Improper Bostonian: Bartenders Feature

I have, over the past year, spent a lot of time in bars around Boston.  That is, I have spent a lot of time photographing in bars around Boston for an upcoming self published book.  In that time I've thought a lot about what makes a great bar, and as simple as it sounds, its a great bartender.  Give me a dive bar with a great bartender over an expensive trendy bar any day. Great bartenders know that spirits can be as complex as wine and cocktails as nuanced as a delicious meal.  They know how to borrow from the past and innovate to create something new.  For this years Bartender's feature I got to photograph a few new faces and revisit a couple old friends.  Check out some of the outtakes from the shoot and keep your eye out for our book coming soon.

Boston Cocktail

Bartender Nicole LeClair

Boston Cocktail

Bartender Kevin Mabry

Boston Cocktail

Bartender Ezra Star

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Bartender Will Isaza

Boston Cocktail

Bartender Melinda Maddox

Boston Cocktail

Bartender Fred Yarm at the Russell House Tavern

Boston Cocktail

Improper Bostonian: Spring Arts Feature

I've always been fascinated by performers.  Actors, musicians, dancers, anyone who can get in front of a crowd and create magic before your very eyes.  However, I think it's easy to forget that behind the scenes there's a whole team of folks that help to make it happen.  I recently had the opportunity to get back stage at several of Boston's theatre companies and document the unsung heroes that keep the shows going.  Shot for the Improper Bostonian's Spring Arts feature, below are some outtakes from the shoots.

Wig and Makeup Designer Jason Allen

Actress Christine Power

Wardrobe Supervisor Amanda Ostrow

R. Murphy Knives: Edible Boston Winter 2014

R. Murphy Knives are made in Massachusetts - and have been for 163 years. With carbon steel sourced from Ohio, blades stamped out on a press from 1890, and often-reclaimed wood carved for their handles, their small team of craftsmen creates pure, local magic.  Read more at Edible.

Jenny Dell: Improper Bostonian

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."

College Bound: Edible Boston Spring 2013

Throwback time...college-bound kids work their green thumb in Edible Boston's Spring 2013 issue.

Edible Boston: Cultural Revolution Feature

I shoot a lot of food in a lot of places. Cheese in a lab? Not so much. For Edible Boston's Spring 2013 issue, I followed a group of Harvard fellows around their cramped laboratory as they tinkered with their strong-smelling test subjects...and discussed complex colonies of mold the way that that most people talk about sports teams.  Fascinating, to say the least. Rachel Dutton, Ben Wolfe and Julie Button have traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe collecting samples of over 160 cheese rinds, and studying the individual microbes that exist on each variety. Their finds may well revolutionize the cheese industry...read more at Edible.

Melody Ehsani

Melody Ehsani grew up in a traditional Persian home, destined for law school and a status-assigning marriage. The LA native chose a different route, however, and today her vibrant designs are snapped up by celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez. "I decided to break with my culture and follow my heart into a field I was internally drawn to….design," said Ehsani. "The more I designed shoes and products, the more it felt like the right thing for me to be doing."

Ehsani's style has become highly sought after, and Adam joined her on a recent day at Reebok's headquarters while she worked on a new shoe design.

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