One of my favorite people and chefs in the whole wide world, Becky Selengut, wrote an incredible cookbook about sustainable seafood on the West Coast. Trust me when I tell you that Becky’s recipes are INCREDIBLE. I know this because I personally taste tested every single one of the 32 dishes we shot and I practically passed out from all the awesomeness.

The good news is that Becky’s book comes out in May!! It’s called Good Fish and you can pre-order it on Amazon.

On a TOTALLY different (but fun) note, I also just finished shooting the cookbook for the fabulous Jessie Oleson of Cakespy fame. This was a fast paced and super fun shoot, complete with unicorns and robots. Who can resist that?

Jessie’s book will be out this fall.

Another recent completion is a project that is near and dear to my heart. I got to photograph 16 farms and wineries for a book about Washington Artisans, written by former pastry chef, Leora Bloom.

Most of the images in this book are documentary-style, showing the beautiful land where the food is produced, but I also got to shoot some of the recipes.

This book won’t come out until next year. It’s so hard to wait!!

Currently, I am shooting a Pike Place cookbook with the awesome food writer, Jess Thompson.

Being a Seattle native, this is a special one to me. I have memories of visiting the market as a little kid and I still love going there today.

The Pike Place cookbook will come out in 2012.

At this point, I should mention that I have had the privilege of working with an awesome pastry chef and food stylist, Autumn Martin, for the farm cookbook and the Cakespy book.

Autumn is the former Head Chocolatier for Theo Chocolate and the woman behind the delicious Hot Cakes.

Keep your eye on Autumn– she is a rising star.

Last but not least, I shot a cookbook featuring Dani Cone’s delicious pies. Unfortunately, I can’t share any of those shots with you, but you can pre-order the book on Amazon.

It’s called Cutie Pies and due out this September.

You can also go and visit Dani’s adorable shop so that you can sample some her tasty treats for yourself.

Happy reading and cooking!!

Thought I’d share a few shots from yesterday’s food styling & photography workshop: a simple mache salad with sliced cumquats, walnuts and soft chevre; my beet, bean and farro soup; and a really yummy rhubarb and apple cobbler recipe from Gourmet Traveller.

Here are a few of the snaps (and yes, I took the photo that I am in…)

This was the first time shooting maternity sessions outside of my home studio, where I have worked for the past several years. It was AMAZING having so much more space to shoot in and, as stated many times previously, the light was incredible.

The shots below are of Zuleika and Doug, and their daughter Lelani. I photographed Zuleika for the first time four and a half years ago– during her first pregnancy (and two home-studios ago!) Now, little Miss Lelani is 4 years old and soon to be the big sister to another little girl.

Check out a few shots from their session below. How beautiful is this family?!

While I was down there, I decided to take a test shot to get a feel for the light. I was so excited after seeing Lara’s donut shots, I had to try something myself.  Plus, my first official food shoot was cancelled this past week due to illness, so I have been itching to get started on some fun projects!

We had some eggs in the fridge, plus a whole bunch of surfaces and backgrounds I bought last week at various salvage spots in the city, (which reminds me, if you haven’t been to The ReStore or Earthwise Architectural Salvage, then you are missing out. They are SO GREAT!)

I took a few minutes and just played. Not surprisingly, the light is incredible and shooting is a dream. I can’t wait to do more!!

As it turns out, the burners, at least, work just fine, and heated the oil pretty quickly and consistently. Good thing since on this particular batch of doughnuts, I had to wing most of the measurements… I brought my kitchen scale in, but forgot a few basics like measuring spoons or cups, spatulas and whisks. These doughnuts needed all the help they could get. They weren’t the prettiest I’ve ever made, but they still were pretty tasty.

The light in here is like room temperature butter… silky smooth. A girl could get used to this.