An Amazing Photo Shoot with an Amazing Photographer Team--Meet Todd Porter & Diane Cu

I’m still breathless  from my week of working with Todd Porter and Diane Cu, aka whiteonricecouple, on the photos for my next cookbook for Wiley.  Breathless  both  at how fast they work and how gorgeous their images are—wow! I wish I could share some of the photos they took, but a snapshot from over Diane’s shoulder  as she was getting ready to take a pic is all I can show you. (Publishers like to keep the photography under wraps till the book comes out.)

 If you haven’t heard of this dynamic young LA photographer team, trust me, you will soon. Their burgeoning and impressive list of credits includes work on a number of cookbooks; numerous videos for authors and organizations (see their Shauna Ahern video  here); and a wide array of images for culinary product clients and restaurants. Lately they’ve been  working for Williams-Sonoma, a major coup, since the firm normally uses only northern California photographers.

The secrets to their success?  For one thing, they are very focused and hard working. They say their goal is always to deliver clients more than they promise, and they certainly did in the case of the photos for my book. I’m sure Justin Schwartz, my editor, will be doing handsprings around the office when he sees just how many wonderful images they’ve created for him.  I couldn’t be more thrilled. (Some cookies waiting for their turn in the spotlight are at left.)

Todd with one of the trees he planted

Todd and Diane have a clean, contemporary style, and an affinity for fresh ingredients and the beauty of nature that help make all their food images sing.

The tangerine tree Todd is standing by (left) is just one of dozens of citrus vareities they’ve planted in their well-tended yard. They also grow and enjoy their heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and abundance of herbs.  We snacked on the citrus and scarfed their tomatoes and herbs every day for lunch in the studio.

Despite their care, attention to detail, and creative touches in every shot, this dynamic duo also works at blinding speed.  Their assistant during the week, Nancy Buchanan (below), and I cranked out recipes as fast as we could, and still weren’t able to keep up with their pace. (Check out Nancy's blog, here.) I asked Todd about their amazing productivity and he said it might be due to the many years Diane spent as a portrait photographer. “The shots of kids are best if you get them in an out as quickly as possible,” he explained.  Apparently, food benefits from not sitting around or being excessively fussed over either.

Nancy Buchanan

One other key to their success—they are a pleasure to be with and genuinely nice.  We’ll be teaming up on another project soon and I’ll be delighted to connect again. In the meantime,  they’ve probably already created more batches of beautiful images that I just can't wait to see.