Food photography IGA Festive Season
We were enlisted by long time collaborators March One to work with them on the 2018 Christmas campaign for IGA. Food photography is my personal favourite. The multi-layered brief required us to cover stills while the TVC was being shot, as well as a stand alone 3 day shoot to cover images for the website, social media, and catalogue.
Within the brief for social media and website content, we had to create animations and short instructional videos. For the 3 day shoot we hired a house in Bronte. It provided a kitchen to suit the work and also allow us different areas to shoot in.
Kai, worked hard on the styling for the food photography making sure everything was ready at the right time. One of the ice-cream cakes wanted to melt very quickly and caused us some issues, for example, but also showed us we needed to do the 2nd one in a different way.
For the stills content, Christmas decorations in the styling were to be kept to a minimum as it was to be used over the whole summer holiday season, not just in the run to Christmas. We used pieces from the “how to” videos we were making to style and decorate the final food products and show in a real way how they can be used. Things like chocolate cups to build the banofie pie in, or how to glaze and carve a ham.
Kai & clients pondering cheese placement
The shoot went fairly smooth all in all, with 3 of us from the studio on hand, we didn’t run into any real problems.
Kai’s cutlery collection
TVC stills were shot around Taren Point and surrounding areas. We captured behind the scenes shots of the whole shoot, building a library of stills that could be used in various ways to support the TVC. Between shots, we needed to get some options of stills for a catalogue cover using the talent that was booked for the TVC so it all tied together.
One of the biggest challenges on the day was to work around the very busy film crew (Ideas of Dean) who had to cram lots of scenes into one long shooting day, so there was no time to stop or for us to hold them up at all. Add to this how many people were actually involved on the TVC part of the shoot and it made for an interesting long day. In the end we got the shots for the cover that were needed as well as a huge range of other stills that can be used to support the TVC and give the whole campaign a consistent look and feel.
Awesome to work with this guy, so professional.
Cheers, Andrew.
Jeans for Genes ad campaign
Sydney agency March One commissioned us to photograph the loveliest group of kids for the “Jeans for Genes” campaign. Each child that appears in the print ads has a genuine genetic disease, some of them life threatening.
We always enjoy shooting alongside the film crew from Ideas of Dean who were filming the ad for TV/cinema/web. The separate crews took it in turns working with each child to and try and capture their wonderful personalities.
We came away from the day feeling privileged to have met these great kids and their families. It was a reminder not to take little things for granted, which these kids can’t. We loved seeing their gorgeous faces on the finished banners lining the streets of the city. Jeans for Genes Day is coming up on Friday 3rd August (tomorrow!!), please give generously if you can – Jason.
Do you need some advertising photography for your business? Contact us now
Ferrero Rocher "Unwrap Magic"
It’s been a while since our last Blog Post as the team at the Studio Commercial have been all consumed with the trials of renovating our new premises and the logistics of moving an entire studio (more on that later)
In any case for the Christmas period, we photographed a series of promotional pieces in our studio for Ferrero Rocher.
I say “we” as these type of shoots are very much a team effort with assistants, art directors, stylists etc.
This was a very enjoyable and rewarding shoot, and as you can imagine there were certain perks to the assignment, especially for those in the team like myself who are addicted to chocolate 🙂
Refreshingly in today’s age of of digital magic, the two “unwrap magic” shots (destined for print) were captured in one set and in one shot (almost).
The “Countdown to Christmas” imagery, (which was destined for online and TV use with some animation) was photographed in stages so that various image elements could be moved easily in post production.
Client: The Kinetic Agency.
Toshiba X20
Earlier this year we photographed the Toshiba X20 for a promotion in print, on the web and for brochures under direction from advertising agency Vitamin X Creative at Bondi.
Shooting electronic goods is certainly rewarding and achieving the required slick finish was challenging. Perhaps this is because like the products themselves, the shots need to be extremely precise and clean. The real products surfaces are highly reflective and tend to highlight any fingerprints and any slight specks of dust. This probably why many of these type of images are often computer generated themselves.
Having said that, retouching was certainly part of producing the final images, most of which was carried out in house here at Studio Commercial.
KONE Elevators
KONE Elevators are on the up… (yes we’re not fond of newspaper style headlines either but there you have it). An interesting shoot none the less for Kone Australia brochures.
Samsung "Fill your fridge"
The Samsung “Fill your fridge” promotion was a photoshoot we completed for Momentum agency.
The fridge itself was huge and only just fit through our front door, it certainly took plenty of food to fill it!
On the photography side, shiny metal objects (particularly large ones), are notoriously technical to shoot and this one proved to be no exception. Lighting this Goliath required a very large and even source so we used large scrims and even our cyclorama itself as a huge reflector.
As a side note, so impressed by the fridge was Jason, soon after the shoot purchased the exact same model for his new house, he loves it!
Food styling by Ben Masters.
The ENGLISH
We’ve known Zak at Skunkworks Bikes for quite a few years and we always look forward to shooting his special creations (normally over a cool beverage after hours). Having said that, Zak specialises in high end, light and fast bike and wheel builds using high quality parts with meticulous attention to detail, so all of his customers bikes are indeed special creations. This English is Zak’s personal bike and gets used daily, the steel & carbon frame and saddle were custom made for his measurements and all parts hand picked to be a truly one off build. If you crave beauty such as this (and who doesn’t!), get in contact with Zak. @skunkworks_bikes
Surf Life Saving
We got more than our feet wet when we shot for the 2016 Surf Life Saving Foundation direct mail campaign. This assignment was quite literally a refreshing change from a studio shoot.
Our photo brief called for POV shots of a swimmer in trouble. So we donned the wetsuit, grabbed an underwater housing and jumped on into the surf.
Funnily enough, although the conditions were ideal for a regular day out at the beach, being fine and sunny, this didn’t quite match the original concept look and feel. As this called for a sense of fear and foreboding, a post production colour treatment brought the images in line with the concept from the March One agency.
Gentleman Jack - Dare to Triumph
On outdoor location shoots there is always gamble with the weather. This was rather appropriate given that this photoshoot was destined for a promotion being run in the Crown Casino Perth where some lucky patron is going to ride away on a Triumph Motorcycle. Fortunately, with the threat of rain looming we were spared any dramas from the sky. Even better, the conditions were ideal for the mood of the shots. From a personal point of view this was a rewarding shoot where everything came together nicely.
This assignment was commissioned and art directed by the team at Dynamix agency.
Happy Mardi Gras!
An alcohol shoot with a different bent!
As this post goes live, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is underway. With the main event of the parade itself taking place on the 5th of March.
We shot this “Celebrate Diversity” promotional campaign in conjunction with Dynamix agency and certainly think it captured the fun and flamboyant atmosphere of the party. As sponsors of the event, Finlandia Vodka and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire make the perfect couple and are sure to spice things up.
Jack Daniels & Co "The Spirit of Summer"
For those of us who like to have the odd cocktail or two, here’s a little offering of images that we photographed in conjunction with Dynamix agency and Brown-Forman, “The Spirit of Summer” promo. This shoot was especially enjoyable at the end of the day… Jack Daniels Sinatra comes highly recommended!
"Hipsters" TV Series by Samuel Johnson
Hipsters is a TV Series presented by Samuel Johnson. The series was aired on SBS in March this year. We shot this promotional photography in the local Sydney streets of Newtown for SBS (through March One Agency). Another fun and rewarding shoot, this time with one of Australia’s most likeable TV personalities.
Grand Designs - season 4
Jason: It was great to catch up again with Peter Maddison, the Grand Designs Australia host, we’ve been shooting Peter since series 1 and I’ve always found him to be a genuinely nice guy, we always have a lot of fun on the GDA shoots. The photoshoot was in our studio this time around, working with March One advertising agency, we were given several background images to combine into a single background plate and then shoot Peter to match the lighting and perspective. A relatively straight forward studio shoot, the challenge was for Cameron to make it all come together in retouching.
Cam: I had a lot of fun with the post production on this project and was very pleased with how the image came together. Following Art direction given by March One agency we created the promo image by combining Jason’s shots of Peter with a number of supplied stock elements. Matching colours and perspectives was the key here to achieving a dramatic but realistic feel to the imaginary Australian outback dream house.
March One Promax Advert
Working with our friends at March One Advertising agency on their advertisement for Promax. This years music video look was dreamt up by art director Samantha Buckley. All props and styling were sourced by March One. Hair and make up by Rafal Gaweda. Shot in our space here at Studio Commercial.
Shelta Outdoor Furniture
We have been commissioned to shoot for Shelta Australia Outdoor Furniture on a number of occasions over the years. This time around we utilised three separate houses around Sydney as our backdrop. I’ve always found it to be a fun and professional shoot that showcases our ability to take on and deliver on a diverse range of assignments.
Production and art direction – Geoff King, Styling – Denby Dowling.
Balmain Private
Balmain Private‘s business is providing online investments in stand-alone first mortgages. For their website, they wanted to show a range of every day clients “virtually” choosing their online investments. We provided full service for the client from finding models to hair & make-up to the photoshoot and retouching, a very fun shoot!
The Salvation Army
This photoshoot commissioned by the Salvation Army is designed to show the heritage of their organisation. The subjects are real Salvation Army officers that have been photographed separately. The background was supplied and the lighting on the subjects had to match this. Studio flashes were filtered through coloured gels to achieve the same tones found in the background. The advertisement was used across different print media included magazines, light boxes and Sydney buses.
March One Advertising Agency
This shoot was for our friends at March One Advertising Agency. The concept was by the senior designer Dan Crozier (the guy in the middle). The image features the staff of the agency and was used in the Promax awards magazine. Promax is a global community of professionals in the marketing and promotional television industry. If you have a concept that you want to bring to life, the Studio Commercial team can make it a reality.
Activewear Brazil (Pink Sun)
Since returning to work after baby number 2, I have mostly been concentrating on the admin side of things at the studio, living vicariously through the boys as they continue to do some amazing photography work. Having said that:
I recently had the great pleasure of working with Lienke de Bruin, the brains behind Activewear Brazil.
Already a supplier of high quality workout apparel made in Brazil, and being the entrepreneur that she is, Lienke decided she wanted more than what was on offer. So she did what any mother of 2 young boys would do, she decided to start her own label! The amazing result is the newly launched label Pink Sun. Designed in Australia and made in Brazil using the innovative sportswear fabric Supplex, Pink Sun is a refreshing combination of colourful prints & high quality gear, now available to the global market.
We had a fun day in the studio, working with gorgeous model Dani Bonnor. Shooting all of the amazing garments on a white background made the clothing to really pop and allowed for greater flexibility with graphic design post-production.
I loved working with Lienke, applaud her determined hard work, and wish her every success.
Purchase online at www.activewearbrazil.com.au, also check out Activewear Brazil on Facebook and pinksunactive on Instagram for special deals.
Thanks for reading, Vanessa.
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is one of Cancer Council’s leading fundraising events and the largest, most successful event of its kind in Australia.
Studio Commercial was commissioned by advertising agency March One to create a range of imagery for the event. Cam photographed tea cups in studio while I was out taking pictures of kind people hosting a morning tea for their friends, workmates and / or family. Have a look at the final results below.
Thanks for reading!
Pieter
nib Annual Report
Sydney’s Rifle Media once again commissioned Studio Commercial to undertake photography for NIB’s branding and Annual Report. We spent a couple of glorious days in Newcastle doing the photoshoot, it was a lot of fun. Here are some of our favourite images (and some behind the scenes pics).
SBS Create STUDIO competition
Studio Commercial once again was commissioned to shoot and retouch the stills campaign for the Create STUDIO competition run by the arts channel of the same name. The competition finalists made 30 second promotional spots to be run on Foxtel’s channel 132 and the winner also received $10K, John Gosper was announced as the winner. John, Brian & Anelise’s promo’s for the Arts Channel are now playing on Foxtel channel 132 and can also be seen online via the link below. The following images are what we put together for the three finalists work, enjoy!
John Gosper : Winner
Brian Neongsan: Finalist
Annelise Keestra: Finalist
Selling Houses Australia
Working with March One creative agency, we photographed the Selling Houses Australia hosts Shaynna Blaze, Andrew Winter & Charlie Albone for Foxtel’s Lifestyle channel print campaign. Here are a selection of images that were rolled out.
SBS World Movies "Summer of Sin"
Photographic Brief for SBS world movies adult summer of sin: Create smoking hot images to complement the films SBS will be playing over the summer.
This was shot at the Watson’s bay hotel with Creative direction by March One agency.
SBS STUDIO
Recently Studio Commercial photographed the four finalists artwork for the SBS “STUDIO” channel. (Yes confusing I know).
“STUDIO” is a creative arts channel on the Foxtel network.
The image making process involved photography as well as extensive retouching to create the final look. We shot this image of Thom in a dark and scary basement in downtown Melbourne. Thom Fraser was the winner and took home $10K and a billboard display in Kings Cross and his TVC to run as a promo for the channel.
Waratah's Carlton Draught
Here are some images for a Carlton Draught / Waratah’s promotion. The final imagery may look simple, but sight unseen is the considerable effort in makeup lighting and post production work.
To achieve the ideal lighting on both elements of the image. The hand/arm image elements were captured separately to the beer shots. In the case of the schooner we had to modify and blend in an existing glass shot with the hand holding a “dummy glass”.
Commissioning agency: The Zoo.
Heineken
We photographed this recent Heineken promo in Wentworth park Ultimo. The Art directors brief was to “recreate a little piece of Amsterdam in the middle of Sydney”. The shoot went so smoothly the crew had time for a tasty beverage in the park afterwards.
Come Dine With Me
This is a shoot we did for Foxtels Come Dine With Me. It has been popping up around the city on taxi backs. Splashing red wine around the studio sure makes a mess!
Bicycle photography Riding into 2013
When clients visit our beautiful studios, they always notice plenty of bicycles around. The majority of them are owned by Studio Commerial's Jason Doyle & Marcus Enno. Inspired by the beautiful machines they built I started planning to assemble my own commuter.
I have been riding from Manly to Sydney's CBD for well over a year and my old bike was struggling to keep up. It's good to treat yourself once in a while, especially with Xmas around the corner.
The building went more smoothly than I anticipated, Jason and Marcus guided me along the way nicely, so I definitely saved some time/mistakes there.
Thanks for reading. Pieter
