Today on the blog: Recent work for Mondelez Brands, courtesy of Chef Levi Rush. Special thanks to Brick and Mortar for the use of their beautiful event space. Happy Tuesday.

With the holidaze and all the surrounding hubbub, it’s easy for us to slack on sharing our work at the end of one year and the beginning of another. So today, we’re sharing a few images from late last year and early this year. Here’s hoping your new year is off to a great start. Cheers everyone.

How do you compile a decade’s worth of images and stories into a single blog post? If you ever figure it out, please let me know. In the meantime, this a best attempt at highlighting some of the ongoing clients, fun jobs and unique ingredients that have compiled the last 10 years of Novo Studio.

Enjoy.

We recently had the opportunity to work with the fine proprietors of The Buttered Biscuit to create some images for their upcoming article in AY Magazine. Their location off of Moberly Lane in Bentonville has been a hot spot for some time now and their second location, now open on Airport Road is gaining traction as well. At either location, you’re bound to find really delicious food made with responsibly sourced ingredients and a friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere. Here’s a few images from the shoot. Enjoy.

Over the past few months, we’ve had the opportunity to contribute to the editorial imagery of AY Magazine. Based out of Little Rock but covering the entire state, AY Magazine is Arkansas' top resource guide for food, travel, arts, entertainment, music, culture and living. Here’s a few recent images. Enjoy.

When I first visited Bar Cleeta, it was before they were officially open and we focused on photographing their delicious food and drinks. A few weeks back, I paid another visit to focus on the finished space. Of course there was also food and drink involved but this time, it went straight to my tummy. As for everything else…well…scroll down and see for yourself.

- Philip

Congratulations to writers Lacey Thacker and Sara Mitchell on the launch of their brand new book, Rooted: Central Arkansas Farm & Table. We’ve had the honor and privilege for working with them along with Etalia Press on this project, meeting the wonderful farmers, chefs and creatives, hearing about their stories and their contributions, and photographing them for this book. The resulting publication was released last week to the public via a special party held (in true Rooted fashion), at an outdoor garden. Here’s a few images from the project as well as a few snapshots of the launch party. For more information or to order the book, please visit the website. Cheers!

Hello and Happy (almost) Summer time. As you may or may not know, I (Philip) now have a business partner/collaborator/additional photographer/videographer/website & social media contributor who’s name is Jared. For the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work creating content and figuring out the routine of running a business together. And that has left us both too busy to share recent work here on the blog. Today, I’m going to begin to remedy that by sharing a few images from a recent photoshoot in Bentonville’s newest culinary establishment, Bar Cleeta.

Unlike a traditional restaurant that serves entrees, Bar Cleeta serves small, shareable plates that pair well with their curated wine list and craft cocktails. As you might expect from a culinary establishment of this caliber, everything is beautifully presented and wonderfully delicious. For more information on Bar Cleeta, please visit their facebook or instagram page.

Cheers!

Food photography is one of those seemingly simple processes that in reality, couldn’t be more intricate and oftentimes, difficult. Through photographing food, I have come to appreciate not only the art of making and cooking food, but also the art of making food look picture perfect on camera. Today’s blog post is from a couple of recent food shoots I worked on. One was for Ella’s Table, the delicious restaurant housed in Carnall Hall on the University of Arkansas campus. The other shoot was for the recipe section of a popular website. Both shoots involved deliciously presented food, one by the chef from Ella’s Table and the other, by my favorite food stylist Ashley Henderson. Happy Monday everyone.

Change is inevitable. Sometimes, it’s quick and abrupt. And other times, you start to feel the slow pull and growing tension of the current circumstances and you start wondering what to do about it. The latter has been my experience over the last couple of years…

Today on the blog, a few recent images for the March 2019 issue of Local Palate Magazine, a premier food culture publication focused on the South. This month’s issue featured an article on Scott Baker of Tusk and Trotter. Scott’s techniques for infusing liquors with natural flavors and the resulting cocktails are gaining attention outside our little are because they are absolutely delicious. Cheers to Monday!

Food and beverage photography is quickly becoming one of my favorite jobs to work on. Part of this newfound love lies in the fact that I…

Here’s a quick behind the scenes photo from a recent photoshoot at Tusk and Trotter, for Visit Bentonville and The Local Palate, a culinary publication out of Charleston, South Carolina. I am confined to only behind the scenes photos until the publication releases in March. But after that, I’ll be sharing some tasty cocktail photos on here on the blog. In the meantime, enjoy!

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with some talented folks who turned turned ordinary triscuits into delicious (yes, I’m speaking from experience) hors d'oeuvres. The resulting images and recipes will be appearing very soon on in-store signage in Walmart and Sam’s Club Stores across the country. Getcha some!

Over the course of the last 2 years, I've been working with Visit Rogers to create a library of imagery that they can use to market our beautiful town to the locals and the visitors alike. I recently had the opportunity to tag along on a video shoot and create a few new still images. And of course, that meant sampling some delicious food and drink as well. Based on my "market research", I highly recommend the following: Cooking Studio of Downtown Rogers, Levi's, Bocca, Ozark Beer Company, Iron Horse Coffee Company, and if you like food trucks, City Pump. But please...don't take my word for it, try them yourself!

Today on the blog: A few images from Arkansas Food & Farm Magazine showcasing the digs and deliciousness at Oven & Tap Restaurant. Cheers!

I recently had the opportunity to photograph (and eat) some of the delicious food at Sai Wok, a relatively new Vietnamese restaurant in Rogers. In case you're wondering, the food is just as delicious as it looks in the photos. Bon appétit.

A heartfelt thank you to all of my friends and clients who made 2017 such a memorable year. This blog post contains some of my favorite commercial and lifestyle images from 2017. I couldn't pick just a few favorites, so there's a lot. Send me your medical bills for injuries related to excessive scrolling and Have a Happy New Year. 

I'm convinced that you cannot live in Northwest Arkansas and not hear about The Preacher's Son, a fairly new restaurant and bar concept from the brilliant minds of The Ropeswing Group. The atmosphere is beautifully dramatic, yet homey and subtle. And the food...well the food is downright delicious. (You may recall a recent blog post for Food and Farm Magazine recipe for a salad that I couldn't stop eating.) Executive Chef Matt Cooper and his well-trained and good natured kitchen staff use locally sourced ingredients and insane amounts of creativity to create dishes as delicious to eat as they are beautiful to look at. I recently had the opportunity to hang out in the kitchen and create some images for the restaurant and today, I'm sharing a few of my favorites. Enjoy.

For full menu and hours, visit The Preacher's Son website.  

I am very drawn to the culinary world, simply because the process, and the artistic vision behind it is fascinating to me. So it was fun for me to have the opportunity to hang out with and photograph Chef Matt Cooper of The Preacher's Son. Wow, what a nice guy. I thoroughly enjoyed following him around the local farm as he literally picked the ingredients for a delicious salad, the recipe of which is soon to follow in the upcoming issue of Food and Farm Magazine. And when all was said and done, Matt let my try the salad...and I couldn't stop eating it.