A Trip Down Memory Lane, In Freightliner Trucks! #TBT

Posted on February 27, 2014

A trip down memory lane takes us back to summer of 1983, and we’re in the middle of the Alvord Desert. For a few years around this time, we’ve been shooting calendars for Freightliner Trucks in-studio. These trucks were a work of art, show-trucks that were built and painted particularly to collaborate with the themes of each year’s calendar. But it was time for something new and fresh! This was our first attempt to shoot the calendar on location. Tom Stuart, our lead photographer at the time, scouted a few places that’ll be a great large flat space to offer beautiful surroundings to match the hues and beauty of the models and show-trucks we were shooting. So we arrived at Alvord Desert! Tom Stuart and our current Lead Shooter Craig Wagner, geared up, packed the studio van, grip truck, two RVs, and three 1984 Freightliner beauty trucks. They headed to the desert with two clients, three assistants, three models, a hair and make up stylist, and 3 truck drivers in tow.

For a week, our crew, clients, models, truck drivers, and stylist camped in the dessert shooting at sunrise and sunset and finding time in between to soak up the scenery and it’s activities. While our clients, models, and stylist camped in the two RV’s, the truck drivers slept in the semi-truck sleepers and Studio 3 rolled out our sleeping bags without hesitation, and slept under the stars.

The fun didn’t stop with shooting during the beautiful hours of sunrise and sunset. Thanks to the wind and rain, most of the day was spent getting equipment set up, with our crew jogging for a quarter of a mile at a time to retrieve our belongings. When we weren’t running for our lives, or shooting with the sun’s timing, the crew was enjoying BBQ’s, the local farmers hospitality with horseback riding, and dipping into the hot springs. With that said, take us back to the summer of 1983!

It’s In The Details

Posted on February 20, 2014

Another one from our creative and innovative team of Digital Artists! Being experts in the industry, they’re crazy efficient and solution-oriented artists, with crazy teamwork that collectively gets us to where we need to be. Let our Digital lead, Alex Gumina, tell you how we never overlook the small details and work together with our clients to get to the final product!

“When I originally received this image for post-production it was so clean that I wondered what needed to be done to it. Upon reading the photographers notes I discovered that the client wanted the reflections removed from the marble tile, the imagery on some of the screens changed, and a host of other fairly intensive edits. Swapping out the images on the screens was easy – we do this sort of thing all the time. However, when it came to removing the reflections from the marble tile I had to formulate a game plan. Because of the perspective, simply cloning tile to tile wouldn’t work. The grout lines wouldn’t match up. My first inclination was to path out each individual tile and clone sample in from other areas, but I knew there had to be a better way. I decided to make a complex system of open-ended paths over the grout areas in between the tiles themselves. I then created separate paths for the different areas of colored tile. I filled in each of these areas with a solid color, which I sampled from the actual floor tile color. After I had each of the areas filled, I used the path I made over the grout lines to fill in the grout and applied an inner bevel. The result looked good, but didn’t really make sense because the reflection was completely gone. I scaled it back, showed the client, made a few minor adjustments, and arrived at the end result.”

The Sweet Change Of Seasons!!

Posted on February 4, 2014

darkwood4 — Studio 3, Inc.

In the change of seasons, we at Studio 3 like to capture the highlights of what each period has to offer. Here, we’ve highlighted the rustic winter feel with its bright beautiful contributions. Senior Shooter David Bell goes in depth about his inspiration behind the shoot:

“This is one of a series of 4 shots. The harvest season was coming to an end, winter was starting to set in. I wanted to show the beauty and pretty color of the season. The dark wood and lighting with longer shadows is indicative of winter. The sun is low and we have shortened days with more darkness. Within this is the pop of colors of the season. I am always so happy to see the Satsumas return to the market. They are so bright, sweet and refreshing. The bright green leaves contrasting against the bright orange is always a treat. The rich red color of local Tart Cranberries along with sweet earthy brown Chestnuts make for delicious feast to the taste and eyes.

Pretty dappled lighting created in studio with strobe light captured with a Hasselblad camera with a longer lens to compress the elements. Bringing all of this together.”

– David Bell

Below, are the rest of the series. These gorgeous shots embody everything David spoke of. What a great way to bring bold and beautiful color to a dark and cold season. The pop of color helps us prepare for what the upcoming seasons will bring! While we wait for the sunshine, it’s warmth, gardens of colorful flowers and bold greenery to make it’s comeback; we can thank David for reminding us to skip the hot chocolate and slices of pie every once in a while, and enjoy the sweet delicacies that nature has to offer during the winter season.

darkwood1 — Studio 3, Inc. darkwood3 — Studio 3, Inc. darkwood2 — Studio 3, Inc.

Happy sweet change of seasons!!!

Dalcetta Palepale: Our Newest Team Member

Posted on January 3, 2014

We are so excited to introduce you to our newest team member, Dalcetta! She has a pretty crazy, awesome story. Read below to learn more about our new Portland relationship manager:

I love being surrounded by creative energy. Growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii I constantly found myself in a beautiful artistic setting. Whether it be in Hula or Hip Hop dance class, listening to my dad sing, watching my mom weave, sew, and craft things with her bare hands or getting a color just right to paint a portrait of the deep oceans and bright flowers that were everywhere I looked. This moved me to search for a place where I can constantly be inspired.

Moving to Portland, OR several years ago to attend Portland State University, I found a home away from home. Portlandia’s small community in the city vibe intrigued me. Filled with rich history, unique fashion, weird architecture, friendly people and great food, I fell in love.

Living in such a great place I was determined to find a great job. I am a free spirit who also loves hard work and order. Always looking for an environment to inspire and challenge me, I stumbled across this crazy cool place in the heart of Portland called Studio 3. Here I am able to use my surroundings for inspiration and exercise my ideas with a team full of brilliant artistic minds. This team and the impeccable job they do, makes my job easy by having their work speak for itself.

I am beyond excited for the opportunity to be apart of this team and learn more about the Photography, Video Production and Digital Art world. When I’m not bragging about Studio 3’s Videos and Photography Illustrations, you can find me traveling and exploring some place new, dancing to live music, browsing boutiques, painting at home, enjoying a glass of wine with a delicious meal, and driving to the coast every chance I get.

Sculpting Portlands Past

Posted on December 10, 2013

Studio 3 Portland had our Senior Photographer, Henry Ngan, take a walk around this beautiful city capturing what Portland had to offer. Amongst the many landmarks that keep Portland weird and unique, he came across a couple of sculptures that reminds this fresh and hip city of its rich history.

You can find James Gion’s sculpture of the dapper “Italian Immigrant” statue in the traffic island at the intersection of NE 99^th Ave, Sandy Blvd and Killingsworth. Many statues honor an individual, a war, an event. The “Italian Immigrant” gives tribute to anyone and everyone who took a path that led us here. It reminds Portland of our sense of community. Those who came before that laid the foundation for us, is now brought back to the Rose City where they are honored at the heart of the Parkrose district. Standing tall and confident, the Italian Immigrant invites all that come from around the world, to set their briefcase down in search for a new adventure here in Portland.

Artists/Architects Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo of Lead Pencil Studio wanted their representation of the past from a different point of view. The bold new art projects titled, “Inversion: Plus Minus” is a set of towering sculptures that stand along SE Grand Ave. Pictured, is the tower on Belmont street. Using weathered steel angle iron; the artists’ brings “ghosts” of former buildings to life. One half of the towering set (not pictured) is located on the Hawthorne corner. This structure will feature a matrix of metal that almost appears as a solid building. The other half, the Belmont sculpture, emphasizes negative space. Referencing the outer shells of ordinary industrial buildings. Portlanders continue to find ways to remind the present, invite the future and remember the past. Whether it be honoring people, places or things; it all represents Portland. And we SUPPORTland!

Meet the Team Video

Posted on October 29, 2013

Our video department at Studio 3 Films took a break in between jobs to create a story of the team at Studio 3. It was important for both directors to convey the story of each individual and what they like to do outside of the work place. Directors David King and Craig Wagner worked together to flawlessly intertwine the story of both cities. Read on for their individual perspectives and to view the video!

For our “Meet The Team” video, I was assigned the task of shooting all of the Portland based Studio 3’ers. I worked with each individual to come up with a little vignette that would showcase their personality, be visually interesting and fun to shoot.
We featured Henry whipping up a veggie stir-fry spectacular, Corban strumming away on the roof of the bar next door, Liz browsing a vintage shop around the corner, Nikki relaxing with a good book and her favorite snake, Elsie-Ann ripping it up on her skateboard and Craig out on his boat, cruising the Willamette river.
It was great fun spending a bit of time with everyone outside the office, getting some cool shots and discovering some hidden talents.

-David King

I traveled to our Seattle Studio to film the Northern teams clips for the project. I was really excited to showcase the aspects of Seattle, and really giving it that city feel. Upon arrival, I met with Megan, Seattle’s studio producer and discussed the concepts of each teammates sequence, some were very defined while others were a bit loose and abstract, requiring some creativity to nail down the concept. After some brain storming I felt ready to help express each individuals unique personality.
Wanting to incorporate the city in as many ways as we could, I chose backdrops that would showcase both the individuals “talent’”and the city. I thought it would be important to show our team in the environments they call home. So off we went into the city, for street performances, driving fast cars, and getting supplies.
In the end, several of the clips required a run and gun style of shooting, while others were more controlled in a studio set environment. All in all it was a true team effort and so much fun!

-Craig Wagner

New Assistant Photographer! Welcome Jonny!

Posted on October 15, 2013

We wanted to welcome our new Assistant Photographer to our Portland Studio! A few words from Jonny!

My interest in photography was born on four wheels. I received my first skateboard when I was 12 years old and haven’t been able to get off one since. I grew up in rural Wisconsin, which is not the most optimal place to learn how to ride a skateboard. But that didn’t stop me from sacrificing my elbows and knees to the concrete gods. As I quickly obsessed about all things skateboarding, so did my passion for documenting it. I watched every skate video I could, studying angles and dreaming of my first fish-eye lens. It was at this moment when I began to think about camera angles everywhere I went (that was skateable). I started out with disposable Kodak cameras. I photographed my friends at the local skatepark and inevitably moved over to video (Hi-8 and VHS-C). I spent almost all of my time skating, filming, and working at the local pizza shop. I spent the first year of college ‘undeclared’ until I came to my senses and joined the film production program. My junior year I landed a summer internship in Portland. After I graduated I packed up and made the journey westward.

My goal was clear: get into the camera department at all costs. After a couple of years freelancing in reality TV land as an assistant and as a local videographer shooting weddings and smaller jobs, I felt dissatisfied with the progression of my camera and lighting skills (reality TV doesn’t necessarily lend itself to creativity). So I took a chance and tried photo assisting. I instantly fell in love with photography and the amount of precision and tinkering to get that perfect shot. A half a year later I was a busy freelancer frequently working for Studio 3 when an opportunity arose and I swiftly jumped on it.

Time Lapse: Forest for the Trees Northwest

Posted on September 24, 2013

About two months ago, we were approached by Portland artist Gage Hamilton, the organizer of a public mural art project “Forest for the Trees Northwest“, as a possible site for one of 10 new murals that would be going up the week of August 19th. The south wall of Studio 3 was of particular interest due to it’s size, accessibility and well, it looked like it could use some artistic love. Just standing in the parking lot looking at the vast orange canvas that would be transformed into an original piece of art, we wanted to find a way to document the process. All we were told was that the artists would be painting for 5 days, that the outcome would be a surprise and that the result would be epic and spectacular.

After much internal discussion around documenting this creativity, we decided the best way to document the week of painting was going to be the creation of a time lapse video. We set up a GoPro Hero 3 on the roof of our neighbor, the Jolly Roger Bar and Grill and recorded from dawn til dusk for 5 days. The GoPro also took an exposure every 30 seconds. Through our friends at Star Rentals, we were able to provide the two scissor lifts to the artists to assist with the project.

Hawaiian artist, Kamea Hadar (@kameahadar), and Australian artist David “Meggs” Hooke (@houseofmeggs), worked throughout the week and gave us an amazing addition to the studio and the Hawthorne neighborhood.

Check out the resulting time lapse video and the amazing art that the guys created. Better yet, drop by the studio and check it out in person. ~ David King / Director / Studio 3 Films

To see more of the “Forest for the Trees Northwest” art work located in the Portland area please visit their website at http://www.forestforthetreesnw.com/

Meet Corban: Digital Artist, Video Editor, Animator, Illustrator, an all-around Artist!

Posted on September 16, 2013

We are so excited to introduce Corban who’s now a part of the Digital Art Studio 3 team in Portland! He has many amazing talents. Read below to learn more:

“I’m a renaissance man, jack-of-all-trades, or as Wile E. Coyote put it: “Super Genius”. The universe is my playground. Even though I’m not yet a master, I’m a journeyman at so many things I can do practically anything. This curious state of being comes from my insatiable thirst for knowledge. There’s always something new to discover. My mind rebells at stagnation. I need problems to solve. I need work to create. Who needs television when the real world is one big sandbox?

Born and raised in Oregon, I was encouraged to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather by becoming an engineer. It certainly made sense considering my aptitude for math and science. Electrical engineering in particular seemed a good choice. I loved technology and what could be done with it. Being on the cutting edge of electronics seemed an exciting prospect.

I enrolled in engineering school at the University of Portland. By day I was your mild mannered engineering student. But by night I was an artist teaching myself drawing, animation, and graphic design. Often people would ask me “What are you doing in engineering school? You should be an artist!” And they were probably right.

The arts were part of my life since childhood. I would draw my favorite cartoon characters or sculpt them out of clay. I’d listen to radio plays or construct cities with Lego bricks on the living room floor. In school I was involved with music and theater, playing multiple instruments, acting in Shakespeare plays, and singing in musicals. From drawing and sculpture to film and theater, the arts captured my attention. But, strangely, it never struck me to pursue it as a career.

The summer after graduation, it finally dawned on me that I was meant to be an artist. Engineering just wasn’t as entirely satisfying as I had hoped. The work was fairly easy. But life in a cubicle didn’t sound exciting or creative. It sounded like a dependable boring job. And that wasn’t really what I wanted.

So it was off to DigiPen Institute of Technology for four years to get educated in the digital arts. It was during that time I fell in love with story, film, and animation. Storyboarding and video editing in particular are my two favorite parts of production. In fact the digital arts as a whole have been wonderfully engaging. As an artist you need to learn everything there is to know about everything to synthesize new art. And the technical nature of the industry satisfies the part of my brain that enjoys solving the puzzles of process.

After working in Seattle for a year, once school was finished, I finally returned to what I consider home: Portland. Seattle was nice, and one day I may return, but for now I’m right where I want to be.” ~ Corban Monger, Digital Artist/Studio3, Inc.

Studio 3's Photographer Craig Wagner & CMD's Art Director Lawrence Wolf collaborate!

Posted on September 10, 2013

See below to view Craig Wagner’s in-studio Product Photography and his lifestyle images!

Studio 3, Inc, Behind the Scenes, Commercial Product Photography, Commercial Lifestyle Photography, Lawrence Wolf, CMD

We are excited at Studio 3 about our latest partnership with CMD in Portland. Craig Wagner (Photographer) and Lawrence Wolf (Art Director) talk about their thoughts around their latest creative venture. Read below to hear more about the collaboration between Studio 3 Inc. and CMD.

A few words from Lawrence Wolf at CMD.

“One of the great things about working at CMD is the way the company embraces the Rose City’s bike culture. Bike commuting is actively encouraged year round, with a lot of extra support for people who get into the saddle for the Bike Commute Challenge each September. And, as an art director, I get to spend my days crafting the visual language of all the things we make for our clients: websites, mobile apps, brochures, you name it. It’s a process where I’m fortunate to work with some really talented individuals. This brings me to Studio 3 Photography, and partnering on a creative project that reflects my personal passion for cycling as well as that embraced by Portland and CMD.

I first worked with Studio 3 in December 2010, shooting bird’s eye views of two Western Star trucks. It wasn’t an easy shoot, given the sheer size of the trucks. And thanks to the unpredictable nature of Pacific Northwest skies in winter, we were forced to shoot inside a warehouse. In that kind of situation, you can only get an angle so wide before running into problems with distortion.

But Craig was very methodical in overcoming these logistic issues. Over the two days we shot, we bonded over a mutual appreciation for all things on wheels, be it two, four or eighteen. That shoot was just the beginning of a strong professional relationship, and then this past spring, something got us talking about my old bike.

I’ve been customizing this vintage Trek touring bike since the birth of my son. It had sat in my garage, collecting dust for several years, because it’s so much heavier than my aluminum road bike and I tend to opt for speed. But it’s always been a great bike. The steel frame gives it a really comfortable ride. It reminds me of the matching, yellow Schwinns that my parents used to pedal me around on. When I started thinking about how to introduce my boy to cycling, I swapped out the drop bars for mustache bars (to accommodate a front-mounted child seat). This gave the bike a totally different look, and I suddenly developed a new appreciation for the bike’s classic styling.

Soon after, I added a Brooks leather saddle and matching bar tape. Then it kind of took on a life of its own. Since then, I continue to adjust little details like striped white tires, or black dice valve covers.

My latest addition was designing the “Slow Ride” aluminum head badge, which I had made at International Graphics. “Slow Ride” was influenced by a few things: My son’s 70s-era, Evel Knievel helmet, and the fact that the bike weighs upwards of 30 pounds. We won’t be winning any races on this thing, but that’s hardly the point of our rides.

I was thrilled that Craig was interested in collaborating on a “Slow Ride” shoot featuring the customized bike. As an art director, I really admire his attention to detail and the way he plans a shot. He’s keenly aware of potential challenges, and always has a good solution for telling a story through his lens. Half the fun of this shoot was working together on the idea, putting together moodboards, and scouting locations.”

A few words from Craig Wagner at Studio 3, Inc.

“Working with Lawrence’s “Slow Ride” concept was fun and allowed me plenty of creative freedom. The mood boards were coherent and well designed. With a clear understanding of the desired outcome and tone, we were ready to go. I look forward to many more future projects with Lawrence’s creative concept development and the CMD team. See below for some of the shots we got on-location!”

Get involved in the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Bike Commute Challenge by clicking here.To view CMD’s joint blog post click here.

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Studio 3, Inc.

Behind the Scenes

A Trip Down Memory Lane, In Freightliner Trucks! #TBT

Related posts:

It’s In The Details

Related posts:

The Sweet Change Of Seasons!!

Related posts:

Dalcetta Palepale: Our Newest Team Member

Related posts:

Sculpting Portlands Past

Related posts:

Meet the Team Video

Related posts:

New Assistant Photographer! Welcome Jonny!

Related posts:

Time Lapse: Forest for the Trees Northwest

Related posts:

Meet Corban: Digital Artist, Video Editor, Animator, Illustrator, an all-around Artist!

Related posts:

Studio 3's Photographer Craig Wagner & CMD's Art Director Lawrence Wolf collaborate!

See below to view Craig Wagner’s in-studio Product Photography and his lifestyle images!

Related posts: