For Doug Smith the Bourbon Cellar is a 10 year dream turned into reality. His new luxury steak and seafood restaurant, located in North Scottsdale, features freshly flown in fish every morning and tops their filets with a bourbon glaze that will leave you wanting more.
It's important to note, this isn't Doug's first rodeo when it comes to the restaurant business. He's owned two other restaurants in the past. Everything that makes the Bourbon Cellar a great place to dine comes from years of learning what works and what doesn't work. This is where being experienced and planning your dream restaurant for a decade pays off.
From a photographic standpoint, shooting in this restaurant was a photographers dream, yet came with some unique challenges. The front of the restaurant provides stunning natural light. In fact, the cover shot is 100% naturally lit. What made this location difficult to work within is the fact that there are hundreds of mirrored and reflective surfaces. Lucky for me Doug was a natural in front of the camera.
Besides photographing Doug, I had to also photograph some of his food. I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a food photographer besides the occasional Instagram coffee shots ;). So, it was a major help that Doug is a master of his own craft, and truly an artist when it came to plating/styling the food.
Here are a few more of the tear sheets.
