Big Production Shoots are a blast! The key is organization.

We had the privilege to shoot another large production for our friends at VML and Tom's of Maine.   When shooting large projects like these there are a lot of moving parts and people to keep organized.

You have a number of people from the client and agency. We also had second photographers, photo assistants, set builder, models, talent agencies, producer, production coordinator, chef, hair and make-up stylist, and photo retoucher.  Not to mention we needed to do a casting session to find the right models.

The project involved hundreds of email, texts, five different estimate versions, creating a shooting schedule for both photographers to make sure we got all the shots done on schedule, photo retouching schedule, building sets, prop shopping, checking in product to make sure everything is at the studio and in photo condition.

Of course then we needed to pre-light the sets, get all the props in place, check that all the set lights to make sure they work, add dimmers to make sure they didn't over power the natural light, make sure the set paint was dry and that everything looked perfect.

One of the things I've learned over the years is that you always have to be ready for the unexpected.  This project was no exception. In some of the photos below we had to spin the sink and vanity around backwards.  We had to do this so the shot fit the layout better.  It worked perfectly!

The bottom line is with any project you need to be organized and ready for the unexpected, this is especially true with big productions.    

Production Board and hourly schedule.

Casting session included photographing models hands, teeth, and action shots.

Hair and Make-up stylist in action.

Our second photographer and retoucher Tiffany ( upper left ) shooting product on white while I shot product families on set.

Props and wardrobe choices for the shoot.

A peek behind the photo sets.

As I mentioned we had to turn the sink and vanity around to fit one of the layout.

Shooting the lifestyle shots in the green room.

The blue room set.

Chef Pauline putting the final touches on lunch for the clients and crew.

Beef tenderloin filet with roasted veggies and salad.  It was awesome!

Shooting our lifestyle model in the blue bathroom set. 

That's a wrap!

Grandpa's Tool Shed

We were asked by our friends at Woodruff Sweitzer if we could find an old tool shed ( you know, like the one on your grandpa's farm ).  Of course we said YES.  With the weather forecast calling for snow and 10 degrees I suggested we just build one in the studio.  I called on my friends at Egg Props and Models for some help.   I knew Dale could easily pull this off.

Dale came through, way above and beyond what we expected!

We used recycled shed wood and found an old divided storm window with the paint peeling off. All with the patina of age- just as we wanted.  Dale and I brought in a bunch of old and new tools to complete the look the client wanted.

Dale and I had so much fun hanging all the props.  Probably one of the funnest sets I've worked on in years.

Did I mention I got to take a hammer and beat on the bench and splatter paint all over the place?

It's the little things in life that can make it fun!      

Putting together the walls for the set.

Dale's putting the walls together.

The back side of the set was just a cool as the front.

Some of the tools we had on hand.

Hung a light from a light stand to give the set a little more environment.

It's hard to beat natural light to give you an authentic look.

Getting the product ready for it's close-up.

Stuffing the stand-in packaging.

Our clients checking out the set.

Tweaking the final image

Add some labels, put it in the layout and it's a wrap

How we explored the world to find what was in our own back yard

Sometimes one of the more challenging aspects to commercial photography shoots can be finding the right props.  Whether it's food, people or produce, finding the right accessory props can make or break the image.  One of our favorite long time clients is Trapp Fragrances.  If you've never used their candles, they are the best!

We are often asked to help find some of most exotic fragrance visual cues.  This time we needed a (Cymbidium Black Ruby "Midnight") or to most of us a Black Orchid, and Cananga odorata, commonly called Ylang-Ylang flowers.  Where were we going to find these?

You have to love the internet for just these types of challenges.  We started by look for tropical flower suppliers.  We called California, Hawaii, Austria, etc.  As fate would have it, one of the Orchid suppliers I talked with in Hawaii used to live in Kansas City. She asked if I had tried to contact Bird's Botanicals here in KC.  Never heard of them.  We called them up, then went by and sure enough they had everything we needed for the shoot.  Some times you have to go around the world to find what's in your back yard! 

Putting the final touches on our lifestyle shot.

Using our big camera to get the best quality out of our photos.

Looking good

Getting ready to shoot another version of the Black Orchid shot.

Working with our Set stylist Casey Dobbins to put the final touches on this beauty.

Casey, not sure this is your best look.  (:-)

We love our clients being involved in our shoots.   

Final Image

Final image

Holiday Fantasyland Foodscape

As a photographer I'm always looking for projects that will challenge me.

Although we specialize in product, people, and food photography, I find food projects some of the most fun.

Two years ago we shot our first all food Holiday Fantasy Foodscape project.  Well, we've shot another one this year.  I can't lie, London based photographer Carl Warner ( the Godfather of Foodscapes ) is a big influence on my images.  

This year I wanted to do a "Candy Fantasy" theme with a touch of Dr. Seuss for all us kids at heart. 

Here is the list of ingredients.  See how many you can identify.

Hammond's Classic Handmade lollipops

Idahoan Potato Flakes

Hand of Buddha

Large marshmallows

Small marshmallows

Pink and white marshmallows

White cotton candy

Ribbon candy

Old fashion rolled oats

Cocoa

Brownie mix

candy canes

Peppermint candy balls

Candy stars

White peppermint bark

White M&M's

Silver & White candy balls

White frosting

Toasted coconut

Red & White sprinkles

Cauliflower

Dark Chocolate

Peppermint chips

Rosemary

Hope you enjoy how this Candy Fantasy came together.

A big THANK YOU to food stylist Sarah Hunt and assistant Casey Dobbins for helping on this project! 

Extra food and candy were donated to http://www.sunflowerhouse.org/

These shots can get a little messy.  Some seamless paper helps with the clean-up.

The basic foundation.

The basic landscape shape.

Once we got the basic shape I started to add the snow.

A little cocoa adds a little different color to the landscape.

Starting to experiment with where to place everything. 

Food stylist Sarah Hunt working on the house.

Assistant Casey Dobbins putting the windows and door on the house.

Placing candy and white asparagus on the mountains.  I later decided they didn't work and replaced them.

Adding pink and white marshmallows to the front yard.

Decided to make this a sunset scene and started to add some color gels to the lights.

Final set.  I shot the cotton candy clouds and chimney smoke separately and added them in post. 

Some of the candy and food we used.

Sarah got tons of options for the shot.  Awesome job Sarah!

Final Image

Beverage photography

We recently shot some holiday drinks for one of our awesome clients.  We shot groups of drinks and also some single drinks with bottles in the background.  I'm always amazed how much time, effort and equipment it takes to do some shots.  Our client wanted the shots to look like someone had set down their drink in a contemporary New York uptown apartment overlooking Time Square.  It was fun! The project ended up to be one of those experiments; keep shooting until we see something we like! We ended up with some brilliant shots that convey a sophisticated urban style.   Can't wait to show off the final shots. 

Strobe and time exposures were used for the christmas lights.

To make sure everything went as planned we brought on a full time retoucher to make sure everything fit together.

If you're not in the business, this is fake ice.  It comes in all different sizes and shapes.  This is about $1000.00 worth of ice.  Not cheap but looks awesome in a drink.

Getting photo bombed by our retoucher.   Every piece of ice and every garnish is perfectly placed for the best visual impact.

Making sure the water droplets on the front of the glass don't get above the liquid fill line.

We hand picked every raspberry for their perfect shape and color.

The stylist did a beautiful job of styling the chocolate swirls-It's harder than it looks.

Consistant Visual Branding

Lately we've had the privilege to work on some nation food brands, both still images and motion for TV and web commercials. 

As with most endeavors in our business there's lots of crew and vendors involved. This helps make the project run smooth and bring the client's vision to reality.   In previous posts we have discussed the importance of not only traditional branding but also "Visual Branding" in today's marketplace.

We pride ourselves in the ability to accomplish "Visual Branding" across the mediums of still and motion.  The benefit is a consistant message and increased brand awareness.  A perfect example is "Target Inc.".  Most of the time I can tell it's a "Target" ad or commercial before I ever see the logo.

   

Putting the final touches on lighting and composition.

Working as D.P. on the video commercial.

Getting our models pumped so they show the right expression for our still shots.

Viewing playback to make sure everything looks awesome.