I thought Blossom was owned by the same folks as Candle 79, a fine dining vegan place on the upper east side that I really enjoyed. The Seitan Piccata, a take on lemony, capery Chicken Picatta, was a favorite of mine.

Actually, after doing a bit of research, they might not be related - and maybe one just knocked the dish off from the other.

Blossom had several locations which are all long gone, but Candle lives on at Candle Cafe in Kips Bay.

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I recently ran into a friendly fellow, Michael Monarca, while I was scouting out a nice home on the outskirts of Princeton, NJ. We struck up a conversation about the house I was checking out, and my work as an architectural photographer. He says “oh, if you like architectural design, you should check out The Graduate Hotel in Princeton… says the general manager.” followed by a lovely chuckle.

I promised him I’d stop in to check it out, and a few weeks later I did, much to my delight. I snapped a few photos of the scenery (below) and spoke with Eddie, the bartender, about a bit of history and the cocktail list, while I waited to see if Michael could pop down between meetings. He couldn’t, but I did meet someone from the sales team who took my information and later put me in touch with Cece King, their social media manager, who helped line up a photoshoot for me. More on that further down. First, a couple of shots I took when I first saw the space.

First Impressions

I love the design and atmosphere in here. It feels sophisticated and welcoming. The balance of the old world charm and modern atmosphere are perfectly executed. It even has that dreamy hotel scent that reminds me of upscale hotels like One Hotel South Beach. So it feels new, but also looks like it’s always been here. That’s no small feat.

I honestly love the guy’s feet and coffee peeking in from the corner of the frame.

The targeted lighting in here and the soft glow of all these different light fixtures really does it for me.

That’s Eddie in the back there, who kept asking “Am I in the way? Let me know if you need me to move.” Very considerate.

This little mote of light on the staircase caught my eye immediately. It reminded me of a hotel I visited in Miami that had really dim lighting to cool the mind against the brutal heat without. What was the name of that place? Pretty famous speakeasy / cocktail bar.

Ah, The Broken Shaker at the Freehand Miami. That’s the one.

I’ve got a thing for great bathroom design. I make a point of always scoping out the bathrooms at any hotel or restaurant I visit. If there are multiple bathrooms, I like to peek in each to see if there are different designs. I’m often pleasantly surprised by the variety within a single establishment.

Brunch

The gist they gave me is that The Graduate is owned by Hilton, and so all of the interior photography and such goes through them, so doing that high level architectural photography of the spaces would be a harder project to get going. They do, however, have creative control with the social media presence for the on site restaurant, Ye Tavern. So, we set up a session to capture their newly rolled out brunch menu, along with some seasonal and staple cocktails.

Cece had an idea to do some photo sequences that she could make into animations, where we built a brunch scene on a table one dish at a time, or presented some cocktails one after another. The Bloody Mary board was a prototype invention, so we made a sequence of images where we garnished a bloody mary to spectacular effect. We also did a series of videos with the cocktails, one of which was this fun little “magic trick” idea Cece up with of Eddie abra-cadabra-ing a drink into existance.

The just-introduced-that-day Bloody Mary board.

Cece and I were both very, very excited to tear into this.

We started with the idea of adding each dish to the scene one by one, then we just kept going and going until the frame was packed.

This croquet thing was delicious, and is a big hit there. I really should have grabbed a copy of the menu so I knew what all the dishes and drinks were called.

There were sections on the menu for ‘light’ drinks and ‘dark’ drinks. Here are three favs from the light section.

And next up are three of the standout ‘dark’ drinks.

Musical Guest

The tavern also hosts musical performances, and we wanted to get some content to show that off. The first performance they brought me in for was the Princeton Nasoons, a historical a capella group. They did a very short set (about 20 minutes) and I quickly jumped around to take some photos of that. I wanted to experiment with more lighting and shooting some videos of that set, but I made the mistake of not begin informed about the details of the set beforehand, so it was over all too quickly. Still, I got a few images that I enjoy, and I imagine as I continue to shoot in the space I’ll find some fun and inventive angles to cover, like a shot looking through openings in the central coffee stand that caught my eye for a moment, but the stars didn’t align for this time around.

Princeton Nasoons A Capella at Ye Tavern

Self Portrait

I used to not be much of a “selfie” person, and I still am not in terms of the “hold out the phone at arm’s length” kind of selfie. But, a ‘Self Portrait’, in terms more of an intention image of myself, taken often in a reflection, with my proper camera…now that, I have found myself enjoying quite a bit. I like to do it most on client shoots when I happen to catch a glimpse of myself, or my shadow. I should make a collection of these. It’s probably because I am often looking my best, standing ‘in my power’, as it were, when i’m deep in the flow of producing work / art, and I often am most dressed up when I’m on a client shoot rather than looking like a slob in sweatpants at home.

Though, to be fair, I wear sweatpants on a lot of shoots, as well. I haven’t had the funds recently to pick up any of the fancy flexible athleisure wear I’ve had my eyes on. I’ve found that athletic performance clothing tends to be pretty crucial for me as a photographer given the amount of movement I do on any given shot. The phsycial activity and movement of it is one of my favorite aspects of being a photographer, and I’m really trying to maximize more of that in-the-field active component to offset all the time I spend sitting at a desk editing, or writing like I’m doing at this very moment.

I enjoy a serious expression in some of these, as I feel it brings out more of the artist within. My wife thought it was a bit much to be presenting to clients, but I knew right away that my buddy, fellow photographer Benny Krown, would love it. And as you can see, I was right:

Behind The Scenes

I’ve been striving to document my process a bit more, and to remember to get more footage and photos of shoots in progress so I can share a bit of how I work. I tend to be too caught up in the actual image making to remember to do it, though. I really wish I had an assistant or social media fellow that did it, but unfortunately there’s no budget for that sort of frivolity at the moment. If you’ve got a friend that wants to tag along to some photography session, you lemme know.

Thankfully, Cece grabbed a little bit of BTS on this shoot, and I did shoot a tiny bit myself, here’s a peek at that.

Heya, thanks for reading this. If you made it all the way to the bottom, please consider telling a friend about it, or leaving a little comment to say you enjoyed it. That would rule.

Also, I realize this is so long most people probably didn’t even make it past the first section, so I should probably split it into portions and share all of those individually.

Might just do that.

If you’d like to see even more images from this shoot, there’s a mirror of this post on my website, go check it out on nsdoyle.com

This will be the easiest thing you have ever made. You just put some berries and sugar in a pot and simmer it until you’re happy. Stir it a bit so it doesn’t burn. That’s basically it. Now, why make it? What to do with it? Let’s dive in.

Pancake Companion

My wife loves, loves pancakes, so we have them pretty frequently. We’ll get into the whole pancake journey and recipe another time, since nailing that recipe is a bit complex and requires some intentional technique and patience. But here’s a quick photo if you wanna dive in. For now, we’re going to talk about my favorite pancake topping, because you can make this along with any pancakes, even stuff out of a box, and really elevate the game.

Compote is a very fast and easy recipe that helps bring some really bright flavors, and most importantly to me, an alternative to maple syrup as a pancake topping. Pancakes are already a massive glycemic load, in the form of all these simple carps and sugars, and then people just pour more sugar on top. Pretty good way to wreck your day right from the get to.

So, I’m always looking for ways to offset that. For me, butter and berries are my main toppings, and I’ll add a little touch of maple where and there.

So, I whip up the compote either just before or while the pancakes are going down. This morning, Regina was making the pancakes, and I threw this together while she was already starting to cook them.

Frozen is Fine. Microwaves are fine.

The trick to really speeding it up is to microwave the berries so they exude all their luscious juices, since that’s what you’re going for, anyway. The objective here is a pool of blueberry juice that you can soak into your pancakes, and it doesn’t take long to get there.

I poured an inexact amount of frozen blueberries into a microwave safe bowl, then microwaved them on high for 2 minutes, then poured them out into a saucepan. Then, I drizzled an also inexact amount of sugar over top of the berries.

If you don’t have have a microwave, you can just put them in a saucepan and go to the next step, it will just take a little longer. And if you’re not in a hurry, you can skip the microwave stage and save yourself a step and a dirty bowl.

Enamel Vs. Non-Stick Cookware

I like a small enameled saucepan for this, because it’s as close as you can get to non-stick without introducing toxic chemicals directly into your food. We’re not doing that, right? I get that some people like the convenience, but that’s not a game I’m willing to play with my health, especially when other alternatives exist.

Speaking of using enameled cast iron in leu of non-stick cookware, that tiny little skillet on the next burner is my choice for making eggs, particularly if I’m making a small amount of scrambled eggs, or frying a single egg.

You simply need to preheat the pan for a few minutes, so that the egg proteins immediately seize up when the egg goes in, rather than slowly binding to the pan as it warms up.

I have the patience for this. My wife does not. So, she generally doesn’t get as much non-stick performance out of it as I do. Hence that little bit of egg residue you see there.

I’ll do a demo of this for you another time.

Back to the Berries

Once the berries and sugar are in the pan, you just need to apply a gentle simmer and stir them occasionally until you get the texture you like. For this application, it can still be very wet and soak deep into the pancakes, or you can thicken it jump a bit if you prefer it sits on top and doesn’t soak in as much.

How much sugar should you use? I opt for a very small amount of sugar for this application, that way I can still add a little maple syrup to adjust sweetness at the table. Then you get the best of both worlds.

So, in summary, here’s all you really need to know: Put some berries and sugar in a small pot, simmer it until you’re done making your pancakes, and enjoy.

Don’t limit yourself to just blueberries. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, whatever, they’re all delicious.

Blueberry Compote Recipe

• 1 Cup Blueberries (I eyeballed it, let’s be honest)

• 1/4 Cup Sugar (more or less to taste. I eyeballed this, too.)

Steps:

• Microwave blueberries for a minute or two (especially if using frozen) to speed up release of juices, then pour into a small saucepan and add sugar.

• Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to maintain a very gently simmer. Stir frequently to prevent scorching (which shouldn’t happen at a low temp with so much berry juice)

• Remove from heat at your desired thickness, pour into a jar for serving / keeping. Store leftover in the fridge. Eat before they get moldy.

Give it a go and send me a photo. Let me know how it goes.

Don’t burn it. You’ll regret it.

Psst, hey! You know what would go great with this recipe? My other newsletter!

Sunday Photography Journal is just that, a bunch of beautiful photos to look at early on Sunday morning.

Sign up today and you’ll be on the next issue tomorrow!

Sunday Photography Journal

Photographed - June 16, 2016, 3:12pm - 4:54pm

A surf-side neighborhood with a dreamy name and wild history.

I don’t quite know what it is that lodged Outer Sunset so firmly in my memory. I roamed many neighborhood in San Francisco, and enjoyed a ton of them, but over the years my mind always seems to wander back to Outer Sunset.

It’s a crossroads I’d never seen - the city just fades out into the sands

It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before, I suppose. Living on the East Coast, mostly in New York City, I never encountered this sort of laid back, sorta run down surfer town that’s clearly filled with artists, beach bums, and bohemians, given the bold color schemes and designs of several homes I stumbled across. The shops I explored catered to surf merch, art supplies, bohemian boutique goods, vegan food, there was even a coffee shop that sold fresh young coconuts for sipping.

I love it out here.

I think what’s so amazing about it is that it’s still part of San Francisco, but the scale and density are so much different than the central parts I spent most of my time in. I was staying with friends in SoMa, and we spent a ton of time eating in the Mission District, and the vibe of this place is so much more chill and calm that that. You can sort of feel the calm of the beach seep into the land, and time moves slower here.

Maybe it’s like that in every beach town, but the fact that this isn’t some far flung sleepy place, but the edge of a major city, is what really astounds me about it. It’s not like this in Coney Island, or Rockaway Park in NYC - they don’t have the sense of relaxation I felt out here. I guess that’s part of the whole West Coast vibe, after all.

Maybe I should go back.

And get into surfing.

I hear it’s nice.

Interesting Origins

I learned a bit of interesting history about this place. One of the locations I shot had two different names on the signage. The wall has “Case for Making” painted on the side, which is what I titled the files, but the window says “Carville Annex.” As I was reading up on the Sunset District, of which Outer Sunset is a subset, I discovered it’s ragged beginnings as Carville. When electrified street cars & cable cars came on the scene, the made obsolete the older horse-drawn street cars, which were sold off at discount prices just to get rid of them quickly.

He called it “The Annex” and catered to day trippers

A guy who lived in a hut out here in the barren “Great Sand Wastes” in the 1890s used one of these defunct trolleys as a coffee shop that he named “The Annex”. Eventually the dunes got filled with folks living in the horse-cars, and the area took on the name Carville. So I’m guessing the name of the art supply store I visited was related to that.

Photographic Doubts

There are several photographs I’m sharing here that I almost didn’t share, due to them not being the strongest and most compelling imagery - but I thought it better to have them here as, at least, historical documentation of what the neighborhood was like at the time, and a catalog of what caught my eye there.

I could fill several volumes, I’m sure, with the punishment I put my work through, especially this early work from my first years as a full time professional photographer. But, just because I can see a lot of room for improvement, doesn’t mean these works are without merit. There is value in them inherently by virtue of their existance, and they don’t own anything to anyone to be wildly spectacular. And if I let that mindset run rampant, as of most often do, I would never share any of my imagery, for fear that I could always make some improvement, and if I don’t then ridicule is just around the corner.

I caulk this up to too much time worrying about what others will think, rather than just letting myself be pleased with my art and enjoy it for its own sake, which is clearly the much better mindset to cultivate.

Prints - Outer Sunset

Here are some of my favorites from this neighborhood, fit to hang on your wall.

Contact me if you’re interested in a print.

I think these might do well in a photo book, so it’s got my mind going about making one. I could do a short zine for just Outer Sunset, or a whole book for the entirety of SF. That would be quite the endeavor. I should probably start with small neighborhood zines - that way I can cut my teeth on it a bit as I work my way up. And, I can release smaller things while I build out the individual components of the larger book. I’m liking this idea.

Support

Hey, you made it to the bottom. It’s really nice to see you here.

You must be enjoying what I’m up to here to have made it this far. What do you say to helping me keep the lights on around here? Nothing is more encouraging than knowing my art can help sustain me and feed my family - and when it does, that frees me up to spend even more time making art.

Here are the best ways to help:

Purchase a Print

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If you do any of these, I’ll enter you in a monthly drawing for a free print!