New York Times: Lois Lowry

One of my favorite assignments this summer was the Lois Lowry story I shot for New York Times Magazine.  The author of the cult classic The Giver was vacationing up in Maine, so Matt and I packed up the car and made a road trip out of it.  We spent a beautiful summer day cruising through Vacationland, listening to some tunes, and catching up on our travels.  When we arrived Lois showed us to her barn, which made for the perfect studio, and got set up.  We spent the afternoon chatting about why they took so long to turn the book into a movie, what Jeff Bridges is like in person, and what kinds of things her fans write letters about.  All in all just a great day to be a photographer!

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Summer Adventures

It's been a while since I've updated the blog, mostly because we've been out having awesome adventures!  It's time to get back to work but first I thought I'd share some outtakes from our summer travels.  I spent some time hiking Mount Washington with my good friend Matt Baldelli, fit in a little time at the beach, and a took a trip to Scandinavia with Maria.  Enjoy!

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Edible Boston: Indian Head Farm

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.

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Edible Boston Indian Head Farm

Edible Boston Indian Head Farm

Edible Boston: Lobster Cover

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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.

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Bartender Nicole LeClair

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Bartender Kevin Mabry

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Bartender Ezra Star

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Bartender Will Isaza

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Bartender Melinda Maddox

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Bartender Fred Yarm at the Russell House Tavern

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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.

Imagery & Music at the Arnold Arboretum

Between shoots I've had the chance to collaborate with musician Maria Finkelmeier for a unique performance at Boston's Arnold Arboretum. The Arboretum is the kind of place you go to forget the city while you're in the city...it's basically a rolling, manicured forest where city noises cease to exist. This Saturday, new compositions inspired by my images of the Arboretum will be performed by Maria and Ensemble Evolution at the Hunnewell Building.

You can purchase tickets here and get a sneak peek of featured imagery below.

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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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MIT Technology Review: A Chocolate Maker's Big Innovation

For the June/July 2013 issue of the MIT Technology Review, Adam photographed these brightly-packaged squares known as Tcho chocolates. Adam's image really showcases the uniquely textured chocolates. Tcho's dynamic packaging is not the only thing that sets theses chocolates apart from the rest!  For more information check out Technology review's article here.  

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