Jill Richards Photography | Arizona Commercial and Editorial Photographer: On Assignment

Showing posts with label On Assignment. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

My first Arizona Highways spread vanishes in mushroom cloud

Back in May I was hired by Arizona Highways to venture down to Bisbee and shoot "anything that strikes your fancy for a six page piece that will run this fall." This was a dream assignment from a magazine I've loved for a long time.

But unfortunately, the October issue with my Bisbee spread won't make it to newsstands due to an error in one of the other articles — a mushroom was labeled as edible when it actually has unpredictable psychotropic and physical effects. In an effort to protect readers, the October issue will not be sold on newsstands. Magazine subscribers will still receive the October issue, as well as information regarding the error.

While this is unfortunate for my project, it's a great example of a publication doing the right thing. Arizona Highways has always been a class act. I feel lucky to work with them.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

City Eats: Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar

Roasted duck. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Crafted cocktails. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Heirloom cauliflower risotto. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Chef de Cuisine Logan Weber. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Grilled rib-eye. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar. 2013. Flagstaff, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Friday, February 1, 2013

On Assignment: Ripe 2013

The creative geniuses at Salt Agency hired me to photograph five Valley chefs to be honored at the first ever Ripe Awards held in January. I know these chefs. I adore these chefs, but this assignment felt a bit like a reality television show challenge. I had 20 minutes to photograph 5 chefs, on-location at a museum, but I could not photograph the art or move the furniture and I must include a prop...a pomegranate. Ready. Set. Go.

Ripe Award winners. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Ripe Award winners & Charleen Badman, FnB. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Bernie Kantak, Citizen Public House & Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Cafe. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Josh Hebert, Posh & Greg LaPrad, Quiessence. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Ripe Award winners. 2013. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Western Mongolia, pt. 1

Mongolia. Where do I even start? My month spent in the land of Genghis Khan was unreal — horse trekking, milk drinking, meat eating and lots and lots of photo taking. The landscapes were unbelievable and the people were as hospitable as described in each travel book I read. I traveled to Mongolia with Rustic Pathways, the same group that sent me to Costa Rica last summer. Like last year, I was hired to help the company with images for marketing, as well as assist high school students as they traveled. This year I was also invited to lead an Advanced Photography Workshop with high school photographers. For this two-week workshop, we traveled to Western Mongolia to the Khovd Province, which is where most of the country's Kazakhs live.

During our stay, we're were lucky enough to catch a Naadam celebration taking place in the village where we were living. A Naadam is a festival of sport. It celebrates the country's long-time love of wrestling, horse racing and archery. Here are a few images from my time in Khovd Province.

Naadam Horse Race. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Naadam Celebration. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

A Dinner for Honored Guests. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Making Fleece. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Village Life. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Family Photos. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography.

Naadam Horse Race. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Village Life. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Naadam Horse Race. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Naadam. 2012. Khovd Province, Mongolia. ©Jill Richards Photography

Monday, September 10, 2012

Nobuo Fukuda

Nobuo Fukuda at Nobuo at Teeter House. 2012. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Grapefruit and Hamachi. 2012. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Nobuo at Teeter House. 2012. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Nobuo at work. 2012. Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

I have a deep, unwavering love for Nobuo Fukuda and the food he so carefully prepares each night at Nobuo at Teeter House. So excuse me for this incredibly loose edit of redundant pictures — I couldn't help it. I dream about his beloved grapefruit and hamachi dish — four luscious pieces of hamachi folded around grapefruit and avocado, sprinkled with white truffle oil and a Kung Fu Girl Riesling and then gently, lovingly placed in spoons. Nobuo has been creating some of the most exciting food in Phoenix for a long time. He was the 2007 James Beard winner for the Southwest and named best new chef from Food & Wine. He is as kind as he is creative and we're so lucky to have him.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Hot in the City

Civic Space Park. 2012. Downtown Phoenix, AZ. ©Jill Richards Photography

Phoenix is hot as Hades in the summer, even in the evening. Yet, people still come out at night to sit in the grass, listen to live music and enjoy the urban parks. Downtown Phoenix is ever-changing. The skyline is growing upward and outward. New businesses are finding great success — restaurants, bars and even a small local movie theater. I love this scene at Civic Space Park. The modest crowd and local cover band are set against a backdrop of new and old buildings, each one filled with light and color. Janet Echelman's incredible art installation, made with steel, twine netting and lighting makes me thankful someone thought public art was important. It's all coming together. And that makes me happy to live here and excited to see what's next.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Olympian Archer

Brady Ellison is a country boy. He loves to hunt, drive big trucks and dote over his girlfriend. He's a good guy. He's also the world's top-ranked archer and has a good chance of winning gold. I photographed him for a profile in the June issue of Phoenix magazine.