In October, I headed back to Portland to work on a campaign with my long-time client Westward Whiskey, capturing their signature line of whiskey amidst the spectacular fall colors of the Columbia Gorge. Over the past 4 years of working together, we’ve worked to refine the visual content and shape a narrative that tells the story of its premier quality and Northwest spirit. With the rebranding last year, we’ve refined the creative direction to include more lifestyle content and reflect ongoing and seasonal product launches.
Telling a new visual story for The Hoxton, Portland
The pandemic has prompted many shifts in the hospitality industry, as restaurants and hotels adapt to new customer standards and health requirements. This moment in time has also given many brands the opportunity to try new approaches and reimagine the future. I’ve had the opportunity to work on several projects with The Hoxton in Portland, as they reopened their rooftop restaurant Tope with a new culinary team, presented a new concept for their main level restaurant Lovely Rita, and marketed their event and private dining spaces in anticipation of the post-pandemic era activities.
I brought together a fantastic creative team to help create the visual story of this shift in the hotel experience, including stylist Danielle Firle and producer Stephanie Duong. These photos represent my most recent project in August, where we focused on the rebranding of Lovely Rita and The Apartment event space. For the restaurant, the narrative shifted to a more upscale, Northwest-inspired experience, which translated to moody lighting, lived-in scenes, and an abundance of vino and spirit-forward cocktails.
Occo Spice launch campaign
Last summer, I worked with Occo Spices as they were creating visual assets for the launch of their signature products. This spring, they released a line of pre-measured spices packaged in recyclable pods and celebrated the launch with recipe collaborations with top chefs, including Gregory Gordet. I always enjoy the opportunity to work with Gregory, with his incredible attention to detail and commitment to always delivering the absolute best.
We spent two days capturing the process of creating four sheet pan meals made with Occo spices: Hot Honey Roasted Chicken & Carrots, Jerk Veggies with 7-Minute Eggs, Sichuan-Glazed Beef & Umami Mushrooms, and Warm Spiced Salmon & Coconut Greens. The production took place in Gregory’s plant-filled apartment and the plates all turned out beautifully. It was fantastic to see the recipes launched alongside recipes created by other chefs such as Mei Lin, Nina Compton, Adriana Urbina, and more.
In the Studio with Harmless Harvest
Earlier this winter, I had the opportunity to work on a campaign with Harmless Harvest, in partnership with LiveKindly. Harmless Harvest has delicious organic coconut water and yogurt products that were the foundation for eight recipes being featured in the campaign, including strawberry waffles, lemon vanilla pound cake, cauliflower tempura bites, and gazpacho. We had a photo shoot where the theme was ‘pink’ and we had a fun time finding ways to maximize the pink throughout. Thanks to an amazing team!
Creative Director: Eric Slatkin
Photography and Art Director: Carly Diaz
Food Stylist: Sonya Sanford
Prop Stylist: Stephanie Duong
Production Assistant: Amira Matthews
Summer Florals with Luxe Magazine
We’re in the depths of winter here in Portland, with snow in the forecast and summer feeling a long way away. A season that calls for a bit of color and memories of warmer days. And a good moment to share photos from a photo shoot last July when I had the opportunity to photograph Arielle Zamora and her micro floral business Small Yard Florals for Luxe Interiors + Design.
Small Yard Florals is based in North Portland with rows of flowers planted in Arielle’s front and back yards, as well as scattered in plots of various neighbor’s yards. She creates bouquets in her garage studio with the sound of her four ducks in her backyard as a soundtrack. I wish I could transport myself back to that warm summer afternoon walking around the blooming bushes with ducks scampering around my feet. For now, these photos will take me there. Enjoy!
Vacasa x Gabriel Rucker
I recently had the opportunity to join forces with an amazing client and Gabriel Rucker for a holiday photo shoot with his lovely family. We gathered at a Vacasa property in White Salmon, Washington that offered sweeping views of the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood, as well as an expansive kitchen in which Rucker whipped up an incredible meal.
In a blog post on their website, Vacasa shared his 5 tips for cooking in a vacation rental and the recipes to create your own feast:
Radicchio Salad with Citrus Dressing
Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts, Pancetta, & Sage
Dungeness Crab Cake Wild Rice
Baked Salmon with Chili, Lemon & Rosemary
Poached Quince & Apple Pie
Enjoy!
La Tienda film premiere
In early August, Fort Ripper premiered two short films from La Tienda followed by a Q&A.
Directed by Karina Ripper, La Tienda profiles Latinx entrepreneurs in Portland, Oregon. Each episode shares the entrepreneurs’ personal stories, cultural origins, artistic influences and what inspires them in running their own businesses. The first two showcase Vía Raíz and Letra Chueca Press. I was honored to be part of the amazing team on the Vía Raíz production.
Vía Raíz
Director: Karina Lomelin Ripper
Producer: Jessica Daugherty
Featuring: Jennifer Bolaños
Ceramicist: Iohan Figueroa
Director of Photography: Carly Diaz
Assistant Director: Corina Burke
Location Sound: Kai Tillman
1st AC: Gabriel Benavente Benitez
Additional Camera: Karina Lomelin Ripper, Marc Ripper
Editor: Luz Carasa
Sound Designer/Mixer: Houston Gastelum
Color: Marc Ripper
Title Design: Mercy Lomelin
Music: Edna Vazquez
all the greens smoothie
After years of just throwing random items into my blender, I’ve finally dialed in a smoothie recipe that has quickly become a quarantine highlight.
All the Greens Smoothie
Serves 2
2 frozen bananas
1 cup frozen whole leaf spinach
1 generous cup frozen mango
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1 cup or large handful fresh spinach or kale
2 cups oat milk
2 tsp yin power tonic herbal formula (optional)
Toss all items in a blender and enjoy!
Becoming Mexican photo essays
Over on my personal project Becoming Mexican, I’m launching a series of photo essays capturing my recent travels. The aim of the project is twofold: to showcase the stories of people of Mexican heritage and, for myself, to become more familiar with the country as a whole. Its culture, history, and people. Since I started this project in October 2018, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Mexico six times, through six different states. I’m excited to launch photo essays from my travels in Mexico as part of this project. Through these photo essays, I hope to share my view of Mexico as it has expanded and deepened.
As the global health pandemic has brought travel to a halt, I’ve turned to these photos as a way to experience Mexico again. While we can’t travel at the moment, I hope you find joy and beauty in a visual escape to this wonderful, complex country that I have come to love. I’m aware that my experiences so far have only scratched the surface of what Mexico is and I hope that I am able to return again soon.
Feast Portland 2019
September brought another great year of Feast Portland! The four day food and drink festival just gets better and better every year. I love working on this event and have fun catching up with so many friends from the food and beverage community. While it’s one of the most intense projects of the year, with days of post-production following the long shooting days, I can’t help but love it. Feast is like a school reunion and summer camp rolled into one, with some of the best food and drink around.
Feast pulled out all the stops this year: expanding the Grand Tasting into The Big Feast, a kid-friendly event in partnership with Tillamook, and dozens of smaller events, dinners, and after parties. This year we had to contend with a day of rain on the final day, but it didn’t put a damper on the festivities.
Since I was more focused on photographing all the action, I didn’t get to eat much of the gorgeous food that was on offer. However, of the few bites I did have, the highlights were the PDX Sliders mushroom burger, sticky rice with raspberries and mango from Nong’s, the Kachka corn dog, and a small bite of Thai curry from David Thompson’s Khong Thai that Brooke from Little Green Pickle generously shared with me. Enjoy the photos below!
Cordova, Alaska with Secret Supper
In June, I set off on another adventure with Secret Supper, this time headed to the small fishing town of Cordova, on the Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. Knowing that I’d be going to Alaska, I prepared myself for the cold and packed warm clothing and wool socks, but realized after I arrived that Alaska was in the middle of a heatwave! We were treated to amazing weather and warm hospitality during our time in Alaska.
Cordova is overshadowed by picturesque, snow-capped mountains to one side and still icy water to the other. Located near the mouth of the Copper River, which is renowned for its wild salmon, the fishing industry really lies at the heart of this small town. For a relatively isolated place - you can only get there by plane or boat - I found it to be truly bustling with so much going on!
Our first night, we enjoyed dinner on the harbor. As the night drew on, the light dimmed slightly, but it still felt like the middle of the day after 10pm. We were curious if it ever became truly dark at night, but decided not to stay up to see. Early the next morning, I headed out with the team to scout the location, on mile 36 of the Copper River Highway, at the very end of the dirt road. The river had shifted dramatically since Secret Supper founder Danielle Firle visited the site several months before, but she took it in stride and developed a new vision for the setup. On the way back, we picked Alaskan cotton for the table and spotted a baby moose along the way. That evening we checked in with Chef Zoi Antonitsas, who was prepping, and the headed off to a BBQ on the boat of some new local friends.
The following day, we headed out early to begin preparations, and I worked to capture the team transforming the open riverbank into the backdrop of an incredible table set for 50. It was a truly wonderful trip to an awe-inspiring location.
Menu
Smoked Alaskan Herring Butter, Radish, Toasts
Local Oysters with Juniper Mignonette
Copper River Sockeye Tartare, Sea Buckthorn, Cucumber, Chili
Alaska Spot Prawn Risotto, Vegetable Ash
Grilled Copper River King Salmon, Pacific Coast Mushrooms, Onions Agrodolce, Hazelnut Picada
Dinah’s Cheese, Smoked Honey, Grilled Bread
Burrata caprese salad with tomatoes, peaches, and pistachio pesto
Summer is officially here and that means all things tomato are on the horizon. Peaches and tomatoes are always such a delicious combination, and I wanted to include them in a twist on the traditional caprese salad of mozzarella, tomato, and basil. The creaminess of burrata can’t be beat and when the flavor is combined with the nutiness of Wonderful Pistachios, it’s pure magic.
The pistachio pesto is simple to make and is most delicious when you use freshly picked mint and basil, or as close as you can get. The ease of Wonderful Pistachios No Shells is that you don’t have to spend any extra time shelling the nuts, and can just measure them out, add the remaining ingredients, and make the pesto! It’s much more approachable and easy than the traditional pine nut pesto and, I think, much tastier. I served the salad semi-deconstructed on a large board, but you can easily serve on individual plates. Simply add a swirl of pesto to the plate and arrange the burrata, tomatoes, peaches, and garnish on top.
Burrata caprese salad with tomatoes, peaches, and pistachio pesto dressing
Serves 4
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Wonderful Pistachios No Shells Roasted & Lightly Salted
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tspn pepper
salt to taste
4 large burrata or 8 small burrata
4 large heirloom tomatoes sliced thin, or a variety of small tomatoes, halved or quartered
6 peaches (white and yellow), sliced thin
additional basil leaves and pistachios for garnish
First, make the pistachio pesto in a food processor, add the basil leaves, cheese, pistachios, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Mix on high until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. For smoother pesto, add additional olive oil until you reach the desired consistency.
Serve the pesto alongside the burrata, peach slices, and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Garnish with additional basil leaves and whole pistachios. Drizzle pesto when served. Enjoy!
This post was created in partnership with The Wonderful Company. Thank you for supporting the incredible, hand-picked brands that make my work possible.
Hawaii Island with Secret Supper
In March, I traveled to Hawaii Island for a photo shoot with Secret Supper, an amazing Portland-based company who creates unforgettable dining experiences in unique locations that aim to ‘inspire intentional living’. Having never been to Hawaii before, I was excited about the opportunity to discover ‘The Big Island’ with the promise of extraordinary food and drink, stunning scenery, and great company.
I flew to Hawaii four days in advance and, while I did spend a lot of time working remotely, I also was able to enjoy the cuisine and incredible sunsets in the evening. Two days before the event, I met up with the Secret Supper team and we went on a mini tour of the island complete with waterfalls, coffee farms, roadside fruit stands, jungles, and Kona Chips with furikake, which I’m still craving to this day.
The day before the dinner, I went with Danielle and Alba from Secret Supper to Hilo where we visited a distributor of exotic flowers. They ship beautiful native plants to the mainland and I photographed the team making selecting the arrangements for the dinner. In the evening, Alba and I went to Four Seasons Hualalai for drinks, dinner, and another incredible sunset.
In the morning, we packed up the cars early and headed to the event location. The supper was located on the ocean’s edge among the sugarcane fields of a rum producing farm. The team began the process of setting up a long table while I photographed the scenery, landscape, and the process of transforming the space over the course of the next 8 hours.
It was beautiful, incredibly photogenic, and so very hot. Although I had spent the last few days on the island, I wasn’t surprised at the experience of being directly in the sun and heat for so many hours. Water and sunscreen were our constant friends throughout the day.
When the guests began to trickle in, I went into high gear to capture the amazement at the atmosphere, the chefs cooking over the fire, and the rum cocktails and epic charcuterie spread that awaited the arriving guests.
With a warm breeze blowing the sugarcane, the guests enjoyed the delicious food prepared by Hawaii Picnics and Provisions. As one course followed another, the setting sun illuminated the sky with shades of orange, pink, and purple. It was magical.
It was a great trip and I’m looking forward to exploring more unique destinations in partnership with Secret Supper in the future.
Menu
Grazing Table: Artisan Cheese, Charcuterie, Local Honey, Crackers, Seasonal Accoutrements & Tropical Fruit
Oxtail Soup with Charred Baby Bok Choi
Ulu Sourdough Bread with Yuzu Honey Butter and Kiawe Smoked Butter
Fiddlehead Fern Salad: Local Gem Lettuces, Smoked Ahi, Waimea Tomatoes, Pickled Shallots, Watermelon Radish, Toasted Mac Nuts and Deep Sea Vinaigrette
Ti Leaf Roasted Pork with Charred Purple Sweet Potatoes and Hamakua Mushroom Poke
Dessert: Hawaiian Vanilla Bean Haupia, Chocolate Truffle Ganache and Hibiscus Poached Local Strawberries
Nuevo Negroni
The second drink in the series is here! This collaboration with Justin Garcidiaz explore cocktails inspired by Mexico. Mexico City, if I’m going to be honest, since we’re both fans of the city. The Nuevo Negroni is probably the most Justin-esque of them all. I’ve photographed numerous negronis that he has concocted over the years, and this twist on the classic is a great one.
Nuevo Negroni
1 oz coffee-orange peel-vanilla infused Campari
.25 oz piloncillo syrup
1 oz angostura amargo
1 oz Pueblo Viejo blanco tequila.
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Stir with ice. Serve in an old fashioned glass with a big rock. Garnish with coffee beans.
Avocado Licuado
Recently, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the amazing Justin Garcidiaz on a series of cocktails inspired by Mexican ingredients and flavors. Over the next weeks, I’ll be sharing the recipes for the drinks. First up, the Avocado Licuado. A refreshing drink that is smooth, smoky, and fruity all at the same time.
Avocado Licuado
1 oz avocado purée
1.5 oz Verde Momento mezcal
.25 oz cinnamon syrup
.75 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz Ancho Reyes Verde
Combine ingredients in a shaker. Shake with ice. Serve in Collins on the rocks, garnish with avocado leaf salt.
Westward Whiskey
Autumn in Ashland
Winter is almost behind us, but I wanted to share a few photos from my trip to Ashland for the Ashland Culinary Festival in November. I stayed at the Iris Inn and spent the weekend enjoying the cooking competition, sampling the food and drinks at the festival, and taking in the mid-century modern decor at the Ashland Hills Hotel.
Aside from the festival, I had the opportunity to visit Irvine & Roberts Vineyard to try their amazing chardonnay with a priceless view. The culinary highlight was dinner at Mäs for the seven-course tasting menu. It had been years since I’d visited Ashland, best known for the Shakespeare Festival, but loved the opportunity to see it at the end of autumn and can’t wait to return hopefully next year for the culinary festival.
Crudité board with pistachio herb sauce and pistachio beet hummus
The last month has been a whirlwind of Thanksgiving, final projects of the year, and preparing for my upcoming trip to Mexico City. And, of course, holiday party after holiday party. At this point in December, I just look at the spread of food, drinks, and desserts and already feel full. Thank goodness for bubbles and creative interpretations of the vegetable platter.
In the spirit of the season of indulgence, I’ve elevated this party staple into a centerpiece with the help of two pistachio-inspired dips that are super easy to create with the help of No Shells Wonderful Pistachios. The first is a pistachio herb sauce, which essentially takes a handful of bright, fresh herbs, combined with creamy avocado (inspired by the best tip every from Green Kitchen Stories Magic Sauce), and roasted pistachios. It’s sweet, spicy, and citric with a freshness from the herbs and roasted nuttiness from the pistachios. I like to swirl in a dollop of crème fraîche for added creaminess.
The second dip is a beet hummus. To be honest, I’ve never really been on board with beets. I’ve wanted to love them for their earthiness, amazing color, and abundance of vitamins and minerals. It’s hard to love something that often requires it being slathered in goat’s cheese to be palatable. But I think I might have turned a corner with this beet hummus. There are a lot of beet hummus recipes out there that essentially add in beets to a standard chickpea hummus recipe. I’ve gone and omitted chickpeas altogether and replaced them with pistachios. A bit of extra lemon juice and an extra swirl of oil and sea salt on top, and it has changed my mind about beets entirely.
These dips are best served with a variety of fresh vegetables, such as thin asparagus, watermelon radish, cucumbers, romanesco, snap peas, purple cauliflower, carrots, and endives. Arrange on a platter and serve with extra pistachios. And bubbles. Always bubbles.
Pistachio Herb Sauce
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/3 cup roasted and salted No Shells Wonderful Pistachios
2/3 cup olive oil
1 avocado
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 clove garlic
1 small chili
1/2 tsp sea salt
Juice of 2 limes
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend on high about 2 minutes until smooth. Add salt, oil, and lime juice to taste. Serve slightly chilled.
Pistachio Beet Hummus
3 medium red beets
1 cup roasted and salted No Shells Wonderful Pistachios
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil
1-2 tspn sea salt
1/4 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons
Remove the ends from the beets and use a peeler to remove the outer skin. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes and add to lightly-salted boiled water for 10-15 minutes, until soft. Drain and let cool.
In a food processor, add the cooled beets, pistachios, garlic clove, olive oil, sea salt, water, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and then add lemon juice, salt, and oil to taste. Serve slightly chilled.
This post was created in partnership with The Wonderful Company. Thank you for supporting the incredible, hand-picked brands that make my work possible.
Becoming Mexican
It's been a long road coming, but I'm so proud to share Becoming Mexican, a project that explores heritage and cultural identity. By seeking out people, food, products, places, and stories with a connection to Mexico, I hope to forge a relationship with the country of my paternal great-grandparents.
We start with an interview with Marcus Mejía, who grew up in rural Oregon and had great-grandparents who immigrated during the Mexican Revolution. A story similar to mine. Marcus turned to winemaking and created Bad Hombre Wines in response to the 2016 election.
Becoming Mexican also aims to provide a platform to counter the current political framing of immigrants and to showcase the incredible work of Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and the creative force they add to the world. At a time when families are being separated and those who dare to hope are met with aggression, I want to showcase the daughters and sons of immigrants. Just look what we can become.
I hope this project sheds a few rays of light on the experience of second-, third-, fourth-generation immigrants and the sometimes complicated, sometimes vague relationship we can have with our roots. We live in the now, but the way we look and feel is often informed by a past that isn’t directly ours. I want to claim some of that past for myself and examine how having a stronger connection to that past will shape my future.
I've had the incredible opportunity to live on three continents and travel the world extensively, but I've never had the chance to get to know Mexico. It's time.
Feast Portland 2018
Over 4,000 photos later, Feast Portland is officially over for the year. It was an amazing four days of seeing all of my favorite people in Portland’s food community, tasting incredible food and drink, going to afterparty followed by afterparty, and photographing it all for the Feast team.
I’ve talked with several people about how the festival is a very different experience for me than most. Given that I need two hands to photograph, I tend not to eat and drink much. The shot list is extensive and I logged about 5 miles a day jetting around the festival grounds at ‘80s vs ‘90s, the Tillamook afterparty, the Grand Tasting on Friday and Saturday, Night Market, Smoked, and Brunch Village. And, when the last after party wraps, the other photographers and I head out to cull and edit our 10 favorite images of the day, waking up a few hours later to do it all over again.
It’s a marathon, and I love every minute of it.
There were 10 things that stood out to me above all. And, given the different sort of experience that I have, they aren’t your typical favorite bites or best brand activations. But they were my favorite nonetheless.
1. Tea leaf reading. At the Thursday night afterparty and Sunday’s Brunch Village, Smith Tea offered tea leaf readings. The line on Thursday was too long and I had more work to do, but on Sunday the line was shorter and sweet Frances Dyer from Little Green Pickle let me skip ahead a spot. The reading meant so much and the reader was so spot on that it brought me to tears. The words she shared were so encouraging and the experience so unexpected, it was undoubtedly my favorite moment of the weekend.
2. Scissor lifts. Event photography is intense, but one of the best parts of it has to be the scissor lifts. First, the team at Fuller Events is amazing and I have a blast working with them each year. At the main events, we coordinate a time to get aerial overview photos of the festival. The moment I get to step away from the bustle and rise up into the air is always so calming. I love the perspective it provides (literally and figuratively) and the sweet moment it gives the team to pause amidst the bustle of the festival.
3. Ping Pong at Party at Steve’s House. The Saturday night afterparty at a warehouse in NoPo was such a blast, not least because of the ping pong tables. I love ping pong and may have bragged to one or two people that I was pretty good. That didn’t show at all that evening (I blame the colored lights, fatigue, and alcohol), but I still loved it. I ended up leaving the party early to go to another afterparty, and really wish I had stayed for another round or two.
4. The crew. The people I have the opportunity to work with at Feast are so top notch. First off, Elizabeth and Jannie, who oversee the creative team, give that perfect mix of direction and freedom that I thrive on. Second, the other staff photographers, Alan and Aubrie, as well as the video crew. They are such a blast to work with and we feed off the energy and creativity of each other. We feel like such a great team and encourage each other on in our work. There isn’t an ounce of competition and it feels awesome.
5. Tina and Christina. Two fourth year festival attendees that I met on the second day who were hilarious, kind, and so enthusiastic about everything Feast. I ended up seeing them at pretty much every event and afterparty. More generally, I have such a great time interacting with the festival attendees. It wouldn’t be the same experience without all the people who eagerly pose for me or stop me to say hello because they’ve seen my photography. I have incredible conversations in the blink of an eye and moments of genuine connection with people I may never see again. Or at least not for another year.
6. Noah and Kate dancing. There was so much dancing at Feast this year! It all started with the incredible music at ‘80s vs ‘90s on Thursday and continued at the Tillamook afterparty that evening. I’ve had the opportunity to work with both Noah (of Order of Operations) and Kate (of Lauretta Jean’s) individually, and witnessing them owning the dance floor was so fun. I love how Feast takes people out of their normal environment of interacting and allows us to all have a blast together.
7. The music. Mentioned above, but it deserve a spot of its own. The music was pretty epic. Can their be a Feast soundtrack please?
8. The Austin crew. I had the opportunity to photograph Hot Luck during its inaugural year and was pleased to discover that some of the team was in Portland for Feast. So fun to hang out with them and remember all the fun we had in Austin.
9. Bonnie Morales’ interview with Bon Appétit. One of my favorite parts of the Grand Tasting is when the BA team interviews chefs in a sort of fireside chat. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Bonnie, Kachka’s chef, for several years and always love getting to hear more about her background, inspiration, and journey of putting Russian food back on the culinary hot list.
10. Nong’s at Brunch Village. At the tail end of the last major event, I hadn’t eaten much. The sweet team at Nong’s was serving a delicious breakfast rice bowl. I’d eaten a bite earlier in the morning and went back to tell them how much I loved it. They ended up making me a heaping bowl and it was so revitalizing. Nong’s can never go wrong, but this was the ultimate satisfaction for a very hungry photographer. The perfect ending to Feast.