Meet Niki: Chaos Wrangler with a passion for Commercial Photography!

Posted on August 15, 2013May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

Niki our newest Studio 3 team member loves Commercial Photography and a space filled with creatives!

Studio 3, Inc, Behind the Scenes, Portrait Photography, Lifestyle Photography

Every Commercial Photography Studio needs a Niki! We are so elated to introduce our newest addition to the Studio 3 team in Portland! She’s a woman of many talents, interests and experience. She always has something interesting to share with us, to say the least. Read below to learn more:

I love sorting through hurricanes of disorder and packing things away neatly into beautifully labelled little boxes. I’m obsessed with systems: analyzing them, creating them, breaking them down and rebuilding them again. This fascination led me to a crazy wonderful studio in the heart of Portland. At Studio 3, I can use my skills to continually improve our near flawless work flows – meaning clients get their photo and video assets faster, with less hassle. Every creative environment needs some structure to balance the forces of inspiration, creating the ideal blend of impeccable execution and expressive flair.
Of course, that doesn’t satiate my need to wrangle the chaos of life. When I’m not at work, I’m keeping track of cats, snakes, chickens and chores at my urban oasis. Thanks to Studio 3, one of my beautiful snakes is determined that she has a modeling career in her future.

On the weekend, you can find me at exotic pet shops, Portland’s legendary Urban Farm Store, or piecing together larger than life house projects with a little more than bubblegum and a prayer to the DIY Goddess. My tireless fiancé, a converted cat lover and avid skateboarder, helps me tend to the tomatoes and ensures we have time to tear up epic dance floors at The Goodfoot. Creating our ideal blend of uproar and order is second nature; if anything, it’s where we shine.
When things finally feel calm enough, everyone knows I plop down with a full cup of coffee, a plate of bacon and a textbook on political economies.

Studio 3 Films highlights Stanley Hydraulic product!

Posted on June 21, 2013May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

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!

Posted on March 26, 2013May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

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!

To view these on the Nixon website click here!

Dana Jonas: The Making of a Mash-Up

Posted on April 10, 2012May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

Ever wondered exactly how Dana makes her vibrant pop-off-the-page Mash-Ups? We managed to snag her off-set for the inside scoop:

Ah, my gosh, the idea came to me as a child actually. I remember sitting in the waiting room for my doctor (I was probably 12), looking through fashion magazines and I thought to myself, I wonder what would happen if I chopped up these pictures and put my favorite pieces together. Years later, I put a spin on that simple yet whimsical idea and called them Mash-Ups!

My process is quite simple really. I find an interesting subject, stick them in front of the camera and get them to do all sorts of crazy movements and dances. At times I focus on the arms or legs, at other times the face. Often I have a general idea of the composition I’m want. I relay that to the model, and let them run with it. Many of my chosen models are also performers or have some background in theater. At the end, I sit with my selects and let instinct and creativity take over. It’s truly a freeing process.

Below is a quick video of Dana’s editing process for Maggie’s Mash-Up, the final image of Ms. Maggie and a couple more of our favorite Mash-Up images 🙂

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Dana Jonas, photography

Maggie: 5 pieces

Dana Jonas, photography

Nico: 6 pieces

Dana Jonas, photography

Talisha: 9 pieces

Drink Photography: Pisco Sour

Posted on April 5, 2012May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

In the great DIY spirit of Portland, we decided to take a stab at creating our own version of the Pisco Sour after salivating over Craig Wagner’s amazing drink photography, shot at local watering hole Circa 33. Pisco is an unaged brandy, that has a very unique flavor to it. The Pisco Sour happens to be a great drink to try out this unique spirit on. No one does it quite like Circa 33, but we thought we would give it a shot. With cocktail shaker and martini glasses in hand, we took a stab at the delicious cocktail. Since we already had the opportunity to shoot the drink at Circa 33, we decided to film our personal creation. As you can see, it was quite the happy hour where Pisco Sours were enjoyed by all!

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Thanks to Producer Rachel Meyer for stepping up to the plate as our in house Mixologist and Videographer/Digital Artist David King for the documentation of our taste test. It was great getting a chance to taste the creation that Craig’s drink photography was inspired after. We have been begging him to go shoot more cocktails, to inspire perhaps a weekly happy hour! Maybe we’ll even get a chance to try it with food. If you make this delicious drink at home, we recommend you try the Pisco Sour with a South American inspired meal. 🙂
Here’s the recipe, so you can make your own Pisco Sour at home:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Ounce Pisco
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1 Ounce Simple Syrup
1 Egg White
3 dashes Angostura Bitters

Preparation:

Pour the pisco, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg into a cocktail shaker, then fill with ice.
Shake Vigorously and Well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Add Angostura bitters to taste.
Enjoy!

The mouthwatering drink photography:

To View More Drink Photography Check Out Our Website!

Cut To Perfection!

Posted on March 13, 2012May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

This mornings Eblast had us salivating. How could it not? Featuring the delicious mouthwatering Smores Theo Chocolate, we were mesmerized!
This photograph is more than meets the tastebud.:) Photographer David Bell has a passion for food and chocolate is no exception. Inspired by Theo Chocolate and their organic roots, David Bell wanted to photograph an image that stayed true to Studio 3’s values: fresh, local, and organic. This is his interpretation of the smores chocolate: shot on natural wood and crumbling to visual perfection.
We can’t wait to see what else David Bell has to offer us in his wonderful world of food photography! Our tummies are growling in anticipation.

They just don't make them like they used to….

Posted on February 16, 2012May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

Like Us on Facebook!

Posted on February 2, 2012May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

Whether you’re looking to work with us someday, want to admire some of our recent work, or just want to stay up to date on our escapades and get to know us a bit more, Studio 3 is all about relationships, so let’s make one happen (after all, it is the season of love)! Head on over to the Studio 3 Inc. Facebook page and click our ‘Like’ button so we can start getting closer. Our Facebook page is the best way to catch all our updates on what we’re up to around the studio, out on location, news, contests, giveaways and everything in between.

Get a closer look at what goes into the making of our shoots, from set builds to styling, prop shopping to after parties. We’re always proud of the images we create with our awesome clients, but rarely does anyone see how they come to fruition. Take the journey from concept to realization with us!

Along with keeping you updated on our work, checking our Facebook is the best way to see what we’re all personally up to ‘on the daily’. We’re a diverse little family between our two studios and would love to share some of our personal interests, recommendations, pretty pictures, and all that jazz with you!

Last, but definitely not least, we want to give all of you a little something. We’ll keep you updated on our new contests (with lovely prizes) and giveaways as soon as we can. To really drive that point home, here’s a giveaway now:
Like us on Facebook and one of you will receive a $100 gift card from one our favorite clients, Garden Botanika! With everything from boutique skin care, bath and body, fragrance, and cosmetics to choose from, we always find ourselves getting a bit googley-eyed at their amazing range of lovely products. Have a look below to see some of the work we’ve created together over the years!

To View More Product Photography Follow Us on Facebook!

Food Photography: Dripping with Talent

Posted on January 30, 2012May 22, 2019 by Studio 3 Inc

Back in action yet again, Studio 3’s food photography knight in shining armor, David Bell has got a series of photos that has us all ready to get down and messy with some breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and everything in between! It’s no news that we love all of David’s work here at the studio and this shoot was no exception. Much like with his condiments series, David’s new photographs focus on one of food’s finest compliments rather than any specific food itself. And this time the culinary companion wasn’t a thing so much as it was an action…a spectacle if you will: The Perfect Drip! Have a look at the amazing, scrumptious, time-stopping photos below and see if you can keep yourself from getting hungry (here’s a tip: you won’t be able to)!
While food photography can always get our taste buds itchin’ for some action, the drips in David’s new series had us all thinking beyond the poppin’ images and more about the essence of what each photo represents. The gooey, sweet, warm stream of honey drizzling down, perhaps onto some early morning toast, reminded us of the comfort of having that first bite of food every day; the savory soy sauce cascading off of the succulent shrimp, letting the excitement and fun of a nice dinner out flow freely; the thick, creamy coat of chocolate hugging the strawberry, of the ultimate “treat-yourself” nights spent under covers with some sweets and a good movie! Here’s what David had to say about his shoot:
I wanted Bright, Fresh, Fun, and Delicious images that make you want to eat. YUMMY was a key word for me. Action, movement, just dipped, ready to drip, and going to get it on me! Using a white background was the only option for these bright, clean images, really letting the items’ colors POP! I had to make sure that the strobes were set to fire as short as fast as possible so that I could stop the motion and capture the moment.
As with any of his shoots, David turned to his trusty Hasselblad H-39 and Speedotron Studio Strobe Lighting setup to create the jaw dropping, stomach-growling photos. Great job David, now let’s go get some grub!