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
A decade of shooting for restaurants, chefs, authors, and brands across the Bay Area. Every image below was made on assignment — real dishes, real people, real spaces.
portfolio and services
Magazine-ready food photography that captures the story behind every dish for cookbooks, editorial features, and culinary publications.
Editorial Food
Commercial food and product photography for restaurants, menus, packaging, and Bay Area food brands that demand striking imagery.
Restaurant & Brand
Authentic, character-driven portraits for chefs, authors, executives, and individuals who want images that feel genuinely them.
Portraits
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.
Recent work
The Quiet Shutter:
a blog about Found, Framed, Finished
Welcome to a blog about shooting the real world as it actually happens. You'll find street photography, found-object studies, and behind-the-scenes breakdowns that walk you through handling tricky lighting, making bolder composition choices, and building an editing workflow that keeps your colors consistent and your deadlines met. Every post explains the "why" as well as the "how," so you can use what you learn for personal projects and paying clients alike.
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.
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.
mike@mcgfoto.com
BASED IN
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Most projects book 2-4 weeks out. Reach out early and let's plan something together.