Starr's Sunday Brunch

Starr's Sunday Brunch


There's something special about brunch. It's a meal that combines the best of breakfast with a taste of lunch. Okay, so that's probably the most obvious thing you've ever read on a blog, but skipping breakfast often means that the hunger setting in creates a unique craving that begs for a delicious compromise. During the week it's far too easy to abandon breakfast, but on a weekend when the pace is slow and relaxed, sometimes it means that typical morning fare can relentlessly be craved throughout the day.

Brunch at Starr's is an experience all to itself and the food is only just the start. Starr's ambience is artsy, but masqued in a warm and welcoming setting. Visit sometime in the spring when the cold wind and warm sun confuse your senses about the time of year. For some odd reason this mixture of sensory experiences creates a natural parity. Perhaps this is why nature chose this time of year to grow living things of beauty. Starr's on a weekend is certainly a thing of beauty.

Exactly one year ago to this month the local magazine I shoot for assigned me to photograph several local restaurants with weekend brunch offerings. My first stop was in Mocksville at Starr's. Starr's is located in the downtown area of a really small town. I was thrilled to have blue skies outside, but what was more exciting was the colorful inside. The front reception area resembled the storefront of a bakery. Unbeknownst to me, Starr's probably was a bakery. I was simply taken aback by the vibrantly painted interior and the charming staff inside. It didn't take but a few moments to speak with the restaurant's owner and head chef. Before I knew it, brunch was served. Photos were a breeze given the large front windows, and of course, the colorful walls, table setting, and dish.


I could spend the next few sentences describing what you see above, but you would perhaps best be served by staring and salivating at the image. Yep, it was that good. Oh yes, samples for the photographer are often consumed by the photographer.

Brunch is now a new weekend incentive to sleep in until at least noon. I can comfortably hug my pillow and allow my belly to ache me awake into the day already in progress. A warm shower, a short drive away, and a brunch in a small town fulfills one of many weekends in continued search for a better quality of life. Find a restaurant offering brunch in your town. You might just find yourself comfortable with skipping your next breakfast without regret and with a new found sense of weekend relaxation.

Florida, In a Blink, Many Memories

Florida, In a Blink, Many Memories


My trip to Florida this weekend was determined a few years ago when our family lost my Uncle Gilbert, and more recently, the loss of another uncle, Uncle "Jessie." Shanti and I drove overnight on a Friday and into Saturday for a ceremony to celebrate their lives. Our time in Tampa - only just a few hours on Saturday followed by an 11 hour return trip to North Carolina on a Sunday - imprinted a lifetime of memories in my mind. It was my purpose to photograph our family's reunion, but a heavy heart made it difficult to commit. I found solace in the hours after the ceremony to take photos of what used to be my home and again capture my Florida's beauty. Our day on Saturday ended just like many others when our families would leave a beautiful sunset behind us from a long day at the beach. Watching that sun setting on the drive home was like leaving the beach for the last time with my uncles. On Saturday we said our final goodbyes. As I watched that sun set into that beautiful Florida sky I felt as if I was leaving the beach that one last time, except without my uncles. I miss my home. I miss my uncles.

Creating a Cover Photo...and Opportunity

Creating a Cover Photo...and Opportunity



(Above: Photo selected for magazine cover.) For nearly two years - a few months short of a full two years - I have enjoyed seeing my name in print by way of the Winston Salem Monthly Magazine. Success, as measured differently by many different people, can be achieved in so many different ways. I cannot tell you what my measuring stick looks like or how I go about defining one achievement or another, or why some months make my smile wider than others when I see a finished product; however, in this short amount of time I have spent with the magazine I arrived at a crowning moment this past January when I was assigned to shoot the cover portrait of the Wake Forest University Men's Basketball Coach Dino Gaudio. These are my insights into creating a cover photo, and a lasting memory for many photo shoots to come.



(Above: Inside article photo) The enormity of this challenge - and possibly great opportunity - was one that made me scared and entirely optimistic all in one thought. Not a whole lot went through my mind when I was first offered this assignment - not until I did my homework. You see, Coach Gaudio was tasked with an enormous challenge: take the reigns of a basketball team formerly directed and inspired by the late Skip Prosser. Coach Gaudio's exploits, achievements, and personal insights into accepting this tasks are documented in the interview printed in the finished February 2008 issue, but how does one correlate and capture the intensity found in the words of the article? If you are a fan of college basketball, or even live near "Tobacco Road" where some of the greatest schools in baskball hail from, then add the pressure and expectations of sports readers whose hands might thumb through an issue of this local magazine.


My time with Coach was very brief - somewhere in the neighborhood of about 5 minutes of actual shooting time. Those were 5 minutes that I could not afford to miss the opportunity to get the right shot. As one can imagine, a collegiate level coach's time is very limited and I certainly did not want to waste any time fiddling with lighting or locations. In this particular instance, Wake Forest was to take on the Air Force in the minutes after my time with Coach. In that top photo there were previously about twice as many basketballs on the arena floor. One half went to players already warming up for the game. Thankfully I got to keep a few. For this particular shoot I did quite a bit of research ahead of time in terms of options and location poses. (Many thanks to Gary C. at "A Little News" for his insights on sports portraiture.) I pre-arranged two lighting setups to create two different posing options and environments. The first arrangement was an array of three remotely triggered Nikon speedlights mounted on small 6' stands out on the arena floor. In the locker room I had a studio flash shooting through a large softbox. For the locker room shot, I figured a single light would create a dramatic effect.


Sometime in the first week of February I finally received my copy of the finished product. I was smiling ear to ear for sure. Although I may never know what the images did for the readers the magazine serves, I received my finest complement a few weeks later when I was contacted by the Gaudio Family.

Although I still find difficulty defining for myself what success is, or what it should be, the lasting impression I get to take with me is the enormity of knowing that I not only achieved a difficult task, but in the process I made the mother of one of my photo subjects smile. I suppose in life this is all we can ask for: another's happiness at the hand of one's own talents. I look forward to my next cover photo, tackling that next great hurdle, and making someone smile - creating opportunity.

Until next time....

Ishi Japanese Restaurant - Food Photos!

Ishi Japanese Restaurant - Food Photos!



For the February issue of the Winston Salem Monthly Magazine I was tasked with creating some great food and restaurant photos of Ishi Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar for a monthly column and feature that highlights some of the local digs. This was quite possibly the most fun I've had at a restaurant during an assignment. The hosts were great, the manager absolutely humble, and a fun and energetic environment to boot. We now have our favorite Japanese restaurant for whenever we get the craving.










We were treated to a tray full of sushi, a great Hibachi chicken dish, and some other goodies during the shoot. Afterwards, I created the collage you see above, had it enlargened in print, framed, and delivered it to the manager at Ishi for his wonderful hospitality and accommodations during my time there. Outstanding. If you hit this blog from a local Piedmont Triad area, definitely check them out!

Ishi Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
110 Stark St, Winston Salem, NC
(336) 774-0433

Tell them Eugene sent you!