The 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scagliette Coupe featured above has a rich history and an amazing story…and is a one-of-a-kind custom car that any car enthusiast would go wild over.
This legendary car was originally built for Ingrid Bergman in “Ingrid Grey” with a lipstick red interior, and took Best of Show in 3 different Ferrari events in the United States, including Best of Show at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2014. Shot by Studio 3 legend David Bell, this car was destined to be featured in the latest catalog for long-time client Griot’s Garage.
Griot’s Garage manufactures the world’s finest car care products for any and all vehicles out there – including, of course, one-of-a-kind Ferraris. Although the Griot’s customer may not be in possession of a Scagliette Coupe like the one above, they are discerning when it comes to car care and garage products. Griot’s Garage products will make any car look like a million bucks (or a multi-million bucks, in the Scaglietti’s case)…and Studio 3’s product and vehicle photography captures that aspirational lifestyle effortlessly.
Shot at the Griot’s facility, this photo highlights the Industrial Non-Lifting Floor Paint for garage floors that Griot’s produces, as well as the polishes, waxes, and compounds that were lavished on the car to showcase it in its best light. Although he has shot this particular car for Griot’s Garage a few times before, this shoot presented a particular challenge to David due to the length of the car.
David wanted to highlight the Ferrari’s sleek, powerful, and undulating lines and so chose to shoot it in profile against a black backdrop. Though he had a 20′-wide sail, it wasn’t quite wide enough to accommodate the entire vehicle on set, and so the final image had to be composited from 8 different exposures layered together to encompass the full width of the car. It was an awesome challenge to fit the whole profile of the car into one single image.
He endeavored to make the car’s stunning lines stand out and enhance the shape of this iconic vehicle, as well as highlight the stellar finish that showcased the Griot’s wax products. This gorgeous aspirational image seen on the front of the Griot’s catalog would entice any car enthusiast to open the catalog and browse for products to make their vehicles look just as stellar. “It’s just about making their cars look interesting, fun, exciting, and gorgeous,” said David. Thanks, Griot’s, for 20 years of business!
Just like that uber-sleek Ferrari, Studio 3 has a rich history and amazing story behind it. We’re still shooting top-of-the-line product and catalog shots that wow our clients each and every time. Artisan photography for a true piece of art, quick turnaround, challenging shoots, elaborate staging…we can do it all and then some – and make the product the star of the show each and every time. Why not give us a ring and have us turn your photography into a sleek, one-of-a-kind, done deal?
Client: Griot’s Garage
Photographer: David Bell
Equipment: Hasselblad H3D-39, 210mm lens
Lighting: Speedotron strobes and kickers
Author: Studio 3 Inc
Throwback Thursday – The Learning Machine
You might be asking yourself, “Is THIS for real??”
We know…it’s hard to believe, but this is TOTALLY for real!
Since the advent of this amazing technology, it is tough to recall how cumbersome it was when our noodles were all leashed up. That’s not irony. That’s progress.
On August 13, 1993, The Learning Machine hit the market – and the face of learning was never the same again.
When Zygon International Inc. approached Studio 3, the Team set about creating mesmerizing images for the front and inside of a brochure about the spectacular capabilities of The Learning Machine. It synchronizes your mind into the optimum mind-state for psychological programming! It uses Alpha and Theta mind-states to open your learning centers and expand your mental function! Wait…what?? And it boasts a state-of-the-art Light Shield and Learning Discs system that create a light-sound matrix to “launch your brain into incredibly realistic dream world fantasies!” The Studio 3 Team brought those fantasies into reality by executing a product photography shoot that was as futuristic as it was fun. But that’s not to say we have psychic powers now.
Studio 3’s very own David Bell, unafraid of this wacky new technology, agreed to shoot the mind-bending images for the brochure. When asked about the shoot, he revealed some great insight: “I don’t remember a thing about it.” Hmm. Probably because he wasn’t using The Learning Machine while on set. We’ll forgive you, David. You did shoot some hypnotic images after all.
He did finally recall using the Speedtron Strobes to get the perfect balance of the CD’s reflective qualities, while still being able to read the writing on the CD’s. Which, in the age before Photoshop, was QUITE a challenge! (CD’s and DVD’s are notoriously hard to photograph and to strike that elusive balance between readability and the changing color cast on the surface; see here for an example of Chris Eltrich’s work showcasing this.)
These photos were shot with a Hasselblad C-500, with a 150 mm lens film camera. The light flares and lasers were all added at the color house during the post-processing phase. The large product shots may or may not have been shot with the SINAR-P 4×5 camera, but since we didn’t try out The Learning Machine in its heyday, it’s a little hard to remember.
And if you’re in the market for your very own Learning Machine, you may still be able to get your head inside one at Zygon International’s website here. But you might want to double-check on that money-back guarantee they offer….
(And you can also pick up a CD player from them too for the going rate of only $129.95.)
Have some cutting-edge technology photography you need shot? Hope this has been a learning experience to what Studio 3 can provide: expert lighting, stellar photography, plus…we never take ourselves too seriously. Call us today to get in on the super happy fun times!
Product Photography – Bonavita Espresso Supply
Product photography isn’t just about how great the product looks on-camera; it’s also about showing the viewers what the product does. And when your coffee brewer can whip up some fabulous coffee drinks in no time flat – and Photographer David Bell gets ahold of those drinks and casts them in the starring role on a rugged, manly set – pure magic can happen through the lens.
That magic began with the Bonavita 8-cup Stainless Steel Carafe Coffee Brewer, which received the 2014 Men’s Journal Gear of the Year Award. When it came time to exhibit at the Men’s Journal “Gear Lab Pop-Up” at the MLB FAN CAVE, Bonavita Espresso Supply wanted to pair their award-winning coffee brewer with some drinks you could make with said brewer, and called on the award-winning talents of the Studio 3 Team to deliver the photography. (Not to toot our own horn, but we also provided the recent product photography for Bonavita’s website if you take a gander at the link above.)
It was a blast working with 3 original and delicious coffee-centric beverages and styling them on set. With props sourced from West Elm and Crate and Barrel, and vintage thermoses from the Studio’s extensive prop closet, Producer Megan Nolan crafted a set that said M-A-N, Pacific NW-style. David Bell contributed his decades of experience with lighting surfaces and drinks, choosing exquisite textures to create the backdrop and make the drinks stand out. David lit the set using dramatic, contrasty light to bring out all the textures and reflections in the surrounding props. His unique style and eye for details was essential (like adding that refined messiness of a delectable coffee drip on the side of the cup), which made all the difference.
Unlike some drink photography where photographing the actual drink on set is too difficult (i.e., having to use stand-ins that won’t lose their temperature or look unrealistic), in this case what you see is what those drinks really look like were you to try your hand at those recipes!
The Flannel Shirt
Ingredients
- 3 lightly crushed juniper berries
- ½ ounce simple syrup (or to taste)
- 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
- 1 1/2 ounce gin
- Bonavita-brewed *Ladro Ethiopia Wotona coffee
- Small cedar bough and spruce sprig for garnish
How To
Put crushed juniper berries into the bottom of a pre-warmed mug. Add simple syrup, aromatic bitters and gin. Top with freshly brewed coffee. Garnish with spruce sprig and set mug on cedar bough to release aroma.
Rummy Gingerbread Man
- 3 teaspoons dark muscovado sugar or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon *Gingerbread Spice Blend
- 1 ½ ounces dark rum
- Bonavita brewed **Ladro Classic espresso blend coffee
- Whipped cream
- Whole nutmeg, grated as garnish
How To
Fill 8 ounce mug with hot water to warm it. Pour water out and add sugar, spice blend and dark rum. Stir to dissolve sugar. Fill mug with hot coffee, top with whipped cream and finish with grated nutmeg or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
*Gingerbread Spice Blend:
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Lodge Toddy
Ingredients
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 1/2 ounces bourbon
- Bonavita brewed *Ladro Central American coffee
- Slice of orange (Valencia – Blood Orange – Cara Cara)
How To
Put cloves, cinnamon stick and honey into the bottom of a mug. Add bourbon and stir to blend. Fill mug with hot coffee. Twist and squeeze a slice of orange it to release the juice and oils from the peel and drop it into the mug to finish.
All recipes by Marcus Boni and Victoria Trimmer, Bonavita.
How much is your mouth watering for these drinks…and where is your Bonavita Espresso Supply Coffee Brewer when you need one?
And if you ever need photography for your drinks, beverages, or food-related products that gets mouths thirsting for more…you know where to find the magic-makers. In both Portland and Seattle, here at Studio 3.
Client: Bonavita Espresso Supply
Featured Product: Bonavita 8-Cup Stainless Steel Carafe Coffee Brewer
Producer: Megan Nolan
Photographer: David Bell
Photography Assistant: Tom Radio
Equipment: Hasselblad H-3D, 50mm lens
Digital Artist: Alex Gumina
Editorial Photography – Fitbit Hamburger
It’s the first week of the New Year already…how are those Resolutions going?
Creating Resolutions each year in an effort of renewal and self-improvement is wonderful, but Studio 3 has never veered from our Resolution of providing great photography for discerning clients. Our goal, year in and year out, is to create photographs that stop you in your tracks, make you think twice, grab your attention, and welcome you into a world of sumptuous food and drink, stellar products, cutting-edge technology, cool vehicles, and a fun lifestyle.
For our first shoot of the New Year, Studio 3 Team created a mouthwatering editorial photography shoot featuring one of our favorite fitness products: the Fitbit. A pink one. On a heavily-tattooed male arm. Because every manly man needs his Fitbit along with him, tracking his exercise, activity levels, steps per day, and most importantly, his indulgences.
The brief was to create a “healthy” version of a hamburger that would go literally hand-in-hand with the Fitbit lifestyle. To that we looked no further than Carl’s Jr.,’s Low Carb ThickBurger®, and sought to re-create the healthy lettuce-wrapped delicacy in-house. Food Stylist Allyson Carroll cooked the burger from scratch, stacked it up, wrapped it in lettuce, and added the perfect amount of ketchup to make the burger look delectably juicy.
Studio 3 Photographer Henry Ngan is a master of lighting, and for this shot he focused on the freshness of the burger utilizing a crisp, bright “beauty” light. He backlit the white wall behind, and shone a spotlight on the burger to bring out its succulent texture. The abundance of white and the absence of a background made, just like the latest iDevice from Apple, the focus all about the product in the foreground.
Unlike product photography, Editorial Photography takes a familiar concept and makes a statement. In this case the statement was made by pairing contradictory elements. In post-production the gangsta letters and right wrist tattoos were digitally added to the model’s knuckles to make him look even less likely to own a Fitbit in pink (and if we hadn’t told you, would you know those tats didn’t actually exist?) Lead Digital Artist Alex Gumina integrated the tattoos into the image seamlessly, and struck a good balance between drippy and gooey for the ketchup falling out of the burger. Finally he achieved the perfect harmony between burger and Fitbit by creating the same level of sharpening on both, and added contrast and color to the Fitbit to give it its own pop.
The Studio 3 Team can take any food or product photography brief and create a fun twist that marries them into some eye-grabbing editorial photographs. Give us a call to inquire as to how we can bring that juiciness to your next shoot, or stop by one of our Pacific NW locations to get a taste of the Studio 3 lifestyle.
Photographer: Henry Ngan
Photography Assistant: Jonny Brandt
Producer: Liz Swales
Food Stylist: Allyson Carroll
Model: Jacob Cotner, Muse Model Management
Digital Artist: Alex Gumina
Equipment: Canon 5D Mk III, 100 mm Macro Lens
Happy Holidays from Studio 3
It’s all about the stylin’, baby!
Got your list? Checked it twice?
Taking a product photography shot like this doesn’t require much more than good lighting and professional hands on the shutter (and we can do both no problem!), but it’s the product styling that truly makes the photo shine. Accomplished by all-star commercial stylist Tristan Weholt, this photo took about 2 days to tweak the styling to that festively organized level. Producer Megan Nolan sourced the full array of holiday items from local stores, and Ms. Tristan set about fitting them all together like a puzzle, choosing where the bigger pieces fit and maneuvering smaller items to coordinate. Ms. Tristan says that she loves these creative briefs because “it really lets the creative mindset of styling flow…this is where my career meets my passion.” Photographer Chris Eltrich created the set and lighting, and ultimately captured the essence of spending Christmas morning at home with the fam.
For the above photo there was a specific creative brief, but for the company Holiday card it was just to come up with an idea and execute a shoot that encapsulated the Team here at Studio 3. Each studio location shot its own top-secret creative twist on the brief, with our Santa-hatted Portland office going head-to-head with our Hawaiian-themed Seattle office. Who did it best? You be the judge.
Portland
Seattle
Need a fun and unique interpretation on your company’s creative brief? Give us a ring and see the amazing and wonderful happen with Studio 3.
Happy Holidays from Studio 3!
Video – Eastside Distilling Holiday Gift Box
We were given a jingle by Eastside Distilling to get into the holiday spirit a little early with some videos promoting their new Holiday Gift Pack of themed liqueurs (yum!).
Our videos for their Potato Vodka and Marionberry Whiskey had impressed Eastside with their quality and had them coming back to Studio 3 for their holiday promotional needs (click on the links above to check those videos out!). Eastside had been using the videos on social media online, and found them to do well and create that coveted buzz – so more online videos were in short order.
Director David King crafted 4 videos promoting the Holiday Gift Pack and special recipes for each of the themed liqueurs: Egg Nog “Advocaat,” Peppermint Bark, and Holiday Spiced Liqueur.
For the main 30-second promotional video the Team approached the brief by creating a vintage Mad Men-style office holiday party, with set dec, lighting, and tone to the piece all 60’s-themed.
We then created festive recipe-specific videos for each liqueur:
The Hawthorne Flip
- 1 whole egg
- ¾ oz Peppermint Bark Liqueur
- ¾ oz half-and-half
- ¾ oz Burnside Bourbon
- Dash of red chili pepper (optional)
Dry shake, add ice, and shake again, strain and serve in a flute with peppermint chocolate drizzle and red chili flakes or a mint leaf.
The Mint-ini
- 1.5 oz Portland Potato Vodka
- 1 oz Peppermint Bark Liqueur
- .5 oz Irish Cream
- .5 oz Whipped Cream
- Cocoa Powder
In a mixing glass, add all ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with cocoa powder.
The Snow Bunny
- 2.5 oz Holiday Spice Liqueur
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 oz cream
- Hot Water
- Nutmeg
- Whipped cream
Mix brown sugar and a small amount of hot water in a heated glass to dissolve sugar. Add Holiday Spice Liqueur, cream, and fill with hot water. Stir, and top with whipped cream, sprinkle with nutmeg.
Behind-the-scenes photos on set:
At the end of the shoot day, we decided to put together an extra short video: “Bad Santa,” which is what might happen at the end of the night once Santa has finished his holiday duty.
Check out Eastside Distilling on Facebook and Twitter for updates, recipes, and delicious spirits to get you into that Holiday spirit.
And give Studio 3 a call to boost your brand’s online presence with fun, fabulous videos that showcase your product and build that buzz amongst your customers. Bottoms up!
Director: David King
Lighting Technician: Craig Wagner
Props: Peter Corvallis
Producer/Set: Liz Swales
Bartender and Santa: Jonny Brandt
Model: Lacey Watkins, Muse Model Management
Camera and Equipment: Canon Mark III EOS, 60 fps, Dana dolly
Footwear Photography – Kate Spade Heels on Ice
One of Studio 3’s specialties is compelling footwear photography -and our Team works tirelessly to come up with new and interesting ways to depict shoes. Because shoe photos can get run-of-the-mill unless presented in a cool (sometimes literally!) way.
The brief was to shoot a really hot pair of Kate Spade heels…in a really cold environment. To juxtapose the literal with the figurative, mix creative concepts, and craft something eye-catching and arresting. The background needed to be drenched in cold, impersonal blue tones, but the shoes needed to look on FIRE. As soon as you flip to this ad in a magazine, these shoes needed to shout: “BUY ME, I’M SASSY!”
Photographer Chris Eltrich was instrumental in bringing this shoot to life: he built the freezer scene from the fridge ground up in order to make those pumps POP. Producer Megan Nolan sourced all the props as well as the [canned] snow for the freezer burn. Originally the model’s hand was bare with icy-colored nails; after feedback we adjusted to have the model wear a sleek evening glove as she grasped the shoe.
In post-processing, Digital Artist Alex Gumina worked to downplay the cool blue tones being thrown onto the shoe from the freezer, and bring the shoe back to life without compromising the frigid background. Placing the shoes in the Studio 3 light box to obtain neutral lighting, and then color matching them in the digital process was the perfect solution. In order to showcase the Kate Spade logo, he also had to recreate the logo separately and adjust the angle and tone to fit the footbed of the shoe. In this way the heel and the brand are the focus, and the background pulls the viewer in and makes them curious enough to pause and wonder what’s afoot.
Does your brand need to warm up your footwear photography with some sassy new concepts? Contact the Studio 3 Team to add that fire to your next campaign. Because ice is nice…but HOT images are our specialty.
Lifestyle Photography – Legs Under the Table
Who was your first love? Bringing you back to the days of innocent flirting, shy smiles, accidental touching, and sideways glances, we wanted to capture that special spark between two lovers. Back to the days of when first love blossomed, when the world was magical and amazing and a peanut shell-strewn floor was just a backdrop to the Beginning of That Sweetest Thing.
One of Studio 3’s specialties is shooting provocative lifestyle photography that tells a story. We are also known for high-end footwear photography. With this project the brief was to combine the two by focusing on some fabulous shoes…worn by a young couple in love. We strove to create a new twist on standard shoe photography by creating a fun, moody, sexy environment, with a setup that could be open to a variety of interpretations. Where is this happening? Is it their first date? Did they just meet? Are they playing? Are they flirting? Is their love forbidden? Are these teenagers? Is the guy just not that into her? Open-ended setups in lifestyle and editorial photography can invite more interest from the casual viewer: extremely valuable for the Client and realizing a good ROI on ad campaigns.
For the set we created a warehouse-style look littered with peanut shells on the floor, inspired by the iconic Rodeo Bar & Grill in New York. (R.I.P., Rodeo Bar – we’ll miss you!) The lighting for this piece was stark, created by an oversized spotlight pointed in through the windows. It was aimed directly at the legs and the shoes to bring attention to the product featured. The contrasty look helped highlight the rich colors of the clothing and set, as well as bring out the roundness and sexy contours of the female model’s legs.
Photographer Henry Ngan‘s ability to capture fun sets and people in their environment was essential to making this shoot work. (The peanut shells were actually his idea!) In his direction, Henry created a simple, casual setup where nothing was absolutely perfect and straight-laced: the look he was going for was fun, young, and sexy but overall realistic. The peanut shells on the floor were placed in a manner where they looked messy…but not too messy. The shoelace on our male model was purposely styled in disarray, and his jeans were rolled up casually. Everything had to evoke a sultry mood paired with a sense of humor to make it work and be thought-provoking.
So how did we do? Are you brought back to your first date and young love in its prime? And how do you feel about those shoes?
If you’re looking for more lifestyle photography that tells a story check out our full portfolio here, and if you’re ready to fall in love with your advertising photography all over again, give us a ring. Dial L for L-O-V-E or 503-238-1748 [Portland] or 206-282-0939 [Seattle] for Studio 3.
Producer: Liz Swales
Photographer: Henry Ngan
Digital Artist: Alex Gumina
Equipment: Canon Mark III, 85 mm lens, Speedotron Fresnel optical spotlight
Featured Footwear: Delman Shoes, Converse
Happy Thanksgiving – Punch Up Your Holiday Tolerance!
Punch up your holiday tolerance with Studio 3….because the time for family arriving is nigh. For Thanksgiving this year, we wanted to go the less traditional route and showcase some arresting Editorial Photography with a irreverent holiday twist.
Thanksgiving usually brings to mind turkey, stuffing, and time with the fam, so Studio 3 created a concept that breaks with the tradition of poultry and instead puts the spotlight on a festive holiday gathering…with a subtle kick! So the concept that evolved was to feature a bowl of punch being spiked at a large, brightly-lit party setting.
Behind the Scenes of Editorial Photography
Rather than focusing on the product as we might for a straightforward product photography shoot, Photographer Craig Wagner brought out the irony of the scene in-camera with the use of a tilt-shift to control the plane of focus. The camera angle was established ahead of time with our Photography Assistant Jonny Brandt. Ms. Liz whipped up a delicious Spiked Spiced Rum Punch from scratch (recipe appears below). We used a Studio 3 favorite, Below Deck Spiced Rum from Eastside Distilling for the “liquid courage” to add to the punch. For the shot the liquor bottle was not actually filled with rum- why waste good spirits in drink photography? Instead, we removed the citrusy rum (to enjoy for later) and replaced with a Studio 3 standby: Kitchen Bouquet, a food styling tool of ours for creating browned foods and beverages in photos. Thus in the final image above, the model is actually pouring Kitchen Bouquet into a concealed catch basin inside the punchbowl so the punch does not change color or increase in volume during the shot – a little trick we’ve been using for decades in our beverage photography. And no, that doesn’t make for a consumable beverage afterwards…but it’s all in how it appears on camera.
Since this holiday brings to mind both the happiness and disharmony of putting in an appearance at the yearly family gathering, why not make your own Studio 3 Tolerance Punch (sans Kitchen Bouquet) to get yourself blitzed ahead of time? You’ll be ultra-ready for when those in-laws come ringing your doorbell, guaranteed.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Studio 3 Team!
Producer: Liz Swales
Photographer: Craig Wagner
Photography Assistant: Jonny Brandt
Equipment: Hasselblad H-4D camera, 50mm lens with tilt-shift
Lighting: Speedotron with diffusion and modifiers
Cranberry and Spiced Rum Punch Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 Mexican cinnamon sticks
- 5 whole cloves
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 (25 ¼-ounce) bottle sparkling cider (about 3¼ cups), chilled
- 4 cups cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
- 1 (1-liter) bottle club soda
- 1 cup dark rum
Directions
1. Bring the orange zest, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, water, and sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and then simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steep, uncovered, for 1 hour.
2. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the solids.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients with the spiced syrup in a punch bowl and stir. Add ice before serving.
Recipe by Aaron Sanchez, from Food Network