Our lovely Guest: Heather Morton

What does she do?
Freelance Art Buyer, Author: HMAb blog

Her top three pointers to photographers looking to break into the commercial market:

1. As someone coming into the commercial market, you have the advantage of having something new to share with the Art Buyers and Art Directors that you hope to meet. For this reason, be sure that your work does have a consistent and fresh feel to it and that it’s commercially applicable- for example, fantastic “found” images from your trip to Cuba doesn’t say much about your ability to light, direct talent, location scout etc. For most shooters this means shooting lots of personal projects- these make great themed promos and a way to showcase your production ability and style.

2. Make sure your identity is solid. Your book should show your best work only and your branding should be consistent. When it comes to your book, you’re only as good as your worst image (sadly). Your website should be simple and easily navigated. This will be the first impression most people will have of you and its important that this platform communicates the right things about you as a creative partner.

3. Be willing and able to collaborate. Increasingly, photographers are being asked to provide treatments or mood boards to be seriously considered for the job. Showing enthusiasm and offering ideas (but don’t fall on your sword about them either) communicates that you are fully invested in creating a great shot and you will help the agency realize that vision too.

Learn more about Heather’s photographer consulting services and follow her blog at www.heathermorton.ca, on twitter at @hmartbuyer

Every week at the Hermann & Audrey homestead we do a family lunch – it’s an opportunity for everyone in the studio to decompress from the work week, chill over a home cooked meal and share what we’re up to and inspired by.

This family time quickly evolved into a meeting of the minds, per se, as we began inviting select friends we know and those we don’t, to share our talents, from culinary to artistic, bounce ideas off each other and catch up on projects, new and old.

With each incarnation of my web presence, I’ve aimed to be an early adopter.  My choice to leave flash for a developing platform for my site has everything to do with the current battles between Apple and Adobe, and the result leaving the iPhone and the soon to be released iPad, flashless. This being said, my new website is coded in css and has an amazing backend for management.

I’ve added some new features. Big thumbnails for the openings of all my stories. I’ve stacked my images and you can digg, facebook, or tweet your favourite stories or images.  I’ve expanded my film section, I’ve directed my first short film, Angel Eyes, which was shot on the Canon 7D.  Utilizing YouTube as a host for streaming my video content, it plays smoothly and all my latest content can be viewed on mobile devices that support YouTube as well as be played in HD.

My Workshop section has also expanded with new workshops added, and the ability to register for workshops right from my website, securely using paypal. Visa and MC transactions can now be accepted.  I’ve also included a Books section, where you can purchase Positives in Hard Cover or Soft Cover.

A new website is always refreshing. Come by for a visit and feel out the interface.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed producing it.

Special Thanks to Derek Akers aka @muhr for the incredibly fast delivery.

Carty.

Directed by: Javier Lovera
Creative Director: Ryan Johnson
DOP: Henry Sansom
Styling: Alicia Simpson @ Plutino
Make up and grooming: Sheri Stroh @ Plutino
Models: Paul Mason @ Spot 6 + Brendan @ Elmer Olsen
Editing: Cory Vanderploeg + Javier Lovera
Digital Colourist: Scott McIntyre
Music: Metamorphoses  I & II by Philip Glass

The VERSUS shoot was a really exciting one. Initially we had planned for it to be in October, but the location manager surprised us at the last minute and we had to cancel the shoot with only 1/2 day to production day (we did however ended up shooting another men’s story for FILLER. You can read more about that here).

After regrouping we developed the concept further, had 1 more storyboarding meeting, and really took the opportunity to solidify the thematic. This is one of the things (among many others) that’s exciting about working with Ryan and Henry: we are always striving to make the best possible end product. We take pre-production very seriously, and have a great collaboration. Everyone’s ideas are equally valid, but only the best ones move forward, which is the same approach I carry on to editing and colouring. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to work with them, and I thank all of the people involved in making this such a fun and successful shoot. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it!

—————————-

Here are some Behind the Scenes photos (© cory vanderploeg).

On location at  5:30 am for setup and were happy with what we saw:

The rest of the team showed up at around 6:30am to start shooting. Here you see our fashion editor Alicia, and our makeup artist Sheri. Both amazing at what they do and pleasure to work with.

Below is Henry setting up for the first shot. I’ve been working with Henry for a while now. His aesthetic is amazing and he is an all-around super nice guy.

Our models Brendan @ Elmer Olsen and Paul @ Spot 6 Management were great to work with. Very professional and hard working, jokers, and incredibly talented.

Reviewing one of the shots with the whole crew.

Giving some direction while Alicia takes care of wardrobe details.

AND, that’s a wrap!

This is absolutely mesmerizing, without a doubt one of the coolest projection-based art projects ever created.

555 KUBIK | facade projection | from urbanscreen on Vimeo.

The below is translated from German:
“The conception of this project consistently derives from its underlying architecture – the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The Basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of O. M. Ungers “Galerie der Gegenwart”. Resultant permeabilty of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. A situation of reflexivity evolves – describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself.”

Production: http://www.urbanscreen.com

Art Direction: Daniel Rossa – http://www.rossarossa.de

Technical Director: Thorsten Bauer
3D Operator: David Starmann http://www.shineundsein.de
Sound Design : Jonas Wiese

Realized with http://www.mxwendler.net/mediaserver

A extended version of this documentation can be found here: http://vimeo.com/5677104

The atmosphere was spirited, with Ricky and his crew bringing their A-game and Carty capturing everything with his signature style.

Watch the behind the scenes:

Behind the scenes footage by Cory VanderPloeg
Special thanks to Marben Restaurant for exceptional hospitality

Follow Ricky J on Myspace

Last week Heather posted about Carty and his new promotional piece, Positives, a 150-page soft cover leave behind. Along with a few candid images of the book is a brief interview with Carty where he discusses his motivation behind the soft cover version of his first book, where he’s at and where he’s hoping to go.

(Images by Heather Morton)

Carty and the family are really pleased with how the book turned out, and so, it seems, was Heather. Check out what she had to say about it.

—

Feb 8th’s post was a lot more Hermann & Audrey specific – the freelance art buyer named us among the new reps in town worth knowing about:

“Subtitled “a family affair” these people are tight knit in a good way I think. Joining Steve on the roster are Javier Lovera and Jalani Morgan.”

What he does: Illustration, design and a little DJ-ing on the side

Hermann & Audrey: What’s inspiring you lately?

Record sleeves and photographs.

It’s amazing to see that a lot of musicians that still release 12” records with awesome sleeve artwork. Sadly I haven’t been able to swing by the record store in a while. I’ve been buying online lately. I do miss that feeling of flipping through a whole section of vinyl and then you stop at a crazy slick record cover artwork that excites you, which you set aside for your listening pile. Who cares who it is really. I just want to know what it sounds like, or buy it because of the artwork. I remember buying a record two years ago, The Late of the Pier’s ‘The Bears Are Coming’ 12”. It came with a pair of 3-D glasses! That was pretty exciting. Now that feeling is reduced to a ‘pack shot’ on screen. It’s a shame that all that great artwork can’t be fully appreciated. Even then, there’s nice stuff coming out lately. Perhaps it’s more about the music video nowadays.

Also, photography blogs are a great source for inspiration and reference material as well. Not sure if it saves time… it’s easy to get distracted from work on blogs. Except Hermann & Audrey of course.

H&A: What makes excellence in design?

Depends on what it is. Its got to have an exciting first impression, and one that stands the test of time.

H&A: What is the piece of work you are most proud of, why?

Not really sure. It’s usually something I just finished. Then I’d be like, ‘What was I thinking?’ Speaking of which, I just finished this custom type logo for my DJ posse, ‘Hot Sauce’ (http:morehotsauce.wordpress.com). After a week, I still like it, so that’s good. We’re hoping to get some shirts and tote bags out this year.

H&A: What do you see as upcoming trends in the art/illustration world?

I think we’ll see more juxtaposition of hand-rendered styles with vector possibly. I love the hand-rendered stuff out there, the beautiful ones I’m talking about, and not the sloppy looking stuff. I’m a little tired of that. Hopefully that’s on its way out the door.

Also, been loving hand-rendered type. There’s a lot of great things happening with that.

At the moment, a lot of stock illustration houses may be sprouting up here and there, which is great for clients on a budget, but the work gets a bit stale. It’s also very hard for Illustrators and definitely Photographers who will have to win clients more on their skills even more so rather than price point. Now with artists having to step up their game, it’s going to be an exciting year for creative. Right now, I’m experimenting with type and more graphic-type illustrations.

H&A: What is the philosophy behind your work?

It’s nice to be enthusiastic when creating an image. The enthusiasm comes from things new and old. What I mean by ‘new’, is by pushing myself, experimenting and being receptive to new ideas. Sometimes it can be difficult, especially when approaches become routine. And old things, by adding touches of nostalgia to bring the artwork back a bit, back to earth.

Also with the music reference again…there’s this great energy coming from all the amazing music that’s out there today. Especially those pushing the envelope crossing genres especially, and tapping into everything they like for inspiration. I respect that a lot, since I like to do a bit of everything myself. People are stepping up their game, and that’s inspiring.

You can check out  Shingo’s work and learn more about the artist at www.shingo.ca

portrait shot by Jalani Morgan

Medellin. A city of contrasts, dramatic ones. Like a lot of Latin American cities, this city follows the structure of affluent city centers surrounded by belts of misery (favelas or slums). Once one of the most dangerous cities in the world and home to infamous drug lords like Pablo Escobar, Medellin now has a burgeoning economy and a plethora of social developments like libraries, cultural centers, and a beautiful botanical garden among others.

A little history: in the 90’s the drug cartels had generated an economy of war, where sicarios (hired assassins) ruled the streets and controlled the slums. After Escobar’s death and the dismantlement of the Medellin cartel, the sicarios, who were for the most part young kids, had no boss, and were armed to the teeth. Violence escalated, with sicario gangs fighting for control of the city and the drug business. Access to the slums was very limited. Not even the police would dare go into them.

I find the developments that have been created in this city very interesting. Being a Bogota native (another city with huge slums surrounding it), I’ve always been very aware of my boundaries. I grew up in a state of fear – and going into the slums was unimaginable, unless you had a VERY good reason for it.

This time around, I found myself in Medellin, heading right into the middle of Comuna 3 (one of its biggest slums) by way of cable car to see the celebrated Parque Biblioteca Espana, designed by Giancarlo Mazzanti , a library that had won the Vienna Biennal.

One of the most interesting things about the cable car trip was that you could actually see the whole slum while climbing the height of the cable – its people, streets, and rhythm. Already many questions and curiosities were being answered by this ride. The mirage that the media had created had been slightly shattered shedding some light into my dark perceptions; there were no dead bodies, no one getting mugged, no guns or drug transactions in sight. What was clearly visible was the disheartening level of poverty. Roofs being held in place by bricks, houses on top of houses, on top of houses, all poorly built.

Then you arrive to the final stop atop the hill. And its not like in North American cities where the main attraction is conveniently located steps away from the subway station. Here you have to walk a few blocks to get to the library, and on the way, from a pedestrian viewpoint, interact with the locals. And you realize that these people are for the most part nice people too, just like you, that unfortunately happen to have a much less privileged way of life, but that also laugh, walk their streets, and smoke cigarettes in the corner while having a cup of coffee.

Keep an eye out for the next post in Javier’s Colombia series.

(image above shot by ©stevecarty.com)

Guest: Sue Kuruvilla

What does she do? She’s the Director of PR & Marketing for Fred Perry in Canada. She also recently co-hosted a fundraiser called Haiti Je T’Aime with MTV, Cheek Magazine and other amazing partners, raising a whopping 40k (with government matching) for Plan Canada in Haiti.

What’s inspiring her lately?

Although shy to admit, Sue is loving Gaga. She explains it as this: Lady Gaga is inspiring people to be creative, to express themselves without limit and hesitation. It’s not about the music but the culture. A couple of years ago, one of Sue’s friends who works for the House of Gaga explained his vision and forecasted that Gaga would be the next Madonna, Sue laughs, she didn’t believe him then.

We served up… Grilled chicken Ceaser salad – simple, easy and delicious, we’re staying true to our New Years resolution, which we made on the first, but will probably have broken by Valentine’s Day.

(Images by Cory Vanderploeg)

Every week at the Hermann & Audrey homestead we do a family lunch – it’s an opportunity for everyone in the studio to decompress from the work week, chill over a home cooked meal and share what we’re up to and inspired by.

This family time quickly evolved into a meeting of the minds, per se, as we began inviting select friends we know and those we don’t, to share our talents, from culinary to artistic, bounce ideas off each other and catch up on projects, new and old.

enjoy