Executive Portraits What's your good side?

Often times executive portraits can be simple shots of the staff on white, black, red, whatever color your team desires. However, here at Studio 3 we like to mix it up and add some interest to showcasing what’s best about your employees. The environmental executive portrait often adds interest to not only the employee but what a company has to offer. Two of our senior photographers, Dana Jonas and Henry Ngan, have recently portrayed architects and construction workers on site, to give meaning beyond the title.
Read Dana Jonas’ thoughts below on how to find the perfect location for a fun executive portrait:

My favorite part about this whole project was finding the location. I just kept thinking, they’re architects, I want to find something magnificent for them, something that really stands out. I was driving on 15th, in Seattle, and even though I’ve passed this bridge probably a million times, my head whipped around and I think I even said out loud, “Ah-hah!”. So after a super sketchy u-turn, I pulled over and went to check the bridge out. As soon as I got up there, I knew it was the perfect spot. I got so into photographing it, I don’t think I came down for another 20 minutes! It inspired me from the get go, something I always look for in locations.

Executive Portraits

Getting dirty on the construction site and Henry Ngan’s thoughts on how to put someone’s best face forward:

People are fascinating to me, especially when it comes to their accomplishments.  I strive to bring out strong points and the nature of a person’s day to day.  Before I take the picture I find out more about them, what they are most proud of, what they love about their career.  I want to capture who they really are, what their career means to them, and the value they add, all within the portrait. An environment chosen by them, only adds to that story.

Executive Portraits

Executive Portraits

Executive Portraits

To view more Environmental Executive Portraits created at Studio 3 please click here!

Technology Photography! You've got mail

It’s no secret our photographers love shooting technology. We’ve got a group that has a passion for Technology Photography! With the constant innovation it’s often times hard to keep up. At Studio 3, instead of our photographers getting frustrated by the constant change, they get inspired. Read below to see their words on not only the changing environment of technology, but what they love about shooting it:

What I find extremely inspiring about technology is it’s incredible pace! I believe in the near future we will be able to see technology manifest right in front of us. With that said, I freaking love showing all the possibilities of new technology, that inspires me to push the envelope and do some really unique stuff.
-Dana

Technology Photography

 

Technology is my middle name, I am inspired on what technology can do to enhance our lives, by accomplishing tasks with much more efficiency. I am the type of guy that is a tech guru, knowing everything that goes on inside, underneath the hood, inside the box, therefore I find it thrilling to stand in the consumer’s shoes…how am I going to convey what this product can do for you? Therefore, I always try to show the product in a good light: friendly and approachable.
-Henry

Technology Photography

 
The challenge of making it interesting and drawing the viewer in, that is so inspiring. On top of it all you have to make the product look new fresh and different, that’s my favorite part. I am always so excited to see what is new, hot, and how I can show it off.
-David

Technology Photography

I get inspired by the “top secret” nature of shooting the product, knowing about technological advancements before the general public has always been cool and inspires you to concept something way more exciting than just a black box. In fact, I have actually shot a black box, one of my favorite shoots, where we shot it on a roadway set with a vivid sunset as the background. We shot it on an 8X10 transparency, with all the effects done in camera and the client loved it!
-Craig

Technology Photography

To view more of our Technology images photographed at Studio 3 please click here!

European Travels by PDX Producer Rachel Meyer!

Here at Studio 3, Inc we love showcasing the photographic talents of our Studio 3 staff regardless of professional titles. It could be a week long venture to Burning man, a trip to the coast, three weeks in Hawaii, or an International getaway!  Whatever the inspiration, no matter where you are in the world, we want to see what you capture.  If what is captured we feel might inspire our readers then it makes it to our Studio 3 blog. If you’ve visited our conference room you can see many of our inspirational images posted too!
Recently our Portland Studio 3 Producer Rachel Meyer ventured on a trek throughout the many beautiful cities in Europe and featured here are a few of her shots. Here’s a little about Rachel….we’ve all known about her amazing ability to communicate and connect with clients, her ability to pull a project together in hours versus days, her ability to always make things happen, her ability to Art Direct, style a set and shop with the best of them, but we were happily surprised to see her amazing photography skills come to light during her two week long International venture.  We are excited to post each and every one of these images and look forward to Rachel sharing more! Here are a few photos seen through her creative eye and the ones she’d let us post!

I love photographing the elements in foreign countries.  Markets, signage, normal people and the things that we become oblivious to everyday in our own lives. – Rachel Meyer

Rachel Meyer

Skyline over Warsaw!

Rachel Meyer

City Construction – Amsterdam!

Rachel Meyer

Urban Landscape – Amsterdam!

Rachel Meyer

Scenic Waterways – Amsterdam!

October 2013 Update:

Anything goes: five things you can do in Amsterdam that are illegal here. Click here to read the full story!

Photographer Henry Ngan Cruising Wild Alaska!

Photographer Henry Ngan stepped out of the studio this summer and into an adventure along the Panhandle of Alaska.

I first arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska by boat then went by Tracy Arm Fjord in the Tongass National Forest and then on to Juneau and then Skagway. What an experience! In Skagway I got to take an amazing rail trip on board the White Pass and Yukon Railroad, a narrow gauge railroad, up to White Pass just across the border into the Canadian Yukon. The railroad did a lot of steep climbing, to get to the amazing scenery. We went across trestles, bridges and tunnels.  Along the way up were bears, hikers, and local folks camping out. The train was made up of vintage passenger cars pulled by three Alco DL535E locomotives.  In Juneau, where Governor Sarah Palin once held office, I visited the Mendenhall Glacier just to the north of town. The glacier was formed from snowfall compaction which took place over thousands of years in the Juneau Icefield above Mendenhall Lake. Glacial ice as you can imagine is very hard dense ice and has a rich blue color. It is blue because it absorbs all colors of the spectrum except blue which it reflects and because of the lack of air bubbles. The extreme color made this one of the most breathtaking photographic experiences. I can’t wait to go back!
If you ever get a chance to go to Alaska be sure to visit the Ketchikan community! It is a great environment for inspiration and is nestled in the Tongass National Forest.  Ketchikan’s impressive variety of shops and galleries feature work of many of the island’s resident artists.
Already living in the great Northwest, I was wondering what it is I could possibly experience in Alaska that’s not already in my own back yard. Alaska is truly spectacular and everything is much bigger, more remote, and unspoiled. It really is the Wild West, more so than anywhere in the lower 48. It’s kind of like the Rocky Mountains in Colorado but much more grand. As a photographer living in Portland, I’m surrounded by natural beauty everywhere I point my camera and love sharing that vision with the world. I photographed using a  Canon 40D with a 17-55mm lens. A rule I try to follow when photographing outdoors is to shoot early and late. This rule gets you the most interesting lighting when time and weather conditions allow. The effect is more directional, warmer or cooler, and more mellow. Below are some wonderful images capturing the unspoiled and remote scenery. – Henry Ngan

Photographer Henry Ngan

Floating Glacial Ice, Tracy Arm!

Photographer Henry Ngan

Train ride to the Yukon!

Photographer Henry Ngan

Outside Juneau view of the Fjords!

Photographer Henry Ngan

Mendenhall Glacier!

Photographer Henry Ngan

Sunset over Juneau!

Superheroes! F*** YEAH AMERICA

The life of superheroes is often glamorized, however, like most things, life isn’t always so sweet. Photographer Dana Jonas wanted to illustrate the dark side of being a hero, the side in which no one wants to imagine… Inspired by the world being in complete distraught and the wonderment of being completely abandoned, hopeless, in need of a sign Dana created the series F*** YEAH AMERICA! Read Dana’s thoughts below:

I’ll be honest. Mostly I wanted a challenge. A steer away from my usual bright, colorful, happy pictures (granted I cheated and did those too with these guys). Through the process of photographing them I just kept thinking “gosh, if superhero’s were real and trying to save us, I bet they really would feel this way”. With the state of the world, the economy and every sad and crazy thing going on these days, I imagine if that was really in front and behind them, that would be a pretty gloomy existence.

 

Superheroes

Read below to hear the bright side of Captain America. As Wiki States

“Captain America is an American fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover-dated March 1941),from Marvel Comics’ 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. As of 2007, an estimated 210 million copies of “Captain America” comic books had been sold in 75 countries. For nearly all of the character’s publication history, Captain America has been the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a frail young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum, in order to aid the United States government’s efforts to win World War II. Captain America wears a costume that bears an American flag motif, and is armed with an indestructible, boomerang-like shield that can both be thrown as a weapon and used to defend against others’ weapons.” – Wikipedia

Superheroes

As Wiki states the “bright side of Wolverine”.

“Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant who possesses animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound, disease, or toxin at an accelerated rate. The healing factor also slows down his aging process, enabling him to live beyond a normal human lifespan. His powerful healing factor enabled him to survive having the near-indestructible metal alloy adamantium bonded to his skeleton. He is most often depicted as a member of the X-Men, Alpha Flight, or later the Avengers.” – Wikipedia

Superheroes

Wiki states:

“The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (January 1940).Nicknamed the Scarlet Speedster and the “Crimson Comet” all incarnations of the Flash possess “super-speed“, which includes the ability to run and move extremely fast, use superhuman reflexes and seemingly violate certain laws of physics. Thus far, four different characters—each of whom somehow gained the power of “super-speed”—have assumed the identity of the Flash: Jay Garrick (1940–present), Barry Allen (1956–1985, 2008–present), Wally West (1986–2006, 2007–2012), and Bart Allen (2006–2007, 2009–present). Before Wally and Bart’s ascension to the mantle of the Flash, they were both Flash protégés under the same name Kid Flash.” – Wikipedia

Superheroes

And again via Wiki here is Bruce Wayne!

“Batman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). Originally referred to as “the Bat-Man” and still referred to at times as “the Batman,” the character is additionally known as “the Caped Crusader,the Dark Knight,and “the World’s Greatest Detective,among other titles. Batman is the secret identity of Bruce Wayne, an American billionaire playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on criminals, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime.Batman operates in the fictional Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl. He fights an assortment of villains, often referred to as the “rogues gallery,” which includes the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Ra’s al Ghul, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman, among others. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will, fear, and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.” – Wikipedia

Studio 3 Films highlights The Spike Puller!

Studio 3 Films is so excited to partner with Stanley Hydraulic Tools, headquartered in Portland, Oregon to highlight their newest product release through a dynamic Studio 3 video! Check out the video above and stay tuned for more to come! For a little bit of insight into this video shoot check out words from our Director of Video Production, David King.

Stanley Hydraulics is introducing a line of new railroad tools over then next few months and they came to us to create a video to introduce the first one, the SPL-31 Spike Puller. To compound the challenge, we were on a very tight deadline. The job was awarded on a Tuesday and due to railroad track availability, we had to shoot the entire spot just two days later. On top of that, the video was to be presented to the executives a week after that. A quick concept meeting with our client and a late night storyboard session later, we were ready to shoot.
We began the day at the BNSF train yard in Vancouver, Washington and had to get twenty-four shots off in a little under 3 hours. Thanks to the professionalism of the rail crew and our efficient planning, we made it with a few minutes to spare. From there we were off to our studio to get the product beauty shots. Utilizing our large turntable to spin the SPL-31 under some dramatic lighting, we got all we needed to put together a compelling, informative and entertaining video.
In post-production, we wanted an intro to the video that would immediately grab the viewers attention. Continuing with the railroad theme, we used a stock image of a rail car and animated the Stanley logo being punched into the metal, using Adobe After Effects. This bit of animation could then easily be used for future product videos by simply changing out the product logos.
The video was completed with some driving music and a powerful voiceover, giving it the industrial feel that Stanley Hydraulic tools is known for, throughout the industry.

Lifestyle Photographer Dana Jonas: Dumped Series!

When we first saw Dana Jonas’ Portfolio these are the images we viewed. Searching for a new Lifestyle Photographer can be a challenge these days, but we were very intrigued. The entire hiring crew at Studio 3 was awestruck by the creativity and inventiveness. We later learned these images were a collaborative brain-child of stylist and set designer, Dennis Turner and of course photography was exclusively by Dana Jonas. This project aimed to put a visual face on the feeling of rejection and loss. If you’ve ever experienced either of those emotions then you understand we immediately had to meet her. We  loved her drive, passion, personality, camera technique, and lighting ability. She shoots exclusively with the Canon system, into Lightroom, and finesses her images in Adobe Photoshop. As far as lighting she enjoys being able to control her subject in a set environment. One of Dana’s many strengths is her ability to preconceive the image and follow through to the end. It is very rare that you meet a Photographer that also brings Digital Art into her creativity. Now that she’s part of the team she will have a full Post Production crew to support her efforts! We look forward to showcasing more of her amazing talent in many future blogs and for years to come.

Here’s a sneak peak at our very own Dana Jonas’ infamous “Dumped” Series!

Lifestyle Photographer

Lifestyle Photographer

Lifestyle Photographer

To see the entire “Dumped” series by Dana Jonas, please visit the Vermillion on Thursday evening September 12, 2012.

Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar: 1508 11th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122

For full event details please follow this link.

To view more Lifestyle Photography by the Studio 3 team, please click here.

Or you can go directly to: www.studio3.com

Lifestyle Photographer Swinging Color!

Recently, Lifestyle Photographer Dana Jonas, decided she wanted to photograph the newest apparel line to hit the tennis world. She however, did not want this to be like any other shoot. Wanting to play with the lighting, she aspired to emulate the motion associated with the intense sport of competitive tennis. Read her thoughts below on this motion detecting light technique:

It’s been a while since I painted with light and I thought instead of fighting the motion (my first plan), I’d use it to my benefit! Luckily Studio 3 had this wonderful concrete wall built for a previous job that I thought would be a great backdrop for this idea. I set-up the Speedotron Black Line 2400ws strobes and a red gelled Mole-Richardson 2k continuous hot-light, which was carefully flagged off.  I did this so that it would mostly fall on the racket as they were moving. I set the exposure to about 1 or 2 seconds depending on how long I needed for the trail and fired the Canon 5D MarkIII camera when they started moving. Then with the pocket wizards in hand, I fired the strobes manually at the end of the swing so the red trail would be behind the tennis racket from the direction they were swinging. Had I fired the strobe at the beginning of the exposure, the red trail would have been in front of the motion, which visually wouldn’t make any sense at all. This shoot was a blast and required some coordinated button-pushing and obviously very talented tennis models! Truly makes a photographer understand that their tool is not a camera, it’s light. I can’t wait to try this again with a different color. Any suggestions on the color I should work with?
 

 

lifestyle photographer

lifestyle photographer

lifestyle photographer

lifestyle photographer

To view more Lifestyle images created at Studio 3 please click here!

Product Photographer Matt Jebbia Pump It Up!

Scrumptious Voodoo Doughnuts and a pair of Jimmy Choo Eros Pumps, is there any better combination for a photo shoot?  We decided to pair these two products to create a story of Sweet Misery.  Who hasn’t arrived home in the early morning hours after a late night of dancing and bar hopping.  Those early morning hangovers sure are better with a cup of Joe and some doughnuts fresh from the Voodoo shop.  Read on to get some insight on this creative shoot by Product Photographer Matt Jebbia.

My inspiration for this shoot was hashed out over a studio brainstorming session.  The concept was a little off beat. Expensive shoes and doughnuts aren’t what most photographers think of as a match made in heaven. But I think most of us can agree that we’ve managed to spend way to much of our hard earned money on a pair of shoes at some point in our lives.  And I wanted to play off this odd pairing and totally exaggerate the idea. This was really the beginning of the creative idea for the shoot.  Adding Portland’s famous Voodoo doughnuts just seemed like a fun idea and completed the conceptual story “Sweet Misery”.  We began by setting out the assortment of donuts, and built the rest of the set around the Voodoo.  I knew that I wanted some nice warm sun light streaming through a window so I setup my first light behind the shoes, added a color warming gel and placed a 4×8 sheet of white foam-core in front to fill some of the harsher shadows.  All that was left was some light on the background and a couple of spotty grids to bring out the doughnuts and sparkles in the Jimmy Choo pumps.  The hardest part of this shoot was keeping all of my co-workers away from these delicious treats. – Matt Jebbia

Product Photographer