Month: August 2010

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You’ve Gotta Love That Double Truck!!!

There are a few things that an editorial photographer wants in life. He (or she) wants to work with a publication that is read by a lot of people. He wants to work on an assignment that is creative and challenging. He wants to be paid well for his services. And one of the biggest things he wants? He wants the photos to run big!!!
Besides scoring a magazine cover, which feels amazing, the next best thing is to see your pictures run as a double truck! When an image is printed large enough that it spills over onto a second page, well… that’s just heaven to an editorial photographer.
This environmental portrait is of a gentleman named Adrian Butler, who works hand in hand with the hotel industry (that’s why he was shot in a hotel room). He was very nice and easy to work with. The rest of the images that ran in this issue look great, too. Maybe I’ll scan them in and share them later. But for now, enjoy this double truck:

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You Can’t Shoot Them All…

Tonight I got a request for a photo shoot that I had to refer to a fellow ASMP member. That’s the second gig I had to turn down this week, because I was already booked. I know it happens every now and then, but it’s painful to see good-paying gigs slip out of my hands. At least I know the people I refer these clients to will keep me in mind when the same happens to them…

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The Woman in Red…

This shot was supposed to have a summertime “night on the town” sort of feel. I thought I’d share the actual image, followed by the way it ran in print. This will give you an idea of what art directors and designers will do with your photos. You can see a lot of extra space is given to the layout people, so they can crop in, combining the photo with the text.

Before:

After:
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Powering Down a Profoto Pack…

I’ve noticed that a popular google search has been about powering down a Profoto pack. I understand why… it’s not like a light switch, where you flip it on and off. This is how I power down my Profoto 600r AcuteB packs: I quickly press the power button once and let go, then I press and hold it until I see the pack power down. It only takes a moment to do and it works every time. My guess is that Profoto designed the strobe pack this way, so you wouldn’t accidentally turn off the pack by hitting the power button.

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Behind the scenes: Another Cover Shoot…

I think I forgot to share this behind the scenes video of a cover shoot I recently did for Quick. It was a fun photo shoot! Luckily, John was on hand to capture some video (and help move a few props around). It was a very simple lighting set-up, designed to mimic what an evening rooftop party might look like. All I needed was a single Profoto head and pack with a bare bulb and reflector. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
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Some Good, Some Not So Good…

This is kind of a reversal, in my opinion. Normally, Target has some really amazing, clean, cool and very real photos in their ads. They are believable and likable. Normally, I’m not really grabbed by the Mini Boden catalogs, as they tend to look a bit cheesy and a little “too cute”, if you know what I mean. Well, today it was quite the opposite!


As you can see from the scans above, the Mini Boden catalog is actually pretty great! It is hip, fun and not too cheesy. Plus, I love the mountains! They add a touch of fantasy to the shoot. After all, I seriously doubt that most of their customers will buy those clothes for anything more than a backyard sleep over. And FYI, the girl on the right of the image is holding an old Argus camera. I have that same model displayed on a shelf somewhere around here.
OK, now we need to address Target’s big mistake. A company that is usually so in tune with their customers has made a huge error here. They build brand loyalty through their honesty. Their ads are energetic, but real. You feel like you can trust them. But, can you trust something that looks like this scary, over-photoshopped nightmare? Too much photoshop is definitely a bad thing!
And, why does she have a tiny plastic pool out in the middle of nowhere?!? This one is just odd and wrong on so many levels. It reminds me of the old Soundgarden video for Black Hole Sun, where the people look plastic and freaky…
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Welcome, Mr. Snips…

OK, so I know this really has nothing to do with professional photography in Dallas, but it kind of relates… After all, I will be taking tons of pictures of this little guy as he grows up. Please welcome the newest addition to our home – Mr. Snips!

OK, I’ll get back to my regular posts now. I just couldn’t resist that face!!!