Studio 3, Inc.

2014

Happy Holidays from Studio 3

Posted on December 23, 2014

Christmas Collage 2014 — Studio 3, Inc.

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

Christmas background — Studio 3, Inc.

Seattle

Seattle Christmas — Studio 3, Inc.

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!

 

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Video – Eastside Distilling Holiday Gift Box

Posted on December 18, 2014

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

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

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

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:

eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 1 — Studio 3, Inc. eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 2 — Studio 3, Inc. eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 3 — Studio 3, Inc. eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 4 — Studio 3, Inc. eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 5 — Studio 3, Inc. eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 7 — Studio 3, Inc. eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 9 — Studio 3, Inc.eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 8 — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

eastside distilling behind the scenes studio3 6 — Studio 3, Inc.

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

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Footwear Photography – Kate Spade Heels on Ice

Posted on December 9, 2014

A photo of Kate Speed glitter heels in a freezer — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

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Lifestyle Photography – Legs Under the Table

Posted on December 2, 2014

A photo of a womans legs playing footsie with a man — Studio 3, Inc.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

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A photo of a spiked rum holiday punch for Thanksgiving by Studio 3

Happy Thanksgiving – Punch Up Your Holiday Tolerance!

Posted on November 25, 2014

A photo of a spiked rum holiday punch for Thanksgiving by Studio 3 — Studio 3, Inc.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

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TBT_ScaWolff_006

Throwback Thursday – The Salon of the Future

Posted on November 20, 2014

TBT ScaWolff 006 — Studio 3, Inc.Back in the mid- to late 80’s, this was the salon of the future, but the above photo was created using the cutting-edge techniques of the past. For reals. For Throwback Thursday #TBT this week we’re sharing some product photography that was composited from three separate film-based shots, created by Studio 3 photographer Henry Ngan, assisted by Craig Wagner.

In the heyday of salon tanning (before that whole skin cancer thing got in the way), SCA Wolff System/Sun American Corporation was looking for a way to market their new tanning beds to salon owners and called on Studio 3 to execute. The brief for this shoot was to make the product look glamorous and have the cover shot act as the entrance the world of tanning, where through that open door lay a futuristic, glamorous world full of glowing beauties. At the time, laser beams in photography and visual media were mad trendy with Star Wars and Laser Tag leading the charge. The idea was to incorporate this trend with tanning beds to emphasize their futuristic and cutting-edge technology.

Mid-1980’s Product Photography

Shot in Studio 3’s earlier location at Lenora Square in Seattle, this shoot relied on large format 4×5 film for the cover image. (And 8×10 film for the image below.) What that means is that the actual 4″ x 5″ sheets of film were loaded, ViewMaster-style, into a Sinar-P technical camera, exposed, removed, flipped around, inserted, and exposed again. Creating just a single image was a great deal more hardcore than the much simpler point-and-shoot DSLR’s of today!

Here’s the 4-1-1 on how it went down: The doorway was shot first, and then on a completely different set Henry and Craig used a lithomask with different-colored gels in different areas to create the colorful pink and purple tint to the lights. The “laser” light streaks were created in-camera by either pulling or pushing the camera lens during a timed exposure. (Similar to the concept of creating a long exposure on a camera facing a highway at dusk: the cars’ tail lights appear as streaks traveling down the highway.)

TBT ScaWolff 008 — Studio 3, Inc.For the photo inside the brochure, the tanning beds were shot with a longer lens in our Portland location. The background star field was easily created with black seamless [paper] lit from behind, with holes punched in it.

Once all the images were shot, the superimposing of the final photographs and client-chosen artwork was done at a prepress house, rather than our own Studio 3 Digital Department like we use for post-processing today.

The process may have changed in all the years since, but we still create laser-focused, high-quality images for discerning clients. Check out our other totally awesome product imagery, and Just Say Yes to Studio 3 doing your next product photoshoot or video. Catch you later!

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Video – October 1 Second Every Day

Posted on November 11, 2014

“There are so many tiny, beautiful, funny, tragic moments in your life — how are you going to remember them all?”

On the heels of our 30-second videos for July and September and we’ve created another video full of tiny, beautiful, funny moments behind the scenes with the Studio 3 Team.

From creating some buzz with a chainsaw video to mulling over a Fall cider setup and wrangling some adorable puppies for a studio photoshoot, “hard at work” can still include a lot of fun. But we’ve also taken a break with trips to Astoria, OR, visiting the Belmont Goats, attending Design Week Portland events, playing with a model train set, and splashing in some puddles. See if you can spot cameos by the Studio 3 Team, including Lead Digital Artist Alex Gumina, Photographers Henry Ngan, Craig Wagner, and Chris Eltrich , Video Director David King, and Social Media Manager Carly Cais.

Stitching all these different elements together for a Studio 3 behind-the-scenes video is just another day’s work for Director David King. When he isn’t laughing at the ridiculousness of his coworkers to create this 30-second snapshot of our month, he shoots and edits client videos for Studio 3. David specializes in branded product demonstration videos, corporate videos, holiday videos, informational videos, testimonial videos, and commercials. He and the Team work to solve each client’s creative problem, tailoring the experience to meet brand and audience needs. In each case we exceed client expectations, leading to repeat clients, some of whom have been returning to us for over 20 years! The Studio 3 experience is professional, all-inclusive, efficient, and fun from start to finish. Plus the client receives a targeted video product that achieves their goals of informing, educating, entertaining, and converting their viewers to customers.

Ready to get your brand on video and reach your ideal customer base? Reach out to the Studio 3 Team for a tailored video that showcases your company and product. Whether 5 minutes or 30 seconds every day, the video for you is sure to be memorable.

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Editorial Photography – Weed Drops

Posted on November 4, 2014

Photo of a Womans Hands with Weed Drops and Baby Bottle — Studio 3, Inc.Today’s the day! With legalizing cannabis up for vote in Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C., we thought it timely to blow some smoke at the establishment and share our latest Editorial Photography project Weed Drops.

To create a visual pun requires taking a traditional environment and the viewer’s expectations – and turning both on their heads. The brief was to create something controversial and racy, telling a story by utilizing props and setting to create visual interest. The goal was to make people say “What?” and “Why?” and spark some good ol’-fashioned social commentary.

Despite the homey setting for the backdrop, the lighting had to be elegant and chic. The Studio 3 Team endeavored to evoke a moodiness to the scene with an overall warm yellow tint. Yellow was selected because not only can it evoke warm, pleasant feelings, but it can also act as a warning signal, indicating danger. That combination underscored the controversy surrounding the social issue of marijuana legalization. All of the props, wardrobe, and jewelry were selected by Producer Megan Nolan to create an environment of luxury and excess. The label on the weed bottle was created by Digital Artist Carl Beery and attached to the selected bottle.

One of Photographer Chris Eltrich’s strengths is capturing both comedy and many elements within a single shot – which made him the ideal choice for this editorial photograph. Utilizing a longer focal length on the camera, he created a shallow depth of field in the foreground to draw more attention to the hands and baby bottle. Harmonizing the many different props was a challenge, but the Team styled the ideal array of baby food jars, toy, kitchen utensils, and pacifier to focus everything on the action in the center of the frame. What came together was a blend of stellar product photography with ironic social commentary.

When we’re not pushing the envelope on high-end Editorial Photography we also create award-winning digital art, cool footwear photos, cutting-edge technology photography, and mouthwatering food and beverage photography. Check out other portfolio images above, and if you’re in Oregon, Alaska, or Washington D.C., don’t forget to cast your vote today on this burning issue!

Photographer: Chris Eltrich

Producer: Megan Nolan

Props/Set/Wardrobe: Megan Nolan

Digital Artist: Carl Beery

Lighting: Speedotron Strobes, Beauty Dish, and large Softbox

Camera: Hasselblad H-System Camera with HC 210mm Lens

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Digital Art – Day of the Dead

Posted on October 31, 2014
Day of the Dead Makeup by Studio 3 Digital Artist Carl Beery — Studio 3, Inc.

After some digital makeup

 

Day of the Dead Makeup by Studio 3 Digital Artist Carl Beery — Studio 3, Inc.

Liz’s portrait, before Carl got creative

This time of year evokes the spooky, the eerie, and the haunted: graveyards, ghosts, ghouls, haunted houses, and of course, skeletons. Studio 3 went all-out this year in celebrating, creating a beauty-meets-death digital art image evoking the traditions of iconic Day of the Dead calaveras makeup.

Known as Dia de los Muertos and celebrated for more than 4000 years among Meso-American cultures, the Day of the Dead is a yearly holiday that gathers family and friends to pray for and remember those closest to them who have passed away. Though called a “Day,” the celebration actually spans the triduum of Allhallowtide: All Hallows’ Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls’ Day (October 31, November 1 and November 2, respectively). Though people in Mexico wear traditional skull masks to celebrate, the ritual has evolved here to include a highly artistic style of make-up design (the skeletal face of La Calavera Catrina: the icon of death in Mexico), combining stunning and elaborate face-paint with various flowers, beads and any other props. The skull makeup acts as the wearer’s mask to overcome fear of death, act recklessly and get up to the mischief that is forbidden at other times of the year.

Studio 3 Digital Artist Carl Beery created this Day of the Dead-themed calaveras makeup utilizing a photo of our very own Producer Liz Swales, shot by Photographer Jim Felt. As with all projects Carl approaches, he endeavors to solve a creative problem utilizing digital tools and incorporate the different source imagery into a single image in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Carl also strives to keep an open mind during source imagery searching, since at times there can be new resources discovered that take the image in a better and more cohesive direction. In beginning the brainstorming process he first went back to his roots of traditional artistry by printing out the source imagery and sketching design ideas over Miss Liz’s photograph. During further reference image searching, he came across some skull and flower vector graphics that begged to be used. He seamlessly integrated these with the photograph and added a sugar skull graphic to the makeup case as an interesting visual pun. Employing his color skills and emphasizing color guiding the eye through the canvas, Carl utilized a favorite palette of rich purples and golds to offset the white and black tones of the makeup. The resulting image celebrates the richness of the Mexican tradition, updated with whimsical modern graphics for a boldly irreverent feel.

If you’re wanting to create your own Day of the Dead makeup, there are many tutorials out there to get you all decked out La Calavera Catrina-style. Or you can just give us a ring and let our Digital Artists do it for you, Photoshop-style. Let’s hope Miss Liz won’t be up to any mischief this year!

 

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Product Photography – Water Cartons

Posted on October 21, 2014

Water Carton Test — Studio 3, Inc.When it comes to exceptional product photography, lighting is the essential in making the product come to life. Case in point: these simple, minimalistic water cartons begged to have the spotlight shone on their clean lines and stark contrast. The goal was to take something simple, and render it elegant and breathtaking with creating the perfect lighting setup. For the client, this creates a product that is new and sexy – elevating it to be slick, cool, and utterly covetable.  With the right lighting and direction we can make every product look amazing!

The choice of photographer was obvious. With a reputation as a maestro of light techniques, Craig Wagner is always able to attain optimal lighting to showcase products. The goal was to create the distorted water effect to the background in-camera, rather than digitally. To add interest and texture to the image, Mr. Wagner utilized a large sheet of rippled glass as the background from our extensive prop closet at the Studio. He kept the lighting simple, only using one 2000w Junior Mole, and redirecting it as needed with silver cards and a Mini-Mole as a kicker. Using the tungsten lights allowed him to drag the shutter for 4-6 seconds, during which he altered different parts of the image to create the visual wavy effect. Our post-production team adjusted the color temperature and saturation to achieve a flawless color tone, and the final beauty shot.

Producer: Liz Swales

Photographer: Craig Wagner

Digital Artist: Carl Beery

Equipment: Canon 5D MKIII w/ TS-E 45mm 2.8

Lighting: 200W Mini-Mole, 2000W Junior Mole (Key light)

Check out our other product photography, where the product sits center stage with lighting that highlights the unique attributes of each item. Then give us a ring so we can capture your product in the limelight.

 

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