Sometimes a photo shoot can be intimidating: it involves many moving parts and numerous details to coordinate. The Producers here at Studio 3 take care of everything involving the shoot, so you don’t ever have to worry about the coordination, prop shopping, set styling, model casting, direction, lighting, or post-production. We don’t just put it together, WE Produce It flawlessly so your product takes center stage.
For this Garden Party photo shoot, Producer Liz Swales pulled together all of the serving ware and styled it using her years of prop styling experience to create the perfect outdoor brunch setting. Focusing on bright yellows and blues to illustrate a Summer backyard get-together with the girls, she featured West Elm’s chic Gold Flatware, Textured Salad Plates, and Pad Printed Bowls as the main dinnerware on display. She styled the table with glasses and drinkware from World Market, as well as with numerous items from the extensive Studio 3 prop closet. Miss Liz’s expertise knows how to place each beautiful prop in the perfect location in order to keep the viewer’s eye moving throughout the photo to highlight the product being shot. It’s the placement and styling of each piece in the image that entices the viewer with a lifestyle they will want to buy – translating into direct sales of your product.
The tabletop set was lit expertly by photographer Craig Wagner to simulate bright morning light and make the juicy colors pop. By entrusting Studio 3 with your visual stories, you’ll find that it’s easier and less stressful than you ever imagined to produce a successful shoot from start to finish.
Want to see what we can produce for YOU? Reach out to our team in Portland at 503.238.1748 or in Seattle at 206.282.0939 today to get your product photography produced to a T.
That salad looked so good we couldn’t resist! Stop by for lunch with us anytime.
Author: Studio 3 Inc
Digital Art – Stages Cycling Stationary Bike
Studio 3, Inc. is THE choice for photography, video, or digital work – because WE make it easy for everyone involved. There’s no guessing around here: we involve the client every step of the way and make the process truly collaborative. We make it easy for agencies, art directors, and brands to get exactly what they want – and consistently delight with what we produce.
Frank Creative always has brilliant idea that we love to run with – and in this case, cycle with. Stages Cycling was just about to launch an innovative new indoor cycling bike, and they partnered up with Frank to approach the Studio 3 Team. The brief was to create some cutting-edge indoor cycling bike shots by merging dark, moody cyclist shots with Iron Man-meets-TRON-inspired digital art backgrounds to explode that coolness factor of the Stages brand. The Digital Artists here first created some mockups of composites, and we made the client and agency welcome at the Portland studio to give feedback directly.
Studio 3 also took care of the casting call, and reached out to multiple cycling clubs and local bike stores to find the perfect athletes to fit the bill. Photographer Craig Wagner utilized his expertise in lighting and shooting to capture that dynamic image of the cyclists on the bikes, setting up Stages Cycling and the SC studio bikes series as the stars of the show. Digital Lead Alex Gumina worked closely with the Team in post-processing to produce a futuristic CGI background with both Frank Creative and Stages cycling in the studio giving feedback during live digital compositing sessions. The timeframe was a tight turnaround of a week – and by the end of the week the Team had knocked this one out of the park with multiple digital composites and indoor cycling bike detail shots for the updated Stages website. (Check them all out here.)
Tired of worrying about your creative projects, or figuring out a way to coordinate all those moving parts? Take a load off. Do it the EASY way – and call the Studio 3 Team. We’ll make it so easy to get mind-blowing visual assets done and in front of your audience, you’ll forget that you’re actually at work.
Lifestyle Photography – Floral Arrangement with Mouse
Working with Studio 3 is a unique and creative experience. Why? Because we don’t just make it look easy, we make it look good, whether your project is large or small, we pay attention to all the details.
Shot by Photographer David Bell, this lifestyle photography shoot added an element of playfulness rather than just sticking with a standard formula. The creative direction was to capture a tabletop arrangement in the style of the old Dutch Masters of still life painting during the Dutch Golden Age – and David’s techniques with lighting, contrast, styling, and framing brought the concept to life. The scattering of the flower petals and the broken pomegranates were arranged with an eye to their disheveled artfulness. By adding a live mouse (accompanied by a binder-ful of signed releases from the pet store!) he added a facet of fun and frivolity to an image that could have just been a beautiful shot of a simple floral arrangement.
Studio 3 goes the extra mile to bring that playfulness – not only within each shot, but also to our production style on-set. There’s a ton of laughter, the clink of dishware hosting delicious food for our clients, excellent jams on the playlist, and a relaxed Studio vibe that still gets the job done – and knocks it out of the park. We’re not ones to shy away from anything – even mouse-wrangling a rodent with stage fright – and will bring that FUN to every stage of the production.
We have what it takes: Give us a ring and capture the image you’re looking for on your next photography, video, or premedia project.
Lifestyle Photography – Urban Runner
No matter the shoot, no matter the location, no matter the challenges…WE Make It Happen.
An on-location lifestyle photography shoot is no small feat, but photographer Jonny Brandt and the Studio 3 Team accomplished this one through careful pre-production, efficient scouting, and expert planning to coordinate an urban shoot with a runner on his morning jog.
But it’s so much more than simply shooting someone in athletic apparel and trainers running through the city.
The monochromatic industrial SE Portland location was chosen to offset the hi-visibility performance apparel and shoes, creating a stark contrast for the bright running gear. The traffic in motion on the highway underscored the runner in motion. The shoot was coordinated on a cloudy day in order to flatten out the tones of cement and make the runner pop out, with no extra lighting involved. With a tight timeframe and a quick turnaround, our Team executed photography that stands out from the crowd and crafts the person in action as the highlight of each shot.
Casting, location scouting, stylist, wardrobe prep…we can make your life easier in the process. A shoot like this didn’t just happen by chance. Go ahead, be brave: Contact us. There’s a reason we have kept our clients.
Drink Photography – Reverend Nat's Hard Cider
Our teamwork is like clockwork, and in each and every shoot WE work it to make products look great and entice the viewer.
Virtually invisible when behind-the-scenes, our team members mesh seamlessly to create mouthwatering images and a fantastic client experience. Every moving part in the Studio 3 process works to fashion something more than just the sum of its parts. We have the attention to detail, the creative styling, the mastery of lighting, and the expert technical ability to not only capture the shot, but to go above and beyond each and every time. Any drink photography shot could have been taken to feature this Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, but our team coordinated to create that perfect pour, resulting in a mouth-watering image that makes it nearly impossible not to “taste” the cider being poured into the glass.
Let us refresh your brand in a way that makes your customers’ mouths water. Let us WORK it on your next product photo shoot, and see that Studio 3 work ethic in action.
Food Photography – Salt
Why should you make a change to Studio 3, Inc. for your photography needs? Because WE make it look good.
These artisan salts could have gotten any creative treatment there is – but Photographer David Bell strove to bring out the pretty in the delectable, sparkly grains. The Studio 3 Team loves all kinds of salts (since numerous varieties of artisan salts are available in dedicated salt shops and markets everywhere lately) so when the chance arose to feature some of our faves we jumped to it. David had some Japanese Wasara single-use recycled heavy duty paper dishes that he had been holding on to specifically for a project like this. The undulating waves of the dish profiles, the texture of the bamboo and bagasse against the salt grains, the dishes placed just so atop the table: all provided a stark contrast in textures and form that David brought out with his masterful use of lighting.
A crisp, hard light was essential to show of all the granules of salt and bring out all the highlights, brightness, grittiness, and coarseness simultaneously. In choosing the lighting setup David also intentionally created shadow beneath the dishes so the eye can distinguish between white table, white dish, and white salt without straining or confusion. He experimented with playing with pattern, repetition, color, and texture to create the images below, mixing salts to achieve that perfect balance of color and a pleasingly harmonious design.
Featured salts:
Hiwa Kai Black Lava Sea Salt / Salish Smoked (Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt) / Fleur de Sel (Flower of Salt) / Alaea (Hawaiian Sea Salt) / Sel Gris (French Grey Sea Salt) / Pure Ocean (Atlantic Sea Salt)
from Artisan Salt, Co. AKA Saltworks, Inc.
Chili Verde Sea Salt / Yakima Applewood Smoked Sea Salt
from Metropolitan Market, Seattle 
Creating a look in photographs is not random but instead full of intention: highly precise and orchestrated to feature the product in its best light.
So what goes into the “look” of your photography? And how can you develop a look that embodies your brand? Call Studio 3, and we’ll make whatever you have to shoot look so amazing…you’ll never need to go looking for a photography partner again.
Shoe Photography – Danner Boots
No matter the subject, Studio 3 shines a light on great photography and lifestyle setups that put the WOW in the everyday.
These Danner 6″ Oiled Black Boots just begged to be shot in an environment with moody lighting that reflected their rugged toughness, and Photographer Craig Wagner styled an entire garage set around them for that specific purpose. Placing our Video Director David King‘s Suzuki TU250X motorcycle in the background, he created a monochromatic set filled with blacks and browns to bring out the colors in the shoes. With overhead Speedotrons, Craig focused spotlight-style lighting on the boots in the foreground. The profile and oiled leather grain of the boots required a treatment as if photographing a high-end car, he noted, which he accomplished by choosing the ideal amount of reflectors and kickers to highlight those curves and wood grain heels. A vintage shoe-shine tote with buffs and waxes completes the story: a guy tinkering on his bike in his garage stops to give his favorite Danner boots a polish before setting out for a ride on the open country.
What resulted is a shoe photography shot where the gloss of these boots highlights their shape, workmanship, and durability…stopping anyone in their tracks, wanting to try those boots on and head out for an adventure.
Ready for YOUR next adventure? Call Studio 3: WE Light It, WE make it look great, WE showcase YOUR product in the best light. Give us a call at (503) 238-1748 in Portland, or (206) 282-0939 in Seattle to experience it.
WE Do It Better
Why chose Studio 3? Because whatever you want done, WE help you do it better.
Take this shot of vintage Nikes, for example. The brief was to take a fresh approach with footwear photography and shooting a pair of vintage Nike sneakers – so the Team created a very gritty-looking night environment to showcase the shoes. But the idea was to keep the setup looking as un-styled as possible, like the person had just kicked the shoes off and they landed exactly as they did. The Team was striving for a moody atmosphere, so having reflections throughout helped underscore that mood. The “street” locale was, however, created entirely in-house. Photographer Chris Eltrich laid out 4′ by 8′ of bricks to make the paving stones, pouring sand in-between them to look like grout, and finished them off with some large pavers for the “sidewalk.” He wet the set with a spray bottle to create those reflections, which proved a challenge due to to the bricks and sand absorbing the water. He had to spray continuously all the way down to the moment he clicked the shutter, or everything would dry. All the work paid off in the end and resulted in a wet-looking, gritty set as a backdrop to the cool Nike kicks.
In post-processing, Digital Lead Alex Gumina found that the bright yellow of the sneakers didn’t look ideal against the background. The logos weren’t “reading” in the final photo and the feel was a little off, so he converted the image to black and white to play up the vintage aspect. The monochrome treatment was just right and made those logos POP!
From an open brief to an ultra-specific “mood” created entirely in the studio, our Team takes any concept from origin to exceptional execution. Perhaps anybody can just do it. But WE do it better.
Call us today to find out how we can do it better for your brief, each and every time.
WE Get It
Visual imagery is your brand’s calling card, and Studio 3 understands how to get you there creatively, on budget, every time. We provide creative solutions and the peace of mind that your project will be completely handled. Whether it is a single phone or a semi truck full of SKU’s, we’ve been there. We do it all well.
Our photographers and videographer work with our production team to achieve your visual goals and timeline. Once your images are shot the digital group delivers beyond expectations, with the best processing in the business, and G7® color certification. From start to finish the process is streamlined and we take care of you. Which makes YOU look really good to your client and your boss.
That’s why we keep our clients and why you should take a meeting with us. You’ll see we make great partners. Oh, and we have a lot of fun on the way!
We’ll be reaching out…take the invite. Look forward to meeting you.