Emerald Bay Photography News and Updates

I love the simple cleanliness of contemporary homes. No clutter - just sweeping elegant lines, white-washed walls, and lots of beautiful, naturally soft light. They are a blank canvas for the home owner to create a universe of art, color and style.

A few weeks ago, I was hired to shoot just such a home. Built by the talented Bend custom home builder, Hansmann & Sons Construction, and styled by the ever-amazing Pamela Armstrong at Complements Home Interiors, this home's clean lines perfectly embrace the exciting pieces of art that permeate the house.

What's most amazing however is the blend of styles: Contemporary and Western. Having myself contributed images to Thea Marx's book Contemporary Western Design, I am familiar with the concept of pairing a modern shell with often old-fashioned pieces of Western art.
This home however has achieved a rare and stunning combination of the both. But don't listen to me - see for yourself...







And of course to see the entire interior, go here.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon

Recently - more as a challenge to myself than anything else, really - I tippy-toed into the complex world of jewelry photography.

Yepp, there was a learning curve. And a huge one, at that.

But I was fortunate to at least have the privilege of being able to use a custom ring by my hugely talented friend, Bollywood's costume and jewelry designer Niharika Bhasin Khan, based in Mumbay, India.

And I'm actually pretty happy with the results. But you judge for yourself ...





More jewelry images to come soon!

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, jewelry photographer bend oregon, product photographer Bend Oregon

That's really the one word that comes to mind when seeing this absolutely stunning example of elegance and craftsmanship:













Check out the rest of the images here.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, Bend Oregon photographer, Central Oregon photographer, interior architectural photography

I think my editor at TIME Magazine has some sort of special radar. I may not talk to her for eons, but she seems to know exactly when I'm either gone on vacation, or when I'm about to leave on vacation.

Point in case: last week, I was scrambling to get my work organized in order to leave on a 10 day trip to California. Tuesday was a day of solid meetings, and I had a 2-hour shoot scheduled for Wednesday at 10am. So who calls me on Tuesday afternoon with an assignment, completely out of the blue? My TIME editor. Just like she did last time.

Now - alert readers will note here that my bread and butter consists of architectural, food, and product photography. To spice things up though and keep it lively, there's the occasional editorial/corporate portrait. But what really trips my trigger (literally) is shooting an editorial - telling or illustrating a story with my camera.

So doing the occasional shoot for TIME, Canoe & Kayak, or some other magazine is always fun. Yet this particular assignment was different. No heads-up to the subject. No fuzzy, happy "let's make this look good" approach. No. This was going to be complete clandestine. A "no comment" shoot. My instructions were *not to be seen*, and not to talk to anybody.

The target? Mount Bachelor Academy, about 20 miles east of Prineville.



The private school had been recently in the news about the State investigating possible abuses. TIME was picking up on that, but because the story was going to be negative, they couldn't ask for PR images from the school. So they called me.

The deadline was tighter than usual - less than 24 hours. As I had already scheduled that other shoot (which was impossible to postpone due to a unique subject unavailability), I decided to get up at 5am and drive the hour and a half to the location in order to be able to return to Bend in time for my 10am.

April in Oregon can be unpredictable however. As it turned out, it had snowed the night before. The road froze, coating the tarmac with a 1/4 inch of black ice. Which literally turned the surface into an *ice rink*. I got only a few miles past Prineville before I had to turn around - or risk breaking my neck.



A quick call to my editor later, she agreed to postpone the deadline to the early evening so I could go back in the afternoon (and after the ice had melted off the road).

So I drove back to Bend, did my other shoot, then returned to Prineville in the afternoon. The road was clear now. Thanks to Google Maps/Earth, I knew exactly what to expect from the location: a big, semi-fenced compound with several buildings, situated clear up against a deserted stretch of highway, high up in the Ochoco National Forest. No real way to sneak up and carefully compose a shot. Oh, well. Drive-by shooting it was then.





Hours later I delivered the finished shots to my editor. She wrote: "Success! This is better than expected." Thursday morning I delivered high-res. Friday, the story ran.

Wham. Bam.
High pressure deadline.
Instant gratification.

As much as I love being able to take my time styling, tweaking, and lighting my photo subjects, and through the resulting images help my clients gain new business - I have to admit, the editorial way of working has its appeals too. There's a certain soul satisfaction in contributing to a story that might alter someone's life, change someone's mind about a topic. Especially when you know that millions of people will read it.

What it boils down to for me however is balance - keeping my interest in the craft fresh, knowing that I can tackle any challenge that presents itself, and maintaining that equilibrium that gets me up out of bed every morning, ready to shot the next big challenge.

I love my job.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, editorial photographer Bend Oregon, Editorial Photography

Over the years of working as a professional photographer, I've come to realize that at least 50 percent of my job consists of educating and guiding my clients through the confusing labyrinth that is the photography industry.

So I thought I'd share a recent story as example for clients and photographers alike. Note: names have been replaced by generics for reasons that will become obvious shortly.

In summer of 2007, I was hired by Client A to photograph a building. The following October, the occupant of the building (let's call him Client B) requested to license three of the images from the shoot for their own advertising uses. The person I was dealing with was billing himself both as the marketing contact and in-house photographer.

A 1-one year license was issued for the 3 images. As part of my standard contract, it was stated clearly that a byline (a small copyright notice usually next to the image or somewhere on the page) needed to appear in conjunction with any website usage. Given that my Client B contact was a photographer himself, I trusted that he would observe the rules of the contract, and didn't bother checking up on them.

A few weeks ago, Client A alerted me that Client B had contacted them, asking to obtain a (free) CD from their firm, featuring all the images from the original shoot, for use on a new website. Client A (whose marketing department is incredibly knowledgeable and respectful, and has always adhered to all licensing rules) instead referred Client B back to me.

Realizing that they were overdue on their license anyway, I searched their website to see if they were still using my images. As it turned out, they were indeed featuring one of my images in both their website header's 5-image rotation, and on their 'Contact Us' page. I politely emailed Client B, offering to renew their license at a reduced price.

They responded with "no, we don't want to pay for outside photography anymore. We will take your image down." I told Client B that was fine, but that they still owed licensing fees from last October until now. We went back and forth a couple of times, solidifying which image exactly the license was going to refer to. All seemed well.

Within the span of only half an hour after that, Client B emailed me with the following statement: "Actually, *I* took that picture. There used to be one similar, but I got rid of that one and took my own."

I was befuddled. How could he claim that? We had just gone through confirming the image. At which point I realized that I hadn't seen that required byline on their site anywhere, which of course made it easier for them to deny my copyright.

So I went back to their site to take another look. As I hit 'Refresh', I found that the image had been erased, both in the header rotation and on the contact page. So now there was no more trace of my image on their site - ergo, no way for me to prove that they should have to pay up. Right?

Wrong. Enter ... Google Cache. In order to be able to serve pages that may have gone offline or changed, Google keeps a copy of every website as a cached version, usually about a week or so old.

So I retrieved the cache, took a screen shot of the contact page, and attached it to my response email as a jpeg. I also added a url to the same image in my online portfolio. The proof was undeniable now - right down to the matching cloud formation in the background. I wrote that I disagreed with his statement, and cited the screen shot and portfolio link as proof that the image had been indeed mine. In addition, I pointed out, my copyright was nowhere to be found, neither live nor cached.

The silence in response was deafening. I decided to make it easy on him, and sent him an invoice. It contained the license fee, and a penalty for omitting my copyright.

The following morning, a meek one-liner: "I will put a check into the mail today." Not a word more. Two days later, an envelope with the payment showed up in my mail box.


So what is the moral of the story?

In my trade, I know that creating and maintaining trust and good relationships with my customers is absolutely paramount - and not just to assure repeat business. It's simply a matter of good practices. I'm up front with my fees, have a detailed and easy-to-understand standard contract, and am always available to answer any questions that might pop up.

In return, I expect that the client shows me the courtesy of being respectful and professional towards the service and images I deliver to them, and that they are considerate when it comes to my copyright and the specifics of the mutually-agreed upon contract.

So if you're a photography buyer - don't be afraid to ask your photographer questions about any area of licensing, or the industry in general. We are always happy to explain in an effort to avoid confusion and costly misunderstandings later.

And if you're a photographer - it's tempting to abandon your rights in this economy in order to maintain good relations with a client. But please remember that not only aren't you doing yourself any favors - you are also hurting your peers, the industry as a whole, and in the end your client, by not making sure that your services, products and rights are assigned their proper value and protection.

In the end - who is going to produce those high-quality, custom images for our clients if we photographers are unable to make a living and have to abandon our profession?

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, client education, licensing rights, photographer advocacy, photography industry

A week ago, I wrote about the perils and joys of selling your images for book projects.

In volume 2, it's pretty much all about the joys. Because this time, it didn't take very long - and the image wasn't for some far-away Midwest book publisher, but rather for a friend who lives in my own town.

I had had conversations with Stan about his book before. It sounded like an intriguing story, and I was thrilled when he called me last December to tell me he was ready to publish. All's he needed now was a fitting cover image.

So I went over to his and his wife Rika's house, tripod and camera in tow - and as it turned out, Stan had a painting of the city of Portland he himself had painted many years ago that looked perfect in layout and context.

So here's the evolution:



I shot the painting ...



... cropped it, cleaned it up a tad, then sent the file to the graphic designer, who turned it into this:



And so for the second time in only a few weeks, I was able to hold a book in my hands I had contributed imagery to. How cool.

Labels: Bend, Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, book publishing, books, Central Oregon photographer, product photography

In this economic age of steep declines in new home building, a lot of home owners are choosing to remodel instead of building new homes (always a good idea too to have contents insurance on your building though!). The building contractors that have tapped into that trend are currently experiencing brisk business. So it may come as a surprise that only very few of them have the foresight to take pictures of the projects before the alteration.

Yet - "before" and "after" images are the most powerful and valuable tool these companies have to increase their business for the future. There's nothing like pulling out a portfolio in a client meeting, snapshots of outdated, crummy areas right next to the professional images of updated, modern and fresh spaces. As cliche as it may sound - but not even the best verbal sales pitch in the world carries the power of those kinds of images to convince a new client that a remodel is the right thing to do, and to get them dreaming about the possibilities.

So in conjunction with the launch of its new website, Nautilus Construction recently hired me to shoot an "after" portfolio of a kitchen remodel. The home owner had "before" shots on hand I was able to match angles to.



Above and below images shows just how much modifying the overbearing bar was able to improve flow and traffic around the kitchen...



... and how much counter space was created by adding a shelf for much-used appliances and treasured cook books.



In addition, a slim new opening between the existing cabinets and the new shelf was harnessed to insert a pull-out spice rack. The hardware was updated to enhance the new modern look of the kitchen.



So whether you're a satisfied home owner, a remodeling business, or a finish carpenter - it's always great to have those "before" and "after" shots. And not just for insurance purposes, or to revel in the memories of what once was.

Note: In the interest of full disclosure I must mention that Nautilus Construction is a finish carpentry company in Bend, Oregon, owned by none other than my hubby - but for the purpose of this blog post, I think it's still a fine example of the point I'm trying to make.

Labels: architectural photographer Bend Oregon, architectural photography, architecture, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, interior architectural photography

Book publishing can sometimes be such a sluggish venture. In this impatient age of instant gratification - fueled by the net, Facebook, Myspace and, yes, blogging - the thought of selling an image for a project that's not going to come into existence until 6 or 8 months later, can be a trying thing.

Luckily, I have plenty of experience in the field, having worked for four years in PR and marketing for a technical book publisher. I know that from the time of idea conception (ie. sitting around with your buddies, brain storming over a glass of beer) to the proud and satisfying moment of actually pulling the finished book off the store shelf, it can be a long and rocky path - littered with endless rewrites, changes of direction, fights over cover design, marketing snafus, wheelin' and dealin' with retail outlets... and so on.

That's why when I sold a few images for a how-to book on concrete to a client last Spring, I literally forgot all about it. Right after I cashed the check, anyway...

A few weeks ago though, while organizing my tax stuff, I suddenly remembered... that's right ... the book was supposed to publish last Fall! And sure enough - a quick check on the website confirmed it - it was out! Whoohoo!



A quick reminder email to my awesome editor, and a comp copy was at my doorstep two days later too.

Truly - there's hardly anything more satisfying than leafing through a book, seeing your images printed in it, and knowing that someone will assign space for it on their bookshelf for years to come.

Labels: architectural photography, architecture, Bend, Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, book publishing, books, Central Oregon photographer, concrete, interior architectural photography

One of my biggest and most stout resolutions this fine new year will be to EAT LESS, eat more modestly, and consume food with greater attention paid to nutrition and calories.

For example, my breakfasts will likely look like this every day (eggs = protein. protein = good):



Something like this for lunch will probably address my nutritional needs (I see fiber in there! I swear I do...), in conjunction with also looking pretty:



And me thinks that a serving of protein such as this will be appropriate for my dinners. Oh, yes, it will.



In closing: Thanks for humoring me. I'll go back now to gnawing on that side of bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon.

Dishes created by the talented and fabulous Chef Adair and photographed by yours truly.

Labels: Bend Oregon photographer, Bend photographer, Central Oregon photographer, commercial photographer Bend Oregon, food, food images, food photographer Bend OR, food photography

I'm sure Homer Simpson would have thought he'd died and gone to heaven - if he'd only taken time out of his cartoon life to attend Deschutes Brewery's annual Fresh Hop Tasting in their beautiful Mountain Room.

Indeed, the beer flowed free and strong, and Homer would have been quite certainly delirious, trying to decide which to grab first: the Mt. Angel Fresh Hop Stock Ale or the Harvest Moon Fresh Hop Strong Pale Ale? Or maybe the Fairweather Fresh Hop Golden Ale?



Incidentally, Deschutes Brewery hired me to shoot the event and venue that evening, so while I can provide visuals, Jon over at The Brew Site has a far more educated and ind-depth review of the affair than I'd ever be able to conjure up.





Did I mention though that the desserts rocked too?

Labels: beer, Bend, Bend Oregon photographer, Central Oregon photographer, Deschutes Brewery, drink photography, Editorial Photography, Event Photography, food photography, product photography

Fall is always a great time for some indoor shooting. Not restrained by weather or needing that perfect simmering sunset, I can stretch myself creatively - and I love those clients who pretty much give me free range.

Such as Volcano Vineyards. Not only are these guys great people and make kick-ass wine - they are also heaps of fun to work for cause they just throw their product at me, and say "go!". So I did. And got a bit playful and creative:



Sophisticated satin and sparkling diamonds just somehow seemed to go well with these viticultural gems ...

Labels: Bend, Bend Oregon photographer, Central Oregon photographer, drink photographer Bend Oregon, drink photography, food photography, product photography