Food Styling and iPhone Photography Workshop (May 18, 2024): Registration Opened!

Hello! I am delighted to announce that I am hosting a food styling and photography workshop for beginners with my friend and multi-talented pastry chef and photographer, Junko Mine. This will be a fun and information-packed half-day event in a private location in Viewridge neighborhood in NE Seattle.

Junko will teach how to style a Japanese-style matcha chiffon cake (that she will bake, of course!) on beautiful ceramic pieces created by our friend and Seattle’s legendary ceramist Akiko Graham and Masaaki Nishimura, a master ceramist from Hyogo, Japan. I will lead the photography part and guide you through how to photograph and edit aesthetic images by using an iPhone.

As a bonus, we will serve Japanese bento-style brunch as well as a gift bag filled with high-quality craft items.

Please see below for detailed information and to register. Space is limited so that we can give a better personal attention at each attendee and delve deep into crafting food styling and photography.

We will close the registration as soon as the spots are filled. Please contact rika@rikafoto.com from below to inquire information about the fee and location and to register.

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to seeing you in May!

Rika

Indigenous Stewardship of the Salish Sea Exhibit at the Seattle Public Library

I’m honored to be a contributor for Indigenous Stewardship of the Salish Sea exhibit at Seattle Public Library @seattlepubliclibrary in downtown Seattle, along with the images by Edward S. Curtis, a legendary photographer who documented lives of Native Americans in PNW and known for his portrait of Chief Sealth (Seattle is named after Sealth) around the late 19th and early 20th century. If you don’t know his work, I highly recommend checking them out.

The exhibit is on the 8th floor and open until August 30th. 
For more info about the content of the exhibit, visit https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/arts-and-culture/exhibits/indigenous-stewardship

Mexico 2017

Hi! We went to Puerto Vallarta back in February to get away from the cold wet nasty weather in Seattle which we are still having in MAY! Crazy. I wish I were there right now.

Street photography is the heart of my photography and I too some while the vacation.  Puerto Vallarta is a very well known tourist resort and I was skeptical of seeing anything too interesting or authentic.  But boy I was wrong. I had one of the most interesting trips.  I think because people who live there are very open and kind and don't mind the tourists living amongst themselves.  I felt welcomed even in the middle of nowhere.  I was there only for 5 days and wish I had more time to explore deeper.  I highly recommend seeing how Mexican natives live there instead of staying at your comfy superficial resort.  Rent a car, get out and see the culture and people!  There are so much to see and learn. 

• Location:  Puerto Vallerta and Beyond, Mexico
• Season: Feburary 
• #puertovallerta #mexico #streetphotography

Archive - Images from Norway taken with Pentax 67

I've been digging trough my Pentax 67 archive this week.  I mostly shoot with my Canon gears for work, but I do take it with me every time I travel out of town mostly for landscape and portrait shots.  Despite its ridiculously heavy weight, I love taking it around with me.  Here are some images I found in my archive. 

Images Featured in a Die Zeit Article

There is an article in the current issue of Die Zeit Magazine in Germany about the work of Bread Lab in Mt. Vernon, WA.  I'm very excited that my photos are used along the article in print and online.  The wheat research at Bread Lab is truly amazing and worth checking it out if you are interested in any area - food, science health - about wheat.  Too bad that I can't read German but still very excited to see my photos in the magazine! Page35!

Star Chefs 2015

My friend Junko is the most multi-talented, hardworking, generous and humble person that I know.  She is a passionate baker and  patisserie.  She began working at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, WA about a year ago.  She already received a rising start award from Star Chefs 2015 in Seattle amongst many talented chefs like Brady Williams of Canlis, Marie Rutherford of The Whale Wins,  Edouardo Jordan of Salary. She was also more recently nominated as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award 2016.  Huge congratulations to her!  Thanks for your inspiration, friendship and support!

The photos are taken at the Star Chef events back in December. 

Canon - Seattle Whisky Bar

I photographed the whisky bar called Canon in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle a few weeks ago for Drink Planet in Japan.  Canon ranked Number 6 in the World's 50 Best Bars in 2014 by Drink International.  The owner and bartender Jamie Boudreau showed us an overwhelmingly rare and crafted bottles as well as his vast knowledge and passion for his collections and invention of his unique drinks. 

Summer End

It seems not too long ago that I was making plans for the summer.  I especially enjoyed my quality time with the family.  Here are some of my personal photos from the summer.

Bread Lab and More with Norah Magazine

Jonathan Bethony, the resident baker at Bread Lab.

I had a pleasure to meet and work with two lovely women from Tokyo a few weeks back.  They are from a lifestyle magazine called Norah and here in Seattle to interview my good friend Junko Mine about her bread making.  Junko is a professional pâtissier and she also works making bread with local natural yeast which is fairly common in Japan. I joined them for a little field trip to interview a couple of key location for bread making in the States.

We visited Bread Lab in Mt. Vernon, WA, about 70 miles north of Seattle.  Bread Lab is an integral part of Washington State University - Mout Vernon Plant Breadding Program. This lab intensely experiment with different grains in different ways for different purposes to help explore and invent ways of regionally available grains to move the craft of whole grain bread baking and other grain usage forward.   They grow approximately 40,000 different kinds of grains from all around the worked and work with professional bakers and chefs from all over the world to analyze and test their whole grain products under the technical guidance of Bread Lab Director and wheat breeder Dr. Stephen Jones and Bread Lab resident baker Jonathan Bethony.

We also stopped by at Bread Farm, a bakery in a small quint town called Edison nearby.  Another inspirational bakery and their baked goods are all from natural and organic sources.  

This was not only fun to photograph but also extremely educational and inspirational for me.  It tends to happen when I work on a project with Junko.  She's an amazingly talented and most humble human being I have ever met.  I respect and appreciate her perfection, attention to detail, efforts to go out and learn constantly, and persuasion to reach and create something truly special.  I look forward to more projects with her as I learn so much about taking care of one's craft and be humble during the process.  Yes, it is kind of what we call Zen and it's a genuine one.

Dr. Stephen Jones, Bread Lab director and wheat breeder.

Scott Mangold, the owner of Bread Farm.

The Fat Hen - A Little Heavenly Cafe in Ballard.

The Fat Hen in the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle.  A cafe restaurant owned by a charming couple, Massimo (left) and Linnea (not pictured).  It is a must-place to go in Seattle.  The space is casual, cozy, lovely, simple, bright - I can go on and on and on...  The food is prepared perfectly every time.  Great brunch and lunch menu (egg bakes are amazing),  great pastries (I especially love Linnea's kanelbulle - Swedish cardamom cinnamon roll) and a really good coffee.  You'll be happy to know this place!  Guaranteed!

Photo Shoot with Pare*Umbrella

I had some fun photographing sample shots for Pare*Umbrella.  We went to my favorite spots in my old neighborhood of Queen Anne. Here are some of the shots from yesterday.  

Portraits of Someone Special

This is Grandma Alger.  My husband's grandmother.  She is absolutely amazing and charming.  She is one of the most interesting figures in my life.  I often think about her stories during the World War II in Japan, where she was stationed alongside her husband.  Her stories, memories and photographs are now personal to me too.  I love how she talks like in the old Hollywood movies, with her husky voice.  She is classy, elegant, fashionable, opinionated and very much independent.  I appreciate her way, even though it can be challenging to deal with at times.  She is a lady, a true legend.  Every time I see her - which isn't often as we live in different states - I have to take a portrait of her.  She is just one of those people.  Love to you, G.A.!

Trip to Lummi Island

　A couple of weeks ago, my friend Junko and I arrived on Lummi Island with the storm washing us away.  We went to visit her old friends on the island for a bread making photo project for an upcoming article about Junko's bread making with home made natural yeasts.

She is a patissier by training. She has lived in a small island of about 800 residents called Lummi Island in San Juan Islands, WA, located about 100 miles north of Seattle.  She has returned to create breads with her friends who are mostly artists and farmers.  She started to make levin breads with yeasts from native plants and fruits harvested on the island when she lived there a year ago.  

This is a small community of people who have been eating locally before it was a trend and in very much in touch with the nature surrounding them for many many years. 

By the end of this trip, I was in awe of their creative mind, humanity, generosity and humbleness.  I witnessed many wisdom to improve my own life through this experience.

 These are some of the photos from the 2 day weekend trip.  

© Rika Manabe Photography

© Rika Manabe Photography

© Rika Manabe Photography

© Rika Manabe Photography

© Rika Manabe Photography

© Rika Manabe Photography

©Rika Manabe Photography

©Rika Manabe Photopraphy  

Hello London!

We arrived in London yesterday to attend the reception of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year exhibit at The Mall Gallery tonight!  It's been very nice to be back in the city that I really love.  The exhibit will be open from April 24-27 and features many great food photos from the contest.  Make sure to stop by if you are around London!

Please visit  my Instagram account to see photos I'll be posting during my visit!

Finalist for Pink Lady Food Photography of the Year 2014

A quick and exciting news!  One of my submissions for Pink Lady Food Photography of the Year 2014, made it to the finals in the Food in Celebration category.  I can't share the image here until they account the final results, but it will be be included in the exhibition to be held at The Mall Galleries, London, SW1 between Thursday 24th and Sunday 27th April 2014.  There should be many incredible food photos in this exhibit, so make sure to stop by if you are in London!

New Exhibition at Suquamish Museum (March - April 2014)

(Click on the image to see the rest of the photos.)

I am extremely honored and exited that the Suquamish Museum in Kitsap Peninsula, WA, now has a new exhibit called "From Treaty to Table" featuring 20 of my photographs.

I spent about 18months on my photo essay in 1999 and 2000 as my graduate thesis, about the Suquamish Tribe.  The essay was focused on their modern practice of commercial fishing and their tradition as people of sea.  Suquamish is a Native American tribe located on Kitsap Peninsula across Elliot Bay from Seattle.  Seattle is in fact named after their great chief Sealth from the 19th century. Their name Suquamish means clear water. 

It was only in 1974 that Federal Judge George Boldt ruled that the tribes including Suquamish in Washington State have the right to fish salmon commercially around their territories.  In modern days, the fishing around Puget Sound is extremely challenged to say the least because of pollution, over harvesting and side effects from the urban development, for the tribe to maintain their fishing tradition as well as their economical resource.  But the tribal fishermen like David Sigo keeps trying to make it work without losing his hope and identity. 

I followed a tribal commercial fisherman Dave, who also worked at the tribe's hatchery.  During the project, I photographed him at his work and his home.  I can't thank enough for David and his wife, Jaya for having me around for so many months and let me photograph their life, so that the exhibit like this can raise more awareness in the tribe's culture and economical/environmental issue around the greater Seattle area. 

Also I want to thank the museum curator Lydia Sigo for digging out my project from the archive and creating the exhibit.  

The exhibit is open until the mid April 2014.  The museum is located at 18490 Suquamish Way, Suquamish, WA98392. The hours: Monday-Friday 10am-5pm.