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Architecture | Food | People
Backporch Coffee’s New Digs | Commercial Photographer Bend OR
If you still haven’t been to Backporch Coffee Roasters‘ new location, I’m not sure where you’ve been… it’s beautiful. I’m calling it my second home these days, as I love to sip my latte’ while emailing, writing proposal or even blogging. I was hired to photograph images for their advertising collateral, showcasing their snazzy new spot and details such as Ruby, their new baby, the La Marzocco espresso machine. Yes, you heard me, La Marzocco to all you coffee “snobs”… oops…connoisseurs out there.
I wanted to compliment the modern interior of Backporch Coffee with a clean and simple approach to the imagery, which isn’t hard since, let’s face it, that’s pretty much what my photography leans toward anyway. I used mostly all natural lighting for their imagery and focused on clean lines and off-set composition. Here are a few of the images.
Refugee Status. A Documentary Project for Tibet
“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.
Casino Photoshoot California Logistics, Logistics, Logistics
The logistics of a professional photoshoot for a casino might surprise some of you. You might see a nice image like this one in an advertisement and think “oh, the photographer caught a nice moment”. For this image, we had a very tight shooting schedule and had a few images/angles/setups we needed to accomplish before the salon opened for the casino customers. We needed to photograph the inside areas first so we had a very early call time that morning. The last image at this location was this image.. the models exiting the salon as if they just had a wonderful time at the spa, pampered, happy and on their way.
Between the salon manager still needing to run the front desk (answer phones, etc) and setting up lighting against a very specular and reflective background (can we say marble facade, glass doors and glass waterfall feature), we had to act fast and we had to act well.
This final image is the culmination of my assistants sneakily hiding lights, moving lights in different areas for multiple exposures, having the hotel manager duck behind the desk while on the phone, the models moving 2 inches “pretending to walk” and give multiple facial expressions and looking at multiple exit locations, and finally blending the best of all of those scenarios in one.final.image. Sigh. Phew. And on to the next.
A solid take away… when choosing a professional photographer, don’t underestimate their working knowledge of tight shoot schedules, a great team, and pro knowledge of lighting for every scenario.
Lenity Group | Oregon Architectural Photographer
I simply love my job. I feel incredibly blessed to feel like I’m doing exactly what I was intended to do. What’s even better than that? Amazing clients! On a recent project, I was hired by Lenity Group, a large architectural and planning firm in Salem, Oregon to photograph their office building and staff head shots for their new branding and website project.
For this shoot, I worked in collaboration with the wonderfully talented branding and design firm, Studio Absolute, to photograph images that speak to the branding and marketability of the architectural firm. Together, we had a blast working with Lenity Group and their amazing staff to ensure that their personalities and professionalism came through in each image. Below, I have included samples of my images from the photo shoot as well as the final work in context to Lenity’s new website. To view the entire site, visit: www.lenitygroup.com
SIDE NOTE: Hiring a professional branding and design firm like Studio Absolute doubles the impact of the quality photography you have interested in. A good marriage of professional photography and design captures the attention of your audience and makes the most of your marketing dollars.
Pronghorn Residence | Bend, Oregon
Recently, I was hired by Scott Gilbride Architecture and Kirsti Wolfe Designs to photograph a beautiful home in Pronghorn Bend, Oregon that they recently completed. Down to every detail, the home was beautifully designed, built, and finished. Here are some of the final images.
Exotic Gemstones Shoot
I recently had the awesome opportunity to photograph Heather and Adel Tennant for my client, Exotic Gemstones LLC aka Oregon Sunstone. The jewelry is mined right here in Oregon and designed by our loved Karla Proud, the owner of Oregon Sunstone! Here are a couple of our favorites!
