While I wouldn’t consider myself a “commercial” photographer in the strict sense of the word, I do enjoy the challenge of shooting things that are a little different than what I’m used to. Plus, if there are people involved, then it is right up my alley.

I see photography in much the same way as I look at graphic design. You have a problem or need, you create a solution. I feel like that’s a huge part of why I’m able to translate my work as a graphic designer to photographer.

With this, the goal was to shoot promo photos for a local printer, Pacific NW Print & Fulfillment, to use on their website & printed materials so they could get away from having to use the same stock photos as every other printer around.

So I spent some time with the Chris and the crew, dragging my lights around, and seeing what they do while capturing it as well as their personalities through the lens.

They also had me photograph some sample prints (“be fast”) that they ran at 2 other local printers so they could show the quality of their work versus the other guys’ (PNW’s print is on the left).

Here are some of the photos from the shoot as well as a couple of photos of the brochure they produced utilizing the photos.

P.S. If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be the forklift photo—mostly for the technical aspect. There are 2 different lights being used. One on the overall scene so I could keep the exposure down and the sky blue. But the one that gets me excited is the other light placed in the warehouse to give some extra definition to the boxes. Otherwise they would have been lost in the shadows.

Right after Christmas we packed up the family and headed over to Tacoma. One of the biggest reasons for this trip (besides the normal holiday festivities) was to say goodbye to my brother’s family as they were getting ready to relocate in South Carolina in a couple of weeks. One of the blessings of traveling back (besides always having someplace to stay) is getting all of the kid cousins together. Even though it may have been months since they last saw each other, they instantly go back to playing like they’ve never been apart.

We’ll miss seeing them next time we go back to visit.

So one of the important events this trip was getting a family photo of the four boys and our families. Of course it rained the entire week. After driving around looking for spots to get it done we ended up downtown in a parking garage where graffiti artists are welcome to show off their skills. As you can see, the kids had a blast (like always).

Since these are more of a personal project I felt I could take some liberties and edit these in a style that’s a little different than my own, but I felt the hyper-contrast look worked perfectly with the urban environment. I doubt I’ll be adopting this style for my other work.

With many, many thanks to the people over Print NW in Tacoma, WA I now have two great business cards (wedding & portrait) & a beautiful wedding brochure. So I figured I should take some photos of them. If you have printing needs, go check them out. They will take great care of you and their pricing is outstanding. Plus if you just have a basic idea Greg will figure out how to make it work—and work well.

A benefit of being a graphic designer as well as a photographer is that I can design my own materials (& website). The hard thing is that I’m rarely satisfied with what I’ve done and I’m usually saved from constant redesigns by a deadline of some sort—I’m always my own worst client.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see other photographers make is that they try to design their own materials without any design training—a DIY approach. It’s a natural reaction while trying to save money. But ask yourself, would you invest thousands of dollars in a business who doesn’t recognize the importance of  a professional look. I wouldn’t. I do feel a little jealous of CPAs who start photography businesses because they already have the bookkeeping training that I desperately lack. So, I guess what I’m saying is that we all need to learn our strengths & weaknesses and apply our strengths and outsource our weaknesses. For example I’m not a great writer. I know that. You’re reading this, so you know that. Understanding this, I had a friend who is a great writer redo my text. I can’t explain how much better her version is than what I wrote.

In addition to the brochure & business cards, the guys at Print NW also printed 2 inserts for the brochure. A little ad explaining the importance of the engagement session and one explaining exactly what the trendy “Trash the Dress” (TTD) session is and whether or not you have to run your gown (hint: you dont).

I’m also adding an image of my ad that’s featured in the 2010 Wedding Resource Guide. Pick it up at most any inland NW bridal shop. Many thanks to the extra sets of eyeballs that took a look at it and gave me some great feedback.

I couldn’t be more happy with how it’s all turned out. That’s why I’m so happy to share.

Generally I prefer to get my photos on location, but sometimes timing, weather, and circumstances add up to equal taking the photos inside. Fortunately I have the studio setup now that allows me to accomplish the photo taking without relying on nature at all—plus I love having absolute control over my light.

This time the Osborn family needed their family photos done and we decided it was a perfect time to get in the studio and get some use out of it since the weather has been on the cold/rainy side. First I set up the lights against the 9′ wide white seamless paper background and had Reagan stand in to test things (the last photo is a couple of these test shots). Once they were good, the Osborns showed up and we got to shooting. They were lots of fun and everybody did great in front of the camera. They all have such great personalities which makes my job easier since I don’t really have to do anything but catch it—you know, like karate kicks and stuff.

Finally I got a couple of photos with my daughter Gwyn hamming it up with her friend—which didn’t look like it was going to happen since Gwyn was being a bit of a brat. Of course she saw how much fun everybody was having and decided it was ok to be a part of it.

Even within the confines of a small studio I think we got some great portraits and I can’t wait to use it again.