Blue Park Kitchen
Blue Park Kitchen is a fast casual restaurant in the Financial District of Manhattan. You’ll find it tucked away down a curvy narrow side street that doesn’t get a lot of sunshine because of the close proximity of the buildings. A reminder of the cities colonial past. But step inside and you’ll find a bright warm welcoming spot for delicious salads.
We all grew up eating big chain fast food drowning in grease and salt. It was so common and ubiquitous that it’s hard to imagine readily available food to be any other way. Common knowledge was that the only way to get something delicious and healthy was to sit down at a full service restaurant and wait for your meal to be prepared. But fast food doesn’t have to be unhealthy and Blue Park Kitchen is on the cusp of a new trend in dining for an increasing more health conscious customer.
When I photograph for Blue Park Kitchen I try to make the photography bright and airy. Even though it’s tucked away in a dark corner of New York City I try to emulate the feeling of being at a park on a bright sunny day. I want it to feel organic and I use visual elements that give the photographs more of a natural feeling.
We always shoot on the same linen table cloth that I steam out and transport to the restaurant. The linen helps to give the restaurant an elevated feel above that of your typical fast casual restaurant. On occasion if the shoot warrants it I’ll make ripples in the cloth to accentuate the texture and create a visual flow. Kelly the restaurant’s chef and owner also has a collection of napkins that we use to style the photographs and give them a comfy home like feeling. Everything comes together to make artwork that entices her customers to come into the store and eat a delicious salad.
