Star Fusion and Bar
Sushi and Mongolian fusion restaurant lifestyle and menu photography
Star Fusion and Bar on Capitol Hill was the first place I sat down at when restaurants first opened back up in Spring 2020. I fell in love with Ernie and Mya’s hospitality immediately, and I’ve been a regular ever since. I have been so thrilled to watch this family-owned restaurant grow and prevail over the last year. There is so much passion and creativity behind every single dish, and every single item on their menu is just so amazing.
It’s the place I want to take all my friends to (and I have), and these days it’s the only place I really ever go out to! Needless to say, to be able to immortalize some of their creations yesterday was an absolute honor and privilege!
About Star Fusion and Bar
Star is a family run Asian fusion restaurant and bar in the Upper Broadway neighborhood in Capitol Hill.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
A LOOK INSIDE HOW THE PROJECT WAS STYLED AND PHOTOGRAPHED
Around the time of their one year anniversary, the owners of Star were looking to refresh their menu imagery and incorporate some of the environment of their cozy restaurant space.
In addition, I gave their website a bit of a facelift by updating the images, adding a new gallery page, and making the overall site easier to navigate and order online with.
Café Zum Zum
Counter service cafe lifestyle and menu photography
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
After the unexpected selling of their former building, family owned Café Zum Zum celebrated their reopening in the Market at Central Square with a rebrand and photo refresh. Working with them over the course of two weeks and getting a look inside the business that owner Shaw Mahmood is so incredibly passionate about was an absolute honor.
My first session with them took place on the opening day after several months of their establishment being closed during their move. Even in their first couple of hours back in action, many loyal customers of the café showed up and ordered their lunch. Shaw greeted each and every one as an old friend, even in spite of everyone’s faces being partially hidden by masks.
Café Zum Zum is clearly held in high esteem by its visitors, and the quality of their food and speed of their service says it all. After our menu photography session, I was sent home with enough food to feed all five of my friends at the mountain the next day. It’s affordable as heck, served in less than a minute from your order, and reheated even on a camping stove incredibly well.
The whole experience left me wondering why I had never heard of this wonderful locally-owned gem.
About Café Zum Zum
Café Zum Zum is a family owned weekday counter-serve lunch destination for traditional Indian & Pakistani curries.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
A look inside how the project was styled and photographed
This was a relatively quick and simple project on a mini suite package. It included a gallery of lifestyle images from behind the counter, as well as a flat lay frame of each menu item.
Since Café Zum Zum prides itself on quality food and quick, takeout service (especially considering we’re amidst a global Patricia) I also took some dishes home with me and photographed them in take out situations.
McMenamins
Hotel, travel, and lifestyle campaign for McMenamins
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This lifestyle, hotel, and restaurant and bar photography project for McMenamins took place over the span of several months and many adventures. This family-owned chain of brewpub-historic hotel-music venues is absolutely full of whimsy and subsequently has a cult following here in the Pacific Northwest.
The partnership was coordinated and arranged through Maxwell PR + Engagement, and I was given a very expansive creative license. Rather than photograph each destination from head to toe, the goal was to be as authentic as possible, choose my own adventure, and document from the heart. I was given a passport, a itinerary was arranged, and the story-telling commenced. That said, one of the most interesting challenges of this project was that I was my own subject, meaning a lot of carefully composed self portraits were taken throughout. Some of which feature my boyfriend and travel partner.
The combination of photography and self-portraiture, copy writing, and travel made my partnership with McMenamins truly unique and creative exercise.
About McMenamins
McMenamins is a family-owned chain of brewpubs, breweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs in Oregon and Washington. Many of their locations are in rehabilitated historical properties; at least nine are on the National Register of Historic Places
INSIDE THE PROJECT
A LOOK INSIDE HOW THE PROJECT WAS STYLED AND PHOTOGRAPHED
ELK’S TEMPLE
McMenamins latest establishment at the time in the heart of Tacoma, WA. Elks Temple was originally built in 1916 and sat vacant for several years until McMenamins reopened it as a seven story hotel/restaurant/bar/concert venue masterpiece this April. With this adventure came such a deep level of appreciation for McMenamins and the way they pour so much love and honor into old, historic places.
KALAMA HARBOR LODGE
Continuing on with the tour, we found ourselves finishing the evening at Kalama Harbor Lodge. Situated on the Port of Kalama, it has to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing locations you could possibly enjoy a beer or wine flight. And don’t get me started on its lovely headboards.
McMENAMINS CRYSTAL HOTEL and BALLROOM
This was not my first time at Crystal Hotel by any means. In fact, it was where I stayed the first time I visited Portland in 2014. This was, however, the most exciting time. Not only did my passport take me on a full tour, but it just so happened to be Pride Weekend and McMenamins was hosting their own block party in celebration.
Like all McMenamins establishments, Crystal Hotel has many stories to tell through its incredibly rich and colorful history. In addition to highlighting its many pasts, I wanted to also put emphasis on its LGBTQ+ roots in honor of Pride Weekend.
McMENAMINS SIX ARMS
McMenamins first came onto my radar in 2011 when I met my friend Lee. To this day, he is the bar manager of Capitol Hill’s Six Arms Pub, and a slammin’ mixologist at that. Each season, he writes a menu of (mostly) punny craft cocktails. Each has received rave reviews, some even from the owners of McMenamins themselves.
The holiday menu, year after year, is my absolute favorite of his. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about Lee’s secret eggnog recipe all year long. And if the eggnog doesn’t get you, “Sithmas Tree” certainly will (especially when Lee garnishes it to look like Baby Yoda!) So when December rolled around, I offered to highlight Six Arms for not only its bright and cozy environment, but the atmosphere and quirkiness behind it.
Kin Slips
Product and lifestyle photography for a sublingual cannabis company.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This was a full product content creation project I conducted for California-based Kin Slips, a company that produces cannabis infused sublingual strips. At the time of this project, they offered three blends that all served different lifestyles and purposes. The client wanted both lifestyle and product flat lays for web and social media use that highlighted these lifestyles.
I’m not a huge fan of THC products these days, but for the sake of being fully immersed in the product and lifestyle, I experimented with the microdose version of each. As we dive deeper into this blog, I will briefly talk about my experience with each and how it contributed to the inspiration behind the images.
About Kin Slips
Kin Slips offers compact, portable blends of cannabis infused sublingual strips. In other words, weed that dissolves under your tongue that give you a precise dose quickly! They are formulated for positive effects on lifestyle and health, and are all 100% natural plant based.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
A look inside how the project was styled and photographed
MEET CLOUD BUSTER
A BLEND FOR CREATIVE ENERGY AND FOCUS
Or as I like to call it: "The one that makes you wanna do stuff." Cloud Buster is crafted with cannabinoids and terpenes commonly found in sativa strains. It's made with productivity in mind, and has flavor hints of tarragon and citrus. My extremely active roommate (pictured left) loved this one for the gym. I, on the other hand, don't think I was cut out for the hyper focus this one gave me! Try going on a picnic with a new boyfriend and trying to keep your cool when all you can think about is what to put on your grocery list. Yep. That was me.
MEET PARK LIFE
A BLEND FOR CALMING COMFORT AND RELIEF
AKA "the one that makes you want to zen out in nature." I just love this one. Park Life is formulated with pain-relieving cannibnoids and terpenes commonly found in CBD strains. With its 10:1 CBD to THC ratio, it's a great addition to a wellness routine without a crazy high (so perfect for me!) It has flavor hints of mango and turmeric, which gives it kind of a tropical but spicy flavor. My friends I shared the product with and I had a blast trialing this one on hikes.
MEET NICE DREAM
A BLEND FOR EASYGOING BALANCE AND TRANQUILITY
Otherwise known as, "The one that suddenly makes you a bath bomb and Netflix binge extraordinaire." These days, they're calling it "Float On," but I'll always remember it as Nice Dream, because that's exactly what it was. It's composed of relaxing cannibinoids and terpenes you'll find in indica strains. Kin Slips claims it's ideal for "taking the edge off after a hard day's work or relaxing by the pool." Pools are far and few up here in Seattle, so I relaxed by my Netflix machine instead. While it pours rain. outside. It's got flavors of mint and watermelon, which also happen to make for good cocktail ingredients. Also one of my favorite ways to relax after a hard day's work!