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This year, I am really looking forward to a low key 4th, hanging with family and friends, and eating good food. We love casual summer entertaining and relaxing outdoors, so “Perfect Picnic” tips from USA Weekend magazine are right on time.

For their cover and the recipe inside, I shot this fabulous “Creamy Ricotta Cheescake with Fresh Berries,” styled by Debbie Wahl. Delicious and eye-catching, Ellie Krieger’s “CookSmart” recipe for this traditional favorite includes healthier ingredients, as always.

Here’s hoping everyone has a fantastic 4th—and may all your picnics be perfect!

Heart & Soul magazine is “the pre-eminent brand to promote the physical, mental, spiritual well-being of women of color and their families.”  I recently shot some of their healthy recipes, with Carolyn Schimley as the food stylist.

These appetizing recipes are: “Gullah Vegetable Paella”  and “Five-Grain Veggie Salad.” Both were fresh and delicious. I always love learning something new—before this shoot, I don’t think I had ever photographed kamut—it’s one of the five grains used in the salad below.

This year we are very happy to be celebrating Father’s Day in the south of France. Dov  took this photo of Marty and me at the beach in Nice.

Dov and Marty at a cafe in Grasse

Marty and Mara at the Gay Pride Parade in Nice

Next stop…Paris!

Mount Vernon is a magical place for me. On my most recent shoot there, I even got to feel like I was flying! And, for this food shooter, there is nothing like the thrill of shooting from 60 feet up in the air!

I usually feel very earthbound—which, at Mount Vernon is always beautiful, of course. For the Mount Vernon cookbook, Dining With The Washingtons, I had many opportunities to shoot the grounds, the mansion interior and exterior, as well as the gardens.

But this was a uniquely surreal experience, looking down on the grounds I am used to covering with more of a potato’s eye view! Returning for this assignment to capture new images for use in Mount Vernon’s annual report, guidebook and postcards, I was excited to see the lovely transformation of the upper garden, which was completed in 2010 when I was shooting the cookbook.

I really love being in this garden. It’s so lush—it’s hard to believe it is only two years old!

Such a soothing change of pace, to go from working in the studio to feeling sun and breeze on my skin as I get slowly mesmerized by the details of cabbage and kale.

I always look forward to returning to this quiet cocoon where all my stress evaporates.

Turkey has character! I worked with Marriner Marketing Communications and Butterball to costume it for the wide range of roles it is suited to play in some humorous vignettes that spotlight turkey’s versatility. Some of the shots and recipes are also featured on the Butterball website. The recipe featured in the image at top, “Sunrise Flatbread,”  includes turkey bacon and turkey sausage. The shot below is “Grilled Sesame Turkey Kebabs,” which features turkey medallion slices.

It was fun working on this campaign with food stylist Lisa Cherkasky and Art Director Claudia Barac-roth. We three have collaborated on a number of projects, including the ADDY- Award-winning Classic Desserts by the Ritz-Carlton.