Sam Wells headshot
A quick look at one of the many San Diego Magazine photographers and what he’s working on right now.
I’m From… oceanside. I’ve lived in north county most of my life.
I started working for San Diego Magazine in… early 2012
I’m currently shooting… interesting food projects, short photo and video stories on people making artisanal food. In the process of shooting a short recipe book in collaboration with a local medicinal chef focused on recipes that heal your body and taste delicious
A personal project I’m working on is… my food blog www.slowdowncookmore.com. It highlights practical food technique and setup as well as recipes and stories on food culture. It is rooted in my overarching principle of simplicity and minimalism. I want to teach people how to be efficient in the kitchen so they can make cooking everyday a part of their lifestyle and not a burden.
My favorite thing to shoot in San Diego is… restaurants and food. I also love shooting people creating food “underground” to show their passion for food. I’m reminded of the shoot of Yakitori for the Asian feature where the guy was cooking over coals. You could tell he was very good at what he did because he has been doing it for so long.
The San Diego Magazine assignment I am most proud of is… the Asian Cover Feature. I had the most fun tracking down and shooting these places. a lot of them were so far off the grid that they were a bit tricky to schedule, but once we got in and started shooting, the people were so friendly and they were always so generous and fun.
I’m inspired by… raw real culture that is inspired by an uncontrollable desire to create good work. There are a lot of people trying to look cool, creative, different, or do things that are popular, etc. but don’t really dedicate themselves to anything other than their “look.” When i find someone doing something they love simply because they love to do it, and they do it well, I love to shoot that passion.
Website: www.samwellsphoto.com
Food photo shot by Sam Wells
