Il Verdi

Olivia Jane designs eye-catching and thoughtful spaces that pay tribute to their surrounding environments but also entice onlookers from afar. She has worked with Atlantic City based Il Verdi to create a massive space that opens out into a casino, and compliments the glitzy neon machines but once you reach the beachfront area, it’s airy space and dining cabana inject a calmness that may be hard to find in a casino.

The Hook

I had previously shared some photos for Superfrico, which is a restaurant adjacent to The Hook, a circus-like show, curated by Speigelworld, who hosts shows around the country, headquarted in Las Vegas. To promote The Hook and Superfrico, I was asked to photograph some of the characters from the performance (primarily acrobatic performers) in the restaurant space itself. Here are some selections from that shoot.

Meju

Meju is a fine dining, set-menu restaurant in the back of a lovely Korean market in Long Island City. The Infatuation was in need of some photos to accompany their review, and so they called upon yours truly to do so. When I light food, I try to match the mood of the space and the vibe. As Meju is an upscale one-seating-per-evening speakeasy playing Sinatra, it gave off the vibe of a single softbox sort of aesthetic, which you can view below.

Gilligan's

Gilligan’s is an outdoor oasis of a bar/restaurant at the Soho Grand Hotel. The client wanted their images to have a softness to them so, against my normal routine (and preferences), we shot only using natural light which did create a certain aesthetic that I’m happy to produce, but not the biggest fan of. It worked for the client, so it worked for me.

53

For The Infatuation, I photographed 53, a gorgeous midtown Chinese restaurant with a stunning interior and beautiful shared plate dishes.

IT'SUGAR

These are some interior/exterior photos of the opening of the massive Time’s Square location of candy-chain IT’SUGAR.

Chop House

No surprise to anyone that the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global population as so much on local businesses. From hole-in-the-walls to restaurant palaces like Chop House, Covid delayed constructions, openings and even the existence of restaurants. At the time of this writing, Chop House has yet to open and completed construction in Dec of 2020. Hopefully it will see a new life as the interiors are strikingly beautiful.

Ina Garten at La Mercerie

In one of my more unique assignments, Eater NY hired me to shoot the barefoot contessa herself, Ina Garten, as she dined with friends at Soho’s La Mercerie. I was just a fly on the wall as she and her trio of dining compatriots sampled food, chatted with the chef, and had a good laugh. As I was instructed to be as discreet as possible, I was forced to rely strictly on natural light so you can bet I made sure Ina sat right across from the largest window possible. Here are some samples from the shoot.

La Duree x Bagatelle Atmostphere/Exteriors

The third element of this shoot, which I have showcased in two other entries was to capture the space and atmosphere. The team at Bagatelle was very specific about the style and tone of the images, and, as you can see, they all carry a very specific style that is a departure from how I usually shoot.

Madame George Interiors

Down the steps of Midtown staple, Valerie, you’ll find a new, quite large speakeasy known as Madame George. Despite the lack of natural light, the space feels verdant and open despite its subterranean position.

Leonelli Taberba

Leonelli Taberna was a beautifully designed restaurant at the Evelyn Hotel from chef Jonathan Benno, who still runs the eponymous Benno in the same location. These photos were photographed for Eater, and later licensed by the restaurant themself for their usage.

Cognac 55

Cognac 55 was a grand brasserie in Times Square that has since been replaced, but I was hired to photograph their beautiful interiors, that invokes the concourse of Grand Central.

Serafina

I was hired by the Serafina restaurant group to photograph all of their New York locations, including White Plains and East Hamptons. Here are some of my favorite shots from the various locations.

Evi's Bakery

Evi’s Bakery comes from the team (and the same street) of Olmstead and Maison Yaki. Given that this shoot focused on breakfast items, I did a little experiment. I’m used to diffusing my life with a soft box, to soften shadows and create a kind of tempered elegance to the food. For this shoot, I used no diffuser and kept the light hard, trying to imitate some harsh morning light. I notice this is a growing trend in food photography and, as a photographer for hire, it feels empowering to demonstrate different styles of photography, with the ability to give a client options.

Le Pavillion

At the base of One Vanderbilt, one of the city’s newest monolith’s, lies the entrance to Le Pavillion, from the Boulud restaurant group. With towering windows facing Grand Central and the Chrysler building, the space itself is full of flora which creates a serene garden atmosphere for guests.

Macchina

What once was a pizza pop-up is now a permanent fixture in the back space of The Bedford, Macchina serves delicious pizzas and wonderful cocktails in a charmingly rustic space. I photographed the interiors and drinks for the space and there’s a warm charm in the space that I attempted to capture.