Damson Plums and Trio of Jams. "These images are from The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, which was up for the prestigious James Beard Award for photography in May of 2011. I was extremely proud of this work because it was a perfect example of letting us artists do what we do with minimal, somewhat 'invisible' art direction. Trust is key: you combine a fantastic client with a strong vision, and they just trust you and let you go. It's not only more creatively fulfilling, but the results, 99 percent of the time, resonate on a much stronger level for a longer period of time."