Studio 3 Inc, Author at Studio 3, Inc.®

Coca-Cola With A Twist!

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

Nothing is quite as iconic as guzzling down a refreshing Coca-Cola after a long day of playing in the sun. That irreplaceable feeling is what inspired a recent shoot, which included Coca-Cola along with a fun outdoor location. Dana Jonas loves the challenge of mixing classic, vintage Coke bottles, and modern, therefore shooting Coca-Cola with adorable blonde models was right up her alley. The day of the shoot was of course typical Seattle; hideous, including rain, clouds, and no sun breaks, yet the pictures still conveyed that young, summer, fun, feeling. Dana explains in her own words how she created sunshine on a cloudy day:

“Believe it or not, this was one of the rainiest shoots I’ve been on. As we shlepped through the wet grass, soaking our feet and testing Ashli’s (MU&H) patience, I realized I would have to work pretty hard to achieve the look I was going for. But, I was certainly determined if nothing else. The girls were troopers and we made the best of it by playing with the focus, composition, warmth of the image and backlighting by using some of my favorite on-location lighting (speedlights). The images turned out great and no one can ever believe that it was raining. Mission Accomplished.”

These sunshiny pictures are here to offer hope to Seattlites everywhere; that summer may come after all. 🙂

We love a challenge!

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

We are living large with an abundance of studio space so we decided to put it to use with our latest project, a 360 degree interior spin of the spacious Freightliner Coronado. Most of us aren’t long-haul truckers and have never had the chance to even venture into one of these massive vehicles. So here’s your chance to sit back and view our interactive 360 interior spin of this amazing truck. Check out the quote below to get insight on the creative process from photographer Henry Ngan!

“Working on this project presented numerous challenges. First and foremost is how to capture this interior space through a camera lens so the viewer feels as if they are actually sitting inside the truck. We accomplished this by experimenting with several focal lengths to find the sweet spot where lens distortion is kept to a minimum. Multiple still images were needed at several angles to capture the full 360 degree view of the interior from front of cab to the rear sleeping quarters. The second challenge we faced is how to light the interior space from the front of the cab to the rear spaces so that we accounted for the varying lighting changes that occur naturally. As you transition from front of cab to the sleeping quarters you have less windows that allow for light to enter into these spaces creating a natural warm environment. Through my extensive exposure to varying photographic challenges my favorite projects are the ones that utilize all my skills and creativity.”

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Creating Visual Solutions: One Strap At A Time!

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

Studio 3 loves shooting product, what we love even more is partnering with local companies to help their visual concepts come to life. Recently, we had the chance to shoot the photography for a camera strap company. This was no ordinary photo shoot, David Bell and Craig Wagner had the fun task of reshooting their entire product line. They definitely had a blast working with the client by helping create their vision; styling straps to look as if they were on invisible bodies, accessorizing them, and making every feature noticeable. It’s rare that such a fun partnership comes along, but when it does the shoot ends with everyone feeling extremely accomplished and excited about the future possibilities. Photographers, David Bell and Craig Wagner, took this project in stride. Craig Wagner’s ability to create visual solutions are described in his own words:

This shoot was extremely challenging, David and I were using numerous skills to get the perfect shot, it seemed as if we were more like puppeteers creating realistic suspending products, that appeared to be wrapped around an invisible body. In order to meet the challenge we used such supplies as armature wire and monofilament to create the perfect visual. It was definitely a time in which we both had to step up and rise to a challenge that we embraced! Challenging shoots are definitely something I live for and never fear. I think it’s the challenges that make shooting unique and exciting with each new project!

View these two photographers handiwork below:

Bike Photography In Two Styles!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

Seattle and Portland are in the nation’s top ten bike friendly cities, so it’s no surprise our photographers are inspired by the environmentally friendly mode of transportation, therefore they get their bike photography on. Dana Jonas and Chris Eltrich teamed up to play out their personal strengths, with Dana shooting bicyclist Eddie and Chris shooting the fun color inspired product shots, it was a bike to remember. While Chris shot his series in studio, Dana chose a pier on Green Lake and here are her thoughts on bike photography:

I chose to shoot on a pier in Green Lake to have the option of creating the element of surprise. My goal was to have the viewer take a second look, like: what, wait, wow…is that guy riding on water? The model was great, seeing eye to eye on my vision. He even got so intense as making himself hyperventilate to look authentic. It was a great team and match up, I am definitely loving the fun visual result!

Check out the lifestyle bike photoshoot below:

Here are a few words from Chris Eltrich on shooting bike photography in studio:

To View More Photography By Our Photographers Check Out Our Website!

Food Photography: Slow Roasted & Shot to Perfection

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

Individuals who call the Pacific Northwest home are all about celebrating the sunshine days, often times that’s through picnicking, bbqing, happy hours, really anything that involves delicious, unique food creations. At Studio 3 we celebrate by shooting our favorite food via amazing food photography. It’s about the ooooh and aaaah moments experienced when taking a first bite. When talking with food clients, it’s all about how appetizing the food looks on that package, advertisement, or in store display, with that in mind Studio 3 sets out to create more than just one appetizing moment, but a series that leads up to the big meal. So, belly up and enjoy a pork sandwich meal, inspired by Seattle’s Paseo, food photographer David Bell was all about capturing the tradition of this local favorite:

The sandwich is an absolute mess, one of the messiest foods you can possibly order, yet one of the most delicious. My challenge when approaching this project was ensuring messy not only looked good, but also looked appetizing. Oh, the joys of food photography! This sandwich has a mind of it’s own and is often times hard to contain. It was all about making sure the sandwich looked authentically messy, therefore bringing the viewer into the moment, the moment of when you sit down at Paseo or any table and are served a pork shoulder sandwich. I believe the best part of this series is the overall end result; creating an essence of being there, on a summer day, about to enjoy a delicious meal.

When approached with such a fun project, the whole studio tends to try and get involved, whether it be sneaking pieces of pork shoulder or getting a chance to delve in on the creative process. No one, however, gets quite involved like our staff producer Jen Hitchcock. Read her thoughts on the shoot below:

It’s always interesting when the studio is approached with a food photography shoot. I am never quite sure what I am going to have to run out and get. Whether, ice cream starts melting too fast and it’s time to replace them with mashed potatoes, or perhaps running to get glue to hold an item together. Luckily with this shoot, everything was 100% natural, I got to step back and really see some magic happen. This series of photos was really a brain child between David and stylist Erika. They worked so well together on this, they couldn’t have made my job easier. It’s always great to see a stylist and photographer really click.

We are all definitely looking forward to the next food photography shoot, hoping perhaps there are enough leftovers to feed the entire studio. 🙂
Check out the images, inspired by Paseo’s pork shoulder sandwich below:

To Check Out More Food Photography Visit Our Website!

Portrait Photography: Searching for Spring?

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

The Northwest’s bipolar weather patterns have led us to believe that Spring is either right around the corner or Mother Nature is being a tease. We are definitely hoping for the latter. With a week of nothing short of beautiful weather, Friday has us down in the dumps again. The gray overcast blanket hanging over the city has left photographer Dana Jonas weary about going outside, yet inspired to shoot some portrait photography that expresses her continuous search for the Northwest’s favorite season, Spring. Read her thoughts on her distress or perhaps her lack of Vitamin D:

Sometimes I just have to shoot what I feel. Oh Seattle, how I love to hate you. Every year come April and May, it feels like winter drags on forever. A part of me refuses to accept that the NW doesn’t get summer until July, so they say. I do whatever I can to let my frustrations out via photography, but of course it doesn’t always work in my favor. I would say I am a sun child do to my past living situation, which for many of my formative years I believed was hell, otherwise known as Phoenix. I would whine and whine about the sun to no end. And now I can’t wait for the sunshiney warmth to wash over me. I don’t know, maybe I’m being punished. But hey, the punishment only inspires me.

In this particular portrait photography shoot I had our in house assistant Chris pose as a Sherlock Holmes’ esque character searching for the first signs of Spring! It was so fun finding the costume and even more fun getting the grass, along with the fun colors to all work together in studio. It was a portrait success. Now, if only this weather could turn around…

Check out her fun portrait below.

To View More Portrait Photography Check Out Our Website!

Studio 3 Case Study: Creating an Asset Library

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

Overused, generic stock photos won’t “WOW” customers. It’s the general consensus heard around town, however they are still a visual solution for many. The question we pose is: if your brand was understood, your need was met, and all within budget, would you leave stock imagery by the wayside? Really, who wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars running an ad campaign with a stock image when that same image may be used by your direct competitor?
Lets look at a recent case study that addresses this very issue:
We were approached by a national insurance company who wanted to move away from stock photography in order to have access to their own asset library. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity to work on such a large, forward thinking job.
After sitting down with the client to completely understand their needs, usage, and budget we were on our way to customizing the shoot. One of the main desires acquired was to showcase the craftsmanship of the local Portland community with the end goal of creating extremely diverse imagery, that would be relevant for years to come! Lets break down the numbers for this job…

The end result was an exciting experience that ended up bringing people together. A couple words from our Producer, Rachel, about working on this project:

In order to make a huge job like this go as smoothly as possible you have to have a few things working in your favor: you have to be able to see the small details at the same time as the overall big picture, be very organized, and have a team that you trust thoroughly! Having good people around you can make even the longest, hardest days fly by. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

The countless hours spent searching for that perfect stock image – eliminated! Check out some of the beautiful images that solved our clients needs.

The Making of Cupcake Royalty

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Studio 3 Inc

When approaching a shoot, we always like to tell a story. Lucky for us we have a team of photographers that are readily available to help. When it came to this particular shoot, it was all about young love and of course, CUPCAKES. Dana Jonas landed Cupcake Royale as a location and had some fun with frosting and our adorable young models. Clients frequently express the need for “chemistry” in their photos, which makes our photographer Dana Jonas giddy, since her favorite part about being a lifestyle photographer is interacting with the people involved, and of course, the final shot. Read below for Dana’s take on this exciting daytime shoot:

The cupcake shoot was right up my alley; bright colors and a cute couple having fun! Cupcake Royale has such a great vibe to their Capitol Hill location, it was an extreme pleasure to shoot there. The only tough part was keeping my mouth from salivating all over the camera. 🙂 Couldn’t have asked for more enjoyable models; Emma and Weston had a great connection. He even gave her a ride home after the shoot, how cute!!

Clients love Dana for her efficient photography skills and her ability to work with the “talent”, her shots also have a fun edge that has even overshadowed her infectious laughter on set. This girl gets results every time, from shooting asset libraries, to packaging, to ad campaigns, to making a delicious cupcake even more irresistible!
Check out the whole on-set story, in picture, below:

Dana Jonas, photography