#etcinspire

Brian Steege’s compelling portrait series of adolescent boxers is featured in the current issue of PDN Magazine’s Faces Portrait Competition.

Award winning work often has its origins in the humble beginnings of creating PR assets for non-profit organizations, as was the case in this series. What is interesting about this series of portraits is that it almost never was.

  It all started when Empower Media Communications contacted Brian about directing a video for Fighting Chance, a charity that pairs boxing training with academic mentoring for at-risk kids. The creative ask was for Brian to capture footage of kids training and studying while voice over of the founder Megan Schmittauer spoke to the difference her charity makes in the lives of so many young people. 

While shooting video footage Brian was struck with the thought that it would be a missed opportunity if he didn’t capture stills as an additional visual asset. He immediately shared his idea to add to the creative brief and extended the shoot day to allow time for some some impromptu portraits.  As he left the shoot that day, he knew he had captured imagery that inspired him. The following day he scheduled more time with the students and an award winning portrait series was born.

  The finished video piece has more on the story behind Fighting Chance. Get a box of tissues to watch.

As we continue to explore #ETCInspire for the month of June, we wanted to ask Thomas Chadwick what inspired him to create his personal karate piece featuring the world champion karateka, Elisa Au Fonseca. Thomas’ work is often aspirational and humanistic and we wanted to find out what characteristics inspire him to create his memorable and heroic portrait studies.

What inspired you to create a piece about Elisa Au Fonseca?

Years ago, I had met John Fonseca, whose roommate was a friend of mine. At that time John was competing in the highest level in international karate tournaments. Over his career, he won many of those tournaments. 

We were both younger then, in our early twenties, and I was in awe of what he was accomplishing. 

Fast forward to years later where I enrolled my sons into karate lessons. John had started a dojo with his wife, Elisa, and I was excited for my kids to be taught under their wings. I would pick my kids up from karate lessons everyday and I got to know Elisa. I even started taking karate classes. 

Often I would see John and Elisa training their elite students for competition. It was mesmerizing to watch. Elisa is clearly above everyone around her. When I see someone that is that skilled - near to perfection, my mind goes straight to thinking about all the time and energy that went into getting there. 

What about Elisa is inspiring to you?

Elisa is a world-class athlete, has held countless titles and was the best in her field for almost a decade. She also runs a dojo, she is a pillar in my local community, and she is a mother. She is also beautiful in front of the lens and in person. 

Most importantly though, I am inspired to tell the stories of people who have taken their craft to another level. I like telling the stories of people who WANT IT. From a young age, she dedicated her life to being the best in the world. That takes a drive and dedication that I want to study and tell the story of as an artist.

The video is edited between quieter footage where Elisa is practicing a kata and action-packed footage of her sparring. What was the concept behind that?

There are 2 elements to karate; there is the practice of a kata, which is an almost meditative practice of self-control and mastering routine and discipline. Katas are a choreographed set of movements that you must master, from footwork, to breathing, to how you point your fingertips. It is you being master over your entire being. There is incredible grace and precise delivery of power. 

Sparring is defending yourself against the punches and finding the right moment to attack. Sparring is spontaneous.

Kata and sparring are the yin and yang of karate. The practice of doing a kata is to gain self-discipline and self-control. One is not supposed to use karate to start a fight; it is used to defend and disarm. I wanted to show how the mind body connection informs fighting in karate and how the two create a balance within the athlete and individual.

How did you achieve the concept from a technical point of view?

The kata was shot with my camera on a tripod to bring additional grounding, stillness and strength. I chose the location to shoot her in her space and lined her up against a bank of windows to create symmetry. The symmetry of the windows mimics the symmetry of the kata.

I handheld the sparring footage and got in close to shoot. I wanted the footage to be in the action to feel the movement of the fight. Through editing the footage, I was able to get fluidity from one hit to the next.

Did you intend on shooting video and print?

No, my intention was to concentrate solely on a motion piece. I had been told by another photographer / director that his advice was to concentrate solely on motion when you’re shooting motion. He said photographers can get distracted when they shoot both on the same day and that when he has shot both he had wound up with lot of great photographs and not enough motion to cut a good video from. I tried following that advice.

But, being a photographer, it felt strange being in a scenario I would normally jump at the chance of grabbing my camera and shooting. That instinct did get the better of me and I did grab my camera and fire off some shots. 

I shot with my camera for about ten minutes total. In the end, three of the photographs became pieces for my portfolio. 

When you come from a print background, making video is a whole new realm where you have to learn how to put your stylistic stamp on it. It’s become my goal to get my video work to be on par with my photography. One way I have been able to make that goal a reality is to shoot both on my personal projects.

How long did the piece take to shoot?

I shot it in 2 days, in time slots of 2 hours each day. Since I was asking Elisa and her sparring partner to give me 100%, there was a real physical limit on their endurance. On the first day, I shot the sparring footage. At the end of that day, the bottoms of Elisa’s feet were raw. On the second day I shot the kata footage.

What surprises me most about creating video projects is how much more time is needed for post. Editing is a process I enjoy but it isn’t instant gratification like print is.

What was your process for pre pro your shoot? Did you make a storyboard?

With this piece, I had a strong idea of what I wanted to do. I storyboarded the entire piece. I’ve always been someone who sketches out what they want to do, even with my print work. I keep a sketchbook. 

I had planned on doing a voiceover of Elisa. I wanted her to talk about the contract of kata vs. sparring.

After I captured the footage and got into editing with the voiceover, it felt like the piece moved to slowly- and maybe I was trying to force the message too much with the copy. 

At that time, I contacted my sound editor and asked him to source music to give the piece an overall punch and more impact. One of the most gratifying things about working in motion is having the opportunity to utilize the power of sound.

We asked some of our friends who are creative directors and art directors at agencies across the country - “What inspires you?”. We were surprised how wide-ranging their answers were- and yet they all had a similar theme. Inspiration is everywhere, it seems, as long as we choose to pay attention.

photo by Clayton Hauck

“I've been chipping away at my design aesthetic for over a decade. What's never changed is my utilitarian approach. In college, I used to snoop around delis, small grocery stores, old hardware shops with dirty windows; anything that might offer inspiration in the way of economic use of color, fonts and line work. I still look for that kind of stuff everywhere I go. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of Saul Bass and Paul Rand, along with contemporaries like Aaron Draplin. They're some of the greats. Timeless. Lately I've been taking walks at night through Chicago, just to clear my head and think about what I want to communicate with people and how I want to deliver that message. Is it even a message worth delivering? Does it stir something inside of you? Is it clutter? There's so much junk in our lives, both tangible and digital, that I want to be mindful of what I say if I so choose to speak. When I land on a thought, I want to be able to be able to convey it in the simplest way possible. I usually land on those thoughts when I'm in large, urban spaces with energy and movement, and it usually helps if I'm moving, too.

And caffeinated.”

David Jensen - Associate Creative Director at Havas and CCO of Practice Daily

photo by Stephen Devries

“I have been referred to as a human sponge. I look for "input" every minute of the day. I keep notes and pics on my phone for the things I find in my environment, and folders on my desktop for the things I find online. I routinely duck into the magazine shop down the street for old favorites, and always buy a few things I've never picked up before. It's amazing the amateur artists you might find on Flickr. And digging through google images with just the right metaphorical or philosophical search terms can help you find amazing "nuggets" from around the world. Each new creative challenge is like a mystery that needs to solved. You have to constantly be on the hunt for inspiration.”

Dana Callow - Executive Creative Director at Scout Marketing

photo by Kourtney Sellers

“I don’t specifically go places (physically and otherwise) to get inspiration. Everything that comes into my mental field has a good chance of becoming an idea or part of an idea. Ideas for me come from watching people on the train, making dinner, grocery shopping, my fears, my insecurities, standup comedy, The Onion, documentaries, Japanese horror movies, story telling podcasts, listening to smart people, dealing with dumb people, being outside, being alone, being in a room with a lot of people, watching a dog figure out where to do his business, fail compilations, staying up way too late, Rihanna videos, crime stories, and the pure and brilliant observations made by my 5 and 7 year old.

But truly, nothing inspires me to work and concept like a deadline.”

Tohru Oyasu - Creative Director at VSA Partners

We are moving on from our core value of FEARLESS and on to INSPIRE. When we were investigating what INSPIRE meant to us, a friend pointed us to this quote by Antoine de Saint Exupéry, from his book, The Little Prince.  

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”

CORE: noun

the central or most important part of something.

VALUE: noun

      1. a person’s principals or standard of behavior, one’s judgment of what is important in life.  

     INSPIRE: transitive verb

     1. to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration

         2. to spur on

           3. to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on

         4. to infuse (as life) by breathing

          5. to draw forth or bring out

         6. to spread (rumor) by indirect means or through the agency of another

Our INSPIRE Pinterest board tells more of the story.

We seek to be out in the world and inspire it. Great photography, music and video creates a visceral response - a gasp, a sigh or even a tear. We seek inspire a human reaction that etches itself in memory.

1. Inspiration comes from many sources. The more experiences we subject ourselves to, the more opportunities we will have to become inspired.

2. Inspiration is mutual and it is contagious. We are inspired by others and the outside world. We also inspire others and the outside world.

Congratulations to Raina + Wilson for their #Ladayballs campaign that is featured in the 2016 PDN Photo Annual for Advertising. 

We’re excited to release the second installment in our series of interviews about the life and times of creative professionals in our industry.

We reached out to Cali Capodici, Lead Art Producer at DH Philadelphia to see if she could give us some insights into what her role is as an Art Producer. We also had the opportunity to ask her about upcoming trends, how photographers can get her attention, the highlights the best treatments she’s seen and the details on a favorite promo she once received.

A big thank you to Cali for taking the time to give us deep insight into the state of the industry from an art producer perspective.

What is your job title and how does that translate into what a week in your professional life looks like?

I am the Lead Art Producer for DH Philadelphia, NY, San Fran and our sister agency, Evolvr. I help out on a few other sister agencies so my week is very busy.  I’m juggling multiple productions, reuse requests and also trying to stay on top of the latest trends and news in the industry.  It’s different everyday, which is one of the reasons why I love my job.

What are the challenges in your job?

I would say staying organized and also trying to keep everyone’s best interests in mind. It’s my job to protect the agency and my client, but I am always looking out for the photographer and the rep as well. I take my relationships very seriously and I always want to make sure our requests are fair to the artists. I firmly believe that if you take care of them, they will always take care of you.

Staying organized, because there is so much going on. I’m running from one meeting to another, trying to put out fires or just keep things moving. My desk can get a little cluttered.

Are you seeing any changes in the industry?

It seems that a lot more productions are for multiple platforms: video, digital and print. Gone are the days of just a plain old photo shoot for a one off insert in a magazine.

What is different about working on a shoot with multiple platforms as it compares to a print only shoot?

The obvious stuff: bigger team, more players, more opinions and decisions. But also it’s great to see everyone collaborate and bring to life a campaign with multiple pieces that still has consistency in the look and feel.

Do you see any new trends that are presenting themselves?

Clients are loving moving portraits, that seems to be a big hit right now. And anything that can set them apart from typical print production, new ways to utilize these assets.

What makes a photographer interesting to you? Do you like seeing personal projects, a social media presence and the genre of work they shoot, for example?

All of that! I really love when a photographer has a passion project, something that speaks to who they really are. My biggest thing I look for in a photographer is to just work hard and be nice to people. If I’m going to be on production with someone, and as we all know it can be stressful. I want someone who can pivot and keep their cool, someone who is flexible and wants to get the best possible creative. I also want to know that they are going to take care of my team and I. We put all our trust and money into that one artist. I want to know they are a solid person and will deliver.

When you are in concept phase for a campaign are you already thinking of the artist you would like to use?

Absolutely, I like to get an idea as early as possible but I’m always willing to adapt as the creative comes to life.

How do you typically find a photographer that would be a good fit for a campaign?

From doing this for a while, I have a good idea or meeting someone new at Fotoworks. I also go to Reps sites and scour their artists. Honestly, I go on the Art Producers forum a lot and ask my peers. I love getting personal recommendations.

How often do creatives know the talent they want to work with for a campaign before you show them your suggestions on artists?

That’s one of the great things about working at DH. My creatives really truly trust me. They may send someone my way as a type of work they like, but they want me to send them the artists who I think will be the best. Then we make the decision together, as a team.  It’s one of my favorite things about the amazing people I work with. They value my creative eye and opinion.

With respect to budgets, when you receive a set of layouts, do you generally have an idea of where the quote for that photography will come in?

Yes, but that’s because I am normally telling my team where I think the costs are going to come in. So I can get a sense from my team if this is something they can afford to do or not. I always share my budgets too unless I genuinely don’t have an idea.

How often are treatments required for a photographer to secure an assignment?

Almost always, and honestly sometimes it sways the creatives decision. I have watched first hand how a photographer who was really just thrown in the mix to fill out a triple bid come to take the lead because they were so charismatic on the call and really took the time to learn the brand or the idea behind the campaign. They asked all the right questions and then delivered a stellar treatment. Every photographer should be EXCITED about a creative call. We are looking at you and believe you are the one with the eye and the talent to bring this to life. Remember, this campaign is often something that my team has worked on and fought for months, so if you aren’t really jazzed about it then it can hurt their feelings or make them completely uninterested in you.

What do the best treatments have in them that is compelling?

Saying thank you, saying you’re excited, talking about your work and why you would be right for this campaign. If you have a personal experience that you feel really sets you apart from someone else. And pulling in the right kind of photos for reference, even if they aren’t your own!

Do you work with the same artists frequently?

Yes, because I know I can trust them and they will deliver. Also, because I have strong relationships with them or their agents. I have certain expectations when I work with someone, I know everyone needs to get paid, but at the end of the day it’s really about building relationships. I love having people I can count on and they know they can count on me to have their back. That being said, I also love finding new artists. I think it’s important to bring in fresh work for my teams to see.

What is your preferred method of receiving promos from artists?

Just give me something different, something that makes me stop and look or makes me want to hang it on my wall. I also love anything with a good sense of humor.

What is the most memorable promotion you’ve ever received?

A few years ago for Valentine’s Day I got a heart shaped box with a magnum condom in it, I thought that was hilarious, it had all the Art Producers at BBDO talking about it.

Is it easy for a photography agent to reach you by phone?

No, please don’t call me. Just email or if we are close shoot me a text. I hate phone calls.

How many agent or photographer meetings do you have in a typical month?

If I’m not traveling I try to do at least two. I think it’s important to meet new people or show fresh work. I also just love meeting people and chatting about the industry. I love this work, so I love hearing other people’s stories.

You have a lot of portfolio shows. Tell us what stand out about the best of them?

Good food, someone who is present but not too in your face. Someone who is just there to have a good time and genuinely talk about how talented their artists are. I think when you are genuine and truly excited about your artists it really comes through.

Please identify a few ways that photographers/directors can make your life easier.

As part of our on-going conversation about how artists grow and continue to develop and define their specific style and vision, we sat down with artists to ask them if they ever took a photograph that changed their life from that point forward.

Jordan Lutes tells us the story of how a photograph he took of a couple of strangers changed the course of his life.  

“This photo was when it all clicked. I shot this in my second year of college, just after I'd moved down from Oregon to California and was fully enamored with "California culture". 

This photograph was just a simple snapshot with some surfer girls I had met skating back from the beach. The shot ended up in a small gallery show at my college, but then was somehow seen and eventually selected to go to an international photo fair in Kiev, Ukraine as a part of a “California Life” exhibit. 

That was huge for me, partly in the reach that the photo got, but more in building confidence for me. 

It was the first time I'd seen my work resonate with people who weren't directly a part of that same lifestyle. It kickstarted my focus on real moments and connecting with people through lifestyle work. My photographs worked for me and the audience when the gut reaction to it was “damn that looks fun, I wish that was me!"

I didn't really recognize it back when I shot this, but it was one of my first "go with your gut" moments in my life and my career. The feeling I got while shooting was knowing there was something there worth photographing and following that instinct. I get that feeling all of the time now and because of the success I had with this shot, I always trust it. 

Prior to taking this photograph, I had been consumed with worry about what types photographs I needed to make to impress people. That eats away at you. I've had so much more success just from loosening up and going after real.