If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what everyday stuff famous people add to their carts — like hair spray or an electric toothbrush. We asked photographer, illustrator, and author Todd Selby, whose new book The Selby Comes Home is out now, about the olive-oil spray bottles he won’t grill without, the double camping chair he brings to every photo shoot, and the custom leather cowboy boots he commissioned with dolphins and the Kool-Aid Man on the sides.
I drive a white Toyota Camry, and I have a no-wash policy. I never wash it, so it has a real patina. But of course I do wash the windows — safety first. On occasion, I get out the Invisible Glass spray I keep in the trunk and spray down the windows. But I’m very careful to keep the patina on the rest of the car. This gives me a “He’s got nothing to lose” quality when I am attempting to merge lanes, and everyone makes way for me.
I don’t camp, but I am a lover of camping chairs. There are a lot of different aspects to my love and obsession, though, including something I learned about Karl Lagerfeld when I photographed him for my first book. He was a photographer as well as a clothing designer and always brought a bench with him when he was doing a photo shoot. The purpose for that bench was to have a special place to chat with his subjects before everything started. This double camping chair is my homage to the intimacy of that bench — and it’s foldable. I also have my own solo camping chairs. I cannot sit on a regular metal folding chair, so I always have a few camping chairs in my car, in my office, and with my camera gear.
I love grilling, and my favorite part is spraying olive oil all over the place — on the grill, on the veggies, on the fish — and watching the flames leap around. If you don’t want your stuff to stick to the grill, you’ve got to use oil on everything. So I got into having these spray bottles. I definitely overdo it because that’s the most fun. The spray bottles have a nice matte sheen to them, so they kind of look fancy.
Koshihikari gaba is a Goldilocks rice, halfway between white and brown. It’s sprouted, and in the process of sprouting it, the harsher bran layer gets washed off. Because of this, you get the health benefits of brown rice with the milder taste of white. I have a high-end Zojirushi Japanese rice cooker that makes slamming rice. We eat a lot of salmon roe in our house. It’s my youngest daughter’s favorite thing to eat. She loves the salmon eggs with this rice. So we’ll make that a lot with Momofuku soy sauce and Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp, the OG one that spawned a million imitators. I recommend using Lao Gan Ma with caution, though, because it’s too good. I’m scared to recommend it to people.
The Foam Box is an incredible thing to have around the house — it’s superlight yet strong, soft on the floors, and can easily be stacked. Because it’s foam, it feels cushy when you sit on it. I own four of these and am always looking to get more. They remind me of the traditional apple box, but much better. I used to have a custom apple box decorated by the painter Chris Uphues, known for his heart and cartoon-character designs. However, it was heavy and uncomfortable to sit on. Now, looking at my foam box, I realize how amazing they are for seating. You can sit on one, use another as a table, and they’re great for gatherings. People are always surprised at how versatile and comfortable they are; even my wife has taken a few for herself because she loves them so much.
I’m a big morel mushroom fan (I even made a short film about cooking them for the New York Times), and I get these morel-mushroom candles from the General Store in L.A. The store is run by Serena Mitnik Miller, an artist who is also featured in my book. It’s located on Abbot Kinney in Venice and has been a part of the community for a while. Serena has been at the forefront of many trends. The store is seen as an influential place, showcasing items you might not find elsewhere, including vintage pieces and unique products like these morel candles. I love their unique mossy-green, brown, tan, and gray colors. They are especially fun to melt and look even cooler that way.
Ninety percent of my new book was shot with the Canon R3. I am not a gear guy by any means, but this camera changed something inside of me. It’s chunky and fierce, and it can’t take an out-of-focus photo. I believe it was built for the Olympics. So it’s insanely fast. It’s too fast — it’s like 20 frames a second or something like that, which is honestly more than you want to edit. It’s like a block, but because of that, I’m not concerned about getting on the ground and rolling around. I’d take it over a smaller camera any day.
I first found out about Rocketbuster custom cowboy boots when I was traveling around Texas doing a work project for the state of Texas photographing all these unique Texans. The first thing they do when you arrive is give you a drink, and then they trace your feet. Then you have a chat about what you want your boots to look like. I have always loved the Kool-Aid Man, so I knew I wanted him on my boots wearing cowboy boots too. There are also dolphins wearing fanny packs and three kittens that kind of reference the kitten T-shirts that I like to wear. Each of the kittens is wearing a cowboy hat with initials. The big cat is “D” for Danielle, and the middle one is “E” for Ella, and the little one is “S” for Simone — my wife and my two daughters.
My wife, Danielle Sherman, is co-founder of The Row and also has a fine-jewelry company. This chain lives permanently on top of the kitten T-shirts I’m always wearing. Every single link on these chains is hand-formed in Los Angeles. I like to wear two of them at the same time, one inside my T-shirt peeking out of the neckline, and the other worn on top of the shirt. I have the 25-inch-length chain, which is larger than the circumference of my head so I never have to mess with a clasp.
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