Commercial Architectural Photography
We love all things architecture, especially showcasing it in our photography. From residential to commercial architectural photography work, we cover it all. It is useful for a variety of purposes, including this new aged care development in Sydney’s Western Suburbs. We were initially engaged by the facility operator Southern Cross Care to showcase the new complex and to attract residents. As time went on, other parties involved in the project, the developer, the architects, and the builder, also used the imagery we produced to promote their own businesses. It is often a good idea to do this, and share the cost of photography among several contractors.
Our angle was to paint a bright and vibrant and sunny feel to the imagery.
We think the results speak for themselves.
Speaking of architectural photography, we have had the pleasure of photographing Peter Maddison for Grand Designs Australia. You can read all about it here.
Contact us today if you need commercial architectural photography of your premises.
Game of Thrones' Deborah Riley
With the buzz of the final season of Game of Thrones in the air, what better time to share our shoot with Deborah Riley, Emmy award winning production designer of Game of Thrones.
When the call came in that we would need to photograph a Sydney based University of Queensland (UQ) alumni I never thought that it would be Deborah Riley.
Deborah completed a Bachelor of Design Studies at UQ. She then pursued a Bachelor of Performing Art (Design) at NIDA, National Institute of Dramatic Arts
We’re massive fans of the show here at Studio Commercial, I can tell you that my excitement levels were very, very high… they became even higher when told that she would bring the skull of a baby dragon!!!
Let’s not forget that Deborah had an impressive career before she entered the GoT world. Set designer for The Matrix, assistant art director in Moulin Rogue!, provided art direction for the Sydney 2000 Olympics closing ceremony, just to name a few.
Our aim was to deliver a range of impactful editorial imagery with mood and contrast in our lighting. My interpretation of this was to keep within the Game of Thrones vibe and to tie this is with a theatre undertone.
This has to be one of my favourite shoots for 2018! Winter has come! Dave.
Check out more of my editorial work here
Australian Turf Club Part 1 - Editorial Photography
The Races magazine – Editorial Photography at Rosehill Gardens
Recently we had the opportunity to meet and photograph Shaun Patterson in an editorial feature for The Races magazine.
As the Track Manager of Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Shaun heads a team of greenskeepers who keep the place in top shape and looking, well, very lush and green!
In my mind, and from a job satisfaction point of view, an editorial photography shoot is always going to be up there at the top of the list. Editorial assignments offer the chance to meet and engage with a wide range of interesting people as well as different locations, situations, and environments.
Usually the people chosen to be featured in an article are unique and interesting in themselves. It could be that they have an interesting job, or are an industry leader, or have achieved something extraordinary.
When arriving at a new location, there is an element of the unknown. This can be exciting, challenging and sometimes a little nerve-racking. On occasion there is the chance to access the inner sanctum. Visit places that are unseen or off limits to the general population. I find this gratifying.
An editorial brief also offers the chance to flex some creative muscle. The imagery is designed to be engaging so the reader is encouraged to do just that…. stop and read the story. There’s the quest to find interesting backgrounds, angles, shapes, colours and textures. Even with all the preparation in the world, there always seems to be the necessity to “ad lib” and adapt to the situation that presents itself on the day.
When it all falls into place, that provides the biggest reward.
In Part 2 we visit Randwick Racecourse, and meet the new CEO.
Feature your people and Stand Out In The Crowd. Contact us today.
Car photography for Mindfood magazine
We jumped at the chance when Mindfood magazine approached us to do an editorial feature involving car photography. The simple brief asked us to capture the Maserati being tested by an every day person, Michael Merano. We needed to feature Michael with the vehicle, and at least 6-8 support shots with internals and lifestyle close-ups. “It doesn’t have to be in a park. In fact since it’s a Maserati, I would think somewhere chic and stylish, but I leave that to you guys to consider based on possibilities.”
After some pre-production phone calls with client and subject, and searching street view on google maps, we decided to shoot in the Vaucluse and Rose Bay area.
There are always factors which are out of the photographer’s control when the location is in the outdoors, one being the weather. In this case luck was on our side when we had a break in the weather. We only had a 2 hr shoot window where the car and subject were available and no real backup options.… phew!
It’s also great to have an accommodating and relaxed subject which was the case with the subject and test driver Michael Merano.
Although car photography doesn’t feature heavily in Studio Commercial’s regular mix of work, we have a fondness of performance cars. There’s always extra motivation or should that be MOTORvation when the subject matter is of personal interest. Although it was hectic to get the shoot organised, at the end of the day we got the shot!
To Stand Out In The Crowd with your visual content, Contact Us today.
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
CEO Photography
Photographing CEO’s and Executives is a Studio Commercial specialty.
A typical photo-brief for CEO photography, often runs something like this:
“Capture a range of eye-catching environmental portraits that are both flattering and creative. They should suitable for use across multiple formats and applications such as press releases, websites, and annual reports. Oh, and by the way, our subject only has half an hour available in their schedule!”.
Clearly, the more time we have, the more options we can explore. But given the trend of underlying urgency, we have developed methods that allow us to maximise whatever we have available. Years of experience have allowed us to arrive at a location and choose the best spots and bring together creativity, communication, and technical skills.
Often, commissioning a photographer can be a daunting task for the person who’s job it is to do so, especially if they’re new to the role. We’d love to be involved in your project so you can breath easy, safe in the knowledge that you are in the best possible hands.
Here’s a selection of CEO images we’ve recently captured, hope you enjoy 🙂
Feature your people and stand out in the crowd! Contact us today.
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.
James Boag Epicurean and Tooheys New
Who loves their beer? WE DO!! Regular readers will know that we love our beer here at the studio… both shooting it as well as drinking it.
Recently the Host agency commissioned a couple of beer shoots.
James Boag Epicurean
A newly developed premium line for fine dining, we photographed the studio shots of the red and white bottle varieties.
Tooheys New NSW number one.
This Image is deceivingly simple, however involved shooting in situ components of the shot in multiple exposures… the beer head, beer glow and shadow etc.
The thin version below is printed beer mat, nice.
Dr Karl photoshoot
In studio with the lovely duo of Nina and Jo at Mahlab for Active Retirees magazine. We were all looking forward to this shoot for weeks. After years of tuning into Triple J every Thursday to hear the man himself, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki talk all things science, I had the pleasure to photograph him!!! 😀
The energy Dr Karl brought to the shoot was amazing, he’s one of the nicest and most energetic people we’ve had the pleasure of photographing. Dr Karl is THE trivia night secret weapon, we all felt considerably more knowledgeable following the shoot after listening to countless stories on any subject that came up! Here are a few of the resulting images –
… and what better way to finish a shoot than with a team shot 😉
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.
Diving Australia - Rio 2016 Australian Olympic Diving Team
I felt quite privileged having the opportunity to photograph the Australian Rio 2016 Olympic Dive Team! Currently representing us in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Melissa Wu, Anabelle Smith, Brittany Broben, Esther Qin, Domonic Bedggood, Kevin Chavez and by no means last Grant Nel were all in studio for an energetic photo session.
With Diving Australia’s CEO, David Bell as art director our aim was to capture strong emotive portraits of the team. The key here was selecting the right lighting that would accentuate the defined muscle tone that these elite athletes have. Here are a bunch of the resulting images, Cheers Dave 🙂
Melissa Wu
Anabelle Smith
Brittany Broben
Esther Qin
Domonic Bedggood
Kevin Chavez
Grant Nel
The Ladies
The Gents
The Team
and a photo of me getting it done 😀
Pizza Hut - a recipe for a delicious photoshoot!
As a pizza enthusiast, here is a photoshoot that certainly had it’s perks! yum yum….
On location at Pizza Hut HQ, we photographed pizza’s for the Family Treat Box. This combined with a range of images for the $5 flavour menu meant we didn’t go home hungry that day!
The Family Treat Box packaging itself, the one you see placed on the dark wood background, was shot in our studio. We then then comped the pizza shots inside the drawers to form the final image that you see here.
This image was also used in an animated form for tv and online use.
Agency: Host
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!
Air New Zealand Vs Qantas
As part of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Air New Zealand and Qantas had a bet with each other for the final. It turned out The All Blacks and Air New Zealand won the world cup and the bet. Which then meant Qantas had to wear All Blacks jerseys and have the Captain announce a big congratulations to the All Blacks on winning the Rugby World Cup. We got to be the only photographers there to capture the handover of the jerseys and Qantas staff wearing the All Blacks gear. As would be expected it was received better on the Air New Zealand social media pages than it was on Qantas but both got a lot of hits and the Air New Zealand post had almost 3000 re shares. It was the most successful social media campaign Air New Zealand has done, getting global coverage.
Caroline O'Connor
Currently starring in the smash hit musical comedy “Anything Goes”, Caroline O’Connor took time out from her busy schedule to catch up with Journalist Jo-Anne Hui and Art Director Nina Christian from Mahlab Media for an interview and photoshoot for “Active Retirees” magazine. Always the consummate professional, Caroline was a delight to work with and didn’t hesitate to jump into any pose we required! A really enjoyable shoot.
Styling: Annette Twemlow
Hair and make-up: Lisa Toyer
MALE MODELS: David Helman and Joel Berliner
CLOTHES: Blue dress, jewellery and kimono, dinner suits: Vintage Clothing Shop
LOCATION: The Vanguard, Newtown
Champagne Jacquart on Board Qantas
Doing business can be thirsty work, and for those flying Qantas international Business, Champagne Jacquart will be offered on flights from mid April 2015. Studio Commercial was commissioned to shoot some publicity shots to celebrate this new partnership.
Medibank Private
Here is high profile photoshoot we did for the cover of the Medibank Private Share Offer Prospectus. This formed part of a wider advertising campaign for the IPO. Interestingly, the moving blue dots are a device used throughout the TV ads as well as the images inside the document. Thanks to Rifle Media whom we worked with closely on the production, including art direction.
Photo of the day
On location in The Rocks, Sydney for Forsyth Property. Photographer Dave Silva limbers up to get the right angle. Sydney has some amazing hidden gems that are perfect for location photography.
The NIBA Gazette
The NIBA Gazette is an industry magazine that Studio Commercial have been supplying photographic content to for quite some time. The subjects are asked to bring a prop or item that is representative of themselves outside of the work environment. It is always a good fun shoot for all involved, especially as we are able to showcase a wide variety of interests, the personality of the brokers and have a laugh whilst doing so.
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.
HRM - Human Resources Monthly
This shoot is a classic example of the quintessential corporate assignment. The brief was to photograph Karen Lonergan, Qantas International’s Executive Manager of HR on location at Qantas HQ Mascot. Images were destined for the cover and inside spread of the August edition of “Human Resources Monthly”. The newly completed Qantas offices offered some great photographic backgrounds which is always a nice starting point for a photographer and Karen herself was comfortable in front of the lens which also helped the shoot run smoothly. I was really pleased with some solid imagery to illustrate the article, hope you agree 😉
HRM is published by Mahlab Media, art directed by Garry Humphrys.
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.
Corporate Portraits - The Simple Solution
As much as “we” the Studio Commercial photographers crowd our blog with pictures that ooze imagination, colour & creativity, there is none the less a big calling for the clean and simple, as we like to say: “White is the new white”
Canon Cameras has run a campaign for a number of years with the slogan “Advanced Simplicity” this featured just a single camera on a blank white page… the power of this approach is not to be underestimated.
In a similar way a corporate headshot on white can offer, in an instant, a concise and un-distracted view of “the voice at the other end of the phone” this brings the viewer face to face with a real person. Quick, simple and cost effective.
Skillogalee Muscat
Jason picked up this little gem of boutique Skillogalee Muscat whilst touring the wine country in South Australia. We thought that the beautiful form of the bottle would be a great piece to shoot as a still life. Being an uncommissioned work this gave us the scope to play around with a few props of our choosing and put this photograph together to create a complimentary look and feel. Hope you like it 😉
Cosmos Magazine
Editorial photoshoot for Cosmos Magazine, interview with Robin Beck Palaeontologist from University of New South Wales. Beck will upturn everything you thought you knew about Australia’s iconic mammals. AUSTRALIA’S #1 science media brand, COSMOS is a literary science magazine with a global following. It reaches 600,000 people every month, and its highly-regarded education resources are used in 70% of Australian high schools.
Saxony Fashion Shoot
Saxony Fashion Shoot Summer 2013-2014
Jump on the Saxony website to check out fashion photography by Studio Commercial. Grab yourself cool new threads while you’re there.