Studio 3, Inc.

Food & Drink

steak-potato-restaurant-dinner-food-photography-studio-3

Food Photography – Steak Dinner

Posted on May 26, 2015

Juicy steak and steaming baked potato steakhouse restaurant dinner on table with food dishes and drink  — Studio 3, Inc.

You don’t want any photography studio to produce your images. You want someone who not only captures beautiful images, but who also makes YOU look good. Answers the brief, provides a solution, takes care of the details, and turns commercial photography into mouthwatering, jaw-dropping images. Studio 3, Inc. is the solution to any visual challenge – because we not only make images that look fantastic, WE make YOU look good to your clients and customers.

What could look better than a fresh-cooked, hot-from-the-oven dinner, plated and ready for consumption? Shot by David Bell, this photo was styled to elicit the VIP’s restaurant rustic steakhouse feel. David is a pro at dealing with the different temperatures of food and drink and photographing each at its most delicious. The steam coming off the baked potato is natural and was captured in-camera. The steak was cooked to perfection and juice added in artistic splashes by our Production Team. The ice cube in the drink was cast in a spherical mold with a spotlight on it to give it that extra sparkle and hint of cool, chilled deliciousness. The focus on creating Real and Fresh in the scene (rather than digitally altered in post-production) makes each element look natural – and utterly delectable.

Give your visuals the appetizing makeover they deserve. Call Studio 3, you’re always a VIP with us!

Related posts:

finished-garden-party-table-food-photography-studio-3

Product Photography – Garden Party Tabletop

Posted on May 6, 2015

A garden party tabletop set with colorful Summer tomato salad dish and colored glasses  — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

A garden party tabletop set with half eaten colorful Summer tomato salad food dish and colored glasses  — Studio 3, Inc.

That salad looked so good we couldn’t resist! Stop by for lunch with us anytime.

Related posts:

Old-Master-Flowers-Cheese-food-photography-studio-3.jpg

Lifestyle Photography – Floral Arrangement with Mouse

Posted on April 7, 2015

Still life of flower arrangement, flower petals, fruit, and cheese with mouse like Old Masters painting  — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

Related posts:

studio3-drink-photography-reverand-nats-cider-3

Drink Photography – Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider

Posted on March 24, 2015

Studio 3 Drink Photography Reverend Nats Hard Cider Pour  — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

Studio 3 Drink Photography Reverend Nats Hard Cider Baller Glass  — Studio 3, Inc. Studio 3 Drink Photography Reverend Nats Hard Cider on a Tabletop  — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

Related posts:

Food gradient of tiled piles of salt in dishes

Food Photography – Salt

Posted on March 17, 2015

Food gradient of many piles of salt in dishes  — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

Food gradient of tiled piles of salt in dishes  — Studio 3, Inc.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 Food gradient of 3 piles of salt in dishes  — Studio 3, Inc.

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.

 

Related posts:

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

Related posts:

Food Photography – Mac & Cheese Shoot

Posted on October 14, 2014

Mac n Cheese 0162  — Studio 3, Inc.This Mac & Cheese food photography shoot showcases the Studio 3 creative Team’s exceptional ability with food photography and food styling. The goal was to show the quintessential down-home comfort food (macaroni & cheese) in a cozy Fall table setting, creating a warm, family-inspired atmosphere. The color palette featured an array of rustic wood, reds, and yellows…but with a Seattle twist. A Thanksgiving with friends = a “Friendsgiving.” The resulting photo depicts a homey environment in a beautiful, relatable way.

David Bell was the ideal choice as photographer for this shoot since creating a dark, moody atmosphere is one of his many skills. David and our fabulous Producer Ms. Megan spent half a day just working on the lighting and playing with the tilt-shift the week before the shoot. The tilt shift adapter is a favorite tool of Mr. Bell’s, allowing more control of the plane of focus. With this he was able to get the essential shallow focus to the shot, directing where the viewer looks. Due to the extensive lighting preparation once the model was actually on-set, the shoot was executed seamlessly within just 2 hours, making the model budget reasonable.

The team utilized an old cast iron skillet that had been loved for many years, and mis-matched bowls to give the sense of Seattle “found” goods. (It seems to be a recent trend in food photography and prop styling to have an eclectic collection of silverware, plates, bowls, glasses etc. instead of “matched sets” of everything – check out the latest issues of your favorite food and lifestyle magazines to see this in action!). In trying to stay authentic to the creative vision, we used the bowls as our (seemingly) random element and kept consistency with the silverware and glassware. Cider right now is the new beer (isn’t it, though?) and we have a BIG love for local ciders, so wanted to make that option available on our endless prop table. The request for a model with a hipster vibe took us visiting tattoo parlors instead of the normal modeling agencies. WP 20140910 14 18 31 Pro  — Studio 3, Inc.

Besides the food, the model’s arms were the most important element in the image. We needed someone that had interesting colors, patterns, and art covering their whole forearms, and ideally, with tattoos on their hands as well. (No makeup necessary!) We originally toyed with the idea of a woman serving the food, but thought that was too conventional. We settled on a rugged PNW (that’s Pacific Northwest for those of you not familiar with our local slang!) male with the perfect amount of unique designs, color, and composition to his tattoos. This edgy element really took the shot to the next level.WP 20140910 14 18 42 Pro  — Studio 3, Inc.

Food Photography Essentials in a Professional Photoshoot

*Food photography often has a short window of time before the food starts to cool off or look less than “appetizing.” Unlike other product photography shoots, there is a time-sensitive imperative to capture the shot quickly.

*Allow time before the shoot to extensively text lighting setups and prop styling. The more time spent beforehand on these details, the more efficiently the shoot can be carried out. (Time is money!)

*The Producer’s skills are essential in executing the shoot and in coordinating all the necessary logistics. Our Producer Megan Nolan has years of experience with Food and Beverage Photography, so is able to coordinate efficiently and effectively to capture that perfect shot.

Producer: Megan Nolan

Props: Megan Nolan

Wardrobe: Megan Nolan

Comic Relief & Prop Removal…aka eater of mac: Chris Eltrich

Photographer: David Bell

Digital Artist: Alex Gumina

Model: Michael Lopez

Camera: Hasselblad V-Series with a 35mm lens and the tilt shift adapter

Lighting: Speedotron Fresnel flash head

Check out more of our food photography here – but we’re not responsible if your mouth starts watering uncontrollably. And if you’re in the market for photography that makes your products, beverages, and food entice, give us a ring anytime.

Related posts:

Pick Up The Phone!

Posted on July 8, 2014

Stressed about your company’s visual needs? Would you rather spend time having fun in the sun? Let Studio 3 ease your mind this summer. We’ve been smashing out countless videos back to back, while continuously providing outstanding photography and flawless production. Oh, did we also mention that our digital team is amaze balls? Trust us, you don’t want to be the only tanless, overworked one at the company party because you didn’t know about Studio 3. Save the embarrassment of all the “are you kidding me?” looks. We’ll make sure you meet that crazy deadline. There’s no reason to miss out on all the perks of working with Studio 3. And no reason to keep on reading, you’re wasting precious beach time – make a Pina Colada, and start dialing!! Make that golden phone call!!!

CW 15086T Pop phone PR 1500  — Studio 3, Inc.

And to make it that much easier, if you didn’t have our number yet, here ya go:

Portland Studio 503.238.1748, ask for Dalcetta

Seattle Studio 206.282.0939, ask for Marcella

 

 

Related posts:

Studio 3, The Juicing Mixologist.

Posted on June 5, 2014

This summer, Studio 3 is checking off our to-do list to get ready for this hot bod rockin’ weather! Tanning spray, check. Sunscreen, check. Sunglasses, check. Healthy glowing summer bod, thanks to our new Breville Juicer, check! Studio 3 has officially caught the juicing fever! We’re hopping on the bandwagon and throwing in all the fresh produce this season has to offer us.

15107T Juicer test  — Studio 3, Inc.

Hearing the constant hype of the newest health craze, we could not wait to take part in it. Who better to capture the spirit of our new found lifestyle, than Lead Shooter Craig Wagner! Thanks to Craig for beautifully highlighting the latest addition to our kitchen and for making veggies and fruit look oh-so-juicing-good! Want to join in on the fun? Try one of our favorite refreshing juice recipes that will get you into a lean, mean, summer heat fighting machine!

1/2 cucumber 
1/4 a small Honeydew melon
Small bunch of seedless white grapes
2 kiwi fruits (without skin)
Large handful of spinach
Small sprig of mint
1 lemon

Cut a cucumber in half. Cut the honeydew, and remove the rind as it’s not good for juicers. Juice the cucumber, honeydew, grapes, kiwi, spinach, lemon and mint. Drink immediately.

*For an exclusive Studio 3 version…

Add a shot of ice cold Vodka.

Or two.

Check out this great blog to read more about the health benefits that come with juicing and find a recipe or two that works for you!

 

 

 

Related posts:

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!!!

Related posts:

Newer Posts
Older Posts