The Lonely Doctor / CPW

Wow...we shot this series a while back.
Story was held, went quiet, then never saw the light of day.The Lonely Doctor was ideal for Commercial Photography Week. Originally commisioned for Smart Money Magazine, we wanted the scorched desert of daytime and the cool night light of closing time...and I think we got it. Killer tumbleweeds flown in by Shannon Amos and recently polished in post production by Laura Johnston.

See the images in all their splendor HERE.

Commercial Photography Week Continues

And just as I was wondering if Commercial Photography Week should either come to a close or be made an annual thing, the Acura OUTLOOK Magazine arrives today.

Elegantly designed and printed on thick coated stock by Story World Wide in NYC, assigned by an early fan of ECHOLILIA. This project arrived yesterday and kinda reminded me that the process sometimes works. In addition, of course, to the million other things we do at the same time!

Runner's World 2 / 2012

Just got a copy of Runner's World's February issue in the mail today. Right in the middle of Thanksgiving we were trying to put together this very affordable and very story-boarded photograph and I was reminded really just how hard it is to produce anything around any holiday. But...it landed.

Lot's of sketches, lots of fedexing of clothing and juggling of dates and wow...by the time we arrived in the studio the hardest part was behind us. Andrea Maurio of Runner's World handling it all with charm and patience. Me? I was just trying to find a way for it not to look like a stock photograph. And once you get that in your head it's hard to shake it. Tyler Wood, starring as the interview-ee, tapped into his acting skills and brought his character to life.

Micah Bishop, always elegant, managed the wardrobe and Studio 308 SF was our location. We rented a natural light studio and then set up a bunch of strobes to look like better natural light. Can you fool Mother Nature? Prolly not.

For me...this is the year of the Commercial Photograph, so every opportunity is one that I jump on....

Below are the sketches that led to the end product above. Enjoy.

The Year Of The Commercial Photograph

So this is the Year of the Commercial Photograph.

Brooke Embry of Tidepool and I have been discussing the year past, and have been pondering the idea that all the attention that ECHOLILIA has gotten, and that we have fueled for sure, may have derailed the commercial career a bit.

Is this true? Hard to say...especially in these current times when every consultant and every creative is asking to see "personal work". But it's a balance...once these images are identified with you, they become your brand...they become you, for better or worse. Alec Soth, in his first blog, wrote about this insightful sentence in 2007 in a post about a visit I paid to his class. He was referring to the book Sex Machines : Photographs and Interviews:

 "After publishing this provocative book, Archibald’s “sentence” was pretty much carved in stone. This seems to be one of the side effects of photographing something especially juicy."

His words actually rang true for years. But I kinda think ECHO eclipsed it, and my sentence may have gone from being the Sex Machine Photographer to being the guy who photographs his kid. The Dad Photographer. And of course there is now a new project that is odd and about family and really there is nothing commercial about it at all, but my energy is flowing there.

But oh...let's forget all of that work. That doesn't put food on the table. Let's now close our eyes, focus on craft, and steer our efforts toward the pleasure and joys of Commercial Photography. Will it rewrite my sentence? No. But balance is the goal that keeps all of these things afloat. 

ECHOLILIA : Copies Still Available

I get so many notes these days from people looking for ECHOLILIA at their local bookstore and they are leaving in confusion. Sorry all, we never thought anyone would want it in the first place.

But for the record, the books are in stock here in our two car garage, ready to be signed and gift wrapped if you need that service....

Buy ECHOLILIA from us HERE.

See ECHOLILIA at Photo Eye Bookstore HERE.

More Real Life Science Fiction

Been away from the blog for a week working on all sorts of things, really. It'll start cooking again, don't worry...

Walking into our location and finding a audio engineered robot in a cardigan always makes us think the photograph will go well. More on this shoot in the week ahead.

Singular Beauty : Cara Phillips

Cara Phillips' project Singular Beauty is on Kickstarter and almost has reached it's goal...but it needs a little more. I've always respected this project, but the Kickstarter video tells the backstory in a way that makes it almost as fascinating as the project itself.

Write what you know...isn't that what they say?

Watch the video and learn more about the project HERE.