sun basket photo direction
When I joined Sun Basket, the company was still in its earliest days — around 15 people total, no creative team, just the founders and a vision. I worked directly with them to photograph the first meal kits, helping shape how the brand would look and feel from the ground up. From the beginning, my focus was on honoring the quality of the ingredients and the care behind the recipes — translating the chef-founder's restaurant-level craft into imagery that felt inviting, honest, and achievable at home.
Over time, that early foundation grew into a full in-house photo department. My role expanded to include creative direction, team building, studio design, and day-to-day leadership, while staying closely connected to the food, the people, and the stories behind it.
early days: foundation and first growth
The ingredients were exceptionally fresh and beautiful, and the imagery needed to reflect that care without feeling precious or over-styled. I developed a visual language that was elevated but unfussy — grounded in real ingredients and thoughtful preparation. Natural lighting, composition, and styling were all guided by a single goal: to make the food feel crave-worthy and trustworthy.
That early work became the foundation for everything that came next.
As the company grew, so did the volume and scope. I brought on a digital tech to support editing as production scaled, then expanded into blog and instructional imagery — ingredient prep, technique-driven moments, and step-by-step visuals used across editorial and email. Eventually, I hired and directed an additional photographer, balancing hands-on work with creative oversight as the team grew.
With more collaborators and a stronger narrative focus, the imagery became richer, more dimensional, and more reflective of how the food actually came together.
building infrastructure, deepening the work
Sun Basket eventually moved into a brand-new photo studio — one that I designed, built, and ran. I expanded the team to include additional photographers and two full-time food stylists, curated a prop collection, and established workflows that supported both speed and craft.
Alongside studio operations, I oversaw hiring, budgeting, project management, and creative direction, working closely with marketing to ensure every image aligned with the photographic standards I'd developed for the brand.
The real challenge was figuring out how to scale without losing what mattered: thoughtfulness, craft, and a real connection to the food.
marketing, partnerships & lifestyle
Alongside editorial and recipe photography, I directed imagery for marketing campaigns, lifestyle content, and brand partnerships. Whether supporting collaborations with Williams Sonoma or working with culinary partners like Tyler Florence, the goal was always to extend the brand's visual world while keeping it cohesive and recognizable.
This work supported campaigns across web, email, and advertising, adding warmth and context without losing consistency.
editorial storytelling & in-box experiences
One of the most rewarding evolutions was the creation of Sun Basket's in-box recipe books — designed as weekly editorial experiences rather than simple instruction manuals.
Each issue brought together recipes, ingredient photography, cooking techniques, and stories about the team, nutrition philosophy, and how dishes were developed. Often organized around seasonal or holiday themes, these pieces gave each week a cohesive narrative and invited customers a little deeper into the brand.
producer & farmer stories
In addition to studio work, I led on-location shoots with producers and farmers, photographing the people and places behind Sun Basket's ingredients. These stories brought the brand beyond the kitchen and into the environments where the food began.
Photographing people in their own spaces added an essential layer of authenticity and reinforced the values at the heart of the brand — care, transparency, and respect for the people behind the food.
a full-scale in-house creative engine
Over several years, I built and ran a full-scale in-house photo team grounded in a deep respect for food and storytelling. My north star was always the same: honor the ingredients, the people behind them, and the everyday moments they're part of.
This work taught me how to hold vision and logistics at the same time — and how to scale creative work without losing what makes it matter.
Balancing creativity with structure, I established systems that kept production efficient while maintaining artistry and cohesion. The result was a brand aesthetic that felt human, delicious, and unmistakably Sun Basket — one that helped define how healthy food could look and feel on a national scale.
Photography and visual work shown on this page includes a mix of images photographed by me and images created in close collaboration with — and photographed by — members of the Sun Basket in-house team and external collaborators. I led creative direction, visual standards, and production across all work shown.
I’m deeply grateful to the many talented creatives who contributed along the way, including:
Zoë Lonergan, Omar Navarro, Stacy Ventura, Jennifer Martiné, Leila Seppa, Colin Price, Vicki Woollard, Ali Ramee, Emily Caneer, Amanda Anselmino, Claire Mack, and Glenn Jenkins.