#denvertographer

Hey! How was your week? Oooh...that's a fancy new lawnmower! What does that even mean? "Eat that, Texas?" Dude, that makes no sense. Seriously, you're trying to just say that about anything? Oddly, I can kind of get on board with this. Yeah, today's blog is mostly from film cameras...eat that, Texas.

I've been stoked to release this blog for a while now! Today is all about the epically awesome Colorado band, Paper Bird.

I can't tell you how great this project was! Every person involved has become a really wonderful friend - even doing the project alone has opened a ton of doors to meet lots of other folks, some of which I'm working on collaborative efforts with for future releases... I feel so lucky to have gotten to know these wonderful people better throughout the process of making their album art. 

As many of you know, I try extremely hard to not just provide artwork for albums, but also a much larger experience. This often includes branding or re-branding an entire group. Paper Bird has been around for a little while now and had a pretty distinctive look. However, they've had some lineup changes and a major overhaul on their sound. So, when I went to their ranch to discuss artwork ideas, it was a bit tricky. I think all of us had it in our mind to do something rad with a desert and some kind of organic undertone. It was actually kind of surreal meeting to be honest. First off, I had my puppy, Ida (who was less than three months old at the time). She'd thrown up a couple times on Merne in the truck ride to the ranch due to car sickness and when we arrived she promptly peed in the recording studio at their house. She then proceeded to run around and break everything. So, it was a bit of a rocky start... However, once we sat down to discuss ideas, the weirdest thing happened: every idea they pitched, I already had sketched it up. This happened to like five ideas. It was super wild. They were mentioning a desert and possibly a large obelisk embedded in the dirt. I literally pulled up a drawing of a bunch of people pulling an obelisk in a desert up on my iPad and said, "like this?" It just kept happening like that. I think we all kind of took it as serendipity.

We ventured into their recording studio having a couple ideas rattling around in our heads. Once we sat down and started listening to the new sound, one thing became glaringly evident: This isn't the same organic, free-spirited, awesome band that it once was. This was now a sophisticated, tougher, polished, badass group of musicians. So, deserts, obelisks, ropes, etc. were all thrown out the window almost immediately upon hearing their new sound. We all agreed that we needed something more sophisticated and 'city-ish.' My mind directly went to one of my favorite photographers ever, Helmut Newton. As per the weirdness that had been set at the beginning of the meeting, I happened to have a book of his in my back pack. The band flipped out - as most do when looking at Helmut Newton's work. It was settled.

The day of the shoot it was blizzarding out pretty ferociously. We started in a killer salon where the band was getting hair done up and choosing outfits. We had the pleasure of working with some of the best hair/makeup/wardrobe folks I've ever met. Even Sarah's (from Paper Bird) brother flew out for wardrobe from LA. Super cool. I wasn't quite privvy to outfits until we were actually shooting them, but it was a cool surprise to see what they had chosen. We never once thought of Fleetwood Mac during this entire process, but it's kind of cool to see elements of them pop in to the photos. We headed to my great friend, Seth's warehouse after that. You've seen his stuff before...he has a company called Boston Woodworking (link below to his site and the blog I did). He was SO gracious to allow us to shoot in his amazing place. I loved the combination of super clean outfits and pristine white backdrop/black backdrop combined with the piles of wood, large metal structures, and awesome woodworking equipment in the background. It was such a rad day. Overall, it was a 16 hour photoshoot all said and done. I'm pretty sure all of us were tired at the end. 

Enough of my blathering. Here's a 30 second intro video that features a song that the band is releasing in a couple days! Make sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled. I'm PUMPED for all of you to hear the full record, it's absolutely incredible.

PAPER BIRD

See y'all tonight at Office Hours!! As always thanks for looking at my stuff. Eat that, Texas.

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LINKS

Paper Bird – Website

Merne Judson III – Website

Howdy friend! What’s new this week? Oh yeah? I don’t know if you should brag about seeing Kung Fu Panda a total of twenty six times, man...No. Nope. No, you don’t know Kung Fu now because of piecing together moves from that and The Matrix. Legit, you don’t know Kung F...WHOA!! Don’t kick at me!! Fine! Fine! You know Kung Fu!! Jeez!! ...butyoudontreallyknowkungfuyoujerk.

Today’s blog is all about one of my absolute FAVORITE new bands coming out of Denver. They haven’t quite finished their record, and they haven’t even gotten to play a show yet. But, they’re two of the most talented folks around and I’m PUMPED for the world to hear what they’re working on. This is a band called Laykes.

Led by Daniel and Seth (of Rossonian), the band is a crisp, fresh, new sound that gorgeously combines genuine R&B/Soul sounds with modern electronica. I’ve never heard anything like them. With sprinkles of folk melody and acoustic guitar; the synth, drum-machine, live drum, and electric guitars adopt a phenomenal and driving sense of heart while never overstepping the bound into cheesy. Almost, seemingly effortlessly, the duo delivers a profound sound that is nothing short of absolutely captivating.

I’ve known Seth for sometime now through working on a series of Rossonian projects (link below). But, this was the first I’d met the amazingly talented Daniel. The two are super fun to be around and never take anything too seriously. However, I’m thoroughly convinced they can do anything required musically with technical prowess and ease of grace. They’re hungry, driven, and I can honestly say: These guys are going to really do something. The photos we got were a combination of the organic quality that they showcase with their writing and the digital sounds they use to present it. I wanted something that delivered the same fun quality the guys carry while still maintaining the true depth they both have musically with their photos. We had a blast heading up to Nevadaville - a rad old ghost town near Central City. Each one of the wild 'spliced' photos was created in Photoshop following an in-studio shoot against a backdrop. Each of the six seen here is a different single the band will be slowly releasing for you to check out. I strongly recommend checking them out. The overall EP will be called "Globeville." I hope y’all enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed making them.

LAYKES

As always, thanks for checking out my stuff! I'll be talking in-depth about how I did the splice photos tonight at Office Hours if you want to learn. See ya tonight!

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LYNKS

Rossonian – Website

Hey there ho there! How’s life? What’s new? Oh wow, really? You just met with THE Tony Little? About what?? Neat! What did you invent? Oooh...that sounds cool. What does the “Electronic Paper Time Capsule” do? Uh huh...ok...yeah. Dude, that’s a fax machine. That’s existed for a long time now and I feel like it’s a pretty dead technology. Oh no! I get it! It’s a fax machine!! Nope. Nope. Stop arguing. I can’t believe Tony Little went for this...

So, today is all about a promotional shoot I did with a pretty legendary band, String Cheese Incident. I mean, I remember hearing these guys in college. I felt so lucky to be able to work with them! I had a few loose plans for the band that I pitched, however, the day of the shoot it rained pretty ferociously, so we were thrust indoors to the incredible Hotel Boulderado. This band has been taking promotional photos for 23 years, so two things became glaringly evident: 1) make it quick 2) make it fun. And, ya know what? We did! With the help of Merne Judson III (link below), we were able to crank out some pretty cool photos in about an hour with four locations throughout the hotel. Had we had more time and a better day, I was exploring some old Kabuki Theater stage tricks and potentially looking at doing a shoot on a baseball field with all the guys in a 50’s summer vibe - ya know, white zinc nosecoat, sun reflectors under their chins, reclining lawn chairs… Oh well, next shoot! 

Given the fact that we went super fast and were held up inside for the whole shoot, we had a blast and got some pretty fun images! I have to tell you...these guys were super fun to work with. You know all the energy and hilarious commentary you get when you’re either shooting or standing up in a wedding party? Like, where everyone is throwing each other under the bus and throwing out outlandish ideas and swearing a lot? Now, take out all the annoying parts of that particular situation and distill it down to only the truly funny or creative people talking, and viola! That’s what it felt like to shoot these guys. They’re super friendly, down-to-earth, hilarious, creative and professional. I love when you work with experienced folks who don’t have to put on a “fake” face for photos. They’ve been at it long enough that they can just be themselves.

On top of that, we were super lucky to be able to use the gorgeous Hotel Boulderado and I can’t thank the fine folks there enough for giving us, what seemed to be, pretty free reign. We’re so appreciative for them sharing that beautiful space with us.

If you’re a nerd (like me), after the images there’s a little diagram I made up and a brief description of the lighting that went into one of my favorite shots from the day. Ok, enough talking, here’s some photos:

A Day In The Life Of A Promotional Shoot

Nerd's Playground!

We had a few little obstacles with this shoot, namely a large slanted overhang from where the stairs went above us. This was particularly difficult for glare. I wanted to fill the whole space with light but make the guys pop a bit more than the background without a giant glare on the space above them. So, I went into the ol' archives of stuff I've read and remembered that Erwin Olaf prefers to always have a super diffused key light from the spot where the camera is. So, we set up our trusty strip box sideways under the camera on a small backlight stand. Then I took a couple small speedlights and feathered them off on either side with no diffusion. It was quick and dirty, but the shadows aren't overbearing and everyone popped just enough for me! If you dig these diagrams, I like making them and I can do more in the future. Let me know!

I'll see you tonight for Office Hours! The theme is – How to manage costumer's expectations.

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LINKS

String Cheese Incident – Website

Hotel Boulderado – Website

Merne Judson III – Website

Erwin Olaf – Interview About Lighting

Hey there ho there! How’s life? What’s new? Oh wow, really? You just met with THE Tony Little? About what?? Neat! What did you invent?Oooh...that sounds cool. What does the “Electronic Paper Time Capsule” do? Uh huh...ok...yeah. Dude, that’s a fax machine. That’s existed for a long time now and I feel like it’s a pretty dead technology. Oh no! I get it! It’s a fax machine!! Nope. Nope. Stop arguing. I can’t believe Tony Little went for this...

So, today is all about a promotional shoot I did with a pretty legendary band, String Cheese Incident. I mean, I remember hearing these guys in college. I felt so lucky to be able to work with them! I had a few loose plans for the band that I pitched, however, the day of the shoot it rained pretty ferociously, so we were thrust indoors to the incredible Hotel Boulderado. This band has been taking promotional photos for 23 years, so two things became glaringly evident: 1) make it quick 2) make it fun. And, ya know what? We did! With the help of Merne Judson III (link below), we were able to crank out some pretty cool photos in about an hour with four locations throughout the hotel. Had we had more time and a better day, I was exploring some old Kabuki Theater stage tricks and potentially looking at doing a shoot on a baseball field with all the guys in a 50’s summer vibe - ya know, white zinc nosecoat, sun reflectors under their chins, reclining lawn chairs… Oh well, next shoot! 

Given the fact that we went super fast and were held up inside for the whole shoot, we had a blast and got some pretty fun images! I have to tell you...these guys were super fun to work with. You know all the energy and hilarious commentary you get when you’re either shooting or standing up in a wedding party? Like, where everyone is throwing each other under the bus and throwing out outlandish ideas and swearing a lot? Now, take out all the annoying parts of that particular situation and distill it down to only the truly funny or creative people talking, and viola! That’s what it felt like to shoot these guys. They’re super friendly, down-to-earth, hilarious, creative and professional. I love when you work with experienced folks who don’t have to put on a “fake” face for photos. They’ve been at it long enough that they can just be themselves.

On top of that, we were super lucky to be able to use the gorgeous Hotel Boulderado and I can’t thank the fine folks there enough for giving us, what seemed to be, pretty free reign. We’re so appreciative for them sharing that beautiful space with us.

If you’re a nerd (like me), after the images there’s a little diagram I made up and a brief description of the lighting that went into one of my favorite shots from the day. Ok, enough talking, here’s some photos:

A Day In The Life Of A Promotional Shoot

Nerd's Playground!

We had a few little obstacles with this shoot, namely a large slanted overhang from where the stairs went above us. This was particularly difficult for glare. I wanted to fill the whole space with light but make the guys pop a bit more than the background without a giant glare on the space above them. So, I went into the ol' archives of stuff I've read and remembered that Erwin Olaf prefers to always have a super diffused key light from the spot where the camera is. So, we set up our trusty strip box sideways under the camera on a small backlight stand. Then I took a couple small speedlights and feathered them off on either side with no diffusion. It was quick and dirty, but the shadows aren't overbearing and everyone popped just enough for me! If you dig these diagrams, I like making them and I can do more in the future. Let me know!

I'll see you tonight for Office Hours! The theme is – How to manage costumer's expectations.

+ S

LINKS

String Cheese Incident – Website

Hotel Boulderado – Website

Merne Judson III – Website

Erwin Olaf – Interview About Lighting

Hey there ho there! How’s life? What’s new? Oh wow, really? You just met with THE Tony Little? About what?? Neat! What did you invent?Oooh...that sounds cool. What does the “Electronic Paper Time Capsule” do? Uh huh...ok...yeah. Dude, that’s a fax machine. That’s existed for a long time now and I feel like it’s a pretty dead technology. Oh no! I get it! It’s a fax machine!! Nope. Nope. Stop arguing. I can’t believe Tony Little went for this...

So, today is all about a promotional shoot I did with a pretty legendary band, String Cheese Incident. I mean, I remember hearing these guys in college. I felt so lucky to be able to work with them! I had a few loose plans for the band that I pitched, however, the day of the shoot it rained pretty ferociously, so we were thrust indoors to the incredible Hotel Boulderado. This band has been taking promotional photos for 23 years, so two things became glaringly evident: 1) make it quick 2) make it fun. And, ya know what? We did! With the help of Merne Judson III (link below), we were able to crank out some pretty cool photos in about an hour with four locations throughout the hotel. Had we had more time and a better day, I was exploring some old Kabuki Theater stage tricks and potentially looking at doing a shoot on a baseball field with all the guys in a 50’s summer vibe - ya know, white zinc nosecoat, sun reflectors under their chins, reclining lawn chairs… Oh well, next shoot! 

Given the fact that we went super fast and were held up inside for the whole shoot, we had a blast and got some pretty fun images! I have to tell you...these guys were super fun to work with. You know all the energy and hilarious commentary you get when you’re either shooting or standing up in a wedding party? Like, where everyone is throwing each other under the bus and throwing out outlandish ideas and swearing a lot? Now, take out all the annoying parts of that particular situation and distill it down to only the truly funny or creative people talking, and viola! That’s what it felt like to shoot these guys. They’re super friendly, down-to-earth, hilarious, creative and professional. I love when you work with experienced folks who don’t have to put on a “fake” face for photos. They’ve been at it long enough that they can just be themselves.

On top of that, we were super lucky to be able to use the gorgeous Hotel Boulderado and I can’t thank the fine folks there enough for giving us, what seemed to be, pretty free reign. We’re so appreciative for them sharing that beautiful space with us.

If you’re a nerd (like me), after the images there’s a little diagram I made up and a brief description of the lighting that went into one of my favorite shots from the day. Ok, enough talking, here’s some photos:

A Day In The Life Of A Promotional Shoot

Nerd's Playground!

We had a few little obstacles with this shoot, namely a large slanted overhang from where the stairs went above us. This was particularly difficult for glare. I wanted to fill the whole space with light but make the guys pop a bit more than the background without a giant glare on the space above them. So, I went into the ol' archives of stuff I've read and remembered that Erwin Olaf prefers to always have a super diffused key light from the where the camera is. So, we set up our trusty strip box sideways under the camera on a small backlight stand. Then I took a couple small speedlights and feathered them off on either side with no diffusion. It was quick and dirty, but the shadows aren't overbearing and everyone popped just enough for me! If you dig these diagrams, I like making them and I can do more in the future. Let me know!

I'll see you tonight for Office Hours! The theme is – How to manage costumer's expectations.

+ S

LINKS

String Cheese Incident – Website

Hotel Boulderado – Website

Merne Judson III – Website

Erwin Olaf – Interview About Lighting

Jeez...it's been a long time, eh? What's new with you? Whoa...dude, why are you wearing a ball cap that says "Trump" on it? Oh wow...no, no. It says "TRUMP." Not "Triumph." Those are two TOTALLY different concepts. You thought it was a neat vintage motorcycle hat? You're wrong. So...why aren't you taking it off? Oh. I see. You burned your bangs off trying to fix a vintage motorcycle. Even if it did read "Triumph," I don't think you should be allowed to wear that, man.

My gosh. I owe you all an apology for being absent so long. Life is absolutely crazy nowadays. There's been almost a shoot a day for the past month. I'm LOVING it! I have a TON of stuff to share, but I can't quite release it until the artists are ready...but, stay tuned.

As for today, we're talking about Automatic Iris! I LOVE these guys! What a fun group of friends! If there's one word I could use to describe them, it'd be "nerd." But, if there was a second word I could use, it'd be "superfunamazingpeoplewithaprofoundzestforlifethatsabsolutelyinfectious." Merne and I had such a wonderful time creating the album art for these fine folks. We had the concept of shoes running and reacting to environments all on their own. So, we got Merne some dark room gloves, and I had him make forms that told a brief story through each of the band members' shoes. Then, I took a shot without Merne in it, and overlayed the layers and colored him out! Sorry Merne...you're handsome though. The result was super fun! I hope you enjoy them! Honestly, with the exception of masking Merne out, there's really not much other Photoshop done to these photos - except a touch of color correction to the shoes running up the stairs.

If you want to hear these wonderful folks live, check out their CD release (with awesome album art in hand...ahem...no big deal) at the Hi Dive on May 13th, 2016!

AUTOMATIC IRIS

See y'all tonight for Office Hours at The Elm at 5:30!

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LINKS

Merne Judson III – Website

Hey! What's new this week? Oh? That's cool. You're making a series of designer mugs? Are you going to hand make each one? No? You're just going to pay some kid to throw clay for you and etch in the word "panther?" Dude...is the kid any good? He's just some kid...ok. I don't think this venture is going to last. You've already sold 3000?! What about child labor laws?! You've never heard of that?! Man...you astonish me every week.

Happy February 24th! There's been a ton going on this past few weeks! I haven't slept much at all, and I've been drinking a ton of coffee. My puppy, Ida, is growing bigger every day. I wish she'd just stay a little puppy. Given, I'm happy her brain is growing and she's understanding "leave it," and "ouch, dammit, quit biting my hand." This chew phase can certainly pass sooner rather than later.

This week is all about this incredible band I got to work with, Mandolin Orange. I've literally had their music on repeat for about a month now while working. They had an incredible (sold out) show at the Bluebird last Saturday, and we got to do a super fun shoot with them on that following Sunday morning. Andrew, Emily, Merne, Incite Productions, and I all met at the scenery room for the Denver Performing Arts Complex and had an amazingly fun and chill shoot. These guys were such a blast to get to know. Not only are they extremely talented, but they're humble, genuinely kind-hearted, and funny. I love those moments where you realize you've actually made great friends. As we didn't have a ton of time to build up something really wild for their shoot, Incite was incredible enough to find a cape made of CDs that they had sitting around the workshop and expound on it.

After a bit of making chest plates and longer capes, they ran out of CDs. I called up my good friend Erin over at KBCO and asked, "gee, y'all got any CDs lying around that you've already uploaded and don't need the physical copies anymore?" As a guy who makes CD designs for a living, honestly, it was kind of daunting to receive well over 1500 CDs that they didn't want anymore. Wow...we really do live in a digital realm. Oh well, I'm still one of those old-schoolers that likes to hold a physical record and see beautiful artwork at more than 300x300 pixels on a telephone screen.

MANDOLIN ORANGE

I hope you enjoyed!! See you tonight at Office Hours!

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LINKS

Mandolin Orange – Website, iTunes

Merne Judson III – Website

Incite Productions – Tumblr