New Marketing Piece | Commercial Photographer | Bend Oregon
Introducing my new promotional piece…designed by the talented Studio Absolute. Enjoy!
Introducing my new promotional piece…designed by the talented Studio Absolute. Enjoy!
Holy moly, I’m behind on my blogging. Did I just say holy moly? Okay, go with it.
This project below was an incredible project for me. I was able to photograph a handful of professional’s work that are so intricate and so talented, it made my job challenging, but such a privilege.
Often times, I do not get the opportunity to meet the homeowners of these beautiful residences that I photograph because they are often their vacation properties or second residences. It’s an unfortunate side of the job, but you learn to get used to it. With this project, I again, did not have the privilege of meeting the homeowners, however, feel like I can know so many things about them just based on their home. For instance, they value “quality”. Enough said right there. They accomplished that with hiring Kirsti Wolfe Designs, Sunwest Building and Neal Huston Architecture. They felt comfortable enough with Kirsti to leave the design and project management in her hands, and were not disappointed!
Their value for the outdoors and nature is evident as their property sits right up against the Cascade Mountains, with views as far as you can see. Photographically speaking, because of this, it is so important to show the views from the windows whenever possible. The architect, Neal Huston did an incredible job showcasing their views with large windows and expansive ceilings to bring the focal point directly to the mountains. As a photographer, I balanced the natural light from outside and additional photographic lighting to showcase those very important aspects. Architectural Lighting 101.
Details within their home that add to their high regard for quality, yet spurts of playfullness, are things like the onyx bar in their home-pub. Yes, I said it, Home Pub (I know I could spend many-a-nights enjoying that feature), high gloss Polyester red kitchen cabinets (very European in style) with Vetrazzo recycled glass counter tops (a very challenging kitchen to photograph with all the reflective surfaces but well worth the challenge), exotic wood veneers seen throughout their home including their master bath and pub, custom two-story fire place with a waterfall effect emulating the river in Bend, and a floating onxy sink in the powder bath lit by LED lighting against a full wall of recycled mosaic tiles (1 of 10 bathrooms)! This 10,000 square foot contemporary home with mountain views shows a home can be bold and beautiful!
I am very fortunate to have architectural clients that produce such wonderful work! Last year, I photographed the Mathew’s residence in Shevlin Commons, here in Bend Oregon for clients, Kirsti Wolfe Designs, Scott Gilbride Architect, Dansky Handcrafted, and Greg Vendrame Construction. It was recently published twice in Trends Magazine, once seen below, and once in my last blog post. This home is not just beautifully photogenic (and it is), it is quality and style through and through. This home is modern elegance with a mountain view and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing it. The pleasure and honor to be published in Trends because of this home is all mine!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing imagery for the design and branding firm, Studio Absolute. Russ and Cheryl McIntosh are not only incredible people and good friends of mine, but they are also so talented in their field. They provide high end design solutions and branding to drive the right clients to your business.
Studio Absolute recently moved to a new location in Tumalo, Oregon and needed imagery for their marketing collateral. I photographed the exterior and interior of their new space, as well as some imagery showing the details within their space. In addition, I wanted to do something fun to showcase them around their space, so we worked with some blurred motion within an interior image of their office.
After receiving their images, Cheryl had this to say… “As a branding and design firm, every touchpoint of our business is under the microscope for its ability to reach and inspire the target market. After trusting Paula to tell several of our clients’ stories through photography, we knew she would do a great job showcasing our new studio. She exceeded our expectations on timing and the quality of the work. We keep asking ourselves, ‘How did she do that?'” Cheryl continues…
“We have a good, quality camera and an eye for design, so we had taken a lot of our own shots of the studio. But we were blown away with Paula’s ability to make our space come alive with her creativity and lighting expertise. Just like hiring a designer–it’s well worth bringing on a trained professional verses a skilled hobbyist. We’re thrilled with the results.”
Below are a few examples of what came out of our time together yesterday. Enjoy!
I had the pleasure of photographing a residence in Black Butte Ranch recently for Kirsti Wolfe Designs. It goes without saying that with Kirsti Wolfe designing a home, it will be absolutely beautiful, but this one was just my style! The Atkins Residence is a contemporary home in the heart of the thick forest of Black Butte. With mountain views and custom amenities from head to toe, I was really hoping Len and Karen Atkins would adopt me to move in! Here are a few highlights of my time photographing their home.
“Being clear about what we’re doing and why is the first step in doing it better. If you’re not happy about the honest answer to this question, make substantial changes until you are.” Seth Godin. Jan 15, 2013
Not a day goes by when I don’t have the extreme privilege of hearing stories of young Tibetans fleeing the Chinese government’s occupation of their land. The stories are shocking, filled with bravery, a fight for freedom and many times, end in tragedy. Just today, a friend of mine told me his story of crossing the Himalayan Mountains (as they all do in order to get to India). He told me of being captured by the Chinese government the first 3 times he tried to escape, put in prison and then returned him to his home. The fourth and final time, he travelled for multiple weeks over the mountains, with some dying along the way. Food runs out, the temperatures are freezing, there are unmarked paths with dangerous cliffs. One young man fell to his death during their journey.
I want to help. This has inspired me to start a documentary project of these young adults, coming from Tibet, as refugees, holding on to their culture, learning for the first time about their country’s history (as it is mostly banned in Tibet to learn of their own history), all the while trying to embrace their new surroundings in India, separated from their families and from the way of life they’re accustomed to. A beautiful mixture of tradition and modern appeals. Starting a new life…. with “Refugee Status”.
This is the first image of the series.
(Sengye, shown above, is a young Tibetan man from the Amdo region of Tibet. He wears a traditional fur hat and necklace, identifying him as Amdo. He was raised in a nomadic family (as most are in that region), breeding yaks, sheeps and goats. He fled Tibet on the same night of his father’s return from being imprisoned by the Chinese government for 14 years. They didn’t see each other.)
Please feel free to share your thoughts, input and comments.
My last post discussed the importance of lighting for all types of photography. I used a before/after example from my photo shoot at the Belluschi Residence in Portland, Oregon for Oregon Home Magazine. For this post, I wanted to show some of the interiors, including the kitchen, living room, and interior of their beautiful yoga studio.
What is especially unique about this property is that it was originally designed by the famous architect, Pietro Belluschi. Once purchased by Mike McCulloch and Maryellen Horkheimer, they wanted to keep the original feel and space as initially intended, but with some modern updates. Mike being an architect himself, kept the transition seamless. Maryellen is a master gardner and landscaper, and together the home is now not only a comfortable living space, but also a scenic garden retreat.
The marriage of architecture and its surroundings made it feel like there was no distinction between inside and out. The rolling landscape was either in your window’s view or you were enjoying the tremendous space the family built for outside living. I wanted and needed to capture that as the photographer, lighting the rooms, making sure the windows show the exterior view as well as maintaining the warmth of the interiors.