Handcrafted Furniture Photography

Even though my studio is small, I'm occasionally called upon to photograph objects that are larger than my studio can comfortably accommodate. In these instances, I take my show on the road and take my studio equipment and background to their warehouse or factory and shoot there. This makes it easier for my clients because they have equipment and staff on hand to move things around if needed. It also saves them the expense of loading a truck, transporting to a studio, and having a couple of people away from the business for the day while they supervise a photo shoot. I shoot with my camera tethered to a laptop to the images can be studied and adjusted as their shot. The clients are able to give feedback on the spot, and the whole photoshoot moves much more quickly and efficiently.

Great photos of their furniture are essential not only for their websites but also for sending images to retail furniture stores so people can see that they can provide for customers.

The images below were recently shot in western Pennsylvania for a family owned furniture manufacturer. They make beautiful handcrafted furniture that is sold at craft fairs along the eastern seaboard. They contacted me because they were dissatisfied with the photographers in their region. They were all portrait and wedding photographers that lacked the knowledge, experience, and equipment needed to create images of their furniture that adequately captured their beauty.

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The Intention of the Photographer

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In my opinion, when evaluating the work of photographers to decide who to hire, it's important to try to discern the intention of the photographer.

Now yes, technical aspects of the images are also essential. Photographs are only as good as the weakest link that created them. (Unless the photographer got lucky).

This includes the quality and consistency of the lighting in addition to the quality of the cameras and lenses. It also consists of the skills of the photographer: technical knowledge, mastery of light, attention to detail, compositional skills, problem solving abilities, creativity, their expertise and artistic ability with Photoshop and other post-production programs; and the interpersonal skills that are so necessary to evoke the desired expressions and body language when people are photographed.

Assuming the photographer has all of this down, there is still another problem. Many photographers see themselves as artists and try to create images that will draw attention to themselves so everyone will be impressed at how great they are. It's like a writer who wants to write the great American novel that will impress everyone with his or her writing skills. What makes a writer great though, is when the reader gets so involved with the story that they are unaware of the writing. It's the same way with photography.

When someone engages my services for a project, unless specifically instructed otherwise, I intend to create images that will improve their image and increase their sales.

It's not my goal for people to say "that's a great photo." My goal is for the viewer to see a product and feel it's beautifully made and desirable to buy. For the viewer of a room to think, what a beautiful space. For the viewer of a person to think: they look attractive, professional, intelligent, and trustworthy. I trust them enough to do business with them.

Without a doubt, the intention of the photographer matters. Remember, it's only creative if it sells.

Indeed, we "buy with our eyes." 

Judicial Portraits

This summer I was commissioned by the Montgomery County Bar Association to create a series of judges portraits for the Montgomery County Courthouse. I was honored to be approached and chosen by them for this important project.

Each judge was first photographed by me and then chose their favorite proof for me to create their portrait from. Then using Photoshop, I created a 24" x 30" archival digital painting on canvas of each judge. This project was something totally different for me. These are my first digital paintings. They took several days to create.

They were just recently unveiled, so I'm able to share them now. Here's a link to one of the newspaper accounts of the last unveiling ceremony: Portraits inspire Montgomery County judges to raise the bar

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Photography of a Diner

Finished image

Primary Source Image - (Click on the images to make them larger.)

I was recently commissioned to shoot this restored diner for use in their ads and on their website. They requested a sunset shot which meant that the sunlight on the diner would also light up the hotel immediately behind it, causing them to blend together in a photograph. This caused a major visual problem that could only be solved during post-production. The job had to be done quickly as it was to have it's grand opening in 10 days and the trees were about to lose their leaves. After 5 days of rain we had our chance.

Two images were blended together with additional Photoshop work to create the final image. The primary image was a shot of the building at sunset as requested. The other image was taken about a half hour later after dark to record the lights inside the diner.

Some of the additional Photoshop work was darkening down the hotel, repaving the parking lot, removing the telephone pole and wires, removing the truck, the post on the right side and the light pole on the right which was forming a tangent with the edge of the diner. Anything that was not part of the main subject was removed or subdued in order to simplify the image as much as possible and to direct the viewer's attention to the diner.

Great photos are usually not taken; they're made. 

I'm usually more subtle in my color palette but the building is pretty unconventional looking and I decided to play it up and give it a bit of a painterly quality. It's always fun transforming the ordinary into something extraordinary.

See more examples of my work as a Philadelphia architectural photographer.

See more examples of my work as a Photoshop expert. 

Photography for an Interior Designer

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This is a sampling from 15 interiors that I photographed the other day for Dana Neeld of Staging Spaces, an exceptionally talented interior designer in the Philadelphia region. We were tight for time, so I shot with minimal lighting, averaging about 15 minutes to set up the equipment and shoot each view. I prefer this approach because the photos "feel more real" to me.

The images don't come out of the camera looking anything like this. Cameras don't render scenes the way we perceive them. Extensive post-production is required to make the most of the data captured by the camera and create an image that has depth and looks real. Up to a dozen, images are combined to create each image. The post-production time averaged about 45 minutes for each image.

I show these to illustrate that excellent interior images are possible without going in with a crew and doing extensive lighting.

These images, especially when combined with her "before" photos are invaluable for her marketing as they show potential clients what she brings to the table. Since we buy with our eyes, photographs are by far the most effective way to demonstrate what she does.

Remember, if you're providing a service, you're selling trust. You can't show a buyer in advance what you're going to deliver, but you can show what you've done for others. Perception is everything, so you can't afford to use images that are less than the best.  

Great images aren't an expense, they're an investment.

See more examples of my Philadelphia architectural photography.

Environmental Headshots

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These are from a series of location headshots of employees that I created for a company's website. They were shot on location at the company's headquarter's in NJ. The goal was to make everyone look likable and approachable. The man with his head centered is the company president.

Click on the link to see more examples of my headshot photography.

Jewelry Photography

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This is from a series of images I created for a jewelry designer. The company is Dylanex. Their cool designs are both challenging and fun to shoot. Just the perfect look for wearing around the house. :) 

Some additional examples of jewelry photography are in my portfolio.

Apparel photography

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I recently produced over a hundred images of clothing for the manufacturer. There are many ways to approach the photography of clothes. Certainly, one way is to shoot them on a model, but this adds quite a bit to the expense of a shoot as you need multiple models, hair stylists, make-up artists, etc. This particular approach was taken both to control costs and to keep attention on the product and make it look and feel very organic, very real. 

Some additional examples of apparel photography are on my website.

The Perception of Quality

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This image was created last week for a client that manufactures high-end skincare products. It's for a business to business ad that offers a special promotion price for this group of products to the dermatologists, plastic surgeons and medical spas that sell them. 

This marks the 50th time that they've called on me to do their photography. I photographed, enhanced, retouched and delivered this and two other images less than 4 hours after their delivery to the studio. 

Recent assignment for a jewelry ad

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This image was created for a full page ad for jewelry from Alaska. It will appear in magazines on Alaskan cruise ships in addition to posters.

The jewelry is intentionally the sharpest part of the image so that the viewer's attention is drawn to it. Everything else plays a supporting role to frame and draw attention to the jewelry. 

The cuffs of the coat form the top of a heart.

Some more examples of my jewelry photography.

Recent project

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Scene as it appeared.

This image of a diner was just created for an ad. It had to be shot before renovation was started. The new owner booked me the night he purchased it. He needed me to create an image as soon as possible in order to make a publication's ad deadline. My aim is to always create images that are attractive - images that attract new customers. Great images won't keep a customer coming back if the food isn't good, but they can definitely attract new customers who will try it out.

The restaurant fills the bottom of both buildings. In addition to the enhancing and the removal of the bike, a sign was added over the entrance of the building on the left and neon added inside to better tie both buildings together.

Shooting clear objects

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This image is one of several that I did the other day for a very well known brand of acrylic plastics. It's for a marketing piece targeting companies that manufacture single use medical products, and is meant to show a both a wide range of types of products and an ability to produce very complex devices. When marketing to high end buyers such as are in the medical industry, it's really important to have images that convey quality.

Clear, shiny objects are especially difficult to shoot and even more difficult to make look good. The concept of the shoot and the art direction was done by Barbara Craig, who always manages to come up with an interesting approach - it was her idea to have them floating in space.

All I had to do was throw them up in the air and shoot quickly. :)

Photos that communicate quality

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This image of a '67 Corvette Stingray die-cast model was created for The Franklin Mint along with some detail shots. It was quite cool actually. The lights worked, the windows cranked up and down, and much more. They need photos that communicate quality, create desire and make their models look as realistic as possible. Remember, we buy with our eyes. High quality photos can make all of the difference between making a sale or not. Great marketers like The Franklin Mint get it. They understand the vital role that photography plays in motivating buyers to purchase.

We buy with our eyes.

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These are a few of the images that were shot two days ago for an interior designer. We were tight for time and budget, so I shot mostly available light, averaging about 15 minutes setting up and shooting each image.

The images don't come out of he camera looking like this. Extensive post-production is required to make the most of the data captured by the camera. The post-production on this assignment averaged about 30 minutes each image.

I show these to illustrate that a good interior images are often possible without going in with a crew and doing extensive lighting.

These images will be used on the designers website and in her portfolio. Since people buy with their eyes, photographs are by far the most effective way to show what she can do.

Remember, if you provide a service, you're selling trust. You can't show a buyer in advance what you're going to deliver, but you can show what you've done for others. Perception is everything, and you can't afford to fool around with images that are less than the best that you can afford. If you miss out on getting a new client because your photos don't do justice to your work what have you saved? Great images aren't an expense, they're an investment.

Clean room operation

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One aspect of my work that I find very enjoyable is being able to go into all different kinds of manufacturing environments and seeing how things are produced.

I recently shot this (and many other related images) at a New England pharmaceutical plant. It shows my client's product (syringes) being filled by machinery in a clean room. 

It's not creative unless it increases sales.

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The purpose of your images should always be to increase sales. They should be eye-catching, convey quality and create desire. 

Unfortunately, many professional photographers, graphic designers, creative directors and ad agencies just don't get it. They get so caught up in their desire to "be creative", win an award or copy the latest fad that they totally miss the point. They forget that the whole reason they're hired is to increase sales.

In the right light (and with some help in post-production), everything is beautiful.

The six images above are from a series of about 40 that I just shot for a housewares manufacturer. They've been digitally enhanced and retouched as the prototypes provided were scratched up and didn't match the colors desired for the final products.  The colors were modified in post-production to match the PMS colors specified. 

The photos you use create powerful perceptions of your products or service. High quality professional photos provide a great return on your investment through increased sales.

Images that aren't high quality create the perception of an inferior company and inferior products. The money you think you're saving is small compared to the sales you'll lose.

Images that increase sales will return profits that far exceed their modest cost. Cheap shots  will lose you sales without you even knowing it.

Photography of interiors

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before lighting and enhancement

You can compare the images more easily here.

Interior decorators have a problem. To get new work they need to show potential clients what they've done, but driving them around to past jobs isn't desirable or practical. Their own photos will fail to impress. They need images that are inviting and can capture a buyers imagination.

This interior is from my most recent shoot for a Philadelphia based interior decorator. She uses my images on her website, for direct mail and in her portfolio.

She does beautiful work, but capturing interiors well is always a challenge. They're extremely contrasty, especially during the day, and snapshots won't record them properly. This one was especially challenging because of the combination of the bright window and the black piano.

In addition to the specialized equipment required; viewpoint, staging, lighting and digital enhancement in post-production are all crucial components of high quality interior photography.

When choosing a photographer to do interiors, make sure that you use a photographer with a lot of experience doing architectural photography. Their photos will increase your sales and can pay for themselves very quickly.

In the end, the best pictures always win. It's only a question of who has them.

Making products look beautiful

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The products

This beauty shot of acrylic pieces was created last week for a multi-national chemical company. Barbara Craig, the art director, gave excellent direction and contributed a great deal to the shoot.

The product was very challenging as it was just a few clear pieces of plastic. This particular product is very strong and has applications in architecture, so this image was designed to appeal to architects.

The goal was to come up with an image that would communicate beauty and quality while creating curiosity to get the viewer to read the sales copy. 

When choosing a photographer for your business needs, make sure to use someone who brings more to the table than just an ability to operate a camera. 

Photographs that create desire

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This image is the most recent in a series shot for a flooring manufacturer.  Each image features a particular product line. This image was for "The Stone Collection".

They need photographs that make their flooring look beautiful and luxurious, photographs that create desire.

Mike Ticcino,  the art director and designer came up with the terrific idea of using cast shadows on the product. He also styled this image. We've used several types of shadows - most of them of different types of windows. This one is made to appear like dappled sunlight filtering through a window although the lighting is completely fabricated in the studio for purposes of control since the sun is constantly moving.

The client just brings a box of floor tiles and we arrange them on the studio floor and then light them beautifully (and add some post-production magic). 

Images that convey quality

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Perception is everything. This image is one of a series done this summer for a local artist who makes handcrafted art-deco lamps. Great guy, beautiful work. He called me because he'd been struggling for years to get good images of his lamps. They're nightmares to shoot. Their heavily chromed surfaces act as large curved mirrors that reflect the room and everything in it, the lights, the camera and the photographer.

He'd had a bad experience with another photographer and wasn't at all happy with his photos - his money was wasted. He was a bit gun shy about hiring me, but when I informed him about my 100% no-risk guarantee he decided to proceed.

I decided to approach them as if they were museum pieces on display.

He told me afterward that his first thought when he saw the working proof that I e-mailed him was " Ka-Ching! ". The day he put them up on his site he raised his prices 50% - about $300 extra for his least expensive lamps. Demand has increased and with the help of these images he's already picked up agents in London and L.A. to represent his work.

You can see more in my product photography portfolio.