Why chose Studio 3? Because whatever you want done, WE help you do it better.
Take this shot of vintage Nikes, for example. The brief was to take a fresh approach with footwear photography and shooting a pair of vintage Nike sneakers – so the Team created a very gritty-looking night environment to showcase the shoes. But the idea was to keep the setup looking as un-styled as possible, like the person had just kicked the shoes off and they landed exactly as they did. The Team was striving for a moody atmosphere, so having reflections throughout helped underscore that mood. The “street” locale was, however, created entirely in-house. Photographer Chris Eltrich laid out 4′ by 8′ of bricks to make the paving stones, pouring sand in-between them to look like grout, and finished them off with some large pavers for the “sidewalk.” He wet the set with a spray bottle to create those reflections, which proved a challenge due to to the bricks and sand absorbing the water. He had to spray continuously all the way down to the moment he clicked the shutter, or everything would dry. All the work paid off in the end and resulted in a wet-looking, gritty set as a backdrop to the cool Nike kicks.
In post-processing, Digital Lead Alex Gumina found that the bright yellow of the sneakers didn’t look ideal against the background. The logos weren’t “reading” in the final photo and the feel was a little off, so he converted the image to black and white to play up the vintage aspect. The monochrome treatment was just right and made those logos POP!
From an open brief to an ultra-specific “mood” created entirely in the studio, our Team takes any concept from origin to exceptional execution. Perhaps anybody can just do it. But WE do it better.
Call us today to find out how we can do it better for your brief, each and every time.
Tag: Footwear Photography
Footwear Photography – Kate Spade Heels on Ice
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.
Lifestyle Photography – Legs Under the Table
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
Product Photographer Chris Eltrich Adding Drama to Center Court
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.
