Stream of Unconsciousness

We interface with many talented photographers on an ongoing basis. In fact, so many that an individual photographer’s body of work can become lost in a sea of similarity.

Immersed in Differentiation

Enter Ric Frazier. Underwater imagery, it’s what he does. It’s all he does. Now that’s a refreshing brand stance. For more on Ric Frazier’s steadfast commitment to specialization, and a look at his award-winning wares, point your browser here.

Caroline at Window No. 1
Snedens Landing, New York

The often whimsical images of Rodney Smith’s Surreal collection, from the John Cleary Gallery, offer ethereal René Magritte-like insights—natural emanating light, impeccably framed and eerily imbued. Always worth a revisit—enjoy.

After booking a studio appointment at Celebrity Kids for our first family portrait, I received a follow-up phone call confirming the date and time and asking what type of photos we would be taking so they could let the photographer know (dressy, casual, etc.).

Service with a Smile

Upon arrival, we were greeted quickly and waited just a few minutes before our photographer came out and introduced himself. He showed us around the studio and asked a few questions about our style and what types of photography we liked — candid, posed, propped, or themed. He discussed the process—we would do the whole family first, then the kids, then review the images on screen in studio and make our selections. We had 90 minutes and the photos would be ready later the same week.

The photographer was personable and good with the kids, patient and full of ideas. He took photos when we weren’t ready–photos of us looking at each other and not just at the camera. They were perfect. I spent twice what I had planned and left feeling sick about the money I had spent.

A Value Proposition

In an effort to save money on my next set of pictures, I made an appointment at a different studio.

This time we were casually greeted and left to wait as staff members chatted in the back of the store. Eventually, the same person who greeted us and one of the people to whom she had been speaking told us they were ready and took us into a curtained room. No one ever spoke directly to me; the two staff members spoke more to each other than anyone else. When I mentioned wanting to change my daughter’s outfit, as their website had recommended, I was told “If there’s time and another appointment is not waiting.”

It was clear there was a system to which I wasn’t privy. One took photos as the other strategically posed my daughter, who not only looked uncomfortable but out of character.

An Image Problem

The photos I selected were printed out and handed to me in a messy pile. “Do these look okay to you?” I was asked. The photos were gray, muted, flat. Surprised at the low quality, I expressed my concerns. They did some retouching and reprinted slightly better images, but still not great.

I spent a fourth of what I spent at the first studio, but didn’t like the results. The process wasn’t personal — I felt like a name on a list and job that was to be started and finished in the allotted time frame.

Image Really Is Everything

In recent articles about branding we’ve touched on all that a brand is and how it is communicated to its audience through the logo, colors, messaging, imagery, website, staff and service.

A branding agency can do a lot for its clients, but it can’t hire the right people for your line of service. Remember, your people are your brand and even if you do everything else right, it only takes one bad experience to ruin your whole brand for that customer.

Image source: Prettywar-stl

Have a beautiful design that still needs a little pizazz? Finishing a print piece properly can be quite rewarding and below are just a few ways to achieve that satisfaction:

Spot Varnish - Give a spot gloss varnish extra pop by adding a dull or matte varnish in the negative space. Commonly used on photos and logos.

UV Varnish/Coating – The King of spot varnishes. Ultraviolet coatings are available in both gloss and dull/matte finishes. The gloss UV has a super-glossy, richer-looking shine than a regular varnish. And matte versions can even create a soft feel to the paper.

Half-tone Spot Varnish – This spot varnish is created by using the gradual tone or dot of an image. It eliminates the hard edge of a spot varnish and highlights a photo’s features.

Tinted Varnishes – Used in spot and overall applications. A varnish is usually mixed with a metallic ink to create an extra sheen. Metallic inks are opaque and contain small flecks of metal. These inks are also commonly used without varnish as a spot color.

Fluorescent Inks – These vibrant colors, as you can image, add brightness. They can be used as a spot color with or without 4-color process printing. They’re sometimes even used to replace one of the process colors to create a more striking image.

Embossing – Is a raised area, shape or logo surrounded by the relief area (the flat paper). Embossing can be used with printed images or alone on the paper stock (known as a blind emboss). Multi-level embossing has more than one level of raised area and creates additional depth and textures to the object.

Debossing – Same features, just the opposite. A depressed area surrounded by the relief area.

Foil stamping – Usually an area or graphic heat-sealed with an opaque or clear foil. Gold foil is by far the most commonly used, but an array of colored foils exist and they are not all shiny metallic.

Die Cutting – From rounded corners to extravagant custom fold-out or pop-out pieces, die cutting offers endless possibilities.

Bindings – A brochure or booklet doesn’t always require a saddle-stitched binding. Spiral, wire-o and comb binding can add a little personality. And if you don’t think you have enough pages for that, try a grommet or sewn binding.

Have a cool printing technique? Share it with us.

Image source: Patrick Boury

Receive a fancy SLR camera for Christmas? No idea how to use it? These easy tips can help turn snapshots into works of art.

Let’s start with the Rule of Thirds: As you look through the viewfinder, mentally draw a tic-tac-toe board through the viewable area—two lines vertically and two horizontally—to divide your picture into nine separate, equal portions. The Rule of Thirds says instead of centering your subject, bring interest to your photographs by placing the subject at any of the four points where the lines intersect.

Secondly, ensure proper exposure. Don’t trust your camera to do too much for you. Set your camera mode to Manual instead of Automatic. In the viewfinder, you’ll see an exposure meter range from “-2″ through “+2.” Typically, you want the meter to read “0″ for proper exposure. However, sometimes even when you shoot with a “0″ reading colors look too dark or washed out. To properly gauge exposure, put your hand up near the lens to fill the picture frame, making sure it’s in the same light as your subject and is not casting any shadows. Look through the viewfinder and turn the shutter speed setting until the exposure reads “+1.” Remove your hand, refocus and shoot. You should have a good range of highlights, shadows and middle values. If you like gadgets, you can get the same results using an 18 percent gray card (available at any photo store) instead of your hand and adjusting your shutter speed until the exposure meter reads “0.”

And finally, proper focus is key to great photos. If your camera has auto focus, use one of the camera’s sensing points to aim directly onto your subject. Press the shutter button down halfway to set the focus. Keep the button depressed, compose your shot using the Rule of Thirds, then press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

Remember, the way to take great pictures is to take lots of pictures; you only see a fraction of the shots professionals take. Enjoy your new camera!