A bottle of Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Reposado tequila with a lime slice and a glass with ice and lime, set against a dark background.
A bottle of Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia Reposado tequila with a lime slice and a glass with ice and lime, set against a dark background.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Food &
Portrait
Photographer

Creating images for restaurants, editorial clients, and brands across the Bay Area and beyond.

sf/Bay Area

BASED

Editorial & Commercial

FOOD · PORTRAIT · BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY

TEN+

YEARS EXPERIENCE

portfolio and services

A round caramel-colored cake decorated with caramel drizzle and chopped nuts, placed on gray paper with a bouquet of flowers nearby.

Magazine-ready food photography for cookbooks, editorial features, and culinary publications across the San Francisco Bay Area. Natural texture, honest styling, and careful retouching. Request a quote.

Editorial Food

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A bottle of Tapatio hot sauce with flames and a reflection of the label visible. The label features a man in a yellow suit with a red tie, and the brand name 'Tapatio' in red letters.

Photography that helps Bay Area restaurants and food brands stand out on menus, packaging, and screens. Crisp, striking images with a retoucher's precision. Tell me about your project.

PRODUCT & Brand

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Close-up of a man with dark skin, short black hair, and a beard, wearing a white chef's coat with the name tag reading Charles Fari, Crumble & Whisk, against a neutral gray background.

Portraits

Authentic, character-driven portraits for chefs, authors, executives, and individuals across the Bay Area. Relaxed sessions on location or in studio. Book a session.

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A small blueberry cheesecake on a white plate with scattered blueberries and mint leaves, with a fork beside it, in front of a white vase with pink flowers, on a white wooden surface.

Recent work

A Blueberry Cheesecake, Wrapped in Warmth

There's something about a slice of blueberry cheesecake resting on weathered wood and soft linen that just feels like home. In this recent piece, I wanted to play with texture and light, letting the cake's creamy richness sit beside the worn grain of the table. I used artificial light to recreate the gentle glow of a window in the afternoon, which brings out the glossy shimmer on the berries and the buttery softness of the cake.

I wanted the image to feel intimate and a little timeless, like a quiet moment in a kitchen where someone baked something by hand and took their time doing it. It's made for editorial work and boutique food brands that are looking for visuals that feel honest and tactile: refined, but always inviting.

Street photograph of an older man in a blue jacket at an empty bus shelter beside a red shopping cart

FEATURED

things perceived

Notes on photography, street work, and the stories behind my images.

the Bus Stop

Street photography holds a special place in the world of image-making. It's a genre shaped by masters like Alex Webb, Mary Ellen Mark, and Elliott Erwitt, whose work captures the beauty of ordinary, unplanned moments.

What makes street photography so compelling is its honesty — there's no staging, no control, just a photographer's ability to notice and react. It rewards patience, curiosity, and a willingness to explore unfamiliar places, turning fleeting instances into lasting images.

discover more with me
Outline of a vintage camera with a strap, depicted in white against a black background.

about MICHAEL GURULE

I'm a San Francisco Bay Area photographer working with restaurants, editorial clients, cookbook authors, and brands who need images that do more than look good, they tell the story behind the food and the people making it.

With 10+ years of professional experience including a decade as a digital imager at the East Bay Times, I bring a retoucher's precision and a storyteller's eye to every shoot.

A man with a beard wearing a baseball cap backward, a jacket, and carrying a camera with a large telephoto lens, standing outdoors.

Let's make
something great

Whether you have a clear vision or just an idea, reach out and let's talk about bringing it to life.