11-AUG-2012
Passing time, Santa Cruz, California, 2012
The bright yellow hat of this diner drew my attention, and I built this image around the rhythmic echoes of both its implied circle, as well as the circular clock on the wall behind her. This picture asks the viewer to consider if she is really passing the time by drinking two beverages at once (hot and cold), or if one of them may belong to someone else, who has perhaps temporarily vacated the opposite chair? The image also speaks to the passage of time itself – the woman is oblivious to the large hands of the clock relentlessly recording each departing minute a only a few feet over her head. She seems otherwise occupied – possibly lost in the pages of a good read.
11-AUG-2012
Tea in the shadows, Monterey, California, 2012
The early evening light illuminates the profile of this diner in a Chinese restaurant as she sips a cup of tea. Using my spot metering mode, I exposed for the highlights in this image, allowing the balance of the photograph to fall into the shadows that surround the diner and the translucent decorative frosted panel mounted on the back of her booth. The restrained light creates a subdued mode, a perfect match for a relaxing cup of tea marking the end of a satisfying meal.
27-NOV-2011
Anticipation, Barcelona, Spain, 2011
I photographed this young diner through the window of a restaurant near Barcelona’s Rambla. He appears to be stirring his cup of hot chocolate and blowing on it at the same time. The hand to head gesture suggests patience – he can see it, smell it, and presumably anticipates eventually tasting it.
20-APR-2011
Waitress, Café, Tortilla Flat, Arizona, 2011
I made this character study from across the room with a 400mm focal length. A customer had just paid his bill, and the waitress was simultaneously giving him his change and responding to his comments. I liked her thoughtful expression, the folksy posters, and the dollar bills that paper this café’s walls.
11-NOV-2009
Navajo family, Kayenta, Arizona, 2009
The fast food restaurants of Kayenta seem to be community-gathering places in this Navajo Reservation town. I was drawn to the colorful booth, and made sure to include the back of the chair at lower left as an echo of the booth’s curving wall. I made a number of images of this family as they interacted. Three of the four people here appear to be speaking here, while the fourth consumes her dinner. The adults seem to have things well under control.
26-JUL-2009
Sunday morning, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 2009
Dining out is a social event, even if but for a quick refreshment. I found this couple enjoying Sunday morning drinks in a busy outdoor café. The man seems to be a good listener, while the woman draws comfort from both the conversation and a well-mannered dog.
26-JUL-2009
Judgment, Newburyport, Massachusetts, 2009
The sense of taste is at very heart of dining. Here a woman uses that sense as she evaluates a forkful of pie at a community event. Good? Not so good? I leave the answer to her and to my viewers.
24-JUN-2009
Conversation, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2009
These people were conversing in a booth across the restaurant from us. They were sitting next to a window, which offered a degree of abstraction through back lighting. I focused on the man, who seems to be patiently listening here as the woman speaks to him. The backlight brings out the soft folds of his shirt, the glint on his jewelry, and outlines his profile with a glow. My 300mm focal length puts the woman into soft focus, but she, too, is softly illuminated. The tin buckets holding their napkins and utensils add a dining context.
23-JUN-2009
Elk, Forks Café, Forks, Washington, 2009
The small town of Forks is the only town on the western side of Olympic National Park on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. We stopped to eat at one of its restaurants. A huge head of a male elk is mounted directly above its booths. I found two of the restaurant’s waitresses waiting behind counters at the back of the room while a cook works in its kitchen. One of the waitresses seems tired – she may have been working for hours and this seems to be a chance for her to find a moment of quiet. The incongruity of the massive elk head contrasts strongly with the slow pace of daily life in a small town restaurant.
06-NOV-2008
Alone, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008
A woman patiently waits for her tea in an empty Tunis cafe. She was the only customer, and appears to be alone. Maybe she is waiting for someone to join her? Or maybe she is a regular, and the wait is a daily routine. The image asks many questions of the viewer, and our answers will complete the story for each of us.
09-OCT-2008
Choices, The Bistro, Cooke City, Montana, 2008
These tourists were sitting only a few feet from a window, which gives the image its soft light and gathering shadows. The neon sign above their heads advertises a local beer. I made numerous long telephoto images of these diners from a distance, while they were unaware of my presence. This was my favorite image, because it expresses the process of choice that diners encounter in any restaurant. The restaurant, constructed as a log cabin, was the only dining spot open for lunch in this small city just outside the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The painting above the table adds local context.
11-OCT-2008
Evening Rush, The Bluebird, Logan, Utah, 2008
The historic Bluebird has been serving diners on Logan’s main street since the 1920s.
While we were eating, I noticed the hectic pace of the wait staff. I increased the ISO rating to 800, which allowed me to make pictures inside of this restaurant without using a flash. My shutter speed was 1/15th of a second, which is ideal for expressing movement through blur. This combination of settings enabled me to express the brisk comings and goings of the restaurant’s waiters and waitresses. I caught this pair just as they passed each other, going in opposite directions. Meanwhile, the people at the counter in the other room remain completely at ease.
15-SEP-2008
Grand Entrance, Klamath Falls, Oregon, 2008
In 1930’s, small town restaurants offered grand promises. Such is the case with this humble Chinese restaurant that still operates on Klamath Falls’ main street. I photographed its marquee from below, moving in to stress the vintage color scheme and art deco design. I reveal its workings as well – the neon tubing is evident, as are the wires that support the structure itself.
14-SEP-2008
Dining alone, McCloud, California, 2008
I stress the solitary nature of this dining experience by isolating this figure eating at the counter of a small town coffee shop. I made this image through the front window, spot metering on the splash of light that illuminates his elbow. As a result, much of the image goes dark. It leaves him in silence, alone with his breakfast and his thoughts.
14-SEP-2008
Pedaling to breakfast, McCloud. California, 2008
In this image, we begin on the outside and finish on the inside, moving through a series of photographic layers in the process. The bicycle is the key to this picture – it symbolizes a small town, where people often pedal to breakfast. It is a town built on trust as well – there are no locks bolting the bike to the post. The bike is painted in vivid primary colors, creating a focal point for the entire image. The restaurant, with its old barrel and peeling paint, offers context. Finally, we travel to a third layer, the interior of the restaurant itself. We see diners, deep in shadow, and a waitress waiting to take orders. The yellow light fixtures running deep within the restaurant replicate the color of the bike, bringing us full circle.
12-SEP-2008
Morning coffee, Greenville, California, 2008
I enjoy making images of diners – if they are locals, they can give us insights into the town we are visiting. My prime cameras are always equipped with flip out viewfinders, allowing me to use my table in lieu of a tripod. This image was made at a slow shutter speed – 1/10th of a second – requiring table support. Because the camera stays down on the table, and I never hold a camera up to my face, my subjects are rarely aware that I am taking their pictures. I like the way this man’s eyes wanders as he sips his coffee – his thoughts are elsewhere at this moment. His grasp is firm, and his threadbare cap tells us a bit about who he is.
17-SEP-2008
Antelope Café, Antelope, Oregon, 2008
This is the only café in Antelope, a small town that has probably seen better days. Yet tourists do come to Antelope to photograph its decaying buildings, and some stop here for a cup of coffee and a muffin. I made this image of its lone employee as I talked with her about the future of Antelope. She seems resigned to her task, yet she talks also of opportunities elsewhere. She is surrounded by the details that make a café a café. The menus, posters, and decorations tell us what she sells, and where she is.
16-SEP-2008
Soda Fountain, Bend, Oregon, 2008
Her straw is pink, while his is green. They share a quiet moment here, while enjoying their ice cream sodas. Yet each savors the moment in a different way, she wonders, while he sips. What can they be thinking? That is the question this image asks of its viewers.
16-SEP-2008
Sandwich Shop, Bend, Oregon, 2008
This image is all about decisions. The wall surrounding the kitchen window is covered with choices, options, and consequences. This diner has apparently made her choice of meal, and now must figure out where to sit. She balances a book under one arm as she carriers her meal towards us. There is enough information in this image for us to gauge both the nature of the person and the place.
16-SEP-2008
Family luncheon, Bend, Oregon, 2008
I made this image because of the child’s reaction to my camera. He is the only person at the table paying any attention to me – the others are enjoying their lunch, and serve as context. It was very dark in the restaurant, requiring me to use a slow shutter speed of 1/10th of a second. The little boy’s hands are blurred. He is animated, and his smile tells the story here. This is image is all about curiosity and pleasure. He sits at the head of the table and shows the most emotion.
17-SEP-2008
Quiet time, Bend,Oregon, 2008
The face of this diner is obscured by shadow – he has turned away from the window light to read his paper while he waits for his order to arrive. The shadows lend a quiet tone to the image and call attention to his gray hair, which, in turn, echoes the texture and color of the grayish grass in the western print just behind him. He is oblivious to the activity of the horses in that print, and he has tuned out the noise of the restaurant as well. He only has eyes for the news of the day.
17-SEP-2008
Sunrise at Starbuck’s, Bend, Oregon, 2008
I watch the way people move in relationship to each other in tight spaces of a public restaurant and try to photograph the moment when both mood and meaning are best expressed. Such is the case here – the woman seems to be caught up in her thoughts, and does not turn to look at a construction working putting cream in his coffee only a few feet behind her. Her expression is neutral – she could be a mannequin. He learns slightly towards her, yet does not seem aware that someone is sitting only inches from his elbow. It is an early morning ballet of strangers, unconscious of each other’s presence.
11-SEP-2008
Waitress at work, Greenville, California, 2008
The blinds of this restaurant were drawn, blocking out the afternoon sun, and in the process, abstracting both the waitress clearing one of the tables, and a family eating at the next table. The backlighting creates silhouettes that emphasize form rather than detail. The family ignores the presence of the waitress, who bends towards her work only a few feet behind them. The darkness in the lower half of the frame underscores the fact that she works here by herself, alone and essentially ignored.