Adam DeTour

Harvard GSD: Platform 9

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For the past couple of years I've had the honor of photographing for the Harvard Graduate School of Design's annual publication: Platform. As a Boston architecture photographer this project was a complete dream come true. Platform is a compendium of selected student works highlighting novel ideas in architecture. This year, amazing architect and assistant professor Jennifer Bonner took the reins 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 an 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.

You can see even more of my work for Platform over the years here

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

Still Life Platform 9 publication for the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring photography by Boston photographer Adam DeTour

Cover of Platform 9: Still Life

Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Still Life Platform 9 publication for the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring photography by architecture photographer Adam DeTour

Inside page of Platform 9: Still Life

Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by architectural photographer Adam DeTour

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

Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by Boston architectural photographer Adam DeTour
Portrait of Krzysztof Wodiczko from Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 8
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by Boston commercial photographer Adam DeTour
Still Life Platform 9 publication for the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring photography by Boston architectural photographer Adam DeTour

Inside page of Platform 9: Still Life

Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by Boston architectural photographer Adam DeTour
Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by Boston photographer Adam DeTour
Portrait of Grace La from Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 8
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
K Michael Hays Portrait from Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 8
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by architectural photographer Adam DeTour
Stil Life - Platform 9 Exhibit at the Harvard Graduate School of Design featuring work by Boston photographer Adam DeTour
Portrait of Rahul Mehrotra from Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 8
Portrait of Ann Forsyth from Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 8
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Portrait of Ali Malkawi from Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 8
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour
Image of student architectural models featured in Harvard Graduate School of Design Publication Platform 9 Still Life by Boston Architectural Photographer Adam DeTour

Edible Boston: New City Microcreamery

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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. 

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Boston Harbor Hotel: Beyond Compare

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I'm honored and excited to be working with the Boston Harbor Hotel, making architectural images of their newly renovated rooms and revamped room service menu.  As a Boston hotel photographer, there really isn’t a better property I can think of to work on. 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 guest room shots and boy was I glad to have her there!

Guest room at the Boston Harbor Hotel by hospitality photographer Adam DeTour
Boston Harbor Hotel breakfast tea amenity photographed by hospitality photographer Adam DeTour
Room at the Boston Harbor Hotel photographed by hospitality photographer Adam DeTour
Presidential Suite at the Boston Harbor Hotel by commercial photographer Adam DeTour
Desk in the presidential suite at the Boston Harbor Hotel by hospitality photographer Adam DeTour
Hotel fruit plate at the Boston Harbor Hotel photographed by hospitality photographer Adam DeTour
Macaron dessert amenity at the Boston Harbor Hotel photographed by hospitality photographer Adam DeTour
Charcuterie board at the Boston Harbor Hotel by New England photographer Adam DeTour
Image of food stylist Catrine Kelty at the Boston Harbor Hotel

Catrine taking a break on the balcony overlooking the harbor.

Guest room at the Boston Harbor Hotel by professional photographer Adam DeTour
Hotel breakfast basket amenity at the Boston Harbor Hotel by photographer Adam DeTour
Image of Adam DeTour standing on a bed photographing the Boston Harbor Hotel

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

You can see more of my hotel and spa photography here.

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.

Microgreens photographed by Adam DeTour for Edible Boston Magazine

 

 

DownEast & Improper: THANKSGIVING

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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.  

 

Thanksgiving Stuffed Clams for Downeast Magazine by food photographer Adam DeTour

Boston Magazine: Best Of Boston

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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.  

Edible Boston: Compost

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Sometimes I enjoy a really challenging assignment for the surprise of how beautiful the pictures can be.  I recently shot a story for Edible Boston on the state of compost in Boston.  Massachusetts recently passed the Commercial Food Waste Ban which is a "ban on the disposal of commercial organic wastes by businesses and institutions."  It's a big step since the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nearly 21% of waste in landfills is food waste.  The new legislation is important and exciting but how do you make it look good? I took a trip out to a commercial compost operation on the north shore and snagged a few shots of the towering hills of compost in all its smelly glory, but it just didn't seem to be eye catching enough for the article.  Luckily I came prepared with a few buckets from the hardware store, threw on my gloves, and started picking stuff out of the piles.

With a few treasures in hand I went back to the studio and worked with my good friend and very talented food stylist George Simons who had saved his unused leftovers from the week.  Together we worked out a few arrangements of compost in its various stages that were fit to hang on a wall.

Edible Boston, Adam DeTour

We started by combining some of the inorganic things I found in the compost piles and combined them with George's leftovers.

Edible Boston, Adam DeTour

I found lots of bones, rocks, and leaves in the intermediate stage of the compost, which were great for this shot.

Edible Boston, Adam DeTour

The final product!

George Simons

Smiling George.

Boston Magazine: 50 Best Restaurants

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I recently had the good fortune to shoot Boston Magazine's 50 Best Restaurants feature with my good friend Michael Piazza.  What follows is my contribution to what was definitely one of the tastiest shoots I've done. On the cover is this tasty Pasta dish from Giulia in Porter Square

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Followed by O Ya in Chinatown.

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

A special thanks goes out to Asta on Mass Ave.  After a couple of weeks of shooting I was a bit under the weather when I walked it, but they were so welcoming and warm.  They definitely carried me through.

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Steel & Rye in Milton was a pleasant surprise to find over in Milton.  The rustic decor welcomes you right into such a large space.  Thanks to Bridget Tivnan for the extra food styling help!

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

It was amazing to see the inner workings of the one and only Menton in Fort Point, from the rituals of the candle lighting to the pre service stretches.

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Definitely take the time to check out the Salty Pig in Back Bay

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

This dish at Clio was a work of art that narrowly missed being the cover.

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Mei Mei Street Kitchen wowed us with their hospitality, serving up three wonderful dishes.

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Last but certainly not least is this artfully arranged apple pie over at Hungry Mother in Cambridge.

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Boston Magazine 50 Best Restaurants

Improper Bostonian: Setting The Tone and Table

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Check out my latest work on the Improper Bostonian's article Setting the Tone and Tablefeaturing the work of local wedding planners and designers. For the opening shot New England Country Rental utilized their massive warehouse space to build us an entire set, complete with a faux grass wall!  It was pretty wild to see these talented folks do what they do best.

Setting the Tone and Table

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Setting the Tone and Table

Next I caught up with Lauren Wells of Lauren Wells Events at her home in South Boston to photograph this beautiful moody blue table setting.

Setting the Tone and Table

Setting the Tone and Table

Setting the Tone and Table

Setting the Tone and Table

One of my favorites from the shoot was this tablescape from Lo McShay at Lolo Events in Cambridge.

Setting the Tone and Table

Finally we headed up to the north shore to shoot this subtly simple table from Tangorra Wedding Planning

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Setting the Tone and Table

Edible Boston: Indian Head Farm

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I recently had the opportunity to photograph Indian Head Farm in Berlin, MA for a story in Edible Boston.  The farm has been in the Wheeler family for almost 200 years.  Think about that.  Two. Hundred. Years.  That's a farm founded before the Civil War.  That's seven generations of farmers on the same land.  That's a very long time. One of my favorite images from the shoot is an image of family pictures laid out on the table.  When you're standing there looking out at the fields it's difficult to understand just how much history the family has there.  The pictures provided a glimpse into that history.

It wasn't until after the shoot that we realized another way to showcase the span of time that the Wheelers have been there. When we put the images of James Wheeler and the oil painting of his great-great-great grandfather from the civil war next to each other it was striking how similar they look.

Edible Boston Indian Head Farm

Edible Boston Indian Head Farm

Edible Boston Indian Head Farm

Edible Cocktails

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Out now is Edible Boston's first ever special edition Drink Issue with an article by Luke O'Neil about the connection between the kitchen and the bar.  For the story I was able to travel around to a wide variety of restaurants in the Boston area and photograph the drinks with their culinary counterpoints. And, of course, I may have sampled a few of the beverages. "Not too long ago bars and kitchens had an often adversarial relationship, particularly when it came to bars pilfering ingredients and not replacing them, or kitchens being stingy with the supply.  There was also a more substantial standoff at work in the bad old days of drinking, as Charles Draghi, chef and owner of Erbaluce explains. "For a chef, I was never a fan of cocktails, like a lot of chefs.  It used to mean a war between bar and customer's palate and what a chef was trying to do." Too many cocktails, before the current resurgence, were cloyingly sweet, or else overpoweringly alcoholic. You wouldn't want a diner to be drinking mudslides, say, or straight vodka martinis before a nice meal. But that all changed when bartenders and chefs realized they could work together to enhance the entire experience from first sip, on through the meal, and to the after dinner drink."

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Jenny Dell: Improper Bostonian

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NESN Red Sox reporter Jenny Dell on the cover of this week's Improper.On whether she gets sick of all that baseball: "I think anything you end up putting your all into, you love. So you eat, breathe, sleep and dream it. On my days off, I sit at home and watch the game. Once you’re a part of it, you’re all in."