Tags: advertising, design, motion, music, Photoshop, product, promo, sequencer, still life, studio, Video
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posts tagged ‘advertising’
Hello everyone. Things are hectic…I’m preparing for graduation from AiC, dealing with the massive GoDaddy security fail, building the final version of my commercial stills book, blah blah blah.
I just uploaded the third major revision to this website; its bigger, faster, and more awesome than ever. I’m fine tuning my branding and I now have a real portfolio sequence thanks to my advisor, Todd Dobbs. Stress aside, I’m actually having a lot of fun. For me, everything needs to be cohesive…and I’m starting to get there.
Somehow, out of all this chaos, comes a cool new action promo. It’s really a feeler piece. Check it out and give me feedback if you’re so inclined. I love feedback. Come back for some major blog updates this month as well. Cheerios!
(Sound has been disabled on the video until I can clear the rights; the track is Echoes by BSOD.)
Alright, to be honest: I’m not going to write much because I’m dying to get into Sonic Generations on my 360!!!
Be sure to check out Matt Pickett’s blog, rolled out fresh on 11/11. Matt rocks, his inaugural post rocks, can’t wait to see him get going with it. Go learn something: http://www.mattpickettphotography.co.uk/blog/
I’m dropping off some odd stuff from over the weekend; nothing to write home about, probably, but pretty large in terms of production time. Three sets in one day plus an emergency trip across town to IKEA for a glasstop without text imprints. This shoot was tied to a mock campaign for depression help-lines. Get it? This campaign is the antithesis of those dark, scary, and unnerving ads that I hate so much. I truly feel for anyone who suffers from depression. Please get help.
Also, chomping to mess with my 24mm Nikkor, I had plenty of incentive to grab some production stills. That’s the best part, really! Enjoy ~~>
Tags: 80mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Apple, Aptus-II, design, digital photography, equipment, Leaf, lighting, Phase One, Profoto, Schneider-Kreuznach, set, Sinar, still life, studio, tools
Posted in Shoot | 5 Comments »
Here’s some sexy Zwilling J.A. Henkels steel, off the table from last week. ↓
/ Otherwise, I am hard at work on my first commercial book with Todd Dobbs (content) and Frank Varney (production). I’m getting ready to have the shell fabricated so I might as well share what’s going on so far. →
I am not a fan of the whole $800+ custom book thing when they cannot be changed out, repaired, or simply updated. I think that’s really…well, I think that’s a bad idea. That goes right against every grain to which I subscribe, live by, and design by. It isn’t functional, efficient, nor sensical unless you’re rolling in cash or you’re popular enough so that everyone swoons over whatever you do. I’m nowhere near that; I want a book that can change with me as my abilities and skills grow over the next few years until I design and produce the next one.
It’s going to be fab’d from brushed aluminum because it’s durable, beautiful, neutral, fitting with my style of work, and also my abilities as a builder. I don’t care how many other photographers have aluminum books; for me this is the best fit and nothing else fits quite so well. So aluminum it is. It looks fantastic with my adopted tint of orange, which, in turn, was arrived at because it looks fantastic with just about everything that I shoot – blues, greens, browns, blacks, whites, etc. I actually came up with this color mathematically using an algorithm that I made up with no real purposeful criteria and which has failed to work for me since. I call my color “Cylobian Sunrise” because I’m a big fan. Anyway, all together I have a nicely cohesive color schema going on and the brushed aluminum caps it off perfectly. Much better than brushed stainless, even. The neutrality steps back and lets the prints take all of the attention. Cloth and leather commercial books, especially, don’t do anything for me. Nach maith.
Cylobian Sunrise => RGB(246, 139, 31) or approx CMYK(0.2, 54.32, 99.84, -).
And the book shell imprint is going to be etched – it’s more durable and more awesome than UV printing, but also more common…we’ll see where that lands.
I’m down to four papers for production: Canson Baryta Photographique, Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta, Innova FibraPrint White Gloss, and Mitsubishi/GEKKO Green. Really, it has been a long haul and I’m a bit sore at all of the other shite papers that I went through to get to these four stellar ones. These four papers are fantastic. They perform really well technically with amazing dynamic range and deep black levels on semi, but I won’t go into that – they all pass technical requirements. Now it’s down to vibrancy and punch: all tasty subjective rendering. It will take me a while to decide from these four papers because I can’t make decisions. The physical mockup, however, will be produced on the affordable Canson paper. Each print will be hand varnished with Breathing Color’s Timeless Satin prior to cropping and binding.
Why the A3 format? Because it’s bigger and mightier than the too common 11×14 books but not overbearing like 13×19. Just so you don’t have to go look it up, A3 dimensions are 297mm × 420mm (11.69in × 16.54in). An A3 shell is wider and sexier than 11×14 and just a smidge taller. Those Euro books stand out over here; I noticed that once and kind of made this decision then. That aside, I really do love the A3 format/aspect and it makes it easy to produce full-bleeds on a common US cut-stock. It’s a win.
Look at the digital mockups and please leave your comments and suggestions.
Tags: advertising, book, build, CAD, commercial, design, illustration, portfolio, product, tools
Posted in Work | 10 Comments »
I’m killing myself trying to prep the sequencer project for manufacturing before I become saturated with shooting due to a special topics course in food styling that starts tomorrow. I’m totally excited about this. The only problem is that, because it is a mid-term course, we will meet from 8AM to 5PM every Monday. That’s nine hours. No problem. Tom Moore is teaching and we’re joining the culinary program, sounds like a hell of a good time to me.
Before the sequencer update, check out my latest portfolio addition. The first time I gazed upon a toaster with a LCD I knew something like this was going to happen eventually. It was also a great way to test out the counter top I built. Lots going on here. If you’re wondering: the wall is false, made of foam core. The LCD display was modeled digitally; however it does match the actual display and is based on scan of the plastic protective cover out of the box. I am using a false DOF here stylistically, but I was crafty about it. It looks right. Also, something is missing, can you find it? I’m having a lot of fun with this kind of strange style, and all the fun appliance humor that I’m pretty sure most people won’t appreciate.
OK then, I have been putting in LONG hours to get the sequencer ready for manufacturing. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just visit my previous post. The first order was to add isolated and buffered outputs which required a large addition to the electronics. Once this was accomplished and the parts sourced, there was a rather hefty PCB redesign to accomodate - this is still in the works. Today I am happy to share the final chassis design. I have dropped the Hammond enclosure idea and have decided to design my own enclosure from scratch. This was a huge undertaking and it took uncountable hours of research, design, and fitting. Ok, it took about twenty hours. But, that’s a lot of hours. This enclosure fits everything quite nicely with an extreme utilization of space, which is something that was not possible with the pre-manufactured Hammond box. Also, I am saving myself a ton of trouble by having the end panels milled directly for the parts that mount to them. The end product makes it look easy, but I had to track down and find the engineering drawings for every single part and specify each cut and drill hole to those specs, in addition to figuring and allowing for tolerances. A ton of work, but actually it was all kinds of fun.
The new enclosure will be milled from 2.5mm black anodized aluminum blanks with 2mm end panels. The channels on the edge of the front panel are 1mm cavities which fit into the 1.5U edge channels. The external components are all placed so that they avoid everything inside, specifically the power supply, the main board, and the daughter board. I am not showing the rear panel, but it is drilled to precisely mount the internal components. Hopefully everything will come together.
The big news is that the components are all sourced and ordered. Thank you, Mouser!
Added: Since two people have asked about the new board, here it is. Major additions are fully buffered and isolated 3A switching outputs, four pin output channels to support isolated switching, mountings for the newer 1012 daughter board, USB power routed through the data channel, drilling for 24AWG and 18AWG wiring, and industry standard Molex K.K. power connectors.
Tags: 80mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Aptus-II, CAD, design, digital photography, electronics, Engineering, equipment, food, Leaf, medium format, Photoshop, product, Profoto, Schneider-Kreuznach, sequencer, set, Sinar, still life, studio
Posted in Work | 7 Comments »
Just a quick drop off. That phone snapshot, the new countertop, a pre-existing idea, and Dave on hand resulted in a prototype shoot on Monday. The concept is obvious, so I made sure to shoot clean and allowed for some experimentation. I was probably not as strict about a few things as I normally would have been, but in the end I’m glad about that as it lends a bit of comfort, having the straws and other items just a bit off and such. I think I learned something there. Anyway, we constructed both sets and shot the product on each set aligned as closely as humanly possible. I think I used every movement on my camera to get the second shot to match the first. Angle and focal movements were frozen, but everything else was variable between them. We carefully matched lighting, but also allowed for some differences in character to match the expected ambiance. With nice, clean frames coming in, post was a blast. There are issues, but they are nit-picky. I am very happy with the result. Thanks to Dave M. for all the help.
Starting to use the D4 a lot more and I’m afraid I’m falling in love with it, which is bad. A seriously hardcore generator that handles like a kitten. No, really, it purrs. Very accurate, very versatile. It’s awesome.
Tags: 80mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Aptus-II, digital photography, equipment, Leaf, lighting, medium format, product, Profoto, Schneider-Kreuznach, set, Sinar, still life, studio
Posted in Shoot | 2 Comments »
Damn, it’s been a long time. I’ve seen so many great photographs and met so many great photographers in the last two months that I can’t possibly know where to begin. Its organization time over here at my tiny work space. I’m totally thrilled to be working under Todd Dobbs while producing my final portfolio at AiC. No more doo-daddling, it’s time to get down to the tacks and start producing.
I spent the afternoon at LEGO Universe in Louisville, CO thanks to creative concepts instructor, Tom Finke. I don’t have the words needed to convey so much awesome. I learned more about LEGO design, LEGO engineering, and LEGO philosophy than I could have dreamed. The place is busting with creativity. I would love to work for them.
On the other side of things, I have been finalizing a laser beam condenser (optical) for a >1 Watt 532nm laser assembly that I’ve been working with for a few weeks now. I’ve decided to remarket myself as a photographer and maker/builder/creator, so this blog will dip into a few side projects now and then, hopefully it will keep things more interesting. I like to design and build things. Most of the things I design and build have applications in commercial photography. Sounds good to me.
At MLP I’m just about ready to commit and finalize my logo design and get some correspondence printed. The website is updated. I now have telephone service via Phone.com. In fact, my shiny new desktop IP-phone arrives tomorrow. Call system is in place. Notice the new phone number, it’s already active and connected. If you are not familiar with virtual phone service and IP hardware, do yourself a favor and do some research. It’s totally the future. Affordable, scalable, non-localized, non-contract…how can any telephone system be better than that?
Enjoy the shots from this last week – more to come. I’m thrilled to be back in the swing.
Tags: advertising, Aptus-II, Denver, design, digital photography, illustration, Laser, Logo, product, still life, tools
Posted in Work | 11 Comments »
I can’t find my production stills from the Advanced Studio portrait session…but if I do I’ll append them. I wanted to shoot a character portrait on our Advanced Studio set, so I came up with the idea of some kind of deep Irish locale with a mighty looking fellow who is up to no good. Nice hat, nice pipe; he’s connected…you probably know what I’m talking about. The hat is my own Hanna of Donegal pure wool; it was perfect for this scene, I’d been dying to use it. I wanted to use a Peterson pipe (Irish), but decided that was a bit forced, so I opted to use an English billiard provided by Tip (the subject). Additional technical direction came from the rest of the class. I like shooting characters, and I love dragging out the RZ67. This was shot with the RZ 110mm at f/2.8 if you’re interested.
Also this week, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, I completed the final shot for my Survey course; I’m ready to wrap that up. Chrome by Loris Azzaro. I do want to get into some more complex fragrance stills, but I also love the minimal ones… Some tech notes: I have a Schneider 120mm Macro Apo-Digitar on hand for a few weeks and this is my first time working with one. Amazing lens, absolutley top of the pack. I can tell from one go that this is a lens to have around. It is possibly the sharpest Digitar for small to medium product work, it provides a nice working distance at 120mm, and it has a generous image circle (and on top of that, Schneider’s numbers are conservative). This scene required mildly severe movements, but I didn’t even begin to test the limits of the circle on a 36x48mm sensor – and no lens calibration required.
Tags: 120mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Aptus-II, digital photography, Leaf, Mamiya, medium format, product, Profoto, RZ67, Schneider-Kreuznach, set, Sinar, still life, studio
Posted in Shoot | 16 Comments »
Check out that shaver. I bought it for personal use, but I admit that I picked it purely for its aesthetic values and had a product shot in mind the whole time. It’s a good looking device, I had a lot of fun lighting it. Obviously this is a study in new school illustrative product lighting; sexy, clean, and sharp. Hyperreal. I’m learning a lot from these studies, and that’s how I like it.
My second Seamaster shot comes from my Advanced Studio course with Tom Moore. The set was constructed in our 9th floor studio and is being used by the entire class for a great variety of shots. Special thanks to Kelsey Hansen for assisting and helping to direct this still. Some pretty basic contrasts happening here, with the steel and the damp barn…you can figure it out. Check the production stills. We used a lot of light, very subtly. Great fun on this one! I wrapped another shoot with Kelsey and much of the class this morning on the same set – like a group effort; will post that soon.
Have a great weekend. Eat and drink!
Tags: 80mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Aptus-II, digital photography, illustration, Leaf, lighting, medium format, Phase One, product, Profoto, Schneider-Kreuznach, set, Sinar, still life, studio, tools, Watch
Posted in Shoot | 14 Comments »
I’ve got two new pieces to drop off. These images are the first to come out of the new workflow, and the Bombay Saphire piece was the first from Capture One 6.2 which was released just this morning. (Note that the Saphire shot was a way bigger deal than the Absolut shot.) I’m trying to get back into documenting my setups, but I got rusty. Also, I really just wanted to take pictures of my new Sinar. It will get better, I promise. I can’t leave a post without some geek info: I’m moving all of my lenses to Sinar boards and I need to get a Sinar-to-Cambo board adapter from S.K. Grimes! That probably deserves a post on its own. Sooooo, I’m about to have a bunch of Cambo lens boards for sale if anyone is interested. After an entire quarter studying and shooting outside of the studio, it is totally awesome to be back. More in the works, stay tuned, and thanks a bunch for all the support!
Tags: 80mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Aptus-II, beverage, D1, digital photography, equipment, Leaf, lighting, medium format, Phase One, product, Profoto, Schneider-Kreuznach, set, Sinar, still life, studio
Posted in Shoot | 33 Comments »
Whoa! Things are ramping up! I’m directing and shooting a preliminary sequence for my graduation portfolio as I round the bend into my final year at AiC. That’s exciting. I’m shooting contracts here and there and moving out old equipment – making room for some new. See note below. I’ve also started teaching Capture One to a few students, and possibly a few instructors starting this week. Busy.
This week brings huge changes as I switch over to the Sinar platform (evil Sinar!) via a brand new X body. I couldn’t resist any longer and I was offered a deal I really couldn’t refuse. Along side that comes a 150lb camera stand and a huge Manfrotto 400. This rig takes over as studio queen whilst my trusted and beloved Cambo Ultima sticks around for out-of-studio jobs, secondary, and backup. On the production side, I’ve really been getting into Profoto’s Air system combined with Capture One for lighting control directly within the workflow window. Everything is now managed from Capture One… Really, really sweet. I make no apologies for being a gear head, btw. I think I’ve found the one area of photography where that’s okay.
Earlier today I chatted with my friend and fellow studio rat, Kelsey Hansen, about starting an interest group at AiC dedicated to tabletop and still life. It would be great to get together in order to talk about trends, tech, do some camera and equipment demos, visit some commercial studios, and so on. Honestly, I can’t believe that this doesn’t already exist. If you’re a student and you’re reading this, PLEASE CONTACT ME OR KELSEY if you’re interested! Awesome.
Here’s the note: I have a gorgeous Cambo Master PC technical camera (L-Frame, base tilts, variable-axis tilts, fully geared) with perfect bellows, 4×5 glass, extension rail, and hard case for sale. I’ve been going back and forth about selling it, but the new Sinar ends that indecision. All in EX+ condition. I really hate to let this camera go, it is a classic. I also have several MINT- Nikkor lenses on Copal shutters to let go if you’re looking. Contact.
And, suddenly, it looks like the latest Safari 5.0.5 update for OSX breaks my current implementation of the Facebook Like button running in my site-wide footer. I’ll have to fix that. Always something.
I’ll leave off with a new shot. This started out as a classic bottle and glass still, until my friend commented that, had she that glass of Green Label, she’d be drinking it not looking at it. Ha! Brilliant! Thanks Stacey.
Tags: 80mm, advertising, Apo-Digitar, Aptus-II, beverage, Cambo, D1, digital photography, equipment, Leaf, lighting, medium format, Phase One, product, Profoto, Schneider-Kreuznach, set, Sinar, still life, studio, tools
Posted in Work | 19 Comments »
