Blog

Doctor_Doctor

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:52:00 +0000

One of my favorite Behind the Scenes shots in a while - sort of has the emotion of "We lost the patient, but thank God we got the shot!"

Happy_Mother's_Day!

Sun, 13 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Wishing all of the Moms in the world a very special day today - we love you!

Moving_Comfort_Ad

Thu, 10 May 2012 20:07:00 +0000

A new Moving Comfort ad running now with some of our work shot in San Francisco last fall.

Tech_Tip

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:06:00 +0000

I had my first experience this past week capturing wirelessly from camera to iPad and I have to say . . . it was amazing! I shoot quickly and loosely and I can't even begin to count the number of times that I have, regardless of cautions from my team, bogged down the system while shooting teathered causing the need to reboot and ultimately kill the energy that we were working so hard to create. Often this isn't a dealbreaker, but at times - when say a high profile subject is made to wait - it just isn't cool. Well, no more - watching images pop up almost instantaneously on the iPad with no bogging down no matter how quickly I fired - was like watching the future taking place in the present. I am a humble convert.

Dickies_Tears

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:42:00 +0000

Back in January we spent three days in Petaluma, CA on farms, in auto shops, a pool hall, and even a cement factory shooting new work for Dickies Fall 12 campaign and are starting to see some of the work from that come to fruition. A big thanks to Lynn, Philip, Bo, Antonio and all the crew who helped bring this one together!

Oxygen_Spring_Abs

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Some of our work in the current Spring Abs special issue of Oxygen Magazine on newstands now.

PDN_Happy_Hour_Profile

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:31:00 +0000

A big thanks to PDN for the online write up on our work with Budweiser and the Osborn & Barr agency. We had a ton of fun working on this project and it is great to get some nice exposure from it!

When Ty Milford was contacted by St. Louis agency Osborn & Barr to photograph a project for Anheuser Busch’s NASCAR initiatives, he was pleasantly surprised. “It seemed like a bit of an odd request at first because most of NASCAR-oriented-advertising is dark and heroic [and] my work really isn’t,” he explains. Milford gravitates towards energetic, warm, color-saturated imagery – “filled with motion and emotion,” he says. “I just want my work to point to the brighter parts of life. Defining moments.” The sunny California vibe traveled with him from Los Angeles to Portland when he relocated north and has served him well, drawing in huge names like Old Navy and Starbucks. During preproduction with the Osborn & Barr creative team, he was told that he had been awarded the project because they wanted to deviate from the heroic look of NASCAR images. The concept would tie into what they called Milford’s “optimistic” style with the subject, NASCAR racecar driver Kevin “Happy” Harvick. The driver of Budweiser sponsored car #29 would be photographed inside a bar and on the racetrack in a series of lifestyle-themed advertisements promoting Happy Hour with Happy Harvick.

Milford was thrilled to take on the project but admits he knew nothing about NASCAR prior to the shoot. “I had a lot of homework to do,” he says. He worked with Osborn & Barr Art Director Matt Maddox, a relationship that turned out to be the perfect collaboration. Maddox was already prepared with the concept and hand-sketched ideas, but presented them more as loose guidelines for Milford to work from. Milford says it was the ideal mix of organized and flexible, and he was able to work with the concept and sketches while still implementing his own vision.

The shoot took place at the end of August 2011, during NASCAR season. To accommodate Harvick’s busy schedule, Milford traveled to his hometown in North Carolina. Producer Elizabeth Nicole scouted locations in the area, selecting a bar called Sheri’s for the Happy Hour scene and a nearby drag strip for the track scene, which would later be composited onto an image of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Milford’s plan was to shoot the bar scene in the morning and the track scene at sunset. By the time he and his team wrapped up the shoot at the bar, a drizzle had begun to fall and they had only just gotten their strobes up before the sky opened up and the equipment had to be saved. They rescheduled with Harvick for a quick shoot the following evening in his own driveway.

Despite the last minute complications, Milford was able to keep the shoot low key and comfortable. He prefers to have a dialogue with his subjects to keep any stress at bay. “The way I like to work… is just to engage them in conversation while we are working so that, ideally, they forget they are even on a photo shoot and feel more like they are just hanging out with their friends,” he explains. Milford also encouraged a close-knit group that consisted of Harvick’s wife, friends, publicist, agent and dogs to stay near the set to help obtain a quicker level of intimacy within the time constraints.

No matter what project Milford is working on, assignment or personal, typical or atypical of his usual audience, he strives for his scenes to be uninhibited and genuine. He says, “The work that speaks to me the most - whether mine or someone else's - is that which feels like beautiful moments captured rather than images produced or forced to happen for the sake of production.”

Title_Nine_Sports_Spring_12

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:28:00 +0000

Some of our work finally released for Title Nine Sports Spring 2012 catalog that we shot back in October in Santa Barbara, which you may know is the place to be over Halloween week and we managed to stumble across a Thriller flash mob of about a thousand people in the central square of the Santa Barbara Courthouse on the way to the wrap dinner - pretty cool! It was a fun week down there and we love any opportunity to wear flip flops in October!

Fall_Flashback

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:57:00 +0000

We've been working hard on a handful of great projects lately - the fruits of which we won't be able to share until they release in a few months. In the meantime just cleaning out the drives of work completed last fall and so threw together a quick collage of BTS pics.

From_the_Road

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:23:00 +0000

Pulled this one out of the vault recently - seems like another life when I shot this - probably was about 10 years ago. Definitely a few years before digital . . . or before I had one anyway. I believe this was on 35mm Provia. I had a job that landed me in Antarctica for 6 or so months of the year (for about 6 years) and I spent a lot of nights in a tent like this. Made some great friends and saw some incredible sights. I miss it - miss the overwhelming quiet, the stillness, the 'not a care in the world' feeling that seems incomprehensible to me now. I am thankful that my passion for photography really grew out of experiences in amazing places like this.

Budweiser_NASCAR_Harvick

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:44:00 +0000

The reality of doing advertising work is that you do all that you can to attract clients who you really want to work for - the ones who YOU THINK are the best suited for your artistic style and vision, but then at the end of the day the phone often rings for jobs that you would have never anticipated being in line for. That happened this past July when we were contacted by the Osborn & Barr agency in St. Louis to put together a proposal for working on their 2012 Budweiser NASCAR project. It seemed like a bit of an odd request at first because most all of the NASCAR oriented advertising is dark, ominous, & heroic (which my work really isn't), but we ended up being awarded and were told that among other deciding factors, one of the more significant was that our work feels above all "optimistic" - which was their direction for 2012 in an effort to blend the angle of 'Happy Hour' with Kevin Harvick's (the Budweiser sponsored 29 Car driver) nickname of 'Happy.' I probably wouldn't have used 'optimistic' in describing what I do - but love that this is how my work is viewed and in retrospect couldn't agree more.

We had an absolute blast working on this project last August in North Carolina - meeting Kevin Harvick - and working with the team at at Richard Childress Racing. I wanted to once again give a big shout out to Matt, Tammy, Steve and Fred at Osborn & Barr and Chris at Anheusier Busch for extending this wonderful opportunity; to Elizabeth, Bo, Antonio and Paul who worked as an awesome team even when the sky cut loose and we had a generator and a crap load of strobes sitting on the asphalt getting drenched. What more can I say than 'Thanks Ya'll!". Here are a few of the finished pieces - but anywhere you see Kevin and Budweiser this next year you'll be seeing our work.

Adam_Riley

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:37:00 +0000

Excited to announce the newest member of our team here at TMI - Adam Riley - born Feb 4th and weighing in at 6lb 11oz.

Starbucks

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Here is some of the work that we shot with Starbucks in Seattle in mid-November. Can you tell that it was only 37F that day? Big shout out to Jodi, Dena and Joanna for the great opportunity to work with their team!

Dickies_Petaluma

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:33:00 +0000

We were down in Petaluma, CA last week shooting with Dickies for their Fall 2012 collection. Standing in a cement factory in the pouring rain I thought to myself, 'Wow, it doesn't get any better than this!' Seriously though, it was pretty cool. In spite of the crappy weather (hey, it was a fall season shoot afterall) we laughed our asses off, ate some great food, saw some beautiful countryside and overall had a blast. Big thanks to Lynn from Dickies for inviting us to the party, Deb and Philip for pulling it all together, and Bo and Antonio for the good times. Here's a few behind the scenes snaps.

Bullet_Racing_at_The_Ridge

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:39:00 +0000

Just wrapped up the completed video spot for the The Ridge Motorsports Park and Porsche Bullet Racing Team to take with them to the 24 Hours of Daytona later this month. Sincerely wish that I could go with them - actually, still working on that.

The Ridge Motorsports Park and Porsche Bullet Racing Team from Ty Milford on Vimeo.

Le_Book_Connections_2012

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:02:00 +0000

We'll be exhibiting at this year's Le Book Connections on Thursday Jan 26th - so save the date and come check us out if you're in LA and if you're not make a plan to come on out!

Oregon_Home_Magazine

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:23:00 +0000

Happy New Years - so psyched to come out of the gate running in 2012! There is always this trepidation that I feel around the new year and how it will shake out compared to the previous - just one of the joys of being independent I guess. Anyway - hope that it is a great year for you as well.

Still playing catch up - here is the full catch of selects from the Oregon Home Magazine cover story that we did on the swank pad of Fritz Junker here in Portland. Enjoy!

Bridgeport_Village_Image_Library

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:02:00 +0000

Finally getting around during this Holiday break to posting a small selection of the work from the image library that we created for Bridgeport Village - a premier shopping destination outside of Portland, Oregon. We did all of the lifestyle as well as architectural images for this project and had a great couple of days on location back in August I think it was. Images are already running on their web site and as ads in Portland Monthly Magazine.

Happy_Holidays!!!

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays and a superb 2012!!!

Bullet_Racing_at_The_Ridge

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Christmas came a bit early this year. Admittedly, I did have a Porsche 911 (Carrera S to be exact) on my Santa wish list (seriously, if you've caught 20 minutes of television in the past few weeks you've seen that all kinds of people get cars from their loved ones with big red bows at the Holidays - or at least that's what I see in the commercials - so might as well ask right?!?!) Anyway, a week or so ago a friend - lets call her "Santa's Little Helper" - shared my info at the right time with the right people and - WHAT TO MY WONDERING EYES SHOULD APPEAR - not one, but three 911's (Carrera GT3's to be exact)!!! Well, ok, not mine to keep, but to shoot in a video project for a new race track in Shelton, WA called The Ridge Motorsports Park and the Porsche Bullet Racing team. And shoot we did - inside the cars, outside, at speed, from a helo - all on a bluebird day with Mt. Ranier glowing in the distance. We'll be digging into the edit soon, but here are are a few frames from the shoot. Thanks Santa C(Liz)!

Moving_Comfort_Fall12_Brand_Video

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:42:00 +0000

Moving Comfort Fall 2012 from Ty Milford on Vimeo.

We shot and directed this brand video short for Moving Comfort this fall in San Francisco, CA along with the stills, which were already posted about here, for their Fall 2012 campaign. You can also check out a couple of the product collection specific shorts for SPORTS BRAS and URBAN GYM on our Vimeo page.

A big thanks to Moving Comfort for the continued opportunty to work with their brand, Liz Petrella for art direction, Elizabeth Nicole for her production expertese, Kiley Hertel at Hmngbrd for his super solid design contributions, Margaret Andres for her editing talents, Bo Baumgartner for keeping me sane (mostly) and Antonio Fernando for is local SF knowledge and 'ever ready attitude.'

Starbucks

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:31:00 +0000

We were on location with Starbucks up in Seattle last week shooting some new work for Spring 12. You may be saying to yourself - "Seattle, spring . . . November = does not compute." Yeah, it was about 37F, but the skies were kind to us and the rain didn't hit until about 3:00PM. I felt a bit for the talent who we shot until they got so cold and started shaking so much that the foamed milk from their beverages started splattering onto my lens. Was a good time though and want to send a big thanks to Jodi, Dena and Joanna for the fantastic opportunity. I will be psyched to share the work once it releases in a few months.

Keen_Footwear_Los_Angeles

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:43:00 +0000

We were down in LA last week on location with Keen Footwear in Malibu and Palos Verdes - which was my happy place when I lived down there and needed a sane and scenic place to ride my bike. The weather was not as 'spring-like' as hoped, but we had a successful and fun time nonetheless. Thanks to the team at Keen for the continuted opportunity to work with their brand and to Bo for these snaps of me 'in action' along the way.

Royal_Robbins_Fall_2012

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:08:00 +0000

A few tears from the Royal Robbins Fall 2012 catalog we recently shot in the Front Range of Colorado.

WRM/Remodeling

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:12:00 +0000

Two current editoral publications with our work on the cover!

Moving_Comfort_Fall12

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Excited to share a few of the new layouts from the Moving Comfort Fall 2012 catalog we shot in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago.

Title_Nine_Sports_Santa_Barbara

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:47:00 +0000

We had another successful shoot in Santa Barbara last week with Title Nine Sports for their Spring 12 catalogs. Always happy to put my feet in the sand under sunny skies in November! Here's a few quick phone snaps from the week:

Colorado

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:46:00 +0000

We were on location again last week with the Royal Robbins brand in the Front Range of Colorado - surrounded by golden Aspen trees and snowy mountain vistas - the perfect location for an autumn mountain lifestyle shoot. Here's a few snaps from my phone along the way.

Back at it today and headed for the third straight week on location - this time in sunny Santa Barbara.

Moving_Comfort_Fall12_San_Francisco

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Had a busy week in San Francisco on location with the women's fitness apparel brand Moving Comfort shooting stills and video for their Fall 2012 campaign. Off to Colorado for another project later this afternoon - I guess I'll rest in November!

Bridgeport Village

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:31:00 +0000

The first of several new ads that we recently shot for Bridgeport Village. Thanks to Kiki, Max and Sarah for the opportunity - we had a couple of fun days down there and are looking forward to seeing how the finished pieces turn out.

Oregon_Home_Magazine

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:29:00 +0000

Some of our work on the Oct/Nov 2011 cover of Oregon Home Magazine. Thanks Jon Taylor for the opportunity and to Fritz Junker for creating such a cool space for us to shoot.

Women's_Running_Magazine

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Some of our work on the cover of the current issue of Women's Running Magazine. We shot this back in March I think it was in LA at Miauhaus Studios - super cool place. Thanks to Dawna and Melissa for the opportunity, to Christina for the assistance and Tania for her artistry with the hair and makeup. The model is Lauren Collins with Sports and Lifestyle Unlimited.

PDN_Studio_Guide

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:45:00 +0000

We had a nice little write up in the 2011 Photo District News 'Studio Guide' - a suplimental piece delivered with the September issue of PDN - about our work for Old Navy a few months back at Left Space studio in San Francisco. The article, while focusing on the attributes of Left Space (which BTW is a great studio!) also talks about our work there and features a few of the images from the Old Navy campaign. If PDN lands in your mail box check it out!

Budweiser

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:44:00 +0000

Just back after super fun week of shooting NASCAR in North Carolina for Budweiser. If you check in here reasonably often you have no doubt seen more than a few car shots, so it will be no surprise that having the opportunity to shoot Kevin Harvick and Bud 29 was a dream job for me. I want to give a shout out to my friends at Osborn & Barr in St. Louis for the wonderful opportunity and to Elizabeth, Bo, Antonio and Biggie Pauls for keeping us safe, sane and dialed last week while on location. I'll be psyched to share the finished product in a few months, but for now a few random snaps from my phone will have to suffice.

Faces_of_Bike_MS_2011

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:07:00 +0000

For the past three years I have had the pleasure of donating a day of my time to shoot portraits for the Oregon Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's BIKE MS event - a two-day fundraising bike ride that benefits over 7,200 people with multiple sclerosis that the Oregon Chapter serves each year. This highly regarded ride brings together over 800 cyclists, 200 volunteers and countless supporters and spectators. This year the event has raised over $308,000, but is still a bit shy of their goal - if you feel inclined donate HERE! Here are some of the Faces of BIKE MS 2011:

Moving_Comfort_Ad

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:22:00 +0000

Moving Comfort's new ad running now in Shape Magazine with some of our work shot on location in Seattle with the uber talented and crazy fun Monica Carlson from Sports and Lifestyle Unlimited.

PDN_Photoserve

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:59:00 +0000

I wanted to give a shout out to our friends at Photo District News' Photoserve for featuring us as one of their top 10 portfolios of the month - I appreciate it!

Kara_Goucher

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:11:00 +0000

We shot Nike elite runner and new mom Kara Goucher out at the Nike campus a month or so ago for the current cover of Women's Running Magazine.

It was a super fun afternoon sharing a bag of Cheetos and talking about our favorite trails to run in Forest Park. Thanks Kara for rocking it, Amy Gillespie for Hair and Makeup, Bo for pixel snagging and Melissa, Jessie and Dawna at Women's Running for the opportunity.

Allure

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:11:00 +0000

I love cars - maybe it is a midlife crisis budding - not sure, but I am crazy about them right now. Particularly older ones from the 50s and 60s (but then I love most everything from that era). European. German specifically. As my Father's Day gift my wife secretly got us tickets to the now running exhibit at the Portland Art Museum called Allure of the Automobile. It is a spectacular display of 16 of the world's most rare and luxurious automobiles and is well worth checking out.

Com_Arts_Webpick

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:19:00 +0000

The new web site for Parklane Mattresses that we shot both video and stills for was featured as today's web pick at Communication Arts! A few other recent posts about our work with Parklane can be seen here and here. Thanks again to Lindsay from Parklane and Mark from Live Area Labs for the opportunity.

Old_Navy_Americana

Fri, 20 May 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Here's some work that we shot for Old Navy back in March I believe at Left Space in San Francisco (fab studio if you every need one there BTW). This is what you get when you have 18 spirited models (half of which were kids right down to infant age), a boat full of props, and a blank canvas. Super fun experience - thanks Ari, Natasha and Heike! All of this work is up on the OLD NAVY site now along with a fun little BEHIND THE SCENES video - go get yourself something fun and summery for your next backyard shin dig!

Moving_Comfort_Spring12_Brand_Film

Thu, 12 May 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Moving Comfort Spring 2012 from Ty Milford on Vimeo.

We shot this in conjunction with the stills for Moving Comfort while on location in Miami this spring. Together they are a really great example of how we can coordinate both efforts and come away with deliverables that are of the same point of view and have a cohesive brand message.

Maria_Menounos

Tue, 10 May 2011 15:48:00 +0000

Two versions of the current issue of Women's Running Magazine featuring celeb Maria Menounos that we shot in LA a few months back. She was a kick to shoot with - at one point clarifying that she didn't want me to 'like' what we were getting -she wanted me to LOVE it. I am fortunate in that most of the talent I work with operate this way and it was just another great day at the office. Thanks Dawna, Jessica and Melissa for the continued opportunities and Christina for your assistance and good company while in LA.

Moving_Comfort_Spring_2012

Sun, 01 May 2011 14:27:00 +0000

I've already posted some Happy Snaps from the shoot we did in Miami for Moving Comfort a few weeks back, but I just got a copy of the catalog this past week and so am excited to share the tears from the shoot now. We love our relationship with Moving Comfort and the constant creative evolution that we have been fortunate to be able to be a part of. This season was no different and from the very beginning of pre-season discussions we knew that the stakes were being upped from striving for more motion and emotion in the studio component (in addition to the location work, we shot all of the studio elements as well) to traveling a bit further to a new environment filled wtih color and inspiration. It is always my goal in building a relationship with a client that we grow each and every season and it feels good to see how that has tangibly happened with Moving Comfort. Thanks Liz for your motivation, direction, comedy, appreciation and respect and Sara - as always - for this amazing opportunity to work with your team and the brand. If you are in Florida (or anywhere), Elizabeth Nicole is a fantastic producer - thanks for taking SUCH great care of us. Bo, aside from sacrificing your baby toe for our amusement, thanks for keeping up with the ones and zeros and being such a great friend and traveling companion over the years. Vince, great to meet you and thanks for keeping us entertained the entire time. And of course thanks to Andrew for pushing pixels around yet again this season. It was an awesome project and the finished product will be yet another challenge to improve upon. Stand by for the brand video that we shot as well which should be completed in a few weeks.

Three_Niner

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Today is the big Three-Niner and as I recall, like many birthdays past, I am again on a shoot somewhere fun. Today we are in sunny Santa Barbara under clear blue skies and with all of the beauty that the 'American Riviera' has to offer. It has been a great year with so many things to be thankful for - a great new agent, new work space, some really awesome new clients, and many inspiring new relationships. With all of the nights in hotels and time away from family, in addition to the creative challenges - it is the relationships that keeps this job fun and fresh. Thank you to everyone who supports me though this process of getting to do something that I love every day. Looking forward to another one!

Parklane_2_ of_2

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:43:00 +0000

In this second post about our work with the Portland, Oregon based Parklane Mattresses brand we spent a few minutes with Lindsay Woodward discussing her process for developing their brand image and message.

What is your job title?

Director of Brand Strategy

Brand Strategy eh? What does the word brand mean to you?

Experience. A brand is not the logo, the typeface, or even the color – it is the EXPERIENCE. All the touch points that a consumer has with a brand create the experience. If you neglect any part of the experience – web site, advertising, customer service, in store, delivery, follow up, etc. —then you are putting your brand at risk. Every touch-point with a customer must be on-brand, on-message and aligned with the promised brand experience.

Have long have you been at Parklane?

14 months

Tell me in three words or less what your thoughts are about marketing and advertising in the mattress industry in general?

Used-car-sales-like. Very neglected. Kind of sleazy.

How do you feel Parklane is different?

We exist to simply help people sleep better. Sure, one of our differentiators is that our products are superior, but we go much deeper. The paradigm has been that what you sleep on doesn’t really matter so the mattress shopping experience has been diluted down something that we ‘have to do’ vs. ‘want to do’. So at Parklane we decided to launch a new brand experience that is more pleasant and expresses the reasons why what you sleep on and how your quality of sleep is directly correlated to your positive life experiences. Further, we want to do business in a different way where the focus is on the quality of the product and the satisfaction of the customer and not deals and haggling that are typical. We have sought to create an experience in store and online that is about the customer and deciding what is best for them vs. us telling them ‘this is what you should get’ because it is on sale, discontinued, a second, etc. There is no pressure and we encourage the customer to take time to make this decision, which in the scheme of things is a relatively large life decision. We want to make sure that they get the right fit. We’re not here just to sell mattresses we’re here to help improve your quality of life.

So you exist to do more than just sell? I’m a long time Seinfeld fan and I often relate the episode where George and Jerry are trying to sell the NBC execs on their pilot for a show about ‘nothing.’ Towards the end of the meeting one exec asks George why people would choose to watch a show about ‘nothing’ and George responds, ‘because it’s on TV’. I find a lot of brands treat their strategy this way – people will buy it because it is ‘there’ rather than spending the time and effort to understand their consumer and then trying to fill a void in their life. You have clearly done this and understand what separates you from the pack, which is admirable. How have you gone about trying to communicate this brand message to your target consumer so that THEY understand how you are different?

Well it isn’t going to happen overnight, but it starts with understanding your target audience. We have invested a significant amount of time developing an understanding of who our market is and then understanding how to communicate with them. For us it is women 25-55 who are caretakers of their families and who are often professionals – they are very busy and don’t have a lot of time to invest in figuring out what they need. They need a resource that will allow them to efficiently make an informed decision while at the same time having an inviting experience. We want to make their life easier. After developing this foundation we have then sought to create a brand personality or an expectation for an experience we want to layout for our consumer. We’re still in the infancy state, but we believe that as long as we keep the target consumer in mind we will be moving in the right direction.

How does all of the homework that you have done on your target consumer translate into your visual brand image? For instance, your site contains a lot of imagery that doesn’t contain mattresses or the cliché images of people sleeping with looks of bliss on their faces – what’s the deal?

You have to have the product shots – and we do – but you also have to transcend the product – whatever it is - and evolve into a lifestyle, a culture, and in our case a style of space. You have to give your consumer an opportunity to relate the benefits of a product to the quality of their lifestyle. And we do – better sleep translates into a better day because you are more alert, more rested, more energized. All of our lifestyle imagery portrays people in positive light – outside, active, enjoying life. Its all about being happy and living in the moment because you are getting good sleep. It’s all about the customer seeing us as more than just a product, but something that is going to actively make their life better. People desire to fit into whatever their personal style and culture is and so they want to align with certain brands that are consistent with who they believe they are. You have to give someone something to connect to and a deeper reason to care.

I love that last statement that you described Lindsay of “giving someone something to connect to and a deeper reason to care” – marketplaces are VERY crowded these days and at some point a healthy, growing brand has to put a flag in the sand and say “this is who we are (provide something to connect to) and this is why we are different (give a deeper reason to care.)” As George and Jerry found out when their pilot got cancelled, simply because a show is on TV doesn’t mean that anyone will want to watch it – meaning simply because a brand exists doesn’t meant that people will care about it.

Yes.

I describe it as the ‘if you build it they will come’ mentality’ – where if you can express a particular type of lifestyle that fits for the demographic you are trying to attract and you can get them more excited about the type of lifestyle that they already want, then they will need the products to achieve that lifestyle.

Exactly.

I see your brand as being bright & fresh – it just feels good - like a summer breeze. From a visual standpoint tell me how the design fits in with the experience you are trying to convey. Was all of that conscious – font colors, image selection, design, etc.?

Yes, it absolutely was conscious. The brown because of the earthy connection – it is a stable color and the blue is calming. I wanted to create an identity with a sense of timelessness, but which would still feel fun. Our typeface, DIN, is a sans-serif font that has character and is fun, fresh and light. The images we have chosen help to define the ideal consumer lifestyle that we are trying to align ourselves with. We balanced the brighter and airy feeling images of beds and home environments with the outdoor northwest imagery (which grounds us the locally based brand that we are) that still has the clean, fresh, green feeling. The brand is about better sleep for all people for all time – we are not trying to be trendy. Your imagery Ty meshes well with this because you have a style about your work that is unique, but isn’t so over the top. It is real and genuine and so it was a perfect fit. We need to feel real and not staged and that is where the lifestyle direction went along with the colors, white space, light and bright and typeface. But keeping the overall look and feel light and airy allows a viewer to just breathe – there is already too much in the world that shouts at us and so we wanted to come across more subtly and allow people to breathe and interact with us.

You have just launched a new site, new in store materials, etc. – how has the response been?

Really positive. We are averaging between 400-500 unique hits on our site per day. So far everything that has been released has been working to shape the experience.

Parklane_1_of_2

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Last fall we were brought in on an exciting and innovative project for Parklane Mattresses by the Seattle creative firm Live Area Labs (LAL). So, you're probably asking yourself "did he just use the words mattress and exciting in the same sentence?" I admit, I did the same when I was approached by LAL, but it quickly became apparent that this was taking the online shopping paradigm and pushing it to the next level. Anyway, Parklane's new site with the "Mattress Finder" function has just recently gone live and so I wanted to post about it again here.

The goal of the project was to develop a web based tool to assist Parklane's customer in finding their best mattress fit by asking a series of questions that would lead them toward their ideal mattress. But rather than just utilizing the standard fare of copy and photos, LAL wanted to shoot a series of interactive videos whereby each time a customer answered a question - such as whether they were a stomach, side or back sleeper - a particular way the subjects on screen would interact in the same manner - in effect saying "we are you and this is your life." Very cool.

I'd like to say that video is the future of the web, but in effect it is really already the present. While the nature of print is static (and thus requires stills), web is dynamic and any image that can be viewed as a still can reasonably easily be swapped out for a video clip - just adding that much more LIFE to the visual. We are starting to see a number of brands grasp onto this concept - Parklane being a part of this innovation - where an image that at first glance may seem a still suddenly comes to life. Check out the Mattress Finder function and the video work that we did for it HERE as great example - and let me know if you were surprised when the feet dangling off the bed suddenly come to life.

We'll be following up this post with an interview with the Brand Strategy guru at Parklane - Lindsay Woodward. Stand by. . .

South_Beach

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:59:00 +0000

We were down in South Beach two weeks ago on a project for Moving Comfort (will get some of that work up soon) and had a fabulous time. Coming from the Pacific NW where we've had more than our share of grey and drizzly of late, everything in Miami was candy to the eyes!

Bic

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Studio

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:58:00 +0000

We were in the studio all last week with Moving Comfort in Portland. Good times. While we primarily do location based work, I love studio days for the control of light and fun I can have exploring an emotion or action without concern for when the next cloud will roll across the sun, whether the forecast of rain will hold true or how hard the wind will blow. In the end though I always love getting back on location and this week we are in Miami Beach under a hot sun and surrounded by the coolest art deco architecture. Happy to report that after day one I am already sporting a nice crispy red neck - perfect!

Where_Am_I_Again?

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:15:00 +0000

SUPER CRAZY WEEK - the "That was fun but glad it doesn't happen all the time" kind. A few months back we'd planned out the perfect family spring break to take place this past week in Palm Springs and at the last moment got a call for a project with Gap's Old Navy brand that we just couldn't pass up (more on that later) and so did a quick little re-arrange to make it all work (ie -added a few flights, etc.) and so the week went down like this:

Sunday: Pre-dawn wake up for Kelly, Malia and I to head to the airport -> PDX to SFO to Ontario to Palm Springs -> Staying at the ACE Hotel (wicked cool!) -> Dodging T-Rex's -> Ran into a handful of other families from Portland down to the desert to escape the rain (which was harder to escape than you might imagine).

Monday: Hanging out around the pool -> Exploring Palm Springs and the Living Desert Museum -> Taking in our fill of cool MCM architecture including the Kaufman House.

Tuesday: Up at 4:00am -> Palm Spring to SFO -> Build the set and prelight the shoot for Old Navy at Left Space (sweet studio in the Mission) -> Drinks at Swig -> Crash out at The Clift Hotel (been wanting to stay here for a while - a virtual chair museum with an Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair right in the lobby) - thanks Ari for the great digs!

Wednesday/Thursday: Shoot a super fun summer campaign for Old Navy -> Dinner at Slow Club before heading to SFO to Palm Springs -> Arrive 1:00am. Can't share images yet, but will be excited to do so once they are released!

Friday: Coffee and fruit poolside at the Ace with Kelly and Malia and then back to the airport in Ontario to SFO to PDX. Second time hanging at SFO in less than 24 hours - yehaw!

Will put up another bit on the Old Navy shoot when I can, but for now thanks to Ari, Natasha and Heike for the exceptionally fun opportunity to work with their crew and the Gap team, Left Space for producing pretty much any and every piece of equipment I could come up with on short notice, Bo for keeping the pixels in order as always and Antonio and Allen for making the light. Glad to be home, but it was a great week and one I won't soon forget.

Residential_Architect

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:33:00 +0000

The current cover of Residential Architect Magazine that we shot with architects Sergio Palleroni and Margarette Leite from Portland State University.

Keen_Blasts

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:38:00 +0000

Some recent eBlast ads from Keen Footwear that we shot last summer . . . and on that note - SO ready for SUMMER!!! Anyway, LOVE the graphic treatments here!

Deborah Ayerst Represents

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:03:00 +0000

Really excited to announce that we are now represented by Deborah Ayerst. She's super charismatic, an alum of UC Berkeley, has 20+ years in the business and we couldn't be happier to be working with her. So we decided to welcome her to the team James Lipton style:

What is your favorite word?
        AMELIORATE, BUT I USE THE WORD AWESOME THE MOST
What is your least favorite word?
        I AM A WORD FREAK, SO THERE IS NO WORD I DON'T LIKE
What turns you on?
       LIGHT/BOOKS/CATS/GORGEOUS FAST CARS
What turns you off?
       WHENEVER MY HAPPY, FREE SPIRIT GETS UNNECESSARILY DAMPENED BY OTHERS
What sound or noise do you love?
       MEOW
What sound or noise do you hate?
       THE CLASSIC: FINGERNAILS ON A CHALKBOARD
What is your favorite curse word?
        THE FOUR LETTER F WORD!
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
        PROFESSIONAL CHEF
What profession would you not like to do?
       ANY PROFESSION WHERE, ON A DAILY BASIS, THE CUSTOMERS YOU ENGAGE WITH ARE GUARANTEED TO BE PISSED OFF
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
      THAT REMINDS ME OF THE ONLY JOKE I KNOW AND TELL.....

LA_LA_Land

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:54:00 +0000

Was down in LA for a few days this week on a project and stepped off the plane from Portland to . . . RAIN! Seriously . . . SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA . . . what's a guy got to do to see a little sun this time of year?? Everyone there was throwing out the "you should of been here yesterday" line.

Stayed at the Standard on Sunset - super fun digs -

And shot an editorial with the super fun Maria Menounos who kept us cracking up the entire time - a personality every bit as large and bright as you would expect. This is all I can share for now, but will post the tears when the mag hits news stands this spring -

Cookies

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:50:00 +0000

We just put a recently completed motion project up on Vimeo this week and because isn't on our Reel yet I wanted to announce it here - COOKIES. As always, mad props to Margaret Andres for her crazy skills with the edit!

Women's_Running_Jan11

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:50:00 +0000

The Jan/Feb 11 issue of Women's Running Magazine is on news stands now with a fitness spread of ours. Katie Dober is the stellar talent from Sports and Lifestyle Unlimited Agency here in Portland. We are headed to LA this next week to shoot a few more covers for upcoming issues for them.

Studio_Snaps

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:46:00 +0000

We've been working on building out a new office and studio space in NE Portland for the past month or so - getting close to moving in - but had our first opportunity to shoot in the space yesterday afternoon while creating some cover art for a few forthcoming issues of Women's Running Magazine. Can't share any of that yet, but here's a few light test snaps. We'll officially annouce the space once construction is completed and of course you'll see the covers here too once they hit news stands.

People_Magazine

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Fun to see some of the cute kiddos we shot for Sorel last January in Summit County, Colorado showing up in the People Magazine blog.

John_Culqui

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:58:00 +0000

I'd like to give a shout out to John Culqui - one of my favorite surf artists and fellow appreciator of color and warmth, not to mention he lives and surfs at my former home breaks in Orange County, California. John's work is graphic, filled with vibrant color and channels his positive outlook on life - portraying glowing sunsets, fluttering butterflies and endless curling waves - and I feel fortunate to have a few of his pieces on my walls to enjoy everyday. You can check out a Q&A sesion with him in Liquid Salt Magazine HERE and more of his great work on his personal site HERE. Kudos John - keep up the great work!

Recent_Work

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Some of our work out in recent email campaigns.

Portlandia - "It's a City Where Young People Go to Retire"

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Did you catch the premier of Portlandia last night on IFC? Ok, if you don't live in Portland you're probably not going to appreciate the excessive focus on 'how local the chicken on the menu is' or 'actually how many acres did he have the run of,' but it's funny because it is true - right?. I dunno - maybe the "dream of the 90's is alive" here and Portland really is "a place where young people go to retire!" Check the premis for the show staring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein here:

Carve_Designs_Autumn_2010

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:45:00 +0000

Finally getting a chance to post some of my favorite images from a shoot that we did with Carve Designs in Bolinas, California back in October. It was a fun few days in a really beautiful setting along the coast north of San Francisco. Thanks Jen and Thayer as always for the opportunity, Kiley for the big picture artistic perspective, Bo for keeping the back end nailed down, Casey for the great styling, and Carlee for tying all the loose ends together.

Happy_New_Year!

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2011!