Gastronomy Photography
Recife, Brazil ·2026
Photographing Yokocho meant working with what an izakaya treasures most: atmosphere. The low light, the counter, the steam rising from the kitchen and the feeling of being in a small Tokyo bar in the middle of Recife. My challenge was to show the food without erasing that mood.
To do so, I used a single artificial light while preserving the restaurant’s own illumination. Each image is, in practice, two exposures in the same photograph: the flash reveals the dish, its texture and sheen; the ambient light keeps the background alive and tells where that food belongs. The plate emerges from the shadows without being separated from the room.
At the table, the work called for precision and patience: the drop of sauce before it touches the fish, steam at just the right moment, the hands of those who prepare and serve. Moments too quick for the eye, yet long enough for photography to reveal what would otherwise go unnoticed.
Drinks, ambience and details complete the portrait of a house that sells an experience, not just food — in the same chiaroscuro language that guides all my food photography.
The result is a body of work designed for menus, social media, delivery and marketing: a coherent portrait of Yokocho, made so that guests can taste it before they even arrive.