BEND MAGAZINE ••• BEND OREGON EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Autumn has come to Bend, Oregon once again, and with it a new editorial publication called Bend Magazine.  A part of the 1859 Media group, Bend Magazine launched their premier Fall issue here in September.  The magazine hired me to create images in conjunction with an article in their Ventures section, focusing on three different entrepreneurial efforts here in Bend.  A combination of portraits and some detail/environment shots were requested and off I went...

First on the list was Kent Schnepp, CEO of Odysys, a company that uses a unique software platform to help hotels increase their customer base and bookings process.  Kent was a very busy guy on the day I showed up for the shoot (which is a good thing!!), but very easy-going and ready to entertain my ideas for some portraits.  It's a great feeling to earn the quick trust of a client or subject...being in front of the camera is not a comfortable experience for a lot of people (myself included!).

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Odysys is based in downtown Bend in the 1000 Wall Building, an amazingly renovated historic space with many options for backgrounds and setups.

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We wanted to get some detail and environmental "situational" images of the Odysys workspace and featuring their product.  Sometimes it can be quite a challenge to "feature" a digital software platform, but I think we made it happen!

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I was immediately drawn to the wall of "taped up" papers and layouts...I'm a big whiteboard fan and a visual organizer, so this was a setting after my own heart.  I set up a classic "workplace-feel" portrait here with several usage options, including a portrait orientation for a possible cover.

The next phase of this assignment was a trip over to The Wilds -- a soon-to be completed art-studio/workspace for creatives on the West side of Bend.  Three collaborative women are behind this venture and we spent some time building a portrait of them in their space that was still itself being created. 

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The three owners (pictured below, in L-R order) are Kelly Thiel, Karen Ruane, and Wallis Levin.  I started out with some basic available light images standing in the large roll-up doorway of the space.  I added a hint of accent from a small flash in the background, mainly to light the interior of the space just a bit, so they were not standing in front of a pitch black "cave".  Knowledge and experience with location lighting and having gear that is dependable and lightweight gives me so many more options of how to solve creative problems or interpret things differently.  The assignment originally called for a lot of documentation of the details of the space (which we discovered had not yet been finished), so I improvised a bit with these portraits themed as a combination of awesome potential space with these creative minds at the center of it.

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Finally, this job took me to Cascades Academy, a beautifully-designed, independent private pre K-12 school here in Bend, Oregon.  My last portraits for this series were with the co-founders of a digital start-up company called Handsell.  Molly Scofield and Dave Mullan are launching a mobile application that works in conjunction with social media communities (Facebook, etc) to provide an improved way to buy, sell, and trade online.  Pretty awesome idea and they work a lot with connected groups that already exist, like a school's PTA or parent groups, and even geographical neighborhoods.  So, in the concept phase of this part, we decided to use the Cascades Academy interior for some imagery since this is one of their communities testing the app.  Using the design elements of the building was fun and I could've stayed there all day.  

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The library and a classroom set the backdrop for a few shots and then we moved out into the searing Central Oregon heat that day for a quick simple set up against the symmetrical wood siding of the building.  Having a great combination of simple and clean backgrounds allows for a focus on the subjects themselves, while environmental settings tell a story or enhance a particular theme of the associated article...and in this case I was able to find and capture both!  

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This was a great assignment overall and allowed for the great combo of editorial assignment photography that I love--meeting and interacting with interesting people, problem solving the technical part of image creation on locations, and the excitement of creativity in the moment as my mind works to "find the images" that are both needed by the client and that make me happy to be a photographer.  

BUSINESS PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL ••• CENTRAL OREGON AND BEND COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Fall is basically here, so it is time for all of you business owners, creative entrepreneurs, and other self-promoters to think about new marketing strategies as many of your potential clients get back into the swing of their "normal" lives post-summer vacation, etc.  One great way to revamp a website, social media profile, or print advertising elements is to update your professional business portrait!!! As you may know if you've read my website bio, I also am a licensed mental health therapist with a private practice here in Bend.  I've had a lot of my clients from that business tell me that they were overwhelmed by the range of choices of practitioners on Google searches and on various "practitioner listings"; but, that they stopped on my listing initially because of my photograph--it was professionally done and designed to be consistent with my brand and to engage potential clients.  And...it works great in my attempts to set my business apart from my competition and to get a split second of extra attention from clients looking for my type of services.  Essentially (to paraphrase the thoughts of commercial photographer, Zack Arias), I want my business to be a strong "signal" that cuts through the "noise" of an over-saturated and competitive market.

So, right now, this week ONLY (9/14-9/20) I am offering a STANDARD BUSINESS PORTRAIT SESSION for $180--that's 40% off the normal fee of $300. That's a 2 hour photography session, 2 different "looks" (wardrobe, location, lighting style), a pre-shoot consultation regarding your business branding and how I can best complement that with your images, basic retouching, and a selection of proofs from which you can choose 2 final images for your personal and single-business use.

THERE ARE ONLY 10 of these available currently, so you may want to act quickly.  You can buy it this week and schedule your session basically anytime between now and the end of the year in order to take advantage of the great Fall colors and lighting that is on the way here in Central Oregon!  Here's a link to my CONTACT page where you can reach me, fill out an inquiry form, and get yourself one of these fun and unique portrait sessions!  I'll get back to you with all of the details!

Thanks for taking care of business.  --Brian   =)

VANILLA URBAN THREADS OWNER PORTRAITS ••• CENTRAL OREGON COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Hello again!! Summer is quickly drawing to a close and my schedule is slowing down, which is nice because I can catch up a bit in the promotional world and share more of my recent work! Time to highlight this portrait session as part of an ongoing look into a recent editorial assignment for Central Oregon Magazine.  April is the owner of Vanilla Urban Threads, an amazing clothing store here in Bend, Oregon.  The summer 2014 issue featured a Reader's Choice of Central Oregon--Vanilla was selected as one of the top spots for clothing shopping here in Bend.  Located in the Old Mill District, this store is a major destination for the stylish and the hip.  April was wonderful to work with, and, having history as a pro mountain bike racer, she was super comfortable in front of the camera! I really enjoyed the images that we came up with. 

I had been here previously for a photography-related reason, selecting wardrobe elements for the Bend OneModel competition winner's shoot.  I had noticed the amazing wild-print chairs that were near the popular shoe selections.  I knew I had to come back at some point, and likely ask to borrow one of those chairs because they were so awesome--I knew I needed to put a fantastic model on one! This assignment worked out perfectly!

Consistent with my shooting style, I utilized some artificial lighting setups as well as some basic natural lighting efforts to create several distinct portraits for the magazine staff to choose from.  April was a great sport as I clattered around, setting up stands and lights and muttering to myself about details, lighting ideas, and poses to remember...all of which needed to be accomplished prior to the store opening--the entire shoot was about 90 minutes from set-up to tear-down, so I had to move fast.

I try to round out an assignment like this with some additional images from a portrait subject's work environment. Using both my primary DSLR camera and my "mirrorless" Fujifilm x100s, I grabbed some detail shots of the amazing stylized decor in April's store.  These kinds of images can really complete an editorial photo shoot by telling some of the environmental story that occurs around and in conjunction with the main subject of the session.  Finally, a shot of how the magazine used one of the images is at the end of the post!  Thanks for checking it out!!  --Brian

BLACKSMITHS FOR CENTRAL OREGON MAGAZINE ••• BEND EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Finally!  I'm excited to reveal these images from a recent editorial photography assignment for the Winter 2014 issue of Central Oregon Magazine here in Bend.  I received a call from the magazine back in early October to discuss a small feature article focused on two blacksmiths based here in Bend.  That's right, blacksmiths--pounding hammers on hot metal to create useful stuff--those blacksmiths.  I got to spend the day photographing these guys at work--Hunter Dahlberg of Orion Forge and Kellen Bateham of Copper Iron Cubed. These two are both traditional craftsmen and creative artists, working with heat, metal, blood, sweat, and lots of effort to forge their visions into reality.  Read the online version of the article here.