restaurant reviews chef portraits featured stories flat lay product interior EDITORIAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

Chef Daniel Boulud stands in front of a wall of spices and between two black kitchen doors at his restaurant Daniel.

Chef Michael Chernow with his arms crossed poses for his portrait in his home kitchen.

Portrait of Chef Melissa Weller in white apron, facing camera with folded floured hands in front of her.

Chef Daniel Holzman of the Meatball Shop poses in his flannel shirt holding two meatballs.

Chef Mads Rufslund in chef whites stands with arms crossed, leaning against a door jam.

Chef Laurie Jon Moran sips a coffee from a white mug at a table in a restaurant.

Chef Ignacio Mattos sits at a table with his chin resting in his hand, looking off into the distance.

A smiling Chef Hugh Acheson wearing chef whites stands in the kitchen of Empire State South.

A butcher wearing a blood stained white coat and wielding a large knife stands in front of racks of aging beef in a walk-in cooler.

A butcher wields a hand-held saw to cut apart sirloin steaks in a butcher shop.

Five members of the Heirloom Kitchen team pose for a portrait in the restaurant.

Chef Gavin Kaysen, wearing chef whites, displays his favorite spoon with a smile.

Chef Gabrielle Hamilton stands at the massive stove, wilting greens in a skillet.

Portrait of Chef Floyd Cardoz sitting against a wall of shelves displaying bottles of wine and liquor.

An apron-wearing butcher ties a large pork shoulder roast with blue and white string.

A bird's eye view of a butcher cutting bone-in ribeyes, with five previously cut steaks resting on a butcher block.

Environmental portrait of Chef Daniel Boulud standing in front of a bird's eye view painting of people walking through a square.

Editorial Food Photography In the Kitchen

Sometimes Brent’s food photography creates an independent story that can be used for advertising or other marketing needs. Other times, he works with journalists on culinary lifestyle and kitchen photography that contributes to a larger editorial picture.

Brent entered the photography world through journalism: In college, he took editorial photos for his college newspaper and a magazine editor. At this early age, he learned how important it was to find a unique angle for a story. With every assignment, he better understood how to hone a point of view. His passion for capturing real-life moments in journalism encouraged him towards developing particular storytelling skills. Storytelling is a focus for all of his work as a food photographer. But his range of skills shines in his work as an editorial food photographer.

When Do You Need an Editorial Food Photographer?

When a writer tells the story of a chef, restaurant, or food or beverage brand, they make a big story feel personal to the reader. An editorial food photographer does the same for the story visually. Brent’s team has worked with countless clients on food photography, cocktail photography, restaurant interior photography, and chef portrait photography. In the kitchen, he captures high-quality images of each that create the bigger picture.

Brent knows how chefs’ kitchens work. His team moves efficiently to capture all food photographs in a respectful amount of time. As chefs and staff are extremely busy, he captures a portrait in minutes when needed. His friendliness, speed, and extensive journalism experience promise a variety of exciting images from every editorial food photography shoot.

Flat Lay Food Photography

In the kitchen of a professional restaurant, everyone’s hard work has one destination: the plate. Brent knows this means the flat lay food photography he contributes to editorial stories has to be perfect.

Brent combines a technical and intuitive understanding of how food works with flat-lay food photography. Whether in the kitchen or dining room, he supports the restaurant’s tableware and lighting with his lighting, positioning, and critical eye. Watching for time and temperature, he collaborates with chefs to make sure he’s ready to capture the optimum moment. Chefs feel confident and comfortable working with Brent because of this. And their flat lay food photographs have extra life and vibrancy in return.

Chef Portrait Photography

Brent has worked with countless professional chefs in his career as a chef portrait photographer. He has immense respect for their hard work and craft. He not only applies specific portrait photography skills towards such editorial needs. But the friendly, knowledgeable conversation he encourages helps chefs to open up and enjoy the experience, too. Whether shooting candid chefs working or creating stylized scenes, his resulting chef portraits have personality and individuality. This helps them stand out from the crowd to tell their story.

Restaurant Interior Photographer

Restaurant interior photography is a unique niche for a food photographer. Where flat lay food photography is all about the details, a location photographer must have an eye for breadth. Brent applies his understanding of space, angles, and lighting to capture the design and atmosphere of restaurants and kitchens. Whether empty or packed mid-service, his images feel active and aspirational. They set the story in a specific place and time and help readers imagine themselves within the space.