Our PDX location had its very own Spirit Week as Dehen Cheer paid us a visit. Dehen manufactures custom cheer and dance uniforms. Thusly our spacious, new northeast studio was overtaken by color, hairspray, pom poms and tons of pep!
Glamourous photoshoots require glamourous setups. There was no shortage of makeup on hand. Our studio has lots natural light to get the models camera ready.
Being a high schooler on the set doesn’t mean getting the day off. These young women were hard at work in between shots. We asked what their favorite part of being in the studio was:
“There are so many good snacks!”
“Getting to know others teams outside of the competition.”
“I can nap on the couch until it’s my turn to be in front of the camera!”
Emerson showing off her patented “Cheer-Rex” pose.
We love working with kids! Emerson, the youngest person at the photoshoot, had a lot to say regarding her first modeling gig: “It is exciting. I like when they did my hair. Everyone is kind here and it is fun” adding, “I hope to get into karate next year.”
Big, grand productions are a specialty of ours at both the Portland and Seattle locations! We are more than a photo studio; let us handle the model releases, food, and all other behind-the-scenes needs. Give us a call and take over our studio.
package imagery: getting your product dressed for success
Look at the picture of chips above. Clean, enticing, inviting. Seeing that image on a bag of chips would immediately draw a person in, which is a sign of effective, marketable packaging. Having quality packaging is just as important as the product itself: the packaging is sort of like the product’s fashion statement. Think of it as properly dressing the product you are trying to sell. You wouldn’t send yourself on a job interview dressed in a potato sack and expect positive results. You’d dress sharp and do everything in your power to make a good first impression. The exact same logic can be applied to a product and how it is displayed on its packaging. Packaging photography is something we’ve perfected here at Studio 3. We know that packaging can catch a consumer’s eye, giving them that crucial first impression of the product. This moment of visual impact is called “shelf-appeal” and it is attained using imagery that promotes the usability, importance and attractiveness of the product. A perfect example of a company that utilizes the power of packaging is our long-time client, Costco. Visit any Costco store and you will be met with aisle upon aisle of visual feasting and mass appeal. It just so happens that our primary request from Costco is for packaging work. Why do they prefer us to handle this task? Because at Studio 3, we place a focus on appealing and strategic product photography. We are able to meet the demands of an ever evolving and highly competitive marketplace. Ultimately, the client’s end goal–directly enhancing the sale of the product–is a goal and vision we share together. Getting the perfect image for packaging involves much more than snapping a pretty picture of the product. The image has to highlight the product! This calls for props, sets, and even more props! For example, getting ready for a shoot can require a whole day of prop shopping and set construction. Each set requires many small and large details that are crucial to making the featured product stand out. Any given set could need flowers, chairs, cabinets, lights, food, candles, towels, etc.; all to help achieve the client’s end goal, shelf-appeal. We weren’t kidding about the props. There’s an entire artform behind enhancing a product’s shelf-appeal. We pride ourselves in our expert packaging photography and would love to help your product stand out. Give us a call and let’s chat about getting your product looking good.
Android mannequins?! In high fashion? Heck yes we’re on board.
One of our favorite Portland agencies, Frank Creative, contacted us with a wild and ambitious digital art project. When Frank reaches out, it’s a sure bet that an over-the-top project is headed our way. We love how they challenge us, in fact, we find it invigorating. Bring it on.
Frank approached us with images featuring fashionable robots, along with their sizable vision. The goal of this project was to do such seamless post-production work that anyone looking at these images would be unable to detect which parts were photographed and which were digitally crafted. Production meetings were a must in order to nail down the details of each image and push them further to perfection.
Fun fact: in the coveted Tour of Italy, pink is the color of victory; hence the pink stripe seen on the vest. The key to making the robots look more mechanical was allowing the background to come through the figure, as in the cyclist’s left elbow (seen above). An added challenge with the Brevet Insulated Gilet from Rapha® photo was having to separate the bicycle from the image, so we could retouch the figure easily. This required creating a path around the bike to make a clean-edged knockout. With the DragonWear™ Elements™ Flak Jacket image, we had to be extra careful while re-shaping the figure, because the lines in the background needed to remain straight. If we weren’t careful, the straight lines in the background would become bent with our distortion of the figure. Also with this image, we had to a perform a high level of wrinkle reduction and smoothing, all to be done without ruining the integrity or fit of the jacket.
The Lone Peak NeoShell® 3.0 Mid from Altra® image required extra attention to the background. Frank wanted it to look less urban, so we used some photoshop trickery to remove the buildings. Also being exemplified in this photo is the most difficult post-production request we had: creating segmented digits on the hands. It took a lot of time and patience to do things like placing the knuckles correctly, forming the correct shape, all while ensuring that the voids were consistent within the image itself and the series of images.
Robot army or no robot army, we enjoy pushing ourselves to create fantastic, unbelievable-yet-believable images. Do you have a project that needs to be brought to life? We can handle it.
The specially designed robotic mannequins in these images were a part of this year’s Polartec’s APEX Awards; an award dedicated to recognizing brands and designers that best utilize Portlatec’s latest fabric technologies. The robotic images and scenes were all photographed by Chris Hornbecker.
Pure calm and relaxation. A peaceful soak in a Marquis Spa looking out into a quaint, zen-filled yard. Surely this shoot was as easy as it is on the eyes, yes? Well, no. Photographing a hot tub takes a lot more time, manpower, props, people and creativity than one could imagine. Let’s take a look at what it takes to really create this breathtaking picture.
Getting the hot tub into the studio requires forklifts and patience. Then we have to set up the background, fill the tub with gallons of water, place the props and book the models. It takes days of physical preparation before we can even take our first photo. All this intensive planning would become overwhelming for most people, but luckily we have secret advantage…
Our top boss, Liz Swales! She oversees and schedules the organized chaos and somehow (probably magic) is able to orchestrate the entire production seamlessly.
The client had provided us with a stock image to be used in conjunction with our studio photo; so even with the product and props perfectly set, we faced the deceptively tricky task of matching our lighting to that of the stock photo. That is where our lighting master, Senior Photographer Craig Wagner, flexed his expertise. Craig intensely studied the light direction of the stock photograph, noting its color temperature and level of diffusion, and was able to capture the lighting perfectly during our studio shoot.
With the shoot finished, it was time for some intense post production work. Merging two photos from different shoots is a delicate process that requires extreme attention to detail. To make the scene look believable, our Digital Artist extraordinaire Carl Beery was in charge of retouching and adjusting the images. In order to create the perfect image, he had to extend the flooring, add a few shadows, remove distracting elements, recover some detail and color in the stock image, and match the white and black points of the studio shot and the composite. Phew! That’s a lot of work.
The end result? That calming, dreamstate photo you saw at the very top of this blog. Meet the production pros who teamed up to create this image and then get in touch with us. With locations in both Seattle and Portland, we can make your production photography needs come true.
The picturesque scene in this post features a very special model of hot tub called “The Wish.” Marquis Spas makes a donation to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation for each one these models sold. Marquis Spas has worked with the foundation for 17 years and has donated their hot tubs, money and time to this incredibly important organization.
We’ve had a busy week here in the Studio 3 Portland branch. As is the norm in PDX, we’ve moved! Yes, after 40 years in the same location we decided it was time to shake things up a bit.
Ahh look at that open space! After months of waiting, we have finally moved into the heart of the bustling Kerns neighborhood in Northeast Portland. Creative, fun, vibes are inevitable here as our new location is surrounded by theaters, restaurants, parks, art galleries, few urban farms and our neighbors, Kamp Grizzly.
We loved our time in the Southeast, and we take with us the many years of memories. Memories that we sorted and packed into hundreds of boxes. Boxes that have now formed rising towers, reflecting our decades of innovative commercial photography.
A little change of scenery has proven invigorating. We are buzzing with new ideas and our studio is ready to handle whatever project your brand may have. We are all settled in, so now is the time to swing by either Portland or Seattle location, grab a cup of coffee and let’s chat about your photography needs.
LaCoste’s stylish watch blends elements of dignified grace and exquisite fashion. Its dynamic look requires a dynamic image that only Studio 3 can deliver. Photographer Trevor Boone pulled out all of the stops, shooting in Seattle’s Union Station, a backdrop uniquely suited to reflect LaCoste’s class and refined elegance.
Using mostly natural light, Photographer Trevor Boone turned the bustling public area into his own personal playground as he navigated through the uncontrolled environment with skill and precision. The result is a backdrop with character, proving that Studio 3 can shoot anywhere and everywhere.
Not only will our team locate a picture-perfect setting, we’re also experienced in hiring the right talent for your project whether that means partnering with agencies or holding open casting calls in our studios…. and if you need some cute kittens to get the puurrrrrfect image, we can handle that too!
Studio 3 is the premiere photo studio in the Pacific Northwest specializing in long-term partnerships with the top companies in their field. Now is the time to reach out and bring a spotlight to your brand with precision and authority.
Our creative partnership with Marquis Spas has developed swimmingly over the last 10 years. With Studio 3’s continuing passion for interpreting the client’s vision and turning it into the reality they are looking for. All the while having a great time amidst splashes, friendly banter, and of TONS of warm towels & robes.
The intent of these photos shot in our studio was to match the angle and light of the background photo they loved. Our crack digital team lead by the famous Carl, worked their magic and composited them together. Giving the client that beautiful location photo of Sun Valley with the spa without ever having to board a plane.
Do you have a product that needs to be showcased, have a new look or simply look like it was shot in the dessert or Hong Kong. We have the solutions. We’ll get you the vibrant images that scream quality, on budget, on time, every time! Reach out, I think you’ll find it fun and interesting.
We had a great time shooting with Hog Wild Toys – who make us feel like kids again with every photoshoot. Speaking of kids, we had some incredible little tykes in the studio to capture the toys in action. They had a blast.
Here at Studio 3, we are always playing with toys, whether it be professional toys or the occasional paper airplane around the office. Bringing out that childlike enthusiasm for fun while providing professional images for a company we love to work with, was the ultimate way to spend a day in the studio. The smile on photographer Henry Ngan’s face says it all. If you need photos for your product and want to have a blast doing it, give us a shout.
This week at Studio 3, photographer Henry Ngan got things revving with a photo shoot of a new app called the Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending. The new product from Brookstone is designed to make the perfect cocktail.Do you ever come across a stunning drink photo and wonder, How did they do that!? We can’t reveal all of our secrets but we can show you a behind the scenes look at the process of professional drink photography.
At the end of the day, Henry nailed a beautiful and elegant representation of a brand new product that is soon to be in the homes of everyone you know. Give us a ring and dazzle the world with your product with professional images that only Studio 3 can provide.
