Get into the groove with Studio 3 rockin’ Sol Republic headphones! We couldn’t help but turn up the volume and jam out on set while shooting this stylish piece of headgear. With the beautiful warm sun peeking out, it’s the perfect time to whip these bad boys out and sport them into your everyday wear and routine! Take notes from the greats like 18 time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps, or Hip Hop legend Grand Master Flash; not only do they swear by the quality in it’s “boom power”, but it also adds that extra bit of swag when they step out the door with these.
Just a few short years ago, Sol Republic was just a business plan starting out in a Wilsonville, OR based company. Scott Hix, one of the founders, had a plan to attack the premium headphones market. Alongside Hix, co-founders Seth Comb, and Kevin Lee – who played a key role in the Dr. Dre headphone success, put their business plan in motion. Within months, you were able to find Sol Republic Headphones at every Apple Inc. and Best Buy Corp. retail store around. They were featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health and InStyle.
We are always inspired to learn of Oregon based companies making a worldwide presence! Represent the NW swag and snag you a pair – make some noise for Sol Republic!
Category: Products
It's About That Time..
We’re springing forward with new technology! Studio 3 is keeping up with the recent time change with the new Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch! Inspired by losing an hour this past weekend, we thought we would focus on the hottest watch around. According to the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, wearable devices are catapulting into todays market! This snazzy timepiece is compatible with the Galaxy Note 3 and other Galaxy smartphones. You can place and answer calls directly from your wrist, how crazy is that!? With this clean accessory, you get style and substance. Pairing with that, we had Senior Shooter David Bell work his magic with lighting to enhance the clean smooth timepiece of the future. Once the smartwatch presented itself as inspiration, we had David Bell run with it:
“Hip and happening are always connected, you gotta love technology! Very cool Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch that keeps you connected all day. The shot is inspired by the fact that it works where you are. Clean and simple, like the watch.”
Excited about the new wearable technology addition to our wardrobe, Studio 3 did some research on what this sexy little device can offer. Check out this commercial showing the ‘Evolution’ of the dreamed about futuristic watch that became real…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32_cZvpx3D0
Teamwork Makes The Dream Work
Starting the New Year, Studio 3 reflects on our performance and progress. Always wanting to provide classic work while staying fresh and up to par with current trends, it is helpful to hear great feedback from happy clients to let us know we’re on track.
We have had the pleasure of doing photography illustrations for Marquis Corporation for over 20 years, which naturally progressed into providing video illustrations to show just how great their spas are. You can’t watch these videos without wanting to get into one yourself, we guarantee it!
It was an exciting and challenging project that Studio 3 was ready for. Our team shot over 20 videos in 5 months, 2 television spots, we set up 5 different spas in our studio at once, with our Video Director David King pulling 14 hour days for 23 days straight in post production. It was a busy time but we enjoyed every minute of it with Marquis Corporation on set with us everyday.
When completing a large project like this, we like to pat ourselves on the back and show our appreciation for the team that comes together to make it happen. But when we hear positive feedback from a client that is happy with our work and the affect it has, it excites us even more. It reminds us of our capabilities and the great people we are lucky to work with everyday. Teamwork makes the dream work!
Thanks to a simple yet powerful message from Jim Johnston, it has Studio 3 fired up and ready to take on the New Year. Bring it on 2014!
Raising the Bar with Anthro
Recently, our video department had the exciting opportunity of shooting for Anthro Corporation. Anthro started with a plan to make technology for furniture. Our plan was to take their vision, highlight their latest addition, and bring it to life. Director David King speaks more in depth about putting together this clean and subtly sexy clip!
For anyone who has a job where spending long stretches sitting at a desk is a requirement, I’m sure there are many a day you wish you could just stand up for a while, stretch the back, get the blood flowing back into the legs, and keep on working. When I’m wearing my editor’s hat, it’s not uncommon to pull 10-12 hour shifts sitting in front of the computer. Because of this, when we renovated our edit suite here at Studio 3 Films, finding an adjustable work surface that could be used while sitting or standing was top of the wish list. Once you do any research at all on the subject, the company that tops your search list is Portland-based Anthro Technology Furniture. As an editor, I’ve been aware of Anthro’s product line for many years and was thrilled to be able to build our new edit suite around a desk from the Anthro Elevate series. Motorized height adjustment, tilting keyboard surface, cable management and adjustable monitor arms make this workstation infinitely adjustable for maximum ergonomic comfort. I’m standing as I write this!
Shortly after getting the new desk, Anthro approached us with a need for a video, showcasing one of their desks for an upcoming trade show. While I knew Anthro for their creative field products, they are also very big in the education and medical furniture fields. The product that we were asked to feature is called “Steve’s Station”; a Radiology Desk, featuring acoustic panels, dimmable ambient light, as well as Anthro’s signature height adjustment. The folks at Anthro had a vision of showcasing Steve’s Station as if it were a luxury car, using sexy, low-key lighting, subtle camera movement and a moody music score. I’ve worked on dozens of car commercials over the years so I knew exactly what they wanted and thought it would be great fun to translate that look and feel to an adjustable workstation. It was certainly easier to light without all the reflective surfaces you get from an automobile.
-David King
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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!
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.
Photographer Craig Wagner: Light Manipulation!
Craig Wagner is brilliant when it comes to manipulating and controlling light. Read below to hear his thoughts around these beautiful images!
I’ve always enjoyed some of the surreal imagery created by Man Ray during the 20th century. My inspiration for these images initially stemmed from past memories of his work. He would use a process known as solarisation and the visual impact, yet basic, was amazing! He created a photogram silhouette of an object, by placing simple objects directly on film plates and adjusting the exposure. This technique would create a “rayogram” look and feel. He was well known for this look and I wanted to create something similar with glassware.
For this shoot I chose to use the Canon 5D Mark III with the Canon 90mm tilt shift lens. This lens allowed more control of the plain of focus, as if I was using a large format view camera.
With my first image I began with a silhouette type look, playing with the composition and selective focus of the glassware, this led me to stacking the glasses on set. I wanted a cooler black & white feel so I began adjusting the hue. I did this by gelling the lights.
My next thought was toward tonality, I wanted to simulate a warmer Gelatin silver print so I changed my camera angle to give it a different perspective.
Again wanting to create as much “in camera”, not in Adobe Photoshop, I altered the image by holding different glassware in front of the lens until I achieved the “Motion Blur” effect you see here.
I must say since I spent so many years shooting with film and now exclusively digital, I sometimes miss the older technology and the in camera control.
To view more of Studio 3’s Product Photography click here!
Commercial Product Photographer Chris Eltrich and Splashing Goggles!
Commercial Product Photographer Chris Eltrich has been playing with splashes to add some fun to his photography portfolio. His recent shoot included goggles and an aquarium. It was a day full of fun that ended with Chris dropping everything from lemons to bananas in the water to see which created the best splash. When it comes to focusing on the perfect splash, Chris offers some insight on how to get the job done:
The biggest challenge to the splash shot is the timing. Just capturing the splash is fairly challenging, but you want the product to look good too. You could, alternatively, take a bunch of shots and composite pieces together, but I wanted to get the splash and product in the same shot, so I needed a consistent method. Now at this point, a gear savvy photographer would begin assembling an elaborate system to trigger the camera when the product falls past a certain point, that you can tune to a fraction of a second. But as the jobs of my generation are slowly being appropriated by “the machines”, I decided to go all “John Henry” and show these machines we humans are still relevant.
I had my assistant drop the goggles about two feet above the water and I hit the shutter right before they landed. The first drop turned great, so I gave myself a congratulatory pat on the back (actually, I instructed my assistant to give me a congratulatory pat on the back.) Oh the joys of being a professional photographer. And so we began our day-long adventure in dropping things in an aquarium.
After a morning of getting great shots of goggles and receiving upwards of forty congratulatory pats on the back (so many that I ended up congratulating him with seven pats of his own), my timing abilities began to decline, and I started getting a lot of pictures of an empty tank or a pair of goggles floating.
Now some would fault me with not hitting the shutter at the right time, but I believe it was the machines, jealous of my amazing “early morning” timing, using some sort of time travel device or computer virus to stop me from getting amazing product photography consistently all day. Luckily, since I had already taken some shots that I loved in the morning we still felt like we had defeated the growing menace that is automation.
To view more of our Commercial Product Photography please click here!
Studio 3 Films highlights Stanley Hydraulic product!
We are so excited about our continued partnership with Stanley Hydraulics Tools! Check out the video below and stay tuned for more to come! For a little bit of insight into this video shoot check out words from the Director and head of our video department, David King.
So who knew, that up until now, it was impossible to use more than one Hydraulic tool at a time, using the same power source? Me neither! That’s the great thing about life here at Studio 3 Films. You learn something new with each project whether you thought you needed it or not.
Our long-time client, Stanley Hydraulic Tools, came to us with another product launch and a desire for a video to generate excitement within the sales force. The HP TWIN8 Hydraulic Power Unit is unique in the industry in that it can run two tools at once without a drop in power output. An important feature if there’s a water main break and you need to break up the asphalt and start pumping water simultaneously.
The Stanley folks wanted some consistency in style from the video we did for their railroad spike puller – the SPL-31, but needed to have the whole thing shot in studio. Dramatic lighting on wet concrete and camera movement mixed with rotating the unit on our industrial strength turntable gave us the look they wanted. Combine that with some existing footage from an actual job site, a rocking score and a killer voiceover and we were able to launch the HP TWIN8 in style.
Have a look at our latest production for Stanley Hydraulic Tools and tell me you don’t want one.
To view more of Studio 3 Film’s video reel click here!
To view more visual assets check out our website at www.studio3.com
Product Photographer Craig Wagner Time for a Dip!
Product Photographer Craig Wagner puts his creative skills to use for our client Nixon. Utilizing natural elements to add drama and movement brings these watch images to life. Read below for a few words from Craig!
This photo shoot required a lot of teamwork and was a problem solver’s dream. It was obvious that digital art would be needed but I chose to capture as much as we could in camera giving the final image a surreal look.
For the first image of the Nixon Dip Dye collection we utilized the Profoto Pro-8a 2400 power packs for their high flash duration to capture the water splashes and their impressive recycle time to capture the floating colored dyes. Studio3’s custom made “Time-Delay” triggering device allowed us to precisely control the amount and height of each splash. Managing the colored dye proved to be the real creative challenge on this shoot. Our studio producer rounded up a variety of colored powdered pigments and dyes to suspend in the water. We were surprised to find that regular kitchen food coloring provided us the results we were after. To get the right amount of movement of the dye we used a 33 gallon tank which allowed us enough water space to create just the right current.
The second image below of the Nixon Velvet collection was shot on black plexiglass utilizing our Roscoe smoke machine. which we love to pull off the shelf and add into many of our fun creative shoots. Finding that the smoke was a big challenge to manage its direction and flow on such a small set, we turned to dry-ice which provided a smaller much more controllable amount of vapor flow. Adding colored gels to our strobes really made the smoke stand out and added a lot of movement to the overall image. Nixon’s creative team was great to work with. They had a (tight) solid concept but were very open to experimentation and my team’s input. This shoot gave us the opportunity to play with some new equipment, pull some of our fun gadgets off the shelves and exercise our creativity to bring these Nixon watches to life!
