Red Square Photo Blog

Everything But The Girl

2012-04-25T10:06:00.001-04:00

I've been playing matchmaker with two really great things: video and ecommerce. Today, I've come one step closer to making this arranged marriage a happy and healthy one.

We've now figured out how to empower our clients to sell their products directly within a video while it is playing. So, if the video shows a hotel room, you can book a room. If it's a video about consumer products, just click the product and pay with a credit card. The video can be tied in with any inventory in many types of businesses. Bands can sell t-shirts and music downloads and politicians can solicit financial support (we won't ask them what they plan to do with our money).

As a test, I quickly uploaded an existing video I produced with model Kendra Holliday. We shot it one afternoon in Delray Beach, Florida. She just happened to be wearing a few items that might be desireable to the average resort-going woman. Everything in the video can be purchased (in the test, we're using "clickovers" to the product website but future videos will handle checkout within the same window). Kendra's wearing RayBan Aviator sunglasses, a white crochet bikini and waterproof mascara from Blinc. You can have everything...except Kendra.

I'll be testing this further with clients who happen to have a significant social media presence with blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. While video and ecommerce do make a nice couple, it's the social media presence that provides the perfect environment for those nice kids to mingle.

For more information, call 1.561.912.9921 or visit http://bit.ly/rspcin

Web Hits Fill Ships

2011-10-25T08:19:00.001-04:00

We produced this video for a luxury yacht marketing firm here in Florida. The 3.5-minute film is designed to hypnotize you with visual and audible beauty, thus prompting you to click the link in the lower corner and book a week's vacation (costing you $100,000).

All kidding aside, the link is how we track response to the video as it gets picked up by travel blogs, Facebook fans and other websites around the internet, always driving traffic back to our client via the link that always travels with the video wherever it appears. Do your videos feed you bookings like this?

We featured the 130-ft. Westport tri-deck "Mary-Alice II" piloted by Captain Kelly Esser at 23 knots off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida just two weeks ago. Helicopter wizardry was provided by Iftach Shimonovitc with Boca Raton Helicopters who had us at about 20 feet off the water at times. Music composer was Ganga http://bitly.com/rme78c

If you're interested in seeing more of our work, please visit http://bit.ly/rspcin

Air-To-Sea Luxury Yacht Shoot

2011-10-14T13:42:00.001-04:00

We were hired to produce a video of the 130-ft Mary-Alice II luxury motoryacht http://bitly.com/qwf3wF which you can charter for around $100,000/week.

While I shot with a Canon 60D http://bitly.com/nN9dwZ this BTS video was captured using our GoPro http://bhpho.to/GoProCar which was mounted to the cockpit windshield with the suction cup mount (still vibrated heavily). But, I felt it was good enough to enjoy along with Darko Saric's high-energy track http://bitly.com/darkouplift

Skillful helicopter flying was courtesy of Iftach Shimonovitc with Boca Raton Helicopters http://bitly.com/qyK0gpas the yacht was piloted by Captain Kelly Esser. The shoot lasted 1.5 hours and took place off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale and Dania Beach, Florida.

Love This Video? Get A Room.

2011-09-24T11:14:00.001-04:00

We just produced a cool, dramatic, sexy video of Andaz San Diego, a boutique hotel brand you will hear more about in the coming year. As usual, we've included the "click to book" link so viewers can go directly to Andaz's booking engine.
We'll monitor traffic and our client will monitor ROI. When did image marketing become so accountable? It's about time.
Music track is by British electronica band Urban Myth Club http://bitly.com/mYrZDo

How To Put Heads In Beds

2011-08-25T10:04:00.001-04:00

Sure, every resort has a video showcasing its "fabulous spa" and "ten thousand square foot fitness center" and "championship golf course." Oh and I almost forgot to mention the "award-winning chef."

Don't any of these marketing pros (many who are my friends and clients) realize that these words have become innocuous, if not annoying to the consumer? But, properties continue to churn out these videos featuring the same two or three voice talents and stock musak tracks.

It's time to shake things up a bit.

While the above video is certainly not "award winning," it is a small test sample of a new direction in video marketing for resorts. Visuals that are shot at the right time of day, carefully chosen and legally licensed music tracks with no annoying voices reciting the well-intentioned bullet points. However, all important areas (i.e. guest rooms, restaurants, pools, etc.) will be well covered.

The best part is the ability to track response. That logo in the video's llower right corner is actually a clickable link to an external website (my portfolio, in this example). But, imagine if consumers could click this link and be taken directly to a booking site. Now that's a great idea.

Fashionably Trackable

2011-08-22T12:19:00.001-04:00

Suddenly I'm obsessed with driving ecommerce traffic to fashion websites. Do you run a fashion website? Want traffic from people who are—at that very moment—feeling interested, excited and/or seduced by your product? Then let me produce a video for you. We will send it everywhere and track the results.
Above is a 42-second viral video for Levi Strauss & Company that when embedded, includes a clickable logo in the lower right corner which leads directly to product purchase. Go ahead, click the logo and see what happens. (Well, at least wait until the video is over...unless you're so excited you cannot contain yourself.
Here are some other "case studies" of ours:
CALVIN KLEIN LINGERIE
Our CK Perfectly Fit lingerie video has over 10,000 views and was picked up by many fashion blogs, websites and Facebook fans. We embedded CK's logo directly in the video, taking viewers to a page to purchase.

DEAR EARTH ECO FASHION
Here's a "lookbook-in-motion" we did for Dear Earth, an organic apparel designer based in Miami. This was shot in 3 hours using minimal lighting and equipment. When it appears outside of my portfolio, a link at the end drives traffic back to Dear Earth's ecommerce website.

UNITED NUDE SHOES
We produced this video for Dutch shoe brand United Nude at their Miami Beach pop-up store. After getting picked up by many fashion bloggers, it appears worldwide.

Here's the same video as it appears on the InYourHead blog http://j.mp/rawb1Z and after being picked up by the Brazilian sapatos.net website where it drives traffic back to United Nude's website via the trackable link http://j.mp/pnZDfZ

If you're interested to know how viral videos can help sell your product, feel free to give us a call at 1.561.912.9921.
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Marriott Image From Cancun, Mexico

2011-07-27T10:37:00.001-04:00

Marriott is using one of our images from a shoot we did in Cancun, Mexico with model Toni Muñoz http://j.mp/r90ftO Marriott used it for their rewards program newsletter http://j.mp/qOFavv

Courtney :: Architecture

2011-06-28T15:43:00.001-04:00

We scouted and planned a sunny rooftop video shoot with Miami-based Elite model Courtney O'Connor. It didn't go according to plan when, on the shoot day, the weather was not sunny. In fact, it was dark, cloudy and pouring rain. The footage looked more like Northern Europe rather than South Florida. So, I bumped up the blue (a lot) and let Courtney take command of the architecture.

Soundtrack is called "Beached" and legally licensed from Shawn Ethier "Revalver" based in Montreal, Canada.

CINEMATOG: Corey Weiner http://redsquarephoto.com
ASSIST: Jeff Herron http://jeffherron.com
MODEL: Courtney O'Connor http://courtneyoconnor.org
SOUNDTRACK: "Beached" by Revalver http://twitter.com/tweethier

Ensemble Debt Collection

2011-06-21T13:31:00.003-04:00

This morning, I was standing in front of the Ensemble Collection furniture store in Ft. Lauderdale holding a sign with the word "THIEVES" in large caps (and I never type in large caps). It's a hefty accusation to make publicly.

So, how did I get here?

It was bound to happen at some point. While I've always had slow-paying clients, it would usually end after a few uncomfortable phone calls and then finally, a payment. One time, I had a client file bankruptcy with a $3,500 write off. But, for some reason that I will never understand, Ensemble Collection decided it was worth it for them to test my will to collect a bad debt. So for the first time in my life, I exercised my First Amendment right to free speech and picketed outside their store in order to collect a long-outstanding debt of $1,600.

It all started in late 2010 when I gave EC some very nice art pieces to sell on consignment. It was part of an effort to establish relationships with a few high-end retail furniture stores in hopes of selling artwork to their customers. Since EC carries top designers like Kartell, Eames, Stark and Saarinen http://bit.ly/kjZXPp I thought they were a perfect fit for my artwork.

For those not familiar with art consignments, both artist and retailer are equal partners (unlike a supplier relationship where a retailer can negotiate months to pay). After consigning two pieces, I received a call from an EC salesperson who announced that a customer was about to purchase one entitled "Water" http://bit.ly/mDNsu3 so after having to call multiple times to find out it had eventually sold, I invoiced EC in January 2011. When payment wasn't received by February, I followed up by sending a few polite emails and voicemails with no response. In fact, there was no response in April, May or June either. Internally, there were a few employees trying to facilitate payment but all of their efforts were falling on deaf ears at the top. Once, when I was lucky to speak with their CFO Kathy she told me the "check is going out tonight" and then rushed me off the phone. After 12 more days passed without payment and even more of my voicemails ignored, I suddenly realized they were making an effort to avoid paying me. According to our signed agreement, this money belonged to me "upon sale" and since they were refusing to forward my portion, I now considered this not a matter of late payment but matter of theft.

So, what's a recession-weary father-of-two supposed to do at this point? Call the police? Pay my lawyer good money to go after them? I decided on an interim step before legal action: picketing their store.

Ensemble Collection is located on a very busy intersection of Sunrise Boulevard and US1 http://bit.ly/iuzgYE and I knew that a regular weekday would have thousands of cars passing by. I cleared my schedule and planned to picket for two full days, 11am-6pm. I had some friends who offered to stand there with me but I figured I'd use them on the second day, if I had to. If that didn't work, I would then have my lawyer start the meter.

In a phone call with one sympathetic EC employee, I said that if their bosses brought me to the point of picketing, I would also use my 20+ years in marketing and my 5,000+ Twitter followers http://bit.ly/jx5LFI to make sure everyone knew that it was EC's choice to escalate this matter. The day before I planned to picket, I sent both store owner Joe Mirabile and CFO Kathy one last email in hopes either one would give me my money or at least respond to me in some way. Here is the final paragraph of my email:

I hope you understand I have done all that I can and have waited as long as possible before losing hope to be paid by EC. If you do not return my call today or a check is not received, I will be in the unfortunate position of having to collect this debt in court which will make it more expensive for both of us. Please don't force me to do this as I am only trying to be paid for my work.

Neither phone call, check nor response was received. Exactly twenty-four hours after that email, I arrived at the store with sign-in-hand and asked to speak with Joe in a last ditch effort to avoid publicizing this piece of dirty laundry. After all, it was Joe who I had originally met with face-to-face (yet was avoiding my calls and emails for six months). When store employees once again told me "There's no check here for you and Joe isn't available right now," I politely told them I would stand there with my sign until someone puts that non-existent check in my hand. It was 11:05am.

Over the next 20 minutes, I estimate 300-400 cars passed by with many drivers craning their necks to read my 4x3-ft sign. I had designed it in Adobe Photoshop CS5 http://adobe.ly/miCzHd using the store's logo and large, bold 900-point type (yes, 900 points) with a clean, black and white palette to match the store's sleek, modern inventory. The sign company http://instasign.com also had an 8-ft sign but I felt mine was plenty enough to do the job. As I was standing out there in the midday Florida sun, five or six store employees and a few curious customers seemed somewhat entertained by my willingness to right this easily avoidable wrong.

By 11:25, an employee came outside and said, "Well, it didn't take long. Here's your check." Feeling relieved, I immediately drove one block to BankAtlantic and walked out with my $1,600 cash-in-hand.

Case closed.

Well, not so fast. I take pride in having warned Ensemble Collection multiple times that I am a publicist by trade (in fact, it's basically my only marketable skill) and it's so gratifying that I was able to use my advertising, PR and journalism experience to bring justice to the situation. Every EC employee knows how hard I tried to avoid getting to this point.

Once I posted this story, my Facebook page lit up like a Christmas tree with words of support from family, friends, friends of friends and complete strangers. It's been retweeted multiple times and bit.ly shows it trending with 152 clicks in the first hour after posting. It seems everyone has faced something like this at one time or another and considering EC's 2-star rating on Google http://bit.ly/mCEe92 and 2.5-star rating on Yelp http://bit.ly/k5b5cz I'm not the only one unhappy with the way they do business. With the internet being the world's great information archive, your reputation in cyberspace becomes an organic, dynamic and permanent record of who you really are.

Ok, now, case closed.

UPDATE JUNE 22, 2011: Case re-opened. At 11:12am this morning I received a call that began, "Hi, this is Joe Mirabile." I immediately thought he was calling to sincerely apologize for mishandling this whole thing. Instead, he went on to say, "You mentioned in your blog that I'm the owner. Well, I'm not the owner. The owner is a company that might take legal action against you." After a stunned pause, I asked him, "After six months of ignoring my calls, that's what you called to tell me?" Then I hung up.

If Joe Mirabile is, in fact, not the owner then the owner must be really, really pissed at him right now. And, what's the first thing an incompetent manager does when the boss asks why some man is picketing outside the store on a hot summer day? Managers like Joe (and so many companies are filled with them) try to blame the victim (because he certainly couldn't have caused this himself, right?). I sure hope Joe's boss is smart enough to see through it. If not then any decent legal counsule should ask, "Why didn't you just give the guy his money to begin with?"

Johanna :: The Wall

2011-06-20T07:54:00.002-04:00

If your father is Italian, your mother is Dominican and you're 24, there's a remote possibility your body could look like this. It might also depend on diet and exercise but without the genetics, you'll probably be on my side of the camera.
Wilhelmina New York fitness model Johanna Sambucini was in Miami Beach for a few days so we decided on a quick collaboration. Just east of Collins & 18th is a newly-painted white wall. Next to that is a beach shower. Add a model (and a bit of clothing) plus the Miami sun and you'll have all the ingredients of a video shoot.
Legally licensed soundtrack is "Macky" from Danish composer Ganga http://ganga.dk

PORTFOLIO-in-MOTION :: Kendra In-Studio

2011-06-15T07:48:00.001-04:00

This is the strikingly beautiful Kendra Holliday. Kendra is a Miami-based Elite model and we've worked together before. I was thrilled when she agreed to be a part of this first "portfolio-in-motion" idea of mine.

A 2.5-minute video can give a photographer or filmmaker a better idea of what a model or actor would be like to work with more so than any headshot or still portfolio. There's a big difference between seeing a frozen 1/250th of a second that's been photoshopped to death versus seeing a captured 5 or 10 seconds of motion.

The cost of producing a video like this (with full studio rental, assistants, hair, makeup, etc) would certainly be a few thousand dollars. However, multiple talent can split production costs to make them palatable. Plus, every video doesn't have to include this many "looks" but we wanted to get as much done as we could while on set.

Equipment included one Canon 60D, 24-70 L zoom, Cinevate Atlas 10 slider, Gitzo 5-series, Glidecam 4000HD, ShotTracker skater dolly and one 7-ft Westcott diffuser umbrella. Lighting was done with either one or two Lowel DPs. Edited in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 and color graded with Magic Bullet Looks 1.4 (based on their presets but highly modified).

CINEMATOG: Corey Weiner http://redsquarephoto.com
MODEL Kendra Holliday http://kendraholliday.com
HAIR/MUA Jennifer Majewski http://kissthismakeup.com
ASSIST Alex Markow http://alexmarkow.com
SOUNDTRACK Slinky Gal by Darko Saric http://bit.ly/lIhaRq

I Need Music Just Like This

2011-06-06T08:14:00.001-04:00

Since moving into filmmaking, I have an ongoing need for great music. While I've managed to find a few very talented, independent composers who can license their tracks directly to me, most of the other stuff out there is really, REALLY bad.

I need tracks that are of high production and creative quality. Here's a link to a playlist with a few tracks I have licensed.

http://bit.ly/lTF1rD

Anyone out there with more like these? Feel free to email links and license fees to music321@redsquarephoto.com

PORTRAIT-in-MOTION :: Austra

2011-05-26T08:32:00.001-04:00

Models, actors, musicians and other professional artists should be creating these short, 2-minute "portraits in motion" to promote themselves.

For years, models have shown potential clients their highly retouched portfolio or when the client asks, a very poor quality digital "Polaroid" snapped by a friend. Neither one shows the model as they really are.

Now, motion pictures (aka "films," "moving images" or the cheap-sounding "video") have the ability to show different angles, expressions, personality and features of a particular person. Beauty closeups, walking, jumping, laughing and other actions can be included, or not. The best part is retouching motion pictures, for now, is exclusive to the biggest budgeted Hollywood productions so you can be sure the model looks just as you see them.

We shot 20-year-old Austra Noelsson with 100% natural light one morning outside in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The shoot took about an hour and editing was about three hours. The music is a legally licensed track called "When I Close My Eyes" from Danish composer Ganga.

How I Handle Telemarketers

2011-05-23T08:27:00.001-04:00

Such an unfortunate part of American culture is the acceptance of telemarketing calls. I really don't know why we don't take to the streets against these people interrupting my time with my family.

This is a list of all the telemarketers that have contacted me over the past few years. I created a contact for them so I can avoid their calls. However, the list grows weekly, despite me being on the so-called "Do Not Call" list.

This is a list of fax machines that call my cell phone. Most likely, they are the telemarketers too.

Marriott Rewards Image

2011-05-04T16:45:00.001-04:00

Marriott is using our image for their "Rewards" benefits email newsletter. So, why are we not upset their using our work? Well, because we shot it for them at their property in St. Thomas, USVI.

Sushi Installation

2010-09-01T18:58:00.000-04:00

Just installed four large metallic chromogenic prints mounted on aluminum at Bluefin, a local sushi restaurant in Boca Raton, Florida. This is one of my actual installations as opposed to my "simulated" installs on http://bit.ly/rspartp

Zoe & Me

2010-04-03T16:18:00.002-04:00

Zoe is a fashion model in West Palm Beach and we shot some things for each of our portfolios. This is one capture from a shoot at Spa Eleven in Delray Beach. It was a curved bank of mirrors.

Hot Wheels in 3D

2009-12-29T14:45:00.004-05:00

To show an example of our 3D car photography, we were lucky to find a rare 1964 Ferrari 250 GTO. When the GTO was first introduced in 1962, buyers had to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari before they were allowed to pay $18,000 for one of the 39 cars made. The 300hp V12 engine helped the car finish 2nd in its racing debut at the 1962 Twelve Hours of Sebring. With its sleek design, it is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Today, the car is highly sought after by collectors with one sold in 2008 to a British collector for over $25 million. To seethis shot and other 3D images, you will have to visit our separate blog for 3D work at http://redsquarephoto.posterous.com

You're Now Entering Another Dimension

2009-12-12T09:25:00.008-05:00

I've always been a huge fan of Rod Serling. He used seemingly average situations to illustrate unique ideas with both style and substance. After every episode of Twilight Zone, viewers were left thinking "I've never thought of that before."

How does the late Mr. Serling relate to my photography business? Well, it might be a stretch but after 11 years of shooting still images (along with the occasional video experiment), I am currently in the middle of my first 3D product shoot for a manufacturer of hair products.

We used a live model to create a series of 52 still images from unique angles and then stitched them together in post-production. It is a less creative, highly technical process that what I am used to. The result is an impressive 3D image that viewers can click/drag back and forth with their mouse. For web designers, it takes up less space than showing multiple angles and you could certainly never show all 52 of them!

Since Blogger does not have the capability to show 3D images, I have set up a separate blog for this work:

http://redsquarephoto.posterous.com

Out there is another dimension. My goal is to find as many applications as possible for this unique imaging technology.

New York State of Mind

2009-09-27T09:43:00.008-04:00

I just returned from a quick 72-hour trip to New York City and as usual, there were a few "only in NY" moments.

As a child in the early 70s, I remember riding the subway, walking through Times Square and playing in Central Park when these areas were well known for muggings, assaults and other fun things. By the late 90s, the Giuliani regime had cleaned up much of the city and aside from the occasional one-finger salute, tourists can now enjoy most parts of Manhattan unscathed.

One of the most beautiful areas of the city has to be Central Park. There is one area within the park featuring a majestic elm tree-lined path where my family and I enjoyed a few moments of zen over the weekend. And when I wanted to photograph the beautiful tree canopy, I used my mini-triopd to set my camera at a very low, dramatic angle, dead center of the pathway.

While adjusting through my camera, I watched a grey-bearded wizard-type creature walk right up to my lens, mumbling something like "At your service" and "Google my name." (He looked like a KKK member after raiding the wardrobe department on the Harry Potter set.) I turned around but there were no film crews, kid's birthdays or early Halloween parties in the area. I didn't know where to redirect him out of my shot.

In my experience with shooting in other urban areas, I remembered the magic formula for getting people to move out of my shot...money. So, I offered the wizard guy $1 (expecting him to politely turn it down as not to compromise his holy wizardry) when all of a sudden...POOF! The wizard—along with my dollar—was gone.

When I returned home, I did in fact Google his name "Blackwolf the Dragonmaster" and found not only did he recently appear on Conan O'Brien but has many YouTube videos including this one which will give you an idea of how Central Park's characters have evolved versus 40 years ago.

Play That Funky Music

2009-09-18T10:45:00.007-04:00

A Miami-based hip-hop/R&B music promoter is looking for a graphic designer to produce CD covers, posters, banner ads and other marketing pieces.

I'm no graphic designer but above are two quick sample CD covers I did using images I shot a little while ago. It's funny what just a little cropping and typography can do.

Before this week, I probably would have referred them to one of my very talented designer friends. But now, I feel like taking on new and different things so let's see how well this white boy understands the hip-hop market.

Smile, Cupcake!

2009-09-15T06:00:00.003-04:00

Now for something completely different.

Lise Ode, a good friend of mine, is starting a wholesale gourmet cupcake business. She's been baking custom wedding cakes for hundreds of dollars each and will now segue into the neglected cupcake market.

If someone would pay $4 for a cup of coffee, would they pay another $3 for a cupcake to go with it? We will see. In the meantime, she needed product shots and it just so happens that I do accept cupcakes as payment.

The lineup above is (left-to-right for the color blind) Pinkalicious, Minty Chocoate Mint and Creamy Lemon Dream. If you're feeling hungry about now, check out http://www.prettyinpinkcake.com

Never Say Never

2009-09-14T13:34:00.004-04:00

Remember when Bush The Elder made a campaign promise of "No new taxes" and then a few months later introduced a bunch of new taxes? Well, I always said I would never get back into my former life of graphic design but here I go again.

David Omsky, a 12-year-old amateur tennis player will be having his Bar Mitzvah this year. Since he loves tennis (and therefore loves Rafael Nadal), I asked him to sacrifice his teeth for a really great shot. I used the shot in the above invitation design and voila, I'm back in the graphics business.

If your dog is having some friends over for tea, I might even do an invite for that too. Aunt Gladys having her 200th birthday party? Let me know because I might actually enjoy this job the second time around.

Hotel Rwanda: Part II

2009-09-01T09:53:00.023-04:00

In the mid-1990s, Rwanda literally could not find a friend to save its life. Now, everybody wants in on Rwanda's prosperity and I guess that's just how the world works.

Back in March, I received a phone call from a man telling me about this 4-star hotel he built in Rwanda and how he wants top quality images to help market the property. He said he liked my work for Hyatt, Marriott, Ritz and others and he was willing to pay for that same quality.

My first thoughts (aside from that movie) were: How could there possibly be a photogenic hotel in a place like Rwanda? Are four Rwandan stars the same as four American stars? Does this man know what American photographers charge?

As it turns out, my impressions of this central African nation were still left over from 1994 when CNN, NBC and a few other media outlets were kind enough to preempt an episode of Seinfeld in order to debate the definition of genocide.

In the 15 years since the horror, this tiny country has experienced an introspection and self-improvement that even "The Greatest Country In The World" would be smart to emulate. Women now make up more than half of Rwanda's parliament. Dubai World has committed to US$4 billion in Rwandan development. There are plans to install high-speed broadband across the entire country and construction is booming. I guess success is easier once you've hit rock bottom.

A small component of this success is the Top Tower Hotel, a short drive from the new U.S. embassy in Kigali. It was designed by a Chinese architect and built by a Chinese general contractor. My client deserves the credit for hiring me all the way from Florida versus a local African photographer. I'm sure my cost estimate was a tough sell internally but he's somewhat of a visionary and an example of the country's new thinking.

I am thrilled to play my tiny part in helping promote the new Rwanda. But I'm also proud to be one of the few Americans to see that Rwanda's sequel is so much better than the original.

Art vs. Commerce

2009-08-21T16:06:00.009-04:00

With the partial collapse of the commercial photography market, I think it's a great time to venture into the completely collapsed fine art photography market.

I received a request to do a large print of one of my favorite images shot in 2002. It shows the platform area of the very beautiful Centraalstation, Antwerp, Belgium's main railway station designed by architect Clement van Bogeart in 1895.

The image was shot with a Nikon F3 and 28mm tilt/shift lens (the lens later suffered cobblestone impact thanks to my then 3-year-old daughter). The film was Fuji Reala which I was obsessed with due to it's great color saturation and low grain. However, with such a large print from such a small negative, film grain is an unavoidable yet beautiful component of this particular piece.

Printed at 76x50" (1.93x1.27m) on an archival light-sensitive substrate and mounted on 1/4" acrylic and 1/8" sintra backing, the total cost to my client was very reasonable including delivery and hanging. Being an "unknown artist," I haven't a clue what a gallery would charge for a piece like this so if there are any art consultants out there, please let me know.

I've only made a few art prints in my 11-year photography career and it is certainly fun. But, my true love is marketing: Creating and licensing my images to help clients move merchandise, put heads in beds, butts in seats, a turkey in every pot (you get the point).