The SF Bay Guardian's Music + Food issue was the first SFBG cover shoot I had fully conceptualized, planned, directed and styled after the transition period with former art director Mirissa Neff had ended, and I'm still really proud of it.
The shoot itself was chaotic yet creative, with photographer Matthew Reamer and myself troubleshooting late at night, in real time at his Mission studio to make sure we had the right setup with the right props to best reflect a modern, San Francisco-focused version of the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed album cover...
It was definitely my first time running and directing a shoot, and I had a lot to learn. Looking back now, I would have kicked myself for not having sketched out how I wanted everything to look —even if we in the moment decided to stray from the plan, as some of the best work often does.
But the creative energy and on-the-spot design and construction was so inspiring, and made me realize exactly how much I was going to love this new job.
Walking home after the shoot, after having selected the final photos that would be on the cover and also printed inside with the article, slice of late-night pizza in hand, is still the moment that epitomizes satisfaction for me.
(But yes, the pizza was a leftover prop from the shoot... and yes, I guess that's at least a little bit gross.)