Studio 3, Inc.

Products

Tech Photographer Henry Ngan: Looks Beyond the "Surface"!

Posted on January 7, 2013

We recently had a chance to have Microsoft’s newest gadget, the Surface, in studio. Everyone had fun seeing all the different applications this machine can run. No one was quite as excited as our resident Tech Photographer and guru Henry Ngan who always sees the beauty in technology. Read below for a few words on this shoot from Henry Ngan, photographer and Rachel Meyer, producer:

Henry Ngan:

I was most intrigued by Microsoft’s own launch of the Surface tablet.  This was Microsoft’s way of assuring rapid adoption and guiding its ODM and OEM partners in producing hardware that would take advantage of the new Windows 8 eco system.  Finally, a tablet that not only consumes content but is also a device that facilitates productivity so you can get some work done.

The Surface is really well made from some exotic alloy and comes with its own kickstand and a colorful removable keyboard/cover.  So, I wanted to show off its beauty and how well this device could become someone’s digital assistant.  Some of the images were shot in a beautiful living space in Portland’s Pearl District.  The beauty shots were done in the studio.

Rachel Meyer:

Anyone that has spent more than a few minutes with Henry can tell you that he is a total Tech Geek, so when he had the opportunity to shoot the Surface, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him happier.  I think that the sleek look of Surface, along with it’s practicality really inspired Henry.

The goal of the shoot was to show the product in a variety of environments and uses, while still keeping it very modern.  Everyone on set was pretty amazed by the product itself, and its fun to see how much the models enjoyed the product as well!

Now if we can just get Henry one that he can take apart, he’ll be in heaven!

Check out a few images from the shoot below:

Tech Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

Tech Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

Tech Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

To view more Technology images created at Studio 3, Inc. click here!

Related posts:

Product Photographer Chris Eltrich Adding Drama to Center Court

Posted on December 6, 2012

We recently have been having tons of fun with shoes, and Product Photographer Chris Eltrich is no exception. His newest images are showcasing the fantastically shiny Air Jordans, that would make anyone want to be a basketball player. In usual Chris fashion, he was concerned about highlighting the shoe and keeping things simple. He describes this shoot in his own words:

I wanted to shoot a pair of shoes in a simple setup with minimal propping, so I was on the lookout for a pair that had cool textures. I found this pair of Nikes and knew I had found something special. Their tops were made out of a gloss black material with a grid pattern and red accents, and the side details had a contrasting solid red with a Jordan logo. Pair of shoes with sick textures, check! Do we put those shoes on white and call it a day? No! Of course not! We rent out Key Arena and put them on genuine basketball court! Wait… Wait… I’m being told that’s too expensive. Oh….. Um, I guess we fake it? Yes! Faking it, just as good!

So we’ve got a pair of sick shoes and our “Genuine” basketball playing surface, so now we’re ready to photograph them. I wanted the shoes to live in a little pool of light on this “court,” so I blocked most of the light off the background. I wanted the focus to be on the differing textures. both textures lit up nicely, especially the smooth red portion. It took on a milky quality that looked really good. I added a couple of accent lights to make sure the sides didn’t bleed into the dark background, and that was about it.

Stay tuned for more shots of these Air Jordans, as Chris has more to come.

Product Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

 

 

Related posts:

Product Photographer Craig Wagner Art of Science!

Posted on December 4, 2012

Product Photographer Craig Wagner set out to highlight scientific equipment to be viewed as art. He focused on using a combination of color, camera angle, and shallow depth of field to create visually appealing “eye candy” out of traditional lab equipment. We are very excited about this amazing collection!

Again I came across an opportunity to have some creative fun in the studio. Recently I scouted the labs at OHSU for an upcoming photo shoot; seeing all the glass beakers, flasks and medical paraphernalia sparked some visual ideas. I asked the scientist if I could brow a few “props” and he graciously handed me a box and we filled it up!

I wanted to create the sense of a clean, sterile lab, but somewhat surreal so I kept my sets simple. For the most part they consisted of a reflective Plexi surface for the table top and various diffusion panels as my backdrops. This allowed me to back-light the sets using our Classic Fresnel Mole Richardson hot lights, specifically their 1000 watt Baby Solarspot as a key-light. This provided smooth and even light control and Mini moles were used as kickers adding shadows and highlights to the glassware.

Always wanting to try out equipment, I approached the studio’s Hasselblad rep and friends at Pro Photo Supply who allowed me to demo Hasselblad’s HTS 1.5 tilt/shift adapter on this project. I mounted the product on our H4D with the standard 80mm f/2.8 lens. I found with it’s extreme tilt and swing capability it provided both technical and creative control of my plane and depth of focus. Up until now I’d only had with my large format Sinar cameras. The shallow depth of focus added to the surreal feel I was after.

Since my subject matter was for the most part clear I knew that the use of color would play an important role in this exercise. So I played with the color palette quite a bit, some times shooting mono chromatic allowing the composition of the flasks and test tubes to carry the image. When shooting other images I selected complimentary colors to create a more vibrant harmonious look and feel. Good old color theory 101!

Product Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

Product Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

Product Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

Related posts:

Product Photographer Henry Ngan Danner!

Posted on November 27, 2012

Product Photographer Henry Ngan continues to amaze us.  He recently began a series of images capturing still life in a new light.  We decided to celebrate the upcoming changing of the seasons with an outdoor lifestyle shoot featuring Danner boots.  For more insight into the creativity of this fantastic shoot here are a few words from photographer Henry Ngan.

First of all, this is why I like Danner boots. You can kick the living daylights out of them and then have what’s remaining re-crafted. Mine are made in the USA right here in Portland Oregon, my own back yard. They just get more comfortable the longer I wear them and that’s why you don’t want to get rid of them when they seem worn out. Just send them back to the factory in Portland, Oregon and they will re-craft them. They feel like bedroom slippers once you wear them in. They are the boots you need to get for rough, heavy duty use. If you take care of them they will last a lifetime and then some. Don’t make the mistake of getting one of the ones made offshore. They won’t last because they are made differently and you won’t be able to re-craft them.

My intention for this shoot was to create a dramatic image through warm detailed lighting.  Highlighting the Danner boot in this fashion was my focus. I wanted to show the viewer a beautifully crafted product that will eventually become even better after lots of hard wear and tear. Just 2 lights were used on this set. But I re-directed multiple beams of light using various reflectors to create this image. The story is told by the sum of all the components. But the lighting is concentrated on the boots and fall off on the rest of the image. I am currently working on a series focusing on this type of lighting and warmth. Stay tuned for more images to come!

A sneak peak into Henry’s latest shoot!

Product Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

Related posts:

Product Photographer David Bell and Leatherman!

Posted on November 26, 2012

We are ecstatic to hear the great news about the Leatherman Raptor shears being featured on Uncrate. Designed for uniformed medics these scissors aren’t messing around. Our very own Product Photographer David Bell was lucky enough to get up close and personal with these cutting edge shears. Spending years with the Leatherman crew and their innovative products, David Bell is nothing short of awestruck! He enjoys making Leatherman’s products appear beautiful by highlighting their unique design and materials. David’s thought on Uncrate’s write up are easily wrapped up in one sentence:

The article, the product, the company it’s all COOL!

Now a few words from Product Photographer David Bell about shooting the Leatherman products all these years…

I try to make these as interesting and aggressive looking while showing all the great features and details. Getting to shoot the newest Leatherman tool is always very interesting. Being able to see the product before it’s released is one of the many benefits. These particluar shears are geared for  EMTs and field medics in the armed forces. They are designed to cut through anything and help the medics do a better faster job. When it’s an emergency that is exactly what you need.

I prefer to shoot with a Hasselblad H – 39, using wide angle lenses with HTS tilt shift adapter. I have the camera tethered to an iMac so I can view the images immediately during the shoot. When I am creating feature shots I shoot to a black or white background. For lighting I use Speedotron Studio Strobe Lighting – Grids, Spots and Floods. I look forward to many more years working with the Leatherman team and being first to view the latest products!

— Studio 3, Inc.

To view Uncrate’s write up on these life saving shears follow the link: http://uncrate.com/stuff/leatherman-raptor/

To view more Products Photographed by the Studio 3 team please click here!

 Or go directly to: www.studio3.com

Related posts:

Studio 3 Films highlights The Spike Puller!

Posted on September 25, 2012

Studio 3 Films is so excited to partner with Stanley Hydraulic Tools, headquartered in Portland, Oregon to highlight their newest product release through a dynamic Studio 3 video! Check out the video above and stay tuned for more to come! For a little bit of insight into this video shoot check out words from our Director of Video Production, David King.

Stanley Hydraulics is introducing a line of new railroad tools over then next few months and they came to us to create a video to introduce the first one, the SPL-31 Spike Puller. To compound the challenge, we were on a very tight deadline. The job was awarded on a Tuesday and due to railroad track availability, we had to shoot the entire spot just two days later. On top of that, the video was to be presented to the executives a week after that. A quick concept meeting with our client and a late night storyboard session later, we were ready to shoot.

We began the day at the BNSF train yard in Vancouver, Washington and had to get twenty-four shots off in a little under 3 hours. Thanks to the professionalism of the rail crew and our efficient planning, we made it with a few minutes to spare. From there we were off to our studio to get the product beauty shots. Utilizing our large turntable to spin the SPL-31 under some dramatic lighting, we got all we needed to put together a compelling, informative and entertaining video.

In post-production, we wanted an intro to the video that would immediately grab the viewers attention. Continuing with the railroad theme, we used a stock image of a rail car and animated the Stanley logo being punched into the metal, using Adobe After Effects. This bit of animation could then easily be used for future product videos by simply changing out the product logos.

The video was completed with some driving music and a powerful voiceover, giving it the industrial feel that Stanley Hydraulic tools is known for, throughout the industry.

Related posts:

Product Photographer Matt Jebbia Pump It Up!

Posted on August 28, 2012

Scrumptious Voodoo Doughnuts and a pair of Jimmy Choo Eros Pumps, is there any better combination for a photo shoot?  We decided to pair these two products to create a story of Sweet Misery.  Who hasn’t arrived home in the early morning hours after a late night of dancing and bar hopping.  Those early morning hangovers sure are better with a cup of Joe and some doughnuts fresh from the Voodoo shop.  Read on to get some insight on this creative shoot by Product Photographer Matt Jebbia.

My inspiration for this shoot was hashed out over a studio brainstorming session.  The concept was a little off beat. Expensive shoes and doughnuts aren’t what most photographers think of as a match made in heaven. But I think most of us can agree that we’ve managed to spend way to much of our hard earned money on a pair of shoes at some point in our lives.  And I wanted to play off this odd pairing and totally exaggerate the idea. This was really the beginning of the creative idea for the shoot.  Adding Portland’s famous Voodoo doughnuts just seemed like a fun idea and completed the conceptual story “Sweet Misery”.  We began by setting out the assortment of donuts, and built the rest of the set around the Voodoo.  I knew that I wanted some nice warm sun light streaming through a window so I setup my first light behind the shoes, added a color warming gel and placed a 4×8 sheet of white foam-core in front to fill some of the harsher shadows.  All that was left was some light on the background and a couple of spotty grids to bring out the doughnuts and sparkles in the Jimmy Choo pumps.  The hardest part of this shoot was keeping all of my co-workers away from these delicious treats. – Matt Jebbia

Product Photographer — Studio 3, Inc.

 

Related posts:

Get Your High Beams On!

Posted on August 14, 2012

With the sudden increase in temperature we thought it was time to showcase Chris Eltrich’s HOT take on our favorite summer accessory: Sunglasses! With all the fun styles and frames, it was hard for Chris to decide what he wanted to feature. After much thinking he decided it was the wayfarer that needed to be in the spotlight. Read on to see why Chris specifically chose these classic glasses:

 I really like shoes, clothes and accessories. For this specific shoot, I knew I wanted to focus on sunglasses. Sunglasses are a tried and true accessory that almost everybody has and loves. I decided to capture the classic wayfarer style and was completely in love with these fun colors. Since I was drawn to the color of the frames I wanted to make sure that part of them stood out. I accented the color through the lighting and positioning.

These fun pops of color add the summer twist we can’t resist!

Check out his sunglass series below:

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

 

Related posts:

Sumptuous Products, Dynamic Fashion

Posted on July 17, 2012

Matt Jebbia’s passion for beauty and fashion photography grows with every photo shoot. The results are pristine and dynamic, thanks to Matt’s critical eye for detail and support from his team. Keep your eyes peeled for Matt’s latest beauty shot, and in the meantime check out some of our favorite MJ beauty explorations!

Collaborating between Stylists, Models and Digital Artists to breathe magic into an ordinary product or scenario is my passion. Promoting collaboration with my team at Studio 3 helps take my photos to the next level!

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

 

 

 

Related posts:

Road trippin' with Sperrys!

Posted on July 11, 2012

Photographer Dana Jonas is taking full advantage of this amazing summer weather we are finally getting in Seattle! From our studio in Queen Anne over to North Bend, up to Snoqualmie, through Fall City and circling back over at Carnation, it was truly a full day’s road trip!

The most challenging and adventurous part of this shoot was finding the EPIC yellow VW bus. After many phone calls and emails, someone suggested an upcoming VW show. So I took a drive to Renton and found Jason, the owner of my dream bus. After a break-down and few reschedules, we finally got this beast in front of my camera, and with the help of Jeff, Billy, and the ever-sexy Sperrys, made her look fabulous!!

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

— Studio 3, Inc.

Related posts:

Newer Posts
Older Posts