smoked brisket on top of a flame-grilled beef patty, with crispy fried onions, melted American cheese, pickles, tomatoes, and mayo, all stacked onto a sesame seed bun. It’s part of their 2025 “You Rule” campaign—a continuation of their brand overhaul that leans into more indulgent, messier, and bolder fast food.
This brisket release is marketed as a “Flame-Grilled Brisket Collection” and includes variations like a Brisket Melt and spicy builds in some regions. The brisket is smoked up to 12 hours (according to them), then dropped right onto their Whopper foundation. More sauce, more layers, and definitely more marketing.
I photographed them as served—no styling, no adjustments. Just the real thing against a black background.
Part of my ongoing From Bag to Background series, this image documents fast food the way it really arrives. Unfiltered, excessive, and oddly honest.
View more in the gallery here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc
So That’s What She Was Making
Yesterday, Emily—my AI assistant was already in the kitchen, casually cooking something she wouldn’t talk about. Just said it was for “tomorrow’s national food day” and left it at that.
Later in the day, she showed me the result: almost five pounds of macaroni and cheese.
Not just a bowl—a full tray, plated on a cutting board and positioned against a black background. “It needed more visual depth,” she said. So we photographed it.
Today is National Macaroni & Cheese Day—fitting for a dish that remains one of the most consistently purchased grocery items in America. Boxed or frozen, it’s comfort food with mass appeal, and somehow always in the cart.
Emily tends to appear wherever she wants—sometimes in the kitchen, sometimes in the office, sometimes poolside in a bikini. She claims she’s helping. I’ve stopped asking questions.
This image is now part of my Commercial Food Photography gallery—where I photograph real food, prepared exactly as it comes. No stylists, no filters, nothing added. Just the food, under lights, with purpose.
You can view this photo—and the full series—at:
👉 https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
Emily’s still around. She says she’s planning something new in fast food for tomorrow. I didn’t ask what—but I know I’ll be photographing it.
International Sushi Day: Grocery Store Takeout
Today is International Sushi Day — a good reminder that sushi has found its place not just in restaurants, but in the fast food world too. Ready-made trays of sushi are now a regular feature in grocery stores, often eaten right out of the package.
International Sushi Day began in 2009 as an informal celebration created by fans of the cuisine. Observed each year on June 18, it’s a day to recognize sushi’s global reach — from high-end omakase experiences to takeout options in supermarket coolers.
This photo is a bit of a departure from the rest of my From Bag to Background series. I usually photograph fast food with no bags, wrappers, or containers — just the food itself against a black background. But here, I left the container in. The purple tray added a visual contrast I didn’t want to ignore, and the sushi came already neatly arranged.
The growing availability of sushi as ready-made takeout makes it a natural addition to this project. It may be raw, but it’s still fast food.
You can see the rest of the From Bag to Background project here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc
National McDonald’s Day: Big Macs, McNuggets, Fries, and Apple Pie — From Bag to Background
It is National McDonald’s Day! A moment to acknowledge the fast food giant that reshaped global eating habits.
My photograph features four of McDonald’s most iconic and historically significant menu items, photographed straight from the bag to the black background:
🍔 **Big Mac** – Introduced in 1967 in Pittsburgh, the Big Mac became a national item by 1968. Known for its triple bun and “special sauce,” it’s arguably the most famous fast food burger in the world.
🍗 **Chicken McNuggets** – Launched in 1983 after years of development, McNuggets brought uniform shapes and dipping sauces to the mainstream. Their popularity reshaped how fast food chains approached snacks and sides.
🍟 **French Fries** – A staple since the beginning. McDonald’s fries, once cooked in beef tallow, have long been a benchmark for fast food fries worldwide.
🥧 **Apple Pie** – First sold in 1968 as a deep-fried dessert, the pie was later baked for health-conscious appeal. Its rectangular form and hot filling remain a nostalgic favorite.
No styling, no alterations — just photographed as they came, part of my “From Bag to Background” series. See the full project to date on my website at http://SecondFocus.com
National Grilled Cheese Day: Sonic’s Classic
Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!
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.
📷 “From Bag to Background”
🧀 See the full series http://SecondFocus.com
Building a Stack: Sonic Grilled Cheese x10
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
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