Technology shoots
The last few weeks have seen me photographing quite a few business portraits as well as some group portraits. I’m currently working on a higher tech photo shoot scheduled for Monday. The company I’m working with has some high tech lasers and other high tech imaging machines used for skin repair and wrinkle removal. The goal of the shoot is to show off the high tech equipment in an eye-catching way. In addition, we want to show the doctor and technicians as friendly, competent, and knowledgable. One of the major challenges with this shoot is we also want the images to maintain the quaint and comfortable environment where the services are provided. That means I’ll be using blue filters on some lights to create the high tech look, and orange, pink, magenta, and yellow filters on other lights to create the warm, organic look we also want. It will be one of the most challenging shoots I have ever done.
Portraits, location shoots, etc.
It’s been a busy few weeks. I’ve had quite a few business portraits in the studio as well as some challenging but fun location shoots. I did a morning of location shoots for a local bank, and even with a light mist, the images turned out fairly well. We did a really fun indoor shot of the board members sitting in the bank. I’ve had a couple of golf tournaments to shoot as well. Yesterday it poured almost all day. It was really tough to keep gear dry and get interesting images that can be used to promote the tournament for next year… golfers who look like drowned rats huddling under umbrellas doesn’t exactly exude excitement for signing up to do it again next year. Tomorrow I have a high school senior coming in for senior pictures. He’s a baseball player so I’m hoping to do some fun shots with him a his bat, glove, etc. Next week I’ve got several planes on the list of items to photograph and some very interesting marketing opportunities that I’m very excited about.
Healthcare photography
The past couple weeks I’ve been photographing almost exclusively healthcare. There have been shoots involving doctors, patients, older folks living in assisted living, and administration personnel who have been instrumental in helping patients get better care. Some of the photographs will appear in healthcare magazines, others in ads and a few images will be enlarged to hang on the walls of the clinic. The setup is generally very challenging because the lighting is usually very difficult to work with. The images are generally very pleasing in the end which I am quite happy about.
The meeting week
This week seems like it’s been meeting after meeting. That’s okay though, cause meetings tend to lead to more projects, especially in the advertising world. Lots of discussion about where ideas should go before the work begins. I spent the afternoon today attempting to photograph some small chrome plated metal parts. They are really tough as they all have a slight curve to then and reflect from every angle so I need the perfect reflections to make them look good. In the end they look very nice, but it took some work to get there. This weekend I’ll be shooting the annual summer regional for my wife’s company. It will be nice to get out of the studio.
Healthcare and products
Work is quieting down some as spring leads into summer. I spent about 4 hours shooting healthcare advertising photos in addition to the usual regular doctor headshots. I’ve also been working on a few products shoots in studio. Clipping paths are the killer on product shoots now, basically taking different tools in photoshop to outline a clean edge around the product and lift it off the background. This week, there is a young woman who wants to job shadow me for a few days. She’ll ask questions and get some experience with the world of commercial photography. It will be fun to show her around the studio.
Product photography
I’ve spent the better part of a week shooting for a manufacturer in Cannon Falls. We’ve done several location shoots at different locations showing some of their capabilities. They also need new photography of nearly all their products to display on their website. It’s amazing how many different components go into a protective box. Wheels, handles, latches, cover braces, hinges, labels, etc. It’s been a great project and a lot of fun to see it come together, although I’m starting to get my fill of casters and hinges.
Shoreline Dance Pictures
Pictures of the dancers are coming along great. We’re almost done and the kids look great. If you’d like to see some, http://jloye.instaproofs.com. Tuesday was a busy night, but I think we’re in the clear now and everyone is excited to be able to order everything online. I’m a little disappointed at the number of kids signed up for “in-motion” photos, but once some of the kids see how great their friends look, perhaps they’ll change their minds and request a few. It’s been a fun week seeing the kids dressed up in their outfits and they love smiling for the camera which makes my job much easier.
Busy 2nd quarter
Great news! After a slow first quarter, things are picking up quite a bit. I’ve been working on a number of shoots for clients looking to update their marketing materials. The dance studio I shoot for is coming up next week which will be a busy couple of weeks. Sports teams are looking for team and individual pictures which carries on for several months. Finally, I’ve started advertising senior portraits which go throughout the summer. The kids are always fun to work with. Hopefully as money starts flowing throughout the economy, my business will continue to grow. Almost forgot, I just received a call from Treasure Island and I’ll be shooting an event out there this weekend. I’m excited to work with the bright lights and fancy decorating.
Extruded plastic cases
I’m putting the finishing touches on about 15 plastic cases I photographed for a manufacturer in Cannon Falls. They make sealed and protective boxes in all shapes and sizes for sensitive and expensive equipment. Some are tricky to photograph with reflective sides, dark and small interiors, as well as being just plain big products. The next step is to touch the images up in Photoshop before sending them to my client. Once I’ve finished editing the boxes, I’ll move onto portraits that I shot at a retirement home here in Red Wing. It was fun to get everyone smiling and laughing. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised with how well the portraits have turned out.
Group business portrait
I just wrapped up several shoots, including a group business portrait. With four people to put into the portrait, it was tricky to get a position for everyone that looked nice. I think the results are quite pleasing and the client was very happy with the results. Check the business portraits of my website, www.jloye.com, to see the final image.