I’m impressed with Cody Hamilton’s ability to create an image from scratch. Our Austin photographer just blogged about his breakdancing rabbit and DJ Bear shots, showing the different components that led to this final composite image:
Here are a few of the elements that he used to create it, including one of the stuffed animals:
The background plate that he retouched and extended:
And the first composite before he added a lot of convincing shadows to the bunny:
I thought his other image from the series turned out well, making for the hippest stuffed animal photos ever:
Cody’s inspiration was seeing his 2 yr. old daughter forcing her stuffed animals to dance around with her. Plus, he says it compensates for his failed attempts at breakdancing in college.
A few other composite shots from his portfolio (he assures me that he didn’t rent a giant, prop “X” for the following shots for an espresso chain called “XPRESD”):
I find that the detaills on these last three shots take a few viewings to fully appreciate:
We’re fresh on the heels from a New York portfolio visit with Publicis, Esquire and Marie Claire. Philadelphia (where we’re headquartered) is actually close enough that we can easily do a long day and come back in time for dinner – though we usually stay for drinks with clients or photographers.
Our photo editor Sean and producer Amanda (4th from right below) showed about 20 books at Publicis New York, known for their CITI, Pepto Bismol, Vick’s and other P&G print ads, not to mention a host of tv work. Unusual for our typical portfolio breakfasts, we got to use their pool table (though no games broke out, unfortunately).
We met about 25 creatives, and here’s a sampling of portfolios that stood out to them. Starting with Saverio Truglia in Chicago:
An art buyer mentioned that she likes seeing an “index page” of tearsheets at the back of portfolios, just before serendipitously finding exactly that at the back of Brian Kuhlmann‘s book:
Other art buyers emphasized how Proctor & Gamble likes to work with very bright and clean images, both still life and lifestyle.
After a quick lunch, the afternoon presented us with embassy-esque security at the Hearst Building on 57th St. After braving the freight elevator and getting a glimpse of the basement, we finally made it to Esquire and met with one of their photo coordinators for a great in-depth conversation.
She explained that they tend to look for strong conceptual still-life work, and interesting environmental portraiture. She was excited about their Augmented Reality issue a few months ago, and we talked about how with our Multimedia page we’re now marketing our photographers who are doing motion and directing work outside of still photography. She had no particular pet peeves when it comes to portfolios, but she did emphasize how important it is to have a tight edit: “I’d rather see a thin little book with great work!”
She was fond of Adam Voorhes’ still life work (we blogged about his portfolio video a few weeks ago), amongst others.
Onwards (and upwards: literally, they’re in the same building upstairs), we dropped-by Marie Claire and felt like we’d just stepped into The Devil Wears Prada. We met with one of their photo editors, who explained how their “What I Like About Me” is a great fit for Wonderful Machine photographers since they shoot all over the country. “I think a lot of your photographers have an aesthetic that would work well with us,” she said.
She particularly liked Alexa Miller’s work, who is based in Salt Lake City: “She really conveys a positive, happy attitude with her work, and that fits well with a lot of our content.” Judge for yourself:
And we ended our day with a celebrity sighting of Puff Daddy/P. Diddy, so what more can you ask for?
