Happy Earth Day from Studio 3, Inc.

We not only create green brand campaigns for clients, we live them.

Earth Day is the world’s largest environmental movement, celebrating sustainability, environmental protection, and the green movement across the globe. Today, we celebrate the earthy efforts of our team and clients- highlighting six clients who put their green foot forward.

Working to reduce our ecological footprint our team jogs to work, takes the Tri-met and Metro Transit systems, and runs errands on our bikes.

Studio 3 TeamBike Portland

Many members of our team have adopted an eco-friendly plant-based diet, positively impacting the planet with each meal. Here are a few of our favorite neighborhood eateries: Sudra, the Slice Pizza Company, and Providore.

Meet the Studio 3, Inc Team

Studio 3 Service Day

Each year our team decides on a service day to honor our community and environment. This year we volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank’s Eastside Learning Garden to dig in and work together on seasonal gardening projects. We prepped, weeded, and cleared garden beds to then plant rows of swiss chard. Go, team!

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In alignment with our office values, many of our clients strongly believe in and practice social and environmental responsibility.

Stash Tea reuses and recycles packing materials in their shipping department while investing in renewable energy through the purchase of green power through Portland General Electric.

Have you heard of Ecoroofs?

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We captured Portland’s Ecoroof Program for Portland client, Environmental Services. These Ecoroofs replace conventional roofing with a living, breathing vegetated roof system. They save energy, reduce pollution, decrease erosion, and significantly lower stormwater runoff.

Other Studio 3 clients such as Costco, Amazon, Adidas, and Nike do their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Costco understands that it has a responsibility to source its products in a way that is respectful to the environment and to the people associated with that environment. Our goal is to help provide a net positive impact for communities in commodity-producing landscapes, by doing our part to help reduce the loss of natural forests and other natural ecosystems, which include native and/or intact grasslands, peatlands, savannas, and wetlands.” – Costco Spokesperson

Amazon has installed rooftop solar on distribution warehouses and has implemented wind and solar farms in Ireland, Switzerland, and the United States.

HN_13826L_Bonneville_b_SP_1500Solar Panel

Adidas recently unveiled Futurecraft Loop, a running shoe that was made to be re-made. Adidas designed the shoe with 100 percent reusable TPU and it’s constructed with no other added chemicals or adhesives.

Nike started a Reuse-a-Shoe program which encourages its customers to recycle their shoes. The program accepts any brand of athletic shoes and grinds them into new sports surfaces. So far, 28 million shoes have been tossed in the shredder box.

We have entered the era of conscious consumerism.

In need of photography or videography for your farm, production, recycling, or shipping methods to demonstrate your eco-friendly side? Studio 3 will capture the greener side of your company. We’ll bring cameras, drones, and herbivorous snacks.

Happy Earth Day from Studio 3, Inc.

Cocktails, there's an app for that.

Drink Photography set up with photoshop layers
This week at Studio 3, photographer Henry Ngan got things revving with a photo shoot of a new app called the Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending. The new product from Brookstone is designed to make the perfect cocktail.Do you ever come across a stunning drink photo and wonder, How did they do that!? We can’t reveal all of our secrets but we can show you a behind the scenes look at the process of professional drink photography.
Shooting a cocktails for drink photography shootPreparation for cocktail photo shoot cutting lemons
Setting up the hero shot of the cocktail and new technology
At the end of the day, Henry nailed a beautiful and elegant representation of a brand new product that is soon to be in the homes of everyone you know. Give us a ring and dazzle the world with your product with professional images that only Studio 3 can provide.
Final image of cocktail app production shoot

5 Things to Consider When Hiring a Professional Photographer

It can be tough to find the perfect photographer for your images. Who to work with? How do you know what you’re getting? What will ensure the quality of the final image…and a great outcome? When weighing portfolios and websites, it is necessary to look at these 5 areas before you make that professional photographer hire:
Arm wearing Leatherman tread tool bracelet reaching for cocktail drink on table
1. Capabilities: Do they have a portfolio of similar work? Do you see something congruous with your ideas (a similar style for the photography, for example) – that would lead you to believe that they can do this for you too? If you don’t see a professional photograph similar to your concept, that doesn’t mean the photographer in question is incapable of producing the work…it just leaves more up to chance. Go through the portfolio carefully to see if you can envision this particular person creating a photo evocative of your vision.
Espresso coffee cups and cookies for afternoon tea on tabletop
2. Experience: Who have they worked with? Who are their advocates? Do they have a roster of clients that speak to their abilities…or are you unsure of who their clientele are? Do you see behind-the-scenes shots or shoots referenced on their social media channels? Do you hear clients singing their praises…or just crickets? Basically the question is whether they have the experience and the chops to execute the shoot you envision…as well as the experience to deal with anything that could potentially go wrong. And right it immediately. And make it amazing.
Cowboy rancher with 2 horses on location on rural ranch
3. Professionalism: How professional do they seem? Website, social media, email interactions, project management – are they on top of things or do they seem to drop the ball? Do they have a Team that handles whatever you could need on your project? Do you feel taken care of? Is their focus on YOU? This is an area where, if something is amiss, it is usually obvious immediately. From your first interaction to your last, you should feel that you can trust the professional you’ve chosen, and that they have all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed.
Construction worker polishing rust off railroad tie with Stanley pneumatic grinder tool, making sparks
4. Quality: Is the overall feel of the photographer’s work high-quality with a great deal of thought put into it…or do you see slapdash mistakes? How is the styling, the lighting, the sharpness of the photo? Do all the details cohere to create a uniform story? Is nothing overlooked? Do all the elements support the story…or detract? When you feel a balanced harmony when looking at the photograph, the overall quality will shine through.
Spicy fried chicken pieces with Asian sauce on wax paper picnic lunch
5. Results: A photo is a means to an end. Will it make people stop in its tracks…or will it be glossed over? Will it tell the story you want it to…or will it miss the mark? A lot of this relies on your gut feeling about your photography partner prior to the shoot…but you can also make an educated guess based on the work in the photographer’s portfolio. You also need to define what would be a success for the photography you need…and how to gauge the results once complete.
If you haven’t gotten the results you’ve been looking for from your photography provider, maybe it’s time to switch. The Team at Studio 3 is always here to partner with you to execute your vision…and push your campaigns to the next level. Give us a ring and see.

Lifestyle Photography – Ceramics Studio

Lifestyle photography of kneading clay ball at ceramics studio
Whether Studio 3 is on set or on-location, WE keep it fun. We take a concept or a creative brief, mold it, knead it, and shape it into a finished, eye-catching image.  Every job we shoot is unique – much like  hand-crafted pottery from an artisan’s studio.
Lifestyle photography of forming clay pot on pottery wheel at ceramics studioFor this lifestyle photography shoot on-location in a working ceramics studio, Photographer Henry Ngan utilized a combination of natural lighting augmented with a key light to bring out certain textures and details. The artisan’s deft hands as she shaped the raw ball of clay; wet spatters on the moving pottery wheel; the well-used instruments and tools of her trade…all were captured to tell a compelling story of her passion. As we do with all our clients, our Team created a rapport with the artist and made her feel at ease, creating a naturalness to the photos. “What I like about these [lifestyle] shoots,” said Henry, “is you always learn about whole new industries you’ve never dealt with before…I ended up learning so much from the artist about how a piece of pottery is made.” The piece above actually became a beautiful flower vase when dried and glazed!
Close up lifestyle photography of artist pottery tools at ceramics studio
Henry and the rest of our Photographers, Producers, Directors, and Digital Artists approach each job like a blank canvas or an unrefined hunk of clay…and have fun creating the masterpiece. Through precise lighting, the perfect angle, the best lens, the most fitting prop, and exact styling, the Studio 3 team are masters at creating photos and videos that capture your spirit of playfulness. Drop us a line to see how fun a shoot with us can be. Put your project in our hands and let us capture your one-of-a-kind story.

Editorial Photography – Fitbit Hamburger

Photo of a man wearing a pink FitBit holding a dripping lettuce hamburgerIt’s the first week of the New Year already…how are those Resolutions going?
Creating Resolutions each year in an effort of renewal and self-improvement is wonderful, but Studio 3 has never veered from our Resolution of providing great photography for discerning clients. Our goal, year in and year out, is to create photographs that stop you in your tracks, make you think twice, grab your attention, and welcome you into a world of sumptuous food and drink, stellar products, cutting-edge technology, cool vehicles, and a fun lifestyle.
For our first shoot of the New Year, Studio 3 Team created a mouthwatering editorial photography shoot featuring one of our favorite fitness products: the Fitbit. A pink one. On a heavily-tattooed male arm. Because every manly man needs his Fitbit along with him, tracking his exercise, activity levels, steps per day, and most importantly, his indulgences.
The brief was to create a “healthy” version of a hamburger that would go literally hand-in-hand with the Fitbit lifestyle. To that we looked no further than Carl’s Jr.,’s Low Carb ThickBurger®, and sought to re-create the healthy lettuce-wrapped delicacy in-house. Food Stylist Allyson Carroll cooked the burger from scratch, stacked it up, wrapped it in lettuce, and added the perfect amount of ketchup to make the burger look delectably juicy.
Studio 3 Photographer Henry Ngan is a master of lighting, and for this shot he focused on the freshness of the burger utilizing a crisp, bright “beauty” light. He backlit the white wall behind, and shone a spotlight on the burger to bring out its succulent texture. The abundance of white and the absence of a background made, just like the latest iDevice from Apple, the focus all about the product in the foreground.
Unlike product photography, Editorial Photography takes a familiar concept and makes a statement. In this case the statement was made by pairing contradictory elements. In post-production the gangsta letters and right wrist tattoos were digitally added to the model’s knuckles to make him look even less likely to own a Fitbit in pink (and if we hadn’t told you, would you know those tats didn’t actually exist?) Lead Digital Artist Alex Gumina integrated the tattoos into the image seamlessly, and struck a good balance between drippy and gooey for the ketchup falling out of the burger. Finally he achieved the perfect harmony between burger and Fitbit by creating the same level of sharpening on both, and added contrast and color to the Fitbit to give it its own pop.
The Studio 3 Team can take any food or product photography brief and create a fun twist that marries them into some eye-grabbing editorial photographs. Give us a call to inquire as to how we can bring that juiciness to your next shoot, or stop by one of our Pacific NW locations to get a taste of the Studio 3 lifestyle.
Photographer: Henry Ngan
Photography Assistant: Jonny Brandt
Producer: Liz Swales
Food Stylist: Allyson Carroll
Model: Jacob Cotner, Muse Model Management
Digital Artist: Alex Gumina
Equipment: Canon 5D Mk III, 100 mm Macro Lens

Product Photography Shoot – Grenade Gloves

grenade-gloves-studio-3Here at Studio 3 we are often coming up with new ideas to to push the envelope and add gorgeous images to our portfolio.
We recently completed a product photography shoot with our Photographer Henry Ngan, featuring Grenade Gloves on a bed of green powder.
We know what you’re all wondering: are these gloves used to handle grenades? Are they made from used grenade casings? If you’re not into snowboarding, Motocross, or skateboarding, you may not have heard of Grenade Gloves.
Founded in 2001 by the two professional snowboarders Matt and Danny Kass, Grenade Gloves Inc. is now a worldwide, global lifestyle brand that has hosted the annual Grenade Games since 2005. The founders chose the grenade as their logo because it was reminiscent of G.I. Joe, someone they felt was in line with their renegade image. Headquartered in Portland, OR, the Grenade Gloves brand is growing at an exponential rate and has a loyal following of extreme sports enthusiasts.
No grenades were harmed in the making of this photograph, however. The inspiration for this photo came from a recent magazine feature, where powder was used to show the imprint of the product, instead of the product itself appearing in the photo. We thought it a neat idea to incorporate this into our next product photo shoot.

Prop Styling Behind the Scenes

Henry bought toy grenades for the shoot, and had to disassemble the parts to imprint each carefully into the chosen background powder. The team carefully addressed the placement of the grenades, first trying out a full-scale pattern (which looked too busy), and then settling on one where the glove would appear to be “holding” a single grenade. Other imprints were made selectively in the powder order to balance out the initial top-heavy feel.
The gloves appeared too flat in the first test shots; in order to give them body and allow the fingers to be bent the team created an internal wire structure all the way into the fingertips. Henry wanted the feel of hard light in the image so the scene was lit by a single Fresnel key light and incorporating mirrors and bounce cards to enhance and fill the scene. In post-processing, our Digital Artist Ciaran Green removed stray fibers and increased the contrast in areas that appeared too blown-out under the hard lighting. With a little tweaking, the image turned into what you see above: a beautiful color pop of green and orange, with saturated blacks. All in all, it was a fun couple-day shoot for the team, resulting in art and photography merging on a bed of green.

Poll: Identify that Prop Styling Material!

**Poll is now CLOSED**

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Find out the answer on Twitter!

And if you’re not following us there yet – go ahead and sign up; we don’t bite. And we won’t lob grenades at you. We just showcase amazing, inspiring photography that you’ll definitely want to see.
Go ahead – take a peek.
 

Cycle Oregon 2013 with Photographer Henry Ngan!

Once again this year’s Cycle Oregon 2013 weekend ride was an amazing experience both days! The weather could not be more perfect. My brother Ben, sister Betty, nephew Paul Schommer and his uncle Bob of Schommer & Sons were all along for the ride and encouraged me along the way. Ben and wife Julie did their ride on a tandem, Betty and husband Tom rode their own bikes. I personally rode on a custom no name frame outfitted with hand-me-down parts from Ben’s old bike parts.

Cycle Oregon 2013

Someday I may get a Specialized or a Cervelo or a Cannondale but for now this is the perfect bike.

Cycle Oregon 2013

I could have used one lower gear on Sunday’s climb to the north up to the Lewisburg Saddle Trailhead. The rest of the 42 mile ride through a series of rollers was palatable and actually fun. I learned a lot on how to attack the next hill.

Cycle Oregon 2013

Saturday was a picture perfect postcard day through beautiful country roads to the east of Corvallis. Except for a few headwinds, and a swarm of honey bees trying to get back to their hive, it was a blissful 51 miles of fun. Our host, Oregon State University provided really nice facilities and generous hospitality for camping, eating, and entertainment.

Cycle Oregon 2013

The folks from the Bike Gallery provided the technical expertise to make everyone’s bike a perfect riding machine. They adjusted the new chain I purchased at their Hollywood store in Portland. We had live entertainment from Funk Shui (Fri) and Madison Jones (Sat) and a beer garden at the Memorial Union Quad. Everyone came home to the finish line amongst a cheering crowd and ice cream from the Schwan’s catering truck.
For the Studio 3 blog, I captured all these images of the Cycle Oregon 2013 weekend ride using two cameras. Some of the images were captured using my Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The rest were captured using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. These did a great job and kept the weight under control and storage manageable.

Cycle Oregon 2013

Cycle Oregon 2013

Technology Photographer Henry Ngan Up Close and Personal!

Tech-Guru and Photographer Henry Ngan takes us on a micro journey into the inner workings of an Intel board.  If you have ever wondered what runs the high processing computer systems of today check out these beautiful images.  Read on for a few words from Henry on this tech savvy shoot and yes we call him the Technology Photographer here at Studio 3!

 If you look at this internal computer hardware in ordinary light, it would look very industrial and a little on the rough side like maybe an uncut diamond. So my inspiration was to make this motherboard look more like polished jewelry basking in really nice golden light.

Technology Photographer

The other image was more Star Wars like in cool light. I had to handle the board and attached components very carefully guarding against static charges which would render the product useless. There were only 2 light sources used but the lighting was expanded in many directions using lots of reflectors of different sorts and mirrors. This was shot with a Canon 5D MkIII camera with a 100mm lens and some depth of field optimizing software.

Technology Photographer

On board the DQ77MK is Intel’s 3rd Generation Core i5 3570K unlocked, based on the 22nm Ivy Bridge Architecture.  The 3570K seems to be the gamer and over clocker’s choice at the moment.  So I decided to capture this Intergalactic Battleship with the 3570K mounted in the LGA1155 socket cruising overhead in the night sky. The other image of the Q77 chipset board shows off the amazing array of input/output headers, including SuperSpeed USB 3.0, high power USB, dual Intel Pro 1000 NICs, DVI-I plus DVI-D, eSATA, and even legacy support for IEEE1394 (firewire).  The board is actually more of a mainstream business board with support for Intel vPro Technology.  The i7 3770K is also supported on this board if you need HT for video editing.  Sorry for geeking out but this is what goes through my mind when I’m shooting technology. – Henry Ngan

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

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

Tech Photographer

Tech Photographer

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