Welcome…

It’s hard to say what came first, my love of food or my love of photography. From pouring over food magazines and cooking multi-coursed dinners for my brothers and friends as a kid, to moving to Italy in my twenties to study the culinary arts and, well, eat my way through Europe, I have always been moved by how food—selecting it, cooking it, serving and eating it—can tell a story.

Anne Watson • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER

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About me

It’s hard to say what came first, my love of food or my love of photography. From pouring over food magazines and cooking multi-coursed dinners for my brothers and friends as a kid, to moving to Italy in my twenties to study the culinary arts and, well, eat my way through Europe, I have always been moved by how food—selecting it, cooking it, serving and eating it—can tell a story.

At the same time, with a dad who loved photography and a great high school photo class darkroom, I began carrying a camera with me everywhere at a very young age. Photography remained my hobby through many years in the corporate world, traveling country to country for work and documenting what I saw in my time off.

I suppose it’s because I have always loved both food and photography that photographing food, and the farmers, chefs, and restaurants behind it, comes naturally to me. My personal style comes out of a deep love, and understanding, of the food culture of Southern California and the places I’ve lived and traveled — from Europe to Asia, Africa, Australia, all over America, and everywhere in between. With a background in professional kitchens, I am as comfortable on the line, shooting chefs as they plate dishes on fine china, as I am riding in a pickup truck to an orchard to capture the avocado harvest.

My work has been featured in nationally and internationally celebrated magazines, newspapers, and cookbooks, and my clients range from publications to national brands to the local food truck…

I have offices based in Orange County and San Diego, and when not behind the camera lens, I have another full-time role as a mother and stepmother. I live with my husband on a ranch and vineyard in North San Diego County.

Follow Me On Instagram

@annewatsonphoto

annewatsonphoto

Hello, December! 👋 And hello @sandiegomag's Best Restaurants Issue, Takeout Edition! I had so much fun styling & shooting this cover feature story for the team at San Diego Magazine. ...

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Dec 1

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Hello, December! 👋 And hello @sandiegomag's Bes Hello, December! 👋 And hello @sandiegomag's Best Restaurants Issue, Takeout Edition! I had so much fun styling & shooting this cover feature story for the team at San Diego Magazine. 📸⠀ ⠀ Congratulations to everyone at @lejeuneetjolie for taking the spotlight with their stunning cuisine featured on the December cover & for being named 2020's 'Best French Restaurant' and 'Best New Outdoor Pop-Up'! 👏🏼 On newsstands now ☺️⠀

annewatsonphoto

Yep. I still feel as enthusiastic about noodles today as I did in 1980 😂 #FBF⠀
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What food are you as excited to eat now as you were when you were a kid? 😁⠀

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Nov 13

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Yep. I still feel as enthusiastic about noodles to Yep. I still feel as enthusiastic about noodles today as I did in 1980 😂 #FBF⠀ ⠀ What food are you as excited to eat now as you were when you were a kid? 😁⠀

annewatsonphoto

I'm thrilled to be working as part of @thefamilythrive team now 😊 -- not only as a food photographer, but as an integral part of their marketing, culinary & overall content teams. Our aim ...

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Nov 12

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I'm thrilled to be working as part of @thefamilyth I'm thrilled to be working as part of @thefamilythrive team now 😊 -- not only as a food photographer, but as an integral part of their marketing, culinary & overall content teams. Our aim at The Family Thrive is to empower parents with science-backed knowledge & community support when it comes to raising families in the modern age. And when the full site launches this January it's going to be chock-full of incredible healthy recipes that the whole family can love! 💚⠀ ⠀ Meantime, we have launched our initial mini-website that's live right now, and as part of that you are able to sign up & receive a free downloadable e-Zine entitled 'Nourish' that is packed with incredible recipes & information (and lots of food photos by yours truly!). This recipe is one of my absolute favorites that I had the opportunity to cook, style & shoot for the e-Zine -- a stunning Korean Rice Bowl recipe by @chefcathy that features some of my most-loved veggies like Enoki mushrooms 🍄, red peppers, sugar snap peas & bok choy.⠀ ⠀ Head over to thefamilythrive.com and click on the orange 'Get your FREE quarterly magazine' button now to download the e-Zine and get this recipe & much more!

annewatsonphoto

Cooler Autumn nights call for warm, cozy homemade Neapolitan-style pizza 🍕 And YES, it’s possible to make this in your home oven! My secret weapon for perfect pizza at home is a @bakingsteel. It ...

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Nov 11

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Cooler Autumn nights call for warm, cozy homemade Cooler Autumn nights call for warm, cozy homemade Neapolitan-style pizza 🍕 And YES, it’s possible to make this in your home oven! My secret weapon for perfect pizza at home is a @bakingsteel. It is a total game-changer & once you use it, you will never go back to any other method for cooking pizza at home! ⠀ ⠀ My favorite crust recipe features @jovialfoods’ Einkorn Wheat flour & is adapted from @cooksillustrated’s 8-Hour Pizza Dough recipe. Buon appetito! 😋⠀ ⠀ ✔️1 3/4 cups water divided, 1/2 cup warm, remaining at tap temperature ⠀ ✔️1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast⠀ ✔️2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing dough.⠀ ✔️4 cups Jovial Foods All-Purpose Einkorn Wheat Flour.⠀ ✔️1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt⠀ ✔️Additional olive oil for oiling bowl ⠀ ✔️Semolina for dusting peel⠀ ⠀ Heat the oven with the Baking Steel in it to 500 degrees for 1 hour before cooking.⠀ 1️⃣ Measure 1/4 cup warm water into 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until yeast dissolves & swells, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water plus remaining 1 1/4 cups tap water & olive oil. Meanwhile, pulse flour & salt in work bowl of large food processor fitted with steel blade to combine. Add liquid ingredients (holding back about 3 TBSPs or so) to flour & pulse together. If dough does not readily form into ball, stop machine, add remaining liquid, & continue to pulse until ball forms. Process until dough is smooth & satiny, about 30 seconds longer.⠀ 2️⃣ Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand briefly to form a smooth round ball. Put dough into a large oiled bowl & cover with damp cloth. Let stand at cool room temperature (about 68 degrees) until doubled in size, ~8 hours.⠀ 3️⃣ Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface & use chef’s knife or dough scraper to halve, quarter, or cut dough into eighths, depending on number & size of pizzas desired. Form each piece into ball and cover with damp cloth. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape & transfer to a pizza peel that has been lightly coated with semolina, brush dough very lightly with olive oil before topping and cooking.⠀ 4️⃣ Cook on the Baking Steel for 5-10 mins, depending on size 🍕❤️ ⠀

annewatsonphoto

2020. This year has truly thrown everything up in the air! What goes up, must come down though and I'm excited to share where things are landing for me at the moment as Anne Watson Photography ...

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Nov 10

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2020. This year has truly thrown everything up in 2020. This year has truly thrown everything up in the air! What goes up, must come down though and I'm excited to share where things are landing for me at the moment as Anne Watson Photography enters a new era.⠀ ⠀ I have a lot to share with you: A brand-spankin' new website that is launching soon, a list of new services that I'm now offering, involvement with a new family health-focused business, and plenty of new Social Media content for you to sink your teeth into! 😁 It's said that change is the only constant, and I couldn't agree more. So, I'm embracing the changes that life brings my way, evolving, and adapting each day, and am honored for you to join me on this journey. Let's do this! 🤗

annewatsonphoto

🎃🍫 Our family’s Halloween-during-quarantine plans here on The Watson Ranch are shaping up nicely!... It’s going to be a Saturday filled with pumpkin carving, dressing our dogs (and pigs!?) ...

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Oct 31

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🎃🍫 Our family’s Halloween-during-quarantin 🎃🍫 Our family’s Halloween-during-quarantine plans here on The Watson Ranch are shaping up nicely!... It’s going to be a Saturday filled with pumpkin carving, dressing our dogs (and pigs!?) up in costumes, and then snuggling-up to watch ‘It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ while stuffing our faces with these homemade Salted Dark Chocolate Brownies (which just so happen to be refined-sugar-free, dairy-free & gluten-free, yet still so gooey & scrumptious they’ve received both the husband & seven-year-old-son stamp-of-approval!) 😋 This recipe is from Cheryl at @40aprons (called her “Perfect Paleo Brownies”) and they’re amazing! I used @lilys_sweets dark chocolate chips & @navitasorganics Cacao Powder for their chocolate decadence. All of the sweetness in this recipe comes from unprocessed raw golden coconut sugar. And I just added a sprinkle of @maldonsalt to the top after baking, as I’m a sweet-and-salty kinda’ gal. 👻🧡 Happy (and Healthy!) Halloween weekend, friends! 🍁🎃 • • • #annewatsonphoto #foodphotographer #foodphotography #foodstyling #propstyling #foodphoto #foodpics #happyhalloween🎃 #glutenfreebaking #refinedsugarfree #healthyrecipes #healthyhalloweentreats #browniesofinstagram #homebaked #saltedchocolate

annewatsonphoto

FriYAY 🎉 Happy weekend, friends! Wishing you all a sweet one ✨💛

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Oct 24

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FriYAY 🎉 Happy weekend, friends! Wishing you al FriYAY 🎉 Happy weekend, friends! Wishing you all a sweet one ✨💛

annewatsonphoto

@eatpuesto for dinner? Sign. Me. UP. #yum #yespleasethankyou

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Oct 22

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@eatpuesto for dinner? Sign. Me. UP. #yum #yesplea @eatpuesto for dinner? Sign. Me. UP. #yum #yespleasethankyou