Donuts in Space!
I follow various food news sources online and saw this pop up a few days ago. Krispy Kreme announced an Artemis II commemorative donut. I thought that was pretty unique and I had to photograph it.
The donut, designed from the NASA insignia, is tied directly to the Artemis II mission, a crewed mission now on its way around the Moon. The donuts are no longer available, but my photographs and the exploration of space remain.
More of my food photography, pornochic photo adventures, and everything in between can be found on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com
St. Patrick’s Lone Survivor
One of the ideas behind my Food From Bag To Background series is to photograph food as soon as possible after bringing it home. The goal is to show it the way it actually looks when you first open the box or bag.
Earlier this week I picked up a St. Patrick’s Day assortment from Krispy Kreme. The seasonal dozen included doughnuts decorated with green icing, shamrocks, rainbow candy and festive sprinkles.
My plan was to photograph the entire dozen.
I may have missed my window of opportunity.
If you are curious what other foods manage to make it from the bag to the camera before they disappear, you can explore more from my Food From Bag To Background project here:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc
National Jelly-Filled Donut Day – Raspberry and Glaze, No Apologies
June 8 is National Jelly-Filled Donut Day.
It’s a quieter entry on the food holiday calendar, but one that speaks to a specific kind of nostalgia. The jelly donut—with its burst of raspberry (or sometimes strawberry or apple), dusting of powdered sugar, or coating of glaze—has long been a bakery staple.
The exact origin of National Jelly-Filled Donut Day is unknown. Like many niche food holidays, it likely emerged through a mix of tradition and marketing momentum. But the donut it celebrates has a real history.
Jelly-filled donuts trace their roots to Central Europe. In Germany, the Berliner—a yeast-raised donut filled with jam—has been a favorite for generations. Jewish communities adapted it into the sufganiyah, eaten during Hanukkah. When immigrants brought these traditions to the U.S., jelly donuts found a natural home in bakeries and diners across the country. Over time, chains like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ made them mainstream.
Of the major brands, Krispy Kreme’s Glazed Raspberry Filled donut is often considered the favorite. Its lighter texture, warm-glaze appeal, and bright red filling strike a balance that other versions often miss. First sold in the 1930s from a small storefront in North Carolina, Krispy Kreme has held onto its original recipe and a sense of warm-donut theater.
For this post, I photographed the Glazed Raspberry Filled donut from Krispy Kreme. No props, no styling—just the donuts torn open and stacked, revealing the red interior against the black background. It’s part of my “From Bag to Background” series, documenting fast food exactly as it is, straight from the box or bag.
You can see more from this series on my website at:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc
National Donut Day – A Stack of Krispy Kreme Tradition
🍩 Today is National Donut Day.
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.
More food images from this series can be found on my website at:
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000wQ3fbeEezF0/I0000nUG8tfk8Gdc
SecondFocus Blog 