Brand identity is not about showing off an image anymore. It’s about telling a story which consumers can relate to and identify with…
With the 5d being released every photographer got a film-making tool in their hands. This was, and still is, in many ways the perfect storytelling vehicle for us photographers helping brands go beyond the still image in their quest to tell their story.
It seemed so easy at first and I excitedly jumped in filming everything I saw…
Now, 4 years later, the craft and vision I have to my stills are getting translated into moving images and solid stories.
I have a great relationship with a winery in Sonoma called Repris. Having shot their still images we went on to translate these to moving images telling the story of wine from place to harvest to tank to barrel to the bottle enjoyed.
For me it was important that visuals of these moments translated perfectly between the two mediums, retaining my visual identity in both and leaving Repris Wines with a visual language translating across all formats.
As we collectively are becoming more and more visual I, as a photographer, have to continue to evolve. This both to have fun and learn new things but also to stay relevant in a fast changing visual market.
I’m excited to share the first OF many motion/still combinations that I am working on!
And here’s a Behind the Scene look on how it all came together:
I love a challenge!
And creating images sometimes truly is.
When GSW came to me with the idea of some one being trapped in a syringe I was really excited about the challenge of getting this done.
There are a lot of considerations that goes into the crafting of images like these.
Would we do it all on the computer, making the syringe in CGI, or do it all in camera with a custom built 8 foot tall syringe on location?
Could we possibly get this size syringe made? And if so how would we get the people in it? Would the tank and water distort their bodies too much?
Now, if we did it CGI would we be able to make it look real? Could we on the computer replicate the tactile, almost weightless quality of clothing in water?
And what about the emotional aspect of it? If we were to have the talent feel and express the emotions of being trapped would it not be better to have them be wet and in a syringe for real? For me this was the most important question. It’s these subtle things that to me make images successful…
After talking to the agency and my producer we all felt a combination would be the best approach. We set out to custom build a water tank in the shape of a syringe, large enough to hold a person, then creating the top and bottom of the syringe in CGI.
We also realized getting a massive tank like this with water hot enough to make our talent comfortable would be a tough task on location.
So we headed for Los Angeles and spent 3 days on location shooting our supporting cast and another 2 days in studio shooting our hero talent in the studio.
I find myself to thrive on great ideas. Ideas and concepts that make images a crafted moment that go beyond the 2 dimensional surface of a magazine or a tablet…
A big thanks to the guys at GSW for trusting me with making these ideas come to life!
Another big thanks to all the support from everyone from the producer to the retouch in making it all happen. This one was truly an effort of many…
Advertising Agency Wrayward came to me with a set of layouts for their client Velux that had an idea as simple as it was beautiful.
With skylights one opens the house to elements of the sky and in many ways brings this into ones home.
Symbolizing the elements in these ads were two kids. One storming through a kitchen with her balloons in the shape of clouds and in another a boy with his kite taking the wind with him inside…
Prior to most assignments I sit down and write a few words about approach and idea. These treatments are for the clients to see how I plan on executing the assignment but also for me to pre visualize the images and their story. I think about the content and how I personally connect to it. What my view point is and how I relate to the idea. How I think about it….
In this the images start to take shape in my mind, I see the different elements and how they come together into one single frame.
I then start thinking about the less tangible parts . The ideas, stories and expressions. This is the truly time-consuming part of a treatment but also the one that to me is the most important:
How to add the emotional elements that makes the image more than a two dimensional surface. The context that exudes this emotion and makes the viewer connect to that singular frame.
The ideas for these shots for Velux were so developed from the agency side I truly got to extend myself further and think about the kids and their metaphor of being of the elements of clouds and wind.
From my treatment:
“In crafting these photographs I want to make strong, beautiful and iconic pictures which at the same time has a whimsical but honest sense to them. Whimsical in idea and character, honest in space and how our talent portrays themselves. Pictures that are cinematic in the light quality and real in the emotional content. Real enough for the viewer to be able to relate to a playful kid and connect to the story…
Who are these kids? What do they think and dream of and how do they embody their outside element?
The questions are fascinatingly open ended…
I see the kids as dreamers. Harnessing a bit of the outside as in capturing a dream. It is with them inside. Through the skylights the world is wide open and the kids have a limitless attitude. In this moment of carrying the world and it’s gentle elements there’s a fearless sense of pursuing ones dreams.
There’s a sense of excitement and curiosity and just being a kid. Both of them inside doing out door stuff, carrying themselves with a feel and sensation of getting away with it.
The girl with the balloons is as ethereal as clouds. Just as the changing weather she has this intangible quality…
A smart, beautiful girl with a bit of tomboy attitude.
The boy, a care free windsurfer with a mischievous smile of certainty. Certain that whatever he does, its the right thing to do…”
I’m not sure if I managed to capture my intentions of who these kids were.
In some ways it’s not so much the point either.
It’s more about having that something to strive and reach for in my quest to create better and better pictures…
Big thanks to Scott and David and everyone else at Wrayward for fantastic creative and trusting me with their ideas.
I’m in great gratitude.
And please check out the Behind the Scenes Video of how it all came together…
The Sports Illustrated Swim suit Issue is the second largest marketing event in the US. Only the super bowl is bigger in terms of people seeing the content and the advertising exposure that comes with it…
From a marketing and photography standpoint this is a big thing and I’m proud to have shot the inside cover of this issue for the past 2 years.
In collaboration with The Richards Group we have created bodyscapes where a stunning girl in a swimsuit, landscape and truck has come together to one image.
The process of getting the pieces together and the places we went to do so made for an amazing assignment both on the creative level and for the experience…
In creating the background landscape we traveled to White Sands New Mexico. One stunning place that in the early morning light takes on an ethereal quality that just leaves you speechless. At 28 degrees Fahrenheit it was not the place for a model in swim wear so we headed out for warmer weather.
In addition to warmer temperatures we also needed a place to shoot a secondary set of images and a motion piece for the ipad edition that would speak to unique experiences…
We set our sights on Cuixamala. An extraordinary place 3 hours south of Puerta Vallarta, Mexico…
Here’s the images we captured and the Behind the scenes look at how it all came together.
In the magazine with the fold out cover there was a cool reveal making the ad look like this..
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