Portrait of Fritz Maytag, Craft Beer Pioneer, for Draft Magazine | SF Photographer

Check out my website with the latest imagery including portraits of Fritz Maytag "the god father of craft beer in America". I had the opportunity to shoot him at Anchor Brewery in San Francisco, thanks to Draft Magazine and my photo crew Marine and Francois Boulaire. Take a look at the article about how Fritz Maytag took over a dying San Francisco brewery in 1965 and turned it around to become the most modern small brewery in the world.

Below you can see a couple outtakes from the shoot. Check out Draft Magazine's January/February spread. I'm excited to have these images in my portfolio.

Some subjects arrive with a story that does half the work for you. Fritz Maytag is one of those subjects — the man who saved Anchor Steam Brewery from closure in 1965 and, in doing so, helped ignite what would become America's craft beer movement.

Photographing a Craft Beer Legend

I had the opportunity to shoot Fritz Maytag at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco for Draft Magazine's January/February issue. Draft Magazine is a publication dedicated to beer culture, and a feature on Maytag — widely regarded as the godfather of American craft beer — was a natural centerpiece. The challenge with subjects of this stature is capturing presence without making the portrait feel staged.

Shooting at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco

Anchor Brewing's facility in San Francisco is a location with as much character as the man himself — copper tanks, tiled floors, industrial light filtering through high windows. Shooting in a working brewery means adapting to the environment: you use the machinery, the textures, the smell of hops in the air as part of the visual language.

The Story Behind the Portrait

Maytag took over a dying brewery and turned it into what he called the most modern small brewery in the world. His story is one of conviction and craft over commercial pressure — which makes him an ideal editorial subject. I wanted the portrait to reflect that: someone comfortable in their own history.

Editorial Portrait Photography for Magazines

This assignment came through Draft Magazine, with photo crew Marine Terlizzi and François Boulaire assisting on set. It's the kind of editorial work I find most rewarding — a compelling subject, a location with inherent character, and a publication with genuine editorial vision.

Looking to commission editorial portraits for a magazine feature in San Francisco or the Bay Area? [Contact Marc] to discuss.