Editorial food photography for the Monterey Peninsula's restaurants, chefs, wineries and tasting rooms. Twenty years of plates from Aubergine, L'Auberge Carmel, Seventh & Dolores, Nora's, the Hogs Breath Inn and O'Callaghan's, and the dining rooms, bars and patios around them. As Creative Director and Photographer for 65º Magazine, I photograph food the way it will be seen: on the menu, on the page, and on the phone at the next table.
Signature dishes as they leave the pass, cocktails at the bar, and the room at the hour it looks its best.
I do. I'm Manny Espinoza, a Carmel-by-the-Sea photographer, and I've photographed the Monterey Peninsula's restaurants for more than twenty years, including Aubergine, L'Auberge Carmel, Seventh & Dolores, Nora's, the Hogs Breath Inn and O'Callaghan's. I'm also Creative Director and Photographer for 65º Magazine, so the images are made with the printed page in mind.
A typical shoot covers signature plates and cocktails, the dining room and bar in their best light, and details like the chef at the pass or the patio at dusk. Dishes are photographed as they come off the line, styled lightly, with the kitchen's timing driving the schedule. Files are delivered retouched and licensed for menus, website, press and social media.
Most menu shoots run a half day, usually between lunch and dinner service so the kitchen can plate without pressure. Interiors and patio shots are timed to the light, often late afternoon into blue hour. Full-day sessions cover a complete menu change or a new opening.
Yes. Every image is captured at 102 megapixels on the Fujifilm GFX 100 II and delivered in print resolution for menus and press, web resolution for the site, and cropped versions for social media, all under a single commercial license.
“We at Edwins Kona in Carmel love Manny’s work. He captures our food photography and we have his landscapes on our walls. Five stars all day!”
Al Ma · Edwin’s Kona · ★★★★★ Google review
Tell me what's changing and when. I'll reply within one business day with an approach and a quote.