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Click on the Guitar for a brief glimpse of the Hall of Fame’s Bruce Springsteen exhibit, as well as a few images of our favorite pieces of memorabilia from the shoot that are featured in the display.
Celebrate Cleveland’s small businesses. Head down to the Hall of Fame.
The Design Team
“Food is Love”…
Agnes Wajslaw
So the story line goes..
Last December, we had the opportunity to work with Patrick Ginetti, at Hitchcock Fleming, to shoot a series of posters for Kelly Tire’s launch of their “Fierce” line of tires.
Truly a great project, although asterisked with a very tight deadline and the need to shoot here in Cleveland.., in the winter.
The deadline was the first week of January, so, to say the least, we found ourselves working 12 hour days as we approached Christmas Day.
Now, the only family responsibility I really have around the holidays (any holiday) is going down to Krusinski’s, in Slavic Villiage to get the traditional Kielbasa and Perogies for the family Holiday Dinner.
Committed to that responsibility, I went to Krysinski’s on the 22nd. and bought the usual ration of family Kielbasa and Perogies. Filled with the holiday spirit though, I thought, what better way to say "thanks" to the crew that was working through the holiday than the gift of "Polish Gold"- Kielbasa!
50 pounds of Kielbasa later, in a van that to this day, still has the aroma of a Polish deli, I got back to the studio and gave my little holiday treasure to everyone there.
Funny thing about the story is that about a month later, looking at the final pieces, Patrick and I started laughing about all the funny things that happened in the three weeks we went from concept to press on this project. Out of the Blue, Patrick came up a memory that I, quite frankly, had forgotten:
You know Mike, I’ve shot all over the country, on a lot of different jobs. I’ve been given T-shirts, hats, coffee mugs….but no studio EVER gave Kielbasa as the shoot "take-away"
Click on the sidebar (Business Card), for a quick snapshot of Krusinski’s in Cleveland’s Slavic Village. The place my Polish mother still affectionately says "..where the Polacks go to get their Perogies..!
Mike Wilkes-Design Photography
Up next: I think we need a Railroad Tie in the shot….
Challenge is a constant in this business of ours. If you don’t enjoy a good challenge, if problem solving doesn’t fuel your creative fire and if working through the organizational puzzles that the big projects present aren’t fun, you may want to reassess your career path!
Design Photography’s April MTD shoot is a great example of seizing the smallest sliver of opportunity, having the tools on hand, and making a little magic happen in a hurry.
Story Line:
In mid March, MTD needed images of 6 products for POP Sears promotions. Time was limited, and with the current economic climate, neither the budget for a) our recommended trip out West, nor b) set-creation with fake snow, were there.
The weather was warming up in the area, no snow was to be had (especially enough to shoot through the chutes) and it looked like MTD was either going to scrap the collateral, or make do with digitally fabricating the new images in redundant backgrounds.
Then, out of the blue, Mother Nature decided to throw a wrench into Northeast Ohio’s spring. A 2-day snowstorm was forecast for the following week.
Just the wrench we were looking for!
Within three days, 4 separate locations were found and approved, product was prepped and two teams of photographers and assistants were ready to go!
Shoot Day:
The hoped-for snow fell the night before, but the warm-up started earlier than we wanted. Shooting as the snow melted, assistants frantically shoveling snow from the yards onto the driveways in between passes, the two teams got the 6 required shots, as well as a series of added “lifestyles” images accomplished.
Here are a few of the “before-and-after” images, illustrating the challenges the day gave us. By the next day, temps were back up into the 60s and Spring was back!
What’s your story?
If you have a great crisis management story that you want to share, or even one of those fluke “Cleveland’s weather actually cooperated with us” stories, share it! One of the best aspects of this job is the offbeat things that happen in our “day-to da.y” It’s what makes this job great!!
The Design Photography Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2009
“MTD of Cleveland spent several days in the New River Gorge area shooting still photographs and video for Cub Cadet, a manufacturer of riding tractors, utility vehicles, commercial mowers and compact tractors. Carl Fowler, owner and photographer for Design Photography Inc. of Cleveland, said that based on his experience in the state, he is strongly encouraging more of his clients to consider West Virginia locations for their advertising and marketing campaigns. “I’ve shot everywhere and nothing compares to our company’s positive experience in West Virginia,” Fowler said. “The local production coordinator we hired in Fayetteville, Marcie Cruz, was top-notch. She and everyone else involved with the shoot were accommodating beyond our expectations.” Fowler’s company also took advantage of one of the Film Office’s incentives, “River On Demand™,” which is a service made possible by the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Haynes said that MTD sought increased water flow along the Gauley River during a portion of their shoot, “and the Corps delivered.”
Cub Cadet’s ads will appear in publications, such as Field & Stream, ATV Illustrated, Side X Side Action, ATV Magazine and UV Magazine starting April 2009 and will continue throughout the year.”
About the above image:
This photo was taken on a cliff overlooking a 900 ft. deep gorge. We hired riggers and rock climbers to facilitate getting the product to this dangerous but beautiful spot. Real hunters were used for authenticity, as well as saving big on model usage fees. With Marcie’s help, everything was provided in this wild area: lodging, meals, models, props, transportation, wardrobe, product delivery, etc. for the crew, agency personnel and clients. This shoot was truly an unforgettable experience!
More to come in future blog updates?
To view the final images, click here
Japanese Pearl Snake
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