New Motion Work: Celebrating the Time Honored Tea Tradition of Chai

As drink that is not just enjoyed but also is an ancient tradition for the people of India, Chai has now captured attention in the US and around the world. It whispers of secret tales, riches and remedies. It's taste, smell and even how it is made has layers of mystique and intrigue. Dusty, rich, aromatic. Hints of cinnamon and citrus? The healing powers add more to the intrigue. Something so good offers up the healing antioxidant powers of the spices that are toasted and then brewed into the caramel colored beverage. Gosh, I am finding myself wanting one just thinking about it.

My team and I were inspired by this assignment, excited to take the visual voyage in capturing a bit of the essence of this culinary tradition. We wanted to focus on the elements closely, the movement and at the same time the stillness and meditative quality, the seductiveness of the process and the appetite appeal.

Feeling Optimistic with a Fresh New Website

Nothing makes you feel more excited than to share new work. As a photographer, sharing my work is both exciting and challenging. I strive to bring a fresh perspective of beauty to a world flooded with imagery.

It is for that reason am incredibly excited to share with you my new website. Every element is carefully considered as part of translating photos into powerful statements.

The way this website functions allows me to show, interactively, what my work is all about. Not just the different subject matter that I can shoot or the lighting. It shares a mindful approach to what I care about. Explaining what drives me and what my passion is. This website features foods and moods from sweets to drinks to what is on the table. There are also collections of fine art work, motion, and some of my favorite moments behind the scenes.

Through this new website, I get to share my commercial work, my tear sheets, my studio, my social media and also my personal work, a series of abstract landscapes.


My hope is that it becomes clear that the way I approach my work is through intuition. Passion for food, wellness, art and social causes fuels what I do. Imagery is powerful, it can change the way that you view the world around you. Through exploring this website I hope it leaves you feeling as encouraged and optimisitc as I do.

Vision Through Editorial Collaboration

Trends are everywhere, and sometimes we aren't even aware of how they are impacting our lives. A crucial aspect of being a food photographer is keeping up with trends. That's why it is always such a pleasure to work with relevant publications that explore new ideas.

My ongoing collaboration with the national healthy eating publication Eating Well has been another way my team has stayed on top of new trends. Eating Well strives to stay on top of food and style trends in the food world and reflect them in its pages. Working with this team is inspiring, and some of the stories I've shot for them have won James Beard Awards. It has been an honor to have been assigned some of their cover photographs, which are always fun to do! These covers feature a variety of foods and exemplify a sense of wellness. I love the challenge of finding the right perspective to bring to these covers and the range of content I've worked with. 

The most recent issue of Eating Well was so relevant for me. The whole issue is about California, where I live, work, eat and cook for my family. And the story I got to photograph celebrates the amazing California Avocado! Especially relevant since it is a favorite food in my family, Eva's friends requesting it for breakfast when they stay over. I love it as a delicious way of getting our Omega 3's which are so good for brain health. Plus avocados are so visually appealing! 

Letting My Intuition Be My Visionary Guide

"I believe that art can heal and passion for food, wellness, art, and social causes fuels all that I do." - Leigh Beisch

We wanted to know how Leigh Beisch developed her intuition for photography. Was it her brain on auto-pilot, was it learned or a combination of the two? We asked Leigh about her background, influences, and vision for the future. Here is what she had to say:

Growing up under the spirited influences of an advertising creative director dad and a mom that worked in fashion before she became a poet meant learning about life from a visual perspective and being able to communicate in different ways. Our house was filled with inspiration. From stacks of fashion and literary magazines to stories and visits from well-known photographers and writers. Later at RISD, I was challenged to think about the applications of creativity, discovering what drives me to create (content) and light, always the light.

Today I channel many of those influences; whether I am collaborating with clients or creating work for myself, I strive to bring a perspective of beauty and nurturing to a world inundated with messaging and imagery. My approach to collaboration is empathic - always considering the project from start to finish and in an authentic, integrated fashion. Every element of production is mindfully considered to translate my photographs into powerful, yet nuanced statements. As I discovered through poetry, I still love the element of surprise and adopt a fearless approach when it comes to exploring ideas and trying new and unexpected things. With an eye towards the future in my DNA, I’m always looking to riff and change, adapt and roll, no matter how simplistic or complex.

Through my photographs, I aim to give back and demonstrate how beautiful imagery can equate to a sense of health and well-being.

I am drawn to the natural light and strive to use it in its authentic and transparent way. I’ve always believed that the best imagery reflects an iconic moment in time and culture, and I always look forward to seeing where the world is going and how my work can reflect popular minds and moods with my point-of-view.

I believe that art can heal and passion for food, wellness, art, and social causes fuels all that I do. As my career continues to evolve, I’m always looking for ways to engage with the human condition and how to demonstrate how truly connected we all are in this big picture called life.

Check out Leigh's latest stills and motion on her new website or follow her on Instagram for more professional food photography, and to witness her exploration of how food and family nourish and nurtures.

Festive Super Bowl Appetizers for the Big Day

This Sunday my father who just moved here from Boston, will come over to my house to watch the Super Bowl and to yell and scream at the TV, rooting for his team, guess who?! The Patriots have kept us entertained for a few years now, keeping us on our toes until the end and then winning the game giving us New Englander's a feeling of relief and patriotism. This year, I teamed up with a my own fun group. Food stylist and blogger Betsy Haley and prop stylist Mikhael Romain to create some fun, colorful veggie chip appetizers and such that could be served at not just fancy holiday parties, but Super Bowl or Emmy watching as well! Veggie chips add a layer of color, texture and healthfulness to the mix. Also using these colorful veggies to create fun and healthy dips as well.

Adding some sweet jam to a baked brie makes this appetizer completely irresistible. The sweet coolness of the jam contrasting with the warm savory cheese- oh boy!

Additional bonus for a quick, sweet pick-me-up ending- Affagato's! (ice cream in a pool of creamy coffee!)

Foods and Moods, Foraged Aromatics for Holiday Infused Cocktails that Heal the Body and Soul

The San Francisco Bay area was home to the Miwok Indians. These people lived off the land, foraging for ingredients that grew wild to both nourish and heal them. Come fall time, the prevalent ingredients were mostly berry like, dark in color, inky and red. Also prevalent were healing and scented leaves and things like rose hips, the remnants of beautiful wild roses. Dan, our food stylist,  spends a lot of time hiking around the Bay Area and is familiar with these local "crops". He has been an admirer of the abundance out there and embraced the challenge to create cocktails that used these ancient ingredients that the ancestors of the region used to nourish and heal.

 

Happiest of Thanksgivings! A Project with BiRite Markets

This year I had the privilege to shoot for BiRite Markets. Our first shoot was for their holiday meals so the shoot had a deeper level of community to it. BiRite is a San Francisco based market that embodies the idea of Good Food and community. It has created a program that educates the community with cooking lessons for low income kids, teens and adults and also introduces it's neighbors to the producers of the food it sells. It was a pleasure to see the passion and dedication that these folks have for their markets, their food and the philosophy behind them. A great way to start the holiday season of giving (back.)  Above is one of the shots we did for them for use on multiple platforms and below are some BTS (behind the scenes) photos of the shoot. We are looking forward to working with them again, continuing the relationship with this wonderful local brand.