Eric Rosner Goes Hollywood

As part of a recent gig, illustrator Eric Rosner was working with The Crest Theatre, a historic landmark in Westwood, California.  Thinking about ways to get the theatre more exposure, Eric was able to convince the manager to host a classic film festival honoring the genre.  To promote the festival, Eric was looking for a way to refresh old posters for classic films like Psycho and Georges Méliès’ seminal A Trip to the Moon.  Of course he knew that he would use his singular talent for ink marker illustrations, but it took some time to develop a concept.

“I decided I wanted to modernize these film posters by highlighting different elements of the films that weren’t the focal point in the past posters.”  The original poster for Psycho, for example, featured Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins but no reference to the now infamous “shower scene.”  Nowadays, that scene cannot be disassociated with the film (and indeed American cinema as a whole), so Eric wanted to showcase this in his recreation.  “I really wanted to illustrate the terror of the shower scene that Hitchcock was able to impart.” 

For the A Trip to the Moon poster, Eric knew that the most memorable image from the film was the rocket crashing into the moon’s eye.  So, he decided to illustrate the “before” scene, with the moon and rocket intact. 

The festival turned out to be a big hit thanks in part to Eric’s awesome promotional posters – and he isn’t running out of steam yet.  “Although painstaking and time consuming, I still find doing these ink marker illustrations a fun and exhilarating process.”  Currently Eric is working on illustrating posters with a more political slant, trying to shed light on important social issues.  “I really want to stir it up and get people’s attention.”

For more of Eric’s fantastic illustrations, check out his FoundFolios portfolio.

James Pevitt’s Whale Tale

During the brisk winter months, Port Fairy’s East Beach in southern Australia is visited by the regal baleen Southern Right whale.  Their thick layers of blubber protect them from the icy waters, and provide natives and tourists alike fantastic views of these majestic creatures.  One day photographer James Pevitt, decided to break in a new piece of camera gear he had recently acquired - a waterproof housing for his Canon EOS 3.  Inspired by the beauty of the whales just off shore, James decided to throw caution to the wind and paddle out to visit the whales with his camera strapped to the front of his surfboard.   He was about to get up close and personal with one of the planet’s largest creatures.

He paddled to the spot where he first saw the whale and looked around and saw nothing.  Suddenly, in an instant, a dark shadow swam underneath James’s board.  “I suddenly felt very alone,” remembered James.  “I imagined it picking me up and launching me with its tail to shore.”

As quickly as the shadow appeared it was gone.  In the next instant, however, the whale surfaced, turning a fin towards James as if to wave ‘hello.’  He snapped away with his camera, but it was difficult to achieve focus with the whale so close and James using a 70-200 zoom lens.  After a few harrowing moments together, the whale lost interest and swam away back into the blue.

Paddling to shore, James realized that he was very lucky.  “It’s an experience I will never forget, but I couldn’t help but think you are not meant to get so close to these amazing creatures. Someone should have told my friend the whale that.”

Amy Aiello Stays Grounded

When she’s not flying around Chicago shooting for local news stations, Illinois native Amy Aiello loves to shoot personal work and is heavily involved in her hometown’s music community.  While her “office in the sky” allows her views of beautiful Chicago sunrises, Amy wants to spread her wings and enter the world of commercial photography in earnest.  A recent gig landed with Azure Magazine gave her a taste of this world first-hand.

After seeing the images she had on her FoundFolios portfolio, the creative director for Azure Magazine (a design and architecture publication), contacted Amy for a shoot they needed done at Merchandise Mart in Chicago.  Each year Merchandise Mart turns into a veritable Grand Central Station for their largest expo, NeoCon, which features 700 exhibitors and close to 50,000 attendees.    This was the landscape Amy had to navigate for her shoot.

Amy’s assignment was to shoot a portrait of famous furniture designer Giorgio Busnelli. She was able to plan her lighting and camera set ups based on photos of the space which the magazine provided to her.  Unfortunately, upon arriving at the shoot location she discovered cramped drop ceilings instead of the high overhead she was expecting.  The sometimes-wedding-photographer knows how to think on her feet, though, and was able to redesign her whole lighting set up on the spot. 

Dealing with her subject was a whole different challenge.  Busnelli was already waiting for Amy when she arrived on set (although she thought she would have time to set up before he arrived), but waited patiently as she set up and tested her lighting and cameras.  Unfortunately, after fifteen minutes of shooting, Busnelli politely thanked Amy for her time and walked away.  Thankfully, she had already gotten the shot she needed!

Between battling for parking, hauling equipment through a crowded expo, rushing through the lighting set up and wrangling an impatient subject, this shoot was certainly not Amy’s easiest.  Still, the invaluable experience gave her a good preview of what is to come in the world of commercial photography.  Amy’s ability to think on her feet and adapt to deal with difficult situations will surely serve her well.

Don Johnston’s Photo Hunt

In late summer, the waters of the Fraser River and its tributaries in British Columbia teem with thousands upon thousands of sockeye salmon on their way to spawn.  This is a major yearly event in the animal kingdom, attracting predators from all around to feast on the easy pickings.  The spawning also attracts nature photographers like Canadian photographer Don Johnston and his wife Brenda. 

Last year, Don took part in a grizzly bear photography tour in the Chilcotin Wilderness of British Columbia.  This weeklong excursion was led by famed Canadian wildlife photographer John Marriott.  Over the course of the trip, Don encountered dozens of bears and other wildlife dining on the ample supply of delicious salmon.  From the (relative) safety of a motorized riverboat, he was able to snap some amazing photographs of these regal, imposing creatures. 

The weather and conditions were perfect all week long and, as such, Don’s camera was working overtime.  He shot close to 100 GB each day, and although he had over 3 TB of space on external hard drives, he was in danger of running out.  Each night Don would have to do rough edits in-camera to ensure that he would have enough memory to finish the trip. 

Despite the challenges of working outdoors, shooting from a boat, and having potentially murderous creatures as your subject, Don recognized the trip for what it was – an amazing, once in a lifetime journey.  Don looks forward to returning next fall, mirroring the yearly pilgrimage of his ursine friends.

For more of Don Johnston’s nature photography, check out his FoundFolios portfolio.

Emily Welham’s Silent Absurdity

Emily Welham’s imagination is her greatest asset.  It’s clear looking at her illustrations that she is hugely influenced by “inane stories and the strange and sinister.”  After years of perfecting her craft, Emily has come to refer to her wonderfully detailed drawings as “silently absurd.” 

During her degree, Emily discovered satisfaction in portraying a wordless narrative.  “I enjoyed the challenge of conveying something solely within the drawing, without relying on words to explain what it is illustrating.  In that sense it’s much more of a slow hitting type of imagery.”  Without text or other clues to direct the viewer to the meaning of the image, the mind is free to interpret Emily’s work however it may.  In fact, one might see or interpret something entirely different upon revisiting her work.  This is Emily’s goal. 

Despite the label of “absurd,” there are definitely elements of Emily’s work which are grounded in reality.  She draws inspiration from things she observes in real life, and then thrusts these things into devilishly skewed universes of her own imagining.  This mashup of reality and absurdity gives the viewer a certain uneasy feeling.  For her, Emily’s fantastic and highly meticulous illustrations create, in her words, “an environment where I can illustrate a tangent of thoughts and random situations I have imagined.” 

To see more of Emily’s intriguing concepts, go to her FoundFolios portfolio.

Jeff Newton is Romancing the Joan

LA based photographer Jeff Newton knows the value of networking.  “You definitely have to be nice to people you don’t know.  You never know what position they’ll be in a few years down the line.”  For Jeff, this kindness led from a job shooting an album cover for a relatively unknown Gospel/R&B musician to a gig shooting Joan and Melissa Rivers for their new reality show Romancing the Joan.

During a gig at a live concert, Jeff developed a rapport with a director on set who was shooting live footage of the musician for a DVD.  One year later, this director was working on a new reality series for the SheKnows Network, starring the Rivers’.  He remembered the great work Jeff did and phoned him up to offer him the fantastic opportunity to photograph Melissa and Joan for promotional material for the show.

“When I got to the set, I was a little nervous because you never know how you’re going to connect with your subjects.”  It turns out that Jeff and Joan ended up connecting on – of all things – anthropology! Jeff’s wife is earning her PHD in anthropology at UCLA, and as it turns out Joan Rivers is a big fan of the science, and once considered a career as an anthropologist before hitting it big time.  “Sometimes it’s hard to even connect with dudes my age on set, so this was really cool for me.” 

Once they were able to connect on a personal level, Jeff had no trouble controlling the shoot and directing the celebrities as he saw fit.  They were both excited about the photo shoot, particularly the notoriously animated Joan Rivers.  “Joan is in her seventies, and she had more energy than everyone else on set combined,” recalled Jeff. 

The shoot went swimmingly, leaving Melissa and Joan ecstatic about the final product.  In fact, Joan requested huge prints for her personal use so she could hang them in her office.  Jeff will always remember this shoot, using it as a prime example of how effective networking can be when coupled with a genuinely kind approach.

To check out more of Jeff’s phenomenal work, visit his FoundFolios portfolio.

Michal Horevaj All Wrapped Up

San Francisco photographer Michal Horevaj recently did a shoot for a high end ribbon and gift wrap company called Midori.  Although based in the US, the company has a decidedly Japanese lean when it comes to their branding and advertising.  Going into the gig, Michal knew that this had to be reflected in his shots.

To prep for the shoot, Michal had several in depth discussions with the owner about the style of shooting that was to be done.  Each year Midori has a particular theme running underneath all of their promotional material, and this year the theme is Fine Art.  Looking at the final product, it’s clear that Michal was able to pull this off, as the fabulous looking photographs almost look like fine art despite being “just a product shoot.”

“I loved working with Midori because while they gave me input and direction, I also had a lot of freedom when it came to interpreting their theme.”  Michal has a fairly unique approach to his advertising campaigns, shooting background imagery first and then superimposing his models over the pre-shot backgrounds.  This makes for an image that definitely pops out at you and catches the eye.

The model for the shoot was the owner of Midori herself, and was a pleasure to work with according to Michal.  Most of the props used in the photo-shoot are actually made of Midori ribbon.  If you look closely you can see the awesome transformation of the ribbon into clothing, headgear and even sushi!

Despite working within the constraints of a small budget and limited time, Michal was able to complete the shoot in about three days.  The owner was thrilled with the way he was able to showcase the high quality of their product while still keeping to the theme of Fine Art.

For more of Michal’s fantastically imaginative imagery, head to his FoundFolios portfolio.

It’s More Than a Game For Eliot Crowley

Sometimes (not often, unfortunately) things that you enjoy doing can actually be extremely beneficial.  This is the case for a game that Eliot Crowley has been playing with ten photographer friends.  The idea for the game is simple – each day one player posts an image which is related to the previous day’s image.  They can interpret it in any way they choose, whether it be similar in subject, color palate, style or even a more subtle way. The players take turns each day responding to their competitor’s image posted the previous day.   What started as a simple game for fun turned into incredibly helpful practice for honing their photographic skills.  “Playing this game really helps me see things differently than I normally would,” says Eliot. “I find myself creating images I otherwise wouldn’t have thought to if not for this game.”  

The tight knit group of photographers all came together in the 1990’s as members of consultant Ian Summers’ “Heartstorming” group.  Throughout the years they stayed in touch, and earlier this year Eliot had the idea for this game.  After quickly hashing out the rules, they began the experiment on May 1.  Since then, not one day has gone by without a player posting an image.  With all the variables that life presents, this is an impressive feat. “Sometimes we are in remote locations, with no internet access or even electricity, yet we have all managed to get an image up every single day.”

Eliot is particularly proud of one image that resulted from this game.  When his turn came around, Eliot had to “respond” to an image of a deer in the wild.  Running with the “nature” theme, Eliot risked life, limb, and camera to capture the phenomenal above image of a lonely golf hole in the middle of a torrential downpour.  

The overall theme of “changing perceptions” was the impetus and also the primary accelerant of this entire project.  “What we’re trying to do is take back control of our work and change the perception of photography.  It is an art form and not just some commodity that you can just go onto the web and grab and download.”

To see all the images in the game, visit the Daily Photo Game website.

For more of Eliot’s fantastic imagery, check out his FoundFolios portfolio.

Yves Choquette and the Romani People of Bosnia

On a recent trip to Sarajevo, Canadian photographer Yves Choquette was shocked to see the treatment of a certain cultural group known as the Romani – more commonly referred to as gypsies.  On a daily basis Yves would see these men, women, and children begging in the streets, often being dismissed as simply “part of the scenery of Bosnia.”  Sometimes he would even see angry, violent, or racist treatment of the Romani people.  “Many of them, in fact, are relegated to living in tents outside of Sarajevo because of the hostility towards them,” remarked Yves.  After spending a few days with them, Yves knew that he had to use his photographic skills to shed light on the plight of the Romani.

Originally, Yves had traveled to Bosnia with the intention of documenting the weapons left over after the Bosnian Civil War of the 1990’s.  Upon arriving and connecting with a family of these “Roms” however, Yves shifted his focus to exposing the poverty and mistreatment of the gypsy people.  “The family was very open to being documented.  They want others to know that they are not bad people – they are just struggling to get by.”

Yves’ goal with his project is to try and change the perception of the gypsy people.  Through his photojournalism, Yves seeks to humanize and create sympathy for these downtrodden nomads.  Yves plans to return to Bosnia (with a translator) to continue documenting the Romani in the future.

For more of Yves’ excellent editorial photography, check out his FoundFolios portfolio.

William Geddes Raises the Bar

New York based photographer William Geddes was recently commissioned to photograph the interior of a trendy new Italian/Spanish restaurant in Harlem called Vinatería.  Vinatería prides itself on serving locally sourced, organic food.  Beyond that, during construction the restaurant strived to source all the recycled building materials from eco-friendly distributors.  William was hired for the shoot by interior designer Jonsara Ruth. 

The shoot was so well received that it was picked up and a whole story on the restaurant (featuring William’s work) was run in T: The New York Times Style Blog.  During the shoot William was attempting to illustrate the unique rustic yet modern feel that the designer was going for.  “The materials she incorporated in the space bring environmental awareness to the forefront of interior design,” reflected Geddes.  Vinatería was designed and decorated to highlight these often overlooked details.

After the brightly lit daytime shoot, Geddes returned at night while the restaurant was occupied to capture some shots of patrons enjoying their wine and tapas.  These photos now appear on the website for Vinatería. 

For more of William’s fantastic interiors, lifestyle, and portraiture photos, visit his FoundFolios portfolio.

Jonathan Fennell’s Kick Butt Photography

Jonathan Fennell recently got the opportunity to do a promotional photo shoot for a local San Diego Aikido dojo.  Being based out of San Diego himself, Jonathan’s location and distinctive shooting style made him perfect fit for the job.  After meeting with the owners and sketching out a basic idea of what they wanted to see, Jonathan got to work.

One critical shot that Jonathan spent a lot of time trying to perfect was the image of someone getting body slammed onto the mat.  The owners of the dojo themselves were to be the subject of this shot.  “When I first met them, I was a bit leery because they were sort of subdued and soft spoken.  When they started fighting, though, they became totally different people,” Jonathan recalled.

Trying different lighting and angles, Jonathan subjected his willing participants to over fifty body slams in an effort to get the ideal shot.   Throughout the shoot, they were also photographed performing other fighting techniques such as wood sword combat.

The final images ran online and as print advertisements in various martial arts publications.  And the owners couldn’t have been happier with the final product.  “I’m glad they like it because, frankly, they could have kicked my ass if they didn’t.”

For more of Jonathan’s awesome action and sports photography, check out his FoundFolios portfolio.

History in the Making With Danielle Moir

Editorial photographer Danielle Moir’s move to lower Manhattan couldn’t have come at a more fortuitous time for her (or a more tumultuous time for the city).  A few months before the Occupy Wall Street protesters set up shop in Zuccotti Park, Danielle was occupying a new apartment close by.  Although the protests were loudly bemoaned as a nuisance by her neighbors, Danielle saw an opportunity to document the controversial demonstrations.   “I didn’t understand the people who were complaining about the protests.  I felt so lucky to bear witness to this.  Just being there meant that I was a part of history in the making,” recalls Danielle.

“I was so lucky to be able to cover it all year long.  I always have my camera with me, and on any given day I could literally turn the corner and have 100 people running at me with police chasing them.”  For an ex-photo producer who chose to transition to a career behind a viewfinder, this was a golden opportunity.  It was a fantastic chance to break out of the “producer” mindset and start seeing things from a more creative and conceptual stance.  “There’s this wall that comes down when my face is behind a camera,” Danielle comments about her transition. 

The above shot, in particular, is one of Danielle’s favorites from all of the OWS photos she took.   Going down to Zuccotti Park for the day, Danielle was armed with three cameras and multiple lenses in a backpack.  The scene that day was pure chaos, with police attempting to direct traffic while throngs of protesters swelled in the streets.  Danielle was able to capture the perfect image to depict that day’s events.  The photo features light streaming beautifully between buildings, a harried policeman barking orders, disheveled protesters marching along, and even a lone Wall Street businessman looking on the scene with repulsion.  If one photo captured the protests from all perspectives, it is this one.

For more of Danielle’s fantastic editorial and lifestyle shots, visit her FoundFolios portfolio.

Sara Remington’s Epic Shoot For Del Taco

Having a pre-existing relationship with a client certainly comes in handy.  This was the case for photographer Sara Remington, who landed an “epic” gig with Del Taco on the merits of previous jobs she had done for them.  When ad agency Camp+King called her up a few weeks ago she was excited for the opportunity to do another editorial-style shoot for them.  But Camp+King had something a bit different in mind.

“They called me to shoot a live action bit for a new line of burritos Del Taco was introducing.  I was a bit hesitant at first because I had never even done motion professionally!  They managed to convince me that I could do an awesome job, and I was glad they did,” remarked Sara about landing the job.

On its face, the assignment was a relatively simple one: Get a beauty shot (or “food porn shot,” according to Sara) of the different Epic Burritos being promoted.  The assignment was complicated somewhat by the Hitchcockian feel that Camp+King wanted to convey.  This necessitated slow pans and tight shots, so the burrito was very visible.  “Burritos are not always the most beautiful of foods, particularly ones filled with mashed potatoes and only dressed on the open end.”  But thanks to a fantastic production team, including a stellar food stylist, Sara was able to portray the exact feeling that her client was looking for.

Sara couldn’t have been more excited to do her first motion shoot.  “The best thing was being able to take a step back and look objectively for the first time at how motion affects my business and creativity.  I loved it.”  Having majored in film and cinematography in college, Sara was able to rediscover her love for motion work, and plans to continue to do more.  “In a few years, I anticipate a paradigm shift in my work.  I’m hoping for a 50/50 split between still and motion.”

 For more of Sara’s mouth-watering imagery, visit her FoundFolios portfolio.

Liz Caruana Keeps It Local

We all know about the trend of locally sourced food that has been sweeping the nation.  What gets less attention, however, is locally sourced clothing and jewelry designs.  In the progressive Bay Area, fashion photographer Liz Caruana has assembled a book featuring portraits of the top local designers wearing their own designs.  For Liz, this local independent spirit is vital to the culture of her beloved city: “Locals create the style of the area.  It’s mirrored in everything that the Bay Area represents.” 

Liz began her project by evaluating a detailed spreadsheet she keeps of all local clothing, jewelry, and accessory designers.  She wanted to feature the best and brightest of the San Francisco scene - people she thought were really making a difference, as well as some bright up and comers she felt deserved recognition. 

The goal of the project was to expose the creator of the styles which people see around the city and subconsciously adapt.  “Everyone sees the work, but no one sees the creator behind the work,” says Liz.  “I wanted to promote this independent spirit and spread the idea of small market, sustainable design.  These designers are simply trying to improve their community, and are not trying to become the next Versace.”

The 138-page The Bay: Creators of Style was released this year to critical acclaim.  Liz put on an art show concurrent with the release of the book which was packed wall-to-wall.  “There were even people overflowing into the street outside the art exhibit,” Liz recalled.  The book was covered in most major print publications in San Francisco, as well as being featured on the front cover of the fashion section of the San Francisco Chronicle.

To see more of Liz Caruana’s catalog and fashion work, head to her FoundFolios portfolio.

Jim Erickson Stocks Up On Creativity

As in any creative field, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain a passion and inspiration for your career as the years go by.  Photographer Jim Erickson will tell you that shooting stock is a rewarding, but often frustration process that can sap your creative potential.  Jim has a number of methods which he employs that help him retain a feeling of artistry and creativity while shooting and selling photos for stock.

The first thing that Jim does is indulge in what he refers to as “a regular diet of fine art and paintings.” The emotional impact and profound inspiration which comes from this refreshes one’s creativity and gives you something to draw on while shooting. 

Another surefire method is to “unhook your mind,” as Jim describes it.  If you find yourself in a creative rut, or simply not happy with what you are producing, the best thing is just to walk away for a while.  “I think we fall prey to getting wrapped up in what we’re doing – technique, equipment, client concerns, etc.).  Just divorce yourself from whatever you are working on for a little bit.”  Jim finds that controlled breathing works wonders for helping to “unhook.”  “I focus on my breathing and the sound of my breath.  This drives your concentration inward and detaches you from all of the stimulus around you.  Then, I go back to the set mentally refreshed and renewed.”

Jim is admittedly a bit whimsical about his process, but the quality of his work proves that his methods work.  There is a lot of creative potential within us that we need to figure out how to unleash.  To put it in Jim’s words: “Really powerful creative forces fly underneath the conscious mind.  We need to be strong enough to pull them out.”

For more of Jim’s phenomenal imagery, head to his FoundFolios portfolio.

Timothy Archibald Serves Up The Cheese

Typically, professional photographers do not attempt mimic the bad, cheesy family photos that everyone sees circulating around Christmastime.  In the case of Timothy Archibald, however, a recent photo shoot allowed him to do just that.  Tim had landed a gig with Nokia shooting a series of images that are currently being used as downloadable holiday cards which people can send to their friends and family.  “We deliberately tried to tip our hat to the cheesy family and pet photos that people send around the holidays.  Some of the images we took are beautiful and artful, and some illustrate the holidays in all their wonderful tackiness.”

Tim and his crew decided to break down the shoot into three major types of photos – the family photo, the studio portrait (e.g. posing with Santa), and “a celebration of the cheerful junk that bubbles up during the season.”   They wanted to portray a photographic type of Folk Art with a tongue-in-cheek look at family during the holiday season complete with dog costumes and reindeer sweaters.   

One limitation that Nokia imposed was that everything had to be shot with their new Nokia Lumia 1020.  Nothing was to be composited or recut, all the shots had to be directly out of the camera.  Despite the obvious limitations (adjusting color temperature, etc.), Tim was surprised at how much the camera was able to do.  “I had the camera for a few days before the shoot so I was able to play with it and give it a test run.  We definitely pushed the camera as far as we could, but I was actually pretty happy with the photos it was able to produce.”  In fact, the limitations of using a non-professional camera for the shoot actually lent itself well to the amateur look and feel they were going for.

Tim credits his crew and prop stylist Shannon Amos for making the job such a great experience.  “It was a blast working on this one.  We really were able to form a tight collective with the art directors and everyone behind the scenes, which made the end result so much richer.”  And Nokia loved what Tim produced, grasping the concept instantly and running with it.

For a behind the scenes look at the photo shoot, check out this video produced by Nokia.

To see more of Timothy’s fantastic commercial and personal work, visit his FoundFolios portfolio.

The Human Side of Product Shoots With Scott Lowden

Commercial photographer Scott Lowden lucked out when he landed a recent gig doing some product shots for a new microsite that Verizon was launching.  “One of the folks that works at the agency representing Verizon was a client of mine from years ago who I stayed in touch with, and things just came together.  I had been looking to work for them for a while and finally a project came to them that seemed right for me.”

The gig was shooting various Verizon products for a site that would be running from Black Friday through Christmas.  Scott’s goal was to capture the excitement and wonder that comes from opening gifts on Christmas morning as a child.  “Even though this was a product shoot, I really wanted to bring a human element to it.  It’s wasn’t just about the product, but it was about the people using the product.”  Scott’s goal was to bring a story to each frame, and to make you wonder more about the people in the photo instead of simply the technology.

Shooting in his studio, the entire session took about two days.  Scheduling proved to be a challenge, as there were a lot of different models and products to coordinate.   Eventually the “rubiks-cube” like schedule (as Scott puts it) fell into place and he was able to complete the shoot in time to deliver to the agency, who loved the final result.

For more of Scott’s commercial and lifestyle shots, visit his FoundFolios portfolio.

Michael Grecco’s Smooth Ride With Patrick Dempsey

We’ve all heard the horror stories of difficult-to-work-with, petulant celebrities.  Patrick Dempsey (of Grey’s Anatomy fame), is not this type of celebrity.  Photographer Michael Grecco recently had the opportunity to work with Patrick while shooting a recent cover for Forbes Life Magazine.  “He was super down to Earth, a really great guy.  He made my job so much easier.  In fact, no hair and makeup people were even necessary since Dempsey’s wife does that for a living and she did a great job prepping him for the shoot.”

Michael landed the coveted gig on the merits of previous work he had done for Forbes.  In fact, at the time of this writing, Michael is putting the finishing touches on yet another shoot for them.  About his work frequency Michael commented: “I’ve gotten to the point in my career where they only call me for the cover gigs and big shoots.”  Looking at the body of work on his portfolio, it is immediately obvious that this position is well-deserved.

The actual shoot ended up being fairly straightforward.  The always-prepared Grecco came to Dempsey’s Malibu mansion with full lighting set up and some other secret photographic gear which helps him achieve his signature style.  “Originally we were going to drive until we found a good shooting location, but pulling up to Patrick’s house we realized that it was the ideal place to shoot.  No need to find any place different,” recalled Michael of the location scouting.

After about two hours, they had enough images for the cover and the inside story about Patrick Dempsey’s favorite places to go in Malibu.  Michael Grecco is no stranger to big shoots, having shot many magazine covers and even bigger gigs.  Having a subject who is easy to photograph certainly makes things even sweeter.

For more of Michael work, visit his FoundFolios portfolio.

Jeff Singer’s All American Road Trip

After being impressed by the previous work of photographer Jeff Singer, ad agency VSA Partners contacted him with a one of a kind job offer.  Their client, USAA (an insurance company for families of veterans), wanted to profile veterans and their families for an annual company report published to it’s members.  Getting all the necessary shots would entail a cross country trip spanning from California to Florida – a challenge Jeff was more than happy to undertake. 

Travelling with Art Director Britta Hernalsteen, Jeff and his small crew hit the road with as much equipment as they could realistically carry.  As they travelled, they scheduled shooting appointments with various veterans and active military members throughout five different states.  Given the fact that they never knew exactly what to expect upon arriving (they could only scout the area for shooting locations after they arrived), one would think this would be a particularly lengthy process.  Miraculously, however, the intrepid team was able to complete the entire photo series in just over a week, with minimal speedbumps along the way. 

One particularly memorable “speedbump” occurred during a shoot in the middle of a national park.  As luck would have it, the day of the shoot saw a torrential downpour.  Being on a tight schedule, there really was no time to postpone – the shoot had to proceed.  As the pounding rain hammered Jeff and his crew, they were able to set up a makeshift shelter from photo scrims and dry off the scene just enough to get the pictures they needed.  While hiking the half-mile back through the mud to the parking lot, one of Jeff’s assistants happened upon a curious sight on the ground – the keys to the rental car which Jeff didn’t even realize had fallen out of his pocket earlier that morning.  “I mean, what are the odds that we walked the same path back to the car as the one we took going in.  Talk about luck, we would have been totally stranded!”

Despite minor obstacles like this, the whole shoot was a huge success, and quite a blast according to Jeff.  “The highlights of the trip were eating amazing barbecue in Austin, and cruising 6^th St checking out some great music venues” recalled Jeff.  The tight scheduling and often inclement conditions paid off, as VSA Partners was elated with the final product, as was their client USAA.

For more of Jeff’s fantastic editorial and commercial work, visit his FoundFolios Portfolio.

Roger Snider’s Powerful Elegance

For the second iteration of his Chrome and Elegance calendar, photographer Roger Snider knew that he had to step up his game.  His 2013 calendar was very well received, and Roger wanted to make sure he put the time and monetary investment into creating something truly special for his 2014 calendar — The results clearly show that Roger made the right decision.

Although shooting beautiful women juxtaposed with powerful machines is nothing new, Roger took this idea to the next level.  To prep for the shoot, he managed to track down and pick the brain of Pierre Jacot, the creative director from one of the original “beauties and big rigs” ad campaigns.  Inspired, and with a clear direction in mind, Roger assembled a crack team and began prepping for the production of the shoot.

Roger and his team knew that they were going to be doing the shoot in Yakima, Washington because they needed to use the trucks from an annual travelling classic truck show as the subjects.  From shooting his calendar for 2013, Roger knew that the truckers would be more than happy (and even proud) to have their trucks be included in the photo shoot, so securing the machinery was not a big obstacle.  Roger even managed to get legal permission from Peterbilt to feature their trucks in the calendar! 

One of the biggest ‘wins’ of the whole photo shoot was landing the perfect location to do the indoor shots.  They were able to rent out a 60,000 square foot RV manufacturing plant, an ideal location for shooting these monster machines.  There were several huge doors which proved very convenient because the team was able to simply drive the trucks in and right onto the set.

For the backdrop of the photos, Roger wanted something rustic, something that reflected their shooting location in central Washington.  After some searching, the crew was able to get a husband and wife team to drive in three trailers worth of wooden apple boxes to stack in the background – the perfect representation of Washington State.

After several days of prep, it was time for the shoot.  Roger had already picked out the dresses, and models in advance, and paired them with the trucks that he would be photographing.  Creating the final composite shot, though, was a painstaking process involving 18-20 different lighting moves for each truck  His goal was to layer the differently lighted shots together to create one perfect, final exposure.  Despite the highly detailed process, the well-prepared team was able to shoot about 2-3 trucks per day. 

The beautiful final product truly reflects Roger’s eye for elegance paired with power.  He plans on continuing this annual calendar, hoping to get them introduced in various retail outlets such as corporate truck stops and gift shops on the road.  In fact, he already has his eyes set on Springfield, MO where this year’s annual ATHS truck show is being held in May.

The printed calendars need to be seen in person to really get an impression of the beautiful finish and hefty card stock that make them so spectacular.  To learn more or pick up your own 2014 calendar, visit the site here.

To see more images from this year’s Chrome and Elegance photo shoot, visit his FoundFolios portfolio.