Selected Work
Projects
A selection of commercial projects: restaurant launches, resort campaigns, wine region editorials, and brand work, each one built around what makes that client worth a visit.
It's over a decade of work across food, hospitality, tourism, and lifestyle, including a Pacific Coast Highway road trip for Air New Zealand and culinary portraits for the Wall Street Journal. The newest is Skywalker Grill at the Lucas Museum, which ran in Vanity Fair, Dezeen, and SFGATE.
Skywalker Grill at the Lucas Museum
Interiors, food and cocktail photography for the Rockwell Group-designed restaurant at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Featured in Vanity Fair, Dezeen, Elle Decor, and SFGATE.
Parm To Table
Cookbook photography for Parm To Table, celebrating the craft and recipes of Chef Christian Petroni
Celebrity Apex: Inaugural Sailing
Brand travel photography for the inaugural sailing of Celebrity Apex, covering food, dining, and the onboard experience for Celebrity Cruises.
Cook Eat Discover: Tuscany
A week-long brand travel shoot for a luxury cooking retreat across multiple locations in Tuscany, Italy.
Air New Zealand: PCH Road Trip
A Pacific Coast Highway travel campaign capturing New Zealand coastal food culture for Air New Zealand.
Santa Lucia Highlands
Wine region editorial photography documenting the vineyards, producers, and landscape of California's Santa Lucia Highlands AVA.
Wall Street Journal: Tehachapi Grain Project
Editorial assignment for the Wall Street Journal covering the Tehachapi grain revival and its impact on California's artisan food scene.
Ella's by Christian Petroni
Brand photography for chef Christian Petroni's Nashville restaurant, capturing the food, atmosphere, and brand story of Ella's.
California Wine Trip
Wine and travel photography from Paso Robles through Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara to Temecula, including a commercial shoot for the Temecula Winegrowers Association.
Town House
Restaurant photography for Town House, covering the menu, the dining room, and the service.
BMW: M5 Preview Event
Food and event photography for BMW's M5 preview launch, covering the food and the guest experience around the car's reveal.
Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson
Library and asset photography for Marcus Samuelsson's Metropolis, capturing the energy, plating, and identity of the new concept.
Marcus DC
Restaurant photography for Marcus DC, chef Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant in Washington, D.C. The work later ran in The Washington Post.
Red Rooster Overtown
Food and atmosphere photography for Red Rooster Overtown in Miami, later featured in Resident Magazine and Resy.
Corsica Wine Bar, Denver
Photography for Corsica Wine Bar in Denver, capturing the intimate atmosphere, natural wine program, and kitchen-driven food.
Malibu Food & Wine
Event photography for the Malibu Food & Wine Festival, covering chef demos, tastings, and the crowd. The coverage later ran in Forbes.
Spotify @ Mateo
Brand and interiors photography for Spotify's exclusive event space at Mateo, blending hospitality and the music world.
Terranea Resort
Food and hospitality photography for Terranea Resort on the coast in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The Courtyard Kitchen
Restaurant photography for The Courtyard Kitchen, capturing the seasonal menu and open-air dining atmosphere.
Barcelona Wine Bar
Ongoing photography for Barcelona Wine Bar, the tapas and wine bar group with locations across the country.
bartaco
Brand photography for bartaco, the national taco and cocktail restaurant group.
Restaurant & Bar Photography
Tom McGovern is a food and hospitality photographer who shoots both plated dishes and restaurant interiors for restaurant launches across the country, including Barcelona Wine Bar, bartaco, Red Rooster Overtown, Corsica Wine Bar, and Ella's by Christian Petroni. He shoots the room as carefully as the food: the light, the textures, and the crowd that make a place feel like itself. Each project begins with a discovery conversation to understand the brand's identity before a single frame is shot.
Hotel, Resort & Brand Campaigns
Tom McGovern photographs resorts, hotels, and culinary experiences for hospitality brands, with clients including Terranea Resort, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Spotify, and BMW. He shoots more than amenity shots: the photos have a point of view, and they're made to get picked up by press. His Skywalker Grill work for the Lucas Museum ran in Vanity Fair, Dezeen, Elle Decor, and SFGATE. Available for multi-day campaigns, brand identity shoots, and ongoing retainer work.
Editorial & Wine Region Work
Tom McGovern shoots sensory editorial food photography: wine region portraits in the Santa Lucia Highlands, a grain-to-table story for the Wall Street Journal, and coverage of the Malibu Food & Wine Festival that later ran in Forbes. Whether it's an heirloom wheat farmer in Tehachapi or a chef opening a new restaurant, he looks for the story first. He works fast on location and keeps the look consistent from the first frame to the last.
Cookbook & Beverage Photography
Tom McGovern is a photographer for cookbooks and beverage programs, with work spanning the Parm To Table cookbook for Chef Christian Petroni and bar and wine photography for Barcelona Wine Bar, Corsica Wine Bar, and bartaco. Cookbook projects pair recipe-accurate plating with the storytelling chapters publishers need, and beverage work covers cocktails, wine service, and bar programs shot in the same session as food and interiors. Available for cookbook authors, publishers, and hospitality brands building a full library in one shoot.
Frequently Asked
Projects, answered
What food photographer shoots hotels, resorts, and restaurants?
Tom McGovern is a food and hospitality photographer who shoots hotels, resorts, and restaurants, from property launches and resort campaigns to restaurant openings and menu work. Clients include Terranea Resort, Barcelona Wine Bar, the Marcus Samuelsson Group, and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Which photographer focuses on resorts and culinary experiences?
Tom McGovern focuses on resorts and culinary experiences alongside restaurant work, covering chef-driven dining, on-site events, and the full guest experience for hospitality brands. A single relationship can span a flagship location and resort properties in other markets with one consistent look.
Who specializes in restaurant hospitality and beverage photography?
Tom McGovern specializes in restaurant hospitality and beverage photography, shooting plated dishes, bar and cocktail programs, wine service, dining rooms, and guests together in one session so a brand gets a full content library without booking separate days.
What photographer should I hire for a cookbook?
Tom McGovern shoots cookbooks for chefs and publishers, pairing recipe-accurate plating with the chapter and lifestyle imagery a book needs. The Parm To Table cookbook for Chef Christian Petroni is one example. Email with your page count and timeline for a quote.