Hotel Photography New England

I feel like the whole world is poised at the starting line of a race, just waiting for the signal, and when it goes off we’re all going to run as fast as we can to all the places we’ve been dreaming of.  While we’ve been staying home and safe, the hotels have been getting ready for us.  Where will you go when it’s time to travel?

We recently completed a hotel photography project featuring lifestyle photos of ‘guests’ enjoying themselves at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA.  Having used the down time during the pandemic to renovate their lobby, the hotel wanted to feature the warm tones and inviting spaces that would await guests as they returned to travelling.

As a commercial photographer in Boston this was a dream project to work on because there were so few guests at the time that we were able really spread out and make full use of the space. That’s something that would never be possible otherwise with a hotel in the middle of Harvard Square!

21001-02-4157.jpg
21001-02-4254.jpg
21001-01-3133.jpg
21001-02-3963.jpg
21001-01-2860.jpg

Boston Restaurant Photography

Boston Restaurant Photography

As a food photographer in Boston I spend a great deal of time in restaurants, bars, and hotels, seeing what chefs are up to. When the world started to shut its doors last spring I didn’t think it’d be so long before I’d go back to see them, and I had no idea how much I’d miss it. After a year in this pandemic, with vaccines on the way, and spring coming, I’m starting to think about the things I’m most excited to get back to. I can’t wait to get rid of my mask. I can’t wait for long days in the summer sun. And most definitely, I can’t wait to go back to restaurants in a real way. To dine gloriously on creative and delicious food in the soft evening light and the din of a crowd…

Read More

The Pickers

For the past several summers I have been working with Red Tomato documenting farms, and in particular farmworkers, along the East Coast.  It is by far my favorite thing that I get to do all year. Something about being out with the sun on my face and my feet in the dirt just really makes me feel good. Along the way I got to know a lot of the men and women that bring food to our table and have been honored to tell their story.  I'm looking forward to getting back out there again this year!

food photograph by Boston photographer Adam DeTour
Portrait of farmworker on apple orchard by Boston Photographer Adam DeTour
Portrait of farmworkers on New England Farm by Boston editorial photographer Adam DeTour.
Portrait of workers on a commercial farm taking a break by editorial. Boston based photographer Adam DeTour.
Portrait of farmworkers on a commercial apple farm in Massachussetts by Boston Photographer Adam DeTour
Commercial photography portrait of farmworker on Connecticut farm by commercial photographer Adam DeTour.
Editorial portrait of farmworker on farm in New England by Adam DeTour.

Harvard GSD: Platform 9

For the past couple of years I've had the honor of photographing for the Harvard Graduate School of Design's annual publication: Platform.  Platform is a compendium of selected student works highlighting novel ideas in architecture. This year, amazing architect and assistant professor Jennifer Bonner took the reigns of Platform 9: Still Life and suggested adding color to the whole project.  Jennifer was inspired by the work of Barbara Kasten and asked I could incorporate some of the feeling of Kasten's work into the project.  It was a interesting and welcome challenge to experiment with colored lights on set.  In some instances we used fairly complex color theory to balance while getting colored shadows, at other times we were purely experimenting. What resulted was a beautiful, whacky, colorful arrangement of still lives that ultimately graced both the publication, as well as the gallery space in the Harvard GSD building alongside the models themselves.

Below I've included the colorful Platform 9 images, shots of the show in the Harvard GSD Gallery, as well as some portraits of Harvard GSD faculty and architectural model shots from previous years.

(Shots of works in the physical gallery copyright: Justin Knight & Harvard University Graduate School of Design)

Cover of Platform 9: Still Life

Cover of Platform 9: Still Life

16025-01-207.jpg
16025-01-142.jpg
Inside page of Platform 9: Still Life

Inside page of Platform 9: Still Life

Pictures in the Harvard GSD Gallery.  Copyright Harvard GSD/Justin Knight

Pictures in the Harvard GSD Gallery.  Copyright Harvard GSD/Justin Knight

03232017_Still_Life_Exhibit_026.jpg
Wodiczko_K-1662.jpg
16025-01-098.jpg
03232017_Still_Life_Exhibit_036.jpg
Inside page of Platform 9: Still Life

Inside page of Platform 9: Still Life

16047-01-022.jpg
16047-01-132.jpg
03232017_Still_Life_Exhibit_042.jpg
03232017_Still_Life_Exhibit_079.jpg
La_G-086.jpg
16025-01-259.jpg
16047-01-517.jpg
Hays_M-753.jpg
16025-01-463.jpg
16047-01-189.jpg
03232017_Still_Life_Exhibit_038.jpg
03232017_Still_Life_Exhibit_027.jpg
Mehotra_R-668.jpg
Forsyth_A-223.jpg
16025-01-076.jpg
16047-01-580.jpg
Malkawi_A-2246.jpg
16025-01-405.jpg
16025-01-571.jpg

Unispace: Think Create Make

I had the great opportunity to go on the road to shoot employee portraits for Unispace, a commercial interior design firm based in Boston.  It was amazing getting to see this great big country of ours hitting Boston, New York, Washington DC, Columbus, Chicago, Minneapolis, LA, San Francisco, and Seattle along the way.   With the help of my best good buddy, Matt Baldelli, we hit 9 cities in 3 weeks, stayed in 7 hotels, shot upwards of 10,000 pictures, with a total of 150 final images, and it all went off without a hitch.

Took a little break in Washington DC to have a drink and play some pool.  I lost.

Took a little break in Washington DC to have a drink and play some pool.  I lost.

There's not much time to sightsee when you're on the go, but at least we got to see the Washington monument on the way to the airport!

There's not much time to sightsee when you're on the go, but at least we got to see the Washington monument on the way to the airport!

Matt takes in the view of the lake in Chicago

Matt takes in the view of the lake in Chicago

Minneapolis here we come!

Minneapolis here we come!

We spend our down day in LA down in Santa Monica under a perfect sky.

We spend our down day in LA down in Santa Monica under a perfect sky.

Sometimes when you're on the road for as long as we were you have to take some time for yourself.  Matt and I decided to drive the Pacific Coast Highway between LA and SF.  We ended up in Big Sur right at sunset and it was hands down the best part of the trip!

Had a chance to get up on the cliffs for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF

Had a chance to get up on the cliffs for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge in SF

When you end a travel job in Seattle you stop off at the Starbuck Reserve Roastery, it's what you do.

When you end a travel job in Seattle you stop off at the Starbuck Reserve Roastery, it's what you do.

See ya, Seattle!  Heading home to Boston!

See ya, Seattle!  Heading home to Boston!

Edible Boston: New City Microcreamery

For my most recent article in Edible Boston I got a chance to check out the New City Microcreamery in Hudson, MA.  Opened in May 2015 by the same people who brought the Rail Trail Flatbread Co. to Hudson (located across the street), the microcreamery brings a new spin to an old practice.  Each batch of ice-cream is cooled with liquid nitrogen, resulting in a very cool (literally) cloud that is a wonder to watch.  

It's such a neat and interesting thing to see the ice cream being made, so I brought my trusty black background to isolate the process from it's surroundings. 

15055-01-2-4.jpg

Boston Harbor Hotel: Beyond Compare

I'm honored and excited to be working with the Boston Harbor Hotel, documenting their newly renovated rooms and revamped room service menu.  The hotel sits right on Boston Harbor at beautiful Rowes Wharf, offering sweeping views of both the harbor and city, it really is beyond compare.  

Working with food stylist, Catrine Kelty, we took an editorial approach to shooting the food on the room service menu and got some great results.  Robin Reilly styled the room shots and boy was I glad to have her there!

16014-01-1286.jpg
Catrine taking a break on the balcony overlooking the harbor.

Catrine taking a break on the balcony overlooking the harbor.

Sometimes you've gotta jump on the bed to get the shot.

Sometimes you've gotta jump on the bed to get the shot.

Edible Boston: Microgreens

Technically speaking, microgreens are the shoots of salad vegetables such as arugula, Swiss chard, mustard, beetroot, etc., picked just after the first leaves have developed.  It's said that they pack four to six times more nutrients than their fully grown counterparts.  For a recent issue of Edible Boston I got to visit several area growers including We Grow Microgreens, LLC and First Leaves Family Farm.

Working on a tiny scale I tried to bring across the colors and textures of the microgreens, by creating full page images of the leaves.

 

 

Boston Magazine: Tiger Mama

Opened in December 2015, Tiger Mama is Chef Tiffany Faison's homage to her travels in Southeast Asia.  The restaurant features a vibrant decor, including a living wall growing herbs for the kitchen, two bars, and a knockout menu.

Just before it's opening I got to shoot this sneak preview dish. The duck marinated in ginger, garlic, scallions, fish sauce, and Shoaling wine, smoked for four hours, then fried.

DownEast & Improper: THANKSGIVING

There are some times that being a food photographer really pays off.  One of those times is leading up to Thanksgiving.  This year I got to bring home the leftovers from not one, not two, but THREE Thanksgiving dinners!  Below are the pictures from the first two with DownEast Magazine and the Improper Bostonian.  

 

Edible Boston: Dancing Goats Dairy

One of my favorite assignments from Edible Boston's Summer 2015 issue was the story on Dancing Goats Dairy in Newbury MA.  I had the opportunity to go up to the farm, tucked away on a beautiful corner of Tendercrop Farm, and spend the day with owner Erin Bligh.  I rarely encounter people that so clearly love what they do.  As writer Deb Kaneb so eloquently puts it, "Pure joy radiates from Erin Bligh when she talks about her treasured goats and the journey that led her to build a goat dairy on the North Shore of Massachusetts last year."  

While we walked around the farm the baby goats followed Erin with bounding excitement wherever she went.  As I got to meet more of them it became clear that they each have their own personalities.  Some were curious, others boisterous, and some had a clear interest in being photographers!

15021-01-145.jpg

After shooting the story at the farm I decided it would be a perfect place to start my first short film.  With a few days of filming I've collected a mountain of footage to sift through. Stay tuned in the coming months for the Dancing Goats movie!

Boston Magazine: Best Of Boston

Every year Boston Magazine does a Best of Boston issue to highlight the shining stars of Boston.  I got to cover some of the best new restaurants and food stuffs around town (and got to try a few samples as well!).

I started by heading over to Menton to photograph Chef Scott Jones' latest creation, hot dogs!  You might think you heard that wrong, yes Menton is serving hot dogs.  These are no ordinary hot dogs though.  With such choices as the foie-gras frankfurter and the lobster roll dog, these are definitely gourmet.  

What started as a birthday tradition for Chef Jones, hot dogs and champagne, has become a welcome new addition to Menton's menu.

Even Creative Director, Eric Mongeon, got in on the food styling!

 

Next up I went over to Matt Jenning's new restaurant, Townsman.  Located where Chinatown meets the Financial district, Townsman fills a void in dining options in the area.  The roasted lamb ribs with maple-rhubarb barbecue sauce is a can't miss, and the brown bread with maple-honey whipped butter served atop the bottom side of a maple syrup can is as fun as it is delicious.  

Lastly I headed to back to my studio with the one and only Catrine Kelty to shoot some summer barbecue.  Want to have a barbecue but hate to cook?  Check out places like Fort Hill Jerk Chicken in Roxbury or Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar for some great takeout options.  

DownEast Magazine: Best Restaurants

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to take a bit of a road trip up to Maine to photograph the Best Restaurants feature for DownEast Magazine.  I spent several days traveling to Kittery, Portland and way up north to Rockland and Rockport.  After several years of running laps around Boston it was a nice change of pace to head out on the road and see what Maine's foodie scene has to offer.  

On the cover: Maine lobster gnocchi with asparagus at Outliers Eatery in Portland ME.

On the cover: Maine lobster gnocchi with asparagus at Outliers Eatery in Portland ME.

Roadtrip!

Roadtrip!

I started my trip in Kittery at Anju, a great noodle bar tucked away just over the border.  When I walked in I saw co-owner Julian Armstrong and quickly realized that I had met him before.  Julian used to work at The Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth where one of my friends growing up worked for many years and that I frequented often.

Julian Armstrong at Anju Noodle Bar in Kittery ME.

Julian Armstrong at Anju Noodle Bar in Kittery ME.

Shoyu Ramen with slow roasted pork shoulder at Anju Noodle Bar in Kittery ME

Shoyu Ramen with slow roasted pork shoulder at Anju Noodle Bar in Kittery ME

After a wonderful day at Anju I stopped over for the night at my Uncle's farm house in Lebanon before moving on to Portland in the morning.

The DeTour farmhouse on a snowy Maine morning.

The DeTour farmhouse on a snowy Maine morning.

First up in Portland was Blue Rooster.  To say that Blue Rooster serves hotdogs doesn't quite do it justice.  With items on the menu like the Seoul Dog topped with spicy kimchi, toasted peanuts and garlic mayo, and a side of tater tot poutine, its more than just hotdogs!

The Seoul Dog with a side of Tater Tot Poutine at Blue Rooster in Portland ME

The Seoul Dog with a side of Tater Tot Poutine at Blue Rooster in Portland ME

Next up was my favorite from the list, Outliers Eatery.  Everything about Outliers is wonderful.  Executive Chef Jonathan Dexter is warm and welcoming, the food is spectacular and the design of the place is breathtaking (the tabletops, oh the tabletops!)  Tucked away on a quiet side street in Portland it would be easy to miss, but Outliers is definitely worth searching out.

Maine Lobster Gnocchi with Asparagus at Outliers Eatery in Portland, ME.

Maine Lobster Gnocchi with Asparagus at Outliers Eatery in Portland, ME.

Executive Chef Jonathan Dexter of Outliers Eatery

Executive Chef Jonathan Dexter of Outliers Eatery

The last leg of the trip took me several hours north to Rockland and Rockport. Salt Water Farms, open seasonally, is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the water (although I was there on a bone chilling day so it looked over the ice!)

Jerusalem Artichoke salad with bacon, watercress, parsley, and grain-mustard-and-lemon vinaigrette at Salt Water Farms in Rockport ME

Jerusalem Artichoke salad with bacon, watercress, parsley, and grain-mustard-and-lemon vinaigrette at Salt Water Farms in Rockport ME

An icy view over the water in Rockport ME

An icy view over the water in Rockport ME

Last up was 3Crow in Rockland.  A great spot on the main drag run by Joshua Hixon.  

Sous Chef Rose Valentine preparing a dish in the kitchen of 3Crow in Rockport ME

Sous Chef Rose Valentine preparing a dish in the kitchen of 3Crow in Rockport ME

Josh Hixon of 3Crow in Rockport ME

Josh Hixon of 3Crow in Rockport ME