Alone in 1000 Square Feet

It’s important to stay busy, but it’s also important to have fun. I recently began a series of images involving six different characters. Over time their stories will grow and conflict.

The guidelines are simple: only I can be in the image and it must be shot in my apartment, common area or basement. The techniques, however, are limitless.

I present: the brilliant psychopath, the afflicted war veteran, the clever spy, the distressed burglar, the turbulent mob associate and the flamboyant detective.

We can do the same for you. Contact us for more information.

Edward: A Working Man

Our great friend Ed is full of personality. When he asked to have a new professional head shot taken, we jumped at the chance to shoot him in his element: jacket, button up and a whole lot of panache.

Pretty dapper, wouldn’t you say? So we veered a bit from the typical corporate shots but we got those too. If you need professional photos and aren’t afraid to laugh and kick back, give us a holler.

Larger-than-life: A sculpture by Tim Péwé

Saturday morning we met artist Tim Péwé at our home. He brought along a friend that he needed N to shoot.

From the cherry head to the pine appendages, Armature of a Giant was larger than life and stopped traffic. Literally.

Tim’s been working in wood for the last eleven years and shows his work regionally. This particular piece will be highlighted at the upcoming exhibit titled “Creature” at The Gallery Project in Ann Arbor and is available for purchase. We can’t wait to see it at the opening and see people’s reactions. Thank you, Tim for sharing your exceptional sculpture with us!

Ramen, Tako and Kara-Age: Photo shoot at Tomukun

Tomukun Noodle Bar is one of the most popular restaurants in town and for good reason. With their diverse menu of Asian specialties such as pork buns, pho and green curry udon, it was hard to focus on shooting without gobbling all of it down. The owners, Noe, Tom and Victor were on hand making sure that their food was represented in the best light (no pun intended). We brought our equipment set up and got started right away, capturing some spontaneous shots in the front kitchen.

And an unusually quiet moment in the dining room.

We got warmed up with a few apps.

Seafood pancake

Pork belly buns

Lychee soju

Then came the main acts.

Spicy seafood ramen

Pho

We had a blast shooting. Thank you, Tomukun, for a successful and high-energy shoot. Make sure you check out their menu and their selection of Asian beers and sake. See you there!

Crafted Caffeine: The Espresso Bar

We had the pleasure of meeting Sandy and Foster, the owners of a new local espresso bar, aptly named The Espresso Bar, in the last couple days. My first experience there was a heavenly affogato, a delicious espresso topped with a dallop of Zingerman’s gelato. But all of their drinks are carefully crafted with keen attention to the details. There’s no rushing the experience here. And believe us, you wouldn’t want to.

From the deliberate temperature of the steamed milk (if done properly, it lends a sweetness with no need for sugar) to the thoughtful designs of the froth, a visit to The Espresso Bar is to be savored.

If you’re at Kerrytown, cross the street over to Braun Court and treat yourself. Thank you, Sandy and Foster. We’ll be back soon!

Delicious Photography

Just a quick one today on a much loved aspect of our business for many reasons – food photos. We can’t always eat what’s stuck with toothpicks, sprayed or been sitting out for hours. But we do love scrumptious looking results. Food photography is an entire genre unlike product or editorial. Each crumb has its place and each noodle has to sit pretty. And we get to shoot some more very soon.

Challenge: Point vs Pro | Why Do You Need A Professional Photographer Anyway?

We’ve gotten a few photo shoots under our belt since the start of the company and we have to say, we’re pretty happy with the results. From food to portraits, we’ve been able to offer a variety of takes on what the client wants while injecting our own flavor into things. Thing is, there’s still some apprehension from time to time about what it is we do, why we do it and if it’s truly that different than just picking up a camera and taking a point and shoot photo. The answer is “yes!” We don’t strive for just good enough, we want exceptional. See for yourself.

People may not always be able to voice what it is about the photo that doesn’t seem quite right until they see a proper example of how it should be done. You’re probably wondering what we shot with and why there’s such a drastic difference. The shot on the left was taken with our trusty Nikon Coolpix S4100. It’s a great camera for fun, social gatherings. But if you’re a business owner wondering why your mailers aren’t getting response or why you can’t achieve the results as we did on the right, it’s because we pack and bring an entire studio with us.

Although a point and shoot camera is good for documentation it only offers one light source from a fixed point. For the professional shots, items were lit from the side with the assistance of white bounce cards to fill and highlight, making the item more robust. Every aspect of the shoot is in a controlled environment, much like the food campaign we shot a couple weeks ago. If you’ve ever wondered about professional photography, we’re happy to answer your questions.

We look forward to working with you.

Our Latest Project: Objet D’art | One-of-a-kind art objects

We met with Sava’s Restaurant in Ann Arbor last week and we’re happy to announce that we’ll be taking over the upstairs lounge area with our art. We’ve never curated a non-gallery setting like this and we’re really excited to collaborate and match the ultra contemporary and comfy look. We got on it immediately. After a quick brainstorming session, the series Objet D’art was born. This also gave us a chance to print and frame our new series of school desk prints.

Each item is a print illustrated or photo taken by us and carefully hand matted with coordinating accessories. Whether you see one or in a grouping, we’re making an experience that we, and hopefully you, have never seen before.

We’ll be hanging things salon-style but adapted to the space to get the most beautiful effect. Since we have long spaces to cover, our groupings will be spaced out with most pieces centered at 60 inches from the ground, the professional standard for installing art.

What do you think of these? We’re looking for some feedback before the big installation takes place. Right now we’re just enjoying having “piles” of art around the studio. Soon we’ll have them in our store too. Have a great weekend!

-Y-

OBJECT D’ART – (dimensions denote frame size, shipping is extra)  5 x 7 inch : $25 and up  |  8 x 10 inch: $45 and up  |  Pairs of 8 x 10 inch: $80 and up

Good Eatin’.

In the mood for a sweet potato quinoa burger, with roasted garlic and fresh red onions on a hearty, multigrain bun? Look no further than Ann Arbor’s own Jazzy Veggie, on the north end of Main Street.

Owner and vegetarian, Ananth Pullela (Andy), was less than satisfied with the vegetarian options he encountered while dining out. So, he collaborated with Chef Kevin and together they created a menu that will satisfy all that prefer not to eat meat and even many that do.

We were more than happy to work with Anne-Marie Kim, the head designer of Genui Forma, and Andy, to capture images that best represent his amazing products. Below are some of the mouth watering results.

(Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger)

(Spaghetti and Veggie Balls, foreground; Mushroom Spinach Alfredo, background)

(Carrot Cake)(The Wolverine Burger – Marinated and grilled veggie patty, sautéed onions, roasted peppers, guacamole and tomato basil aioli)

(Bello – Marinated and grilled portabella mushrooms, sautéed onions, tomatoes, fresh basil, Italian cheese and chipotle aioli on grilled artisan bread)

Photo Narrative Winner: Forrest

Talented singer and model extraordinaire Forrest hung out with us Friday night. As one of the lucky winners of our Photo Narrative photo shoot giveaway, he brought a number of outfit changes, we switched up the backdrops and the results were pure magic. We love when people aren’t afraid to tell a story.

Thank you, Forrest, for being such a fantastic sitter, actor and personality. Now it’s your turn.