the latin issue: annabelle breakey
“I love making promos, it’s like making a record album,” says photographer Annabelle Breakey. She’s been in the practice of creating promos—printed booklets showcasing a series of photographs relating to a particular theme—for close to a decade. Some of her earlier promos, which are all under the title Plenty, are The Guilty Pleasures Issue, The Black and White Issue, and, in celebration of all things ovular, The Egg Issue. Her latest is The Latin Issue, which coheres a handful of colorful and purposefully messy images of foods from south of the border. “Promos let me explore a theme from every direction and then form it into one complete thought,” Breakey explains.
The Latin Issue photographs were created while Breakey was doing something else she loves: testing. “I wanted to create photographs that celebrated Latin culture, that were a little bit nostalgic, a little bit cheeky, and a little bit playful,” she says of the self-led project and pointing to the photo of a grown man sitting in a kiddy pool, sipping a fruit-adorned paloma. Other images in the volume highlight Latin cuisine, which she notes in the introduction, “is rooted in the customs and traditions from 21 countries that make up Latin America.”
On the menu are traditional Mexican cocktails, birria des res, street tacos, empanadas, fried plantains, chicarones, agua fresca, chocolate-drenched churros, flan, and more—all photographed in various states of being dished or devoured. “I wanted to emphasize the Latin value of multigenerational connection,” she says, “and for the whole series to be about people eating, passing, and sharing food together.”
Breakey credits the success of the images—which were a fan favorite on Instagram—to the meticulous styling done by Heidi Gintner and Alysia Andriola. “They both completely embraced the project, and hustled to gather all the just-right things for each image,” Breakey shares of the shoot that took place in her San Francisco studio over two days. “When I do a promo, I treat it like a real job,” she explains. “It should be fun, but it should also lead to gorgeous work that would appeal to clients.” With food so beautiful, we can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t order it.
To see more fun and delicious work from Annabelle, head over to her site.