Straub Collaborative

Marcus Fischer is a multimedia artist and musician currently living in Portland, Oregon (and longtime team member/stylist at Straub Collaborative). In addition to creating visual art, he also records and performs music under his own name and as part of the duo Unrecognizable Now. The exploration of sight and sound has been a continual focus for Marcus, both in his personal work and in his role as co-curator of vision+hearing, a series of audio/visual events that brings together musicians and filmmakers for collaborative performances. He has also had the opportunity to score various short films and videos and enjoys experimenting with unconventional sound sources to create music.

Dustbreeding.com, mid-January, 2009, About:

This is the daily art blog of Marc Fischer. I started this blog in hopes that it would be creative catalyst for me.  My goal is to try and post one thing a day for the next year.  We’ll see how long it lasts.  If you like what you see, please leave a comment.  Positive thoughts will keep me going.

He ends his introduction with humble request for a huge undertaking.

Marcus did keep going – the project made it all 365 days and now can be safely classified as an opus.

What inspired the project?

I’ve always had a lot of different interests: design, music, illustration, video work, photography, and I wanted to exercise all those areas and target what I like about all of them.  At the time (end of 2008), I had been feeling creatively stagnant.  I used to produce stuff all the time, then I realized that I had gone a long time without creating very much, so I decided to create a blog with the idea of doing a project a day for a year.  I wanted to create conditions where I kept the creativity going every day instead of stopping and starting.

At first, I had thought, “I’ll just do it for myself “ and then I realized, “oh wait, I should tell people, then I’ll be responsible, not blow it off or do 2 in one day”, that type of thing.

Over the course of the year, it helped solidify my work. I decided the type of expression day by day – I didn’t schedule it. After a while, anything I did throughout the day could be considered a project. During a walk at lunch I’d make a recording, take a picture. Some of them were premeditated, others were found pieces, I’d spot something interesting to me, I’d take it home and hash it out.

Any specific highlights from the project?

That was one of the most important years for me a in a lot of ways, the things that came out of it and the things that happened that year including the birth of our daughter Gemma. My wife Nicole fell ill with a life threatening illness and Gemma had to be delivered via emergency C-section. She was very premature and spent 11 weeks in the hospital.  When Gemma was born (she was 1 lb, 7oz.), my wedding ring fit around her bicep.

At that point in the year, the project helped keep me sane, and since there were a lot of restless nights anyway, it kept me active and productive.

Gemma had been so early that she had an underdeveloped immune system, so when she finally came home from the hospital we were under quarantine at home and neither of us could go to work and we couldn’t receive visitors. People would bring us food – we had a cooler on the porch, but we couldn’t interact very much.

During that time I did a lot of staring out the window so I welcomed the creative outlet. In the blog, there’s a section of what looks to be watercolors but it was actually long exposure pinhole photography.  I’d capture the trees moving and I played with making time lapse videos.

You took an incredibly challenging situation and managed to find a place for productivity and creativity within in – calling it an accomplishment is such an understatement.  Safe to guess you were changed by that experience?

I think about how I coped differently with things (during the 365 experiment) and now, because I am not actively doing that project. My dad passed away in April and my first reaction was that I wanted an outlet and didn’t’ have it at my fingertips

I did a piece of music that I posted. Definitely like a meditation that I reached out to in time of crisis.  Something I could use to take my mind off the stressor, go into a creative zone.

One of the highlights of (what I produced) that year was animals that I made from Letraset dry transfer letters – a project that I had started years ago.  With the daily work during the project, I got a chance to refine it.  Those pieces caught the eye of a lot of people and my blog got re-posted in a lot of design blogs, and I wound up picking up a bunch of followers – people who I really respected and I had no idea were following my project.  They would write to me and say, “I love your daily updates – that’s my morning ritual.”

I wouldn’t post until just before I went to sleep.  I would post a picture and, while it was loading, I would write an explanation. Sometimes people would comment on a post before I finished writing the explanation.

I got a flood of emails at the end of the year from people who told me that they were sad the project was over – it was a wonderful surprise.

I have very cool story specifically about the music: there’s an artist who runs a label called 12k in NY that really I respect who started following the blog.

Long before I found that out my wife Nicole would say, “You belong on this label, you should send him a demo!”

I said, “I should, but I don’t really do that!”

It turned out that he got in touch with me and asked me to record an album for his label – I never thought that would happen.  He put my album out last year and it got great reviews, sold out right away. Now we are working on long-term projects. I went out in February, did recordings, it’s turning into this cool thing. It will be released this October

It sounds like this project just kept growing in so many ways…

I discovered that there were 4 or 5 blogs influenced by mine – 2 of them have kept it up. One guy who has been doing the daily projects is closing in on his second year – it’s awesome. It was also interesting to find out that my project inspired other people to do their own. The music definitely was an awesome advancement and the Letraset project was published in a book in the UK about alphabets

I made a series of prints of the penguin one that I sold on the blog. It was great to see the reaction and I want to do a bunch more.

I think a lot of people have dustbreeding.com in their RSS reader since I still get comments when I post things.  I think it was really great exercise in a lot of ways – and it’s been fun because people will email me about a posting that catches their eye.  I’ve also realized that it’s really good to have documentation.  Some of the things I’ve created I have no recollection of making and when I’m reminded of them, it seems like they were made in the distant past.  I’ve liked watching trends – (looking back at the work), knowing where you came from, where you’ve been.

I am reaping the benefits of the daily practice.  It really helped me get things going. The only possible downside is that I now have 365 + small projects, but the larger scale projects suffered (that year). I am thinking that maybe next year I’ll do one bigger project a month.  It doesn’t matter which form – it could be music, drawing or design, but I’d like to do one, more complete, comprehensive project a month.

One sultry evening in early summer,  an eye-catching group of models assembled at the Straub Collaborative Studios at dusk for an after-hours shoot.

Their work rooted in activism, charity, nonprofits and fundraising for the LGBT community, The Portland Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, The Order of Benevolent Bliss, leverage heaven-sent outrageousness to elevate their very serious work in outreach and education.

As a 501(C)3 public charitable organization, they are the nuns of the gay community who, like their more traditional counterparts, take their vows very seriously and strive to educate, care for the sick, and help others through charitable acts and fundraising dedicated to the support, education, and development of the LGBT community. The name of their House reflects their desire to help their community through charitable acts, community outreach, and education; doing so in a fashion that promulgates universal joy.

The Sisters were all business for their shoot (as the photos plainly show), documenting The Order in preparation for hosting the International Conclave, August 15th-21st here in Portland.  The International Conclave is a week-long event primarily focused on team building workshops as well as educational classes including HIV 101, how to start at 501(c)3 nonprofit. The Sisters will also be hosting community events including opening ceremonies in a local park, a fundraising event as well as a Sunday “Saints and Angels Brunch” where the Sisters celebrate “Angels” in the community who have contributed and participated in efforts aligned with the Sisters’ programs and values.

Summarily impressed with their good works, energy, attitude, and fantastic fashion sense, Straub Collaborative wishes the Sisters the best of luck in hosting an International Conclave of, dare we say, Biblical proportions.

Straub Collaborative photographer Elizabeth Russell has been working with local designer Modi Soondarotok to create yet another lookbook for her most recent season’s collection. We checked in with Elizabeth to hear about the shoot and a great article about Modi’s work that featured Elizabeth’s photography.

Tell us a bit about the work you do with Modi.

Modi is a friend of mine who owns a store called IDOM on NW 23^rd. It’s a boutique that features all the clothing, jewelry and purses she makes. She’s from Thailand and that’s where most of the materials for her pieces are sourced.

Her clothes are all structured and contemporary looking.  The attention to detail in her work is crazy – it’s beautiful stuff.

I teamed up with her 4 years ago and I shoot all of the lookbooks for her personal line (lookbooks are brochures that show a designer’s collection for the season).

Anything special about the creatioin of the most recent lookbook shoot?

As we started discussing locations for the shoot, Modi had identified the Old Church as a place she’d love to use, but it was out of her budget to rent on the weekends, which is normally the only time I’d have free to do the shoot.

We then had the idea that it could be a great test shoot for the studio.  We talked to David and he thought it was a great idea, and it wound up being a fun creative project that we got to do for the studio on a weekday.

The collaboration between designer and the studio was fantastic.  Modi gets to use the images for her lookbook and Straub Collaborative gets to use the images for our portfolio. On top of that, we were able to do the shoot mid-week, which made the location an accessible price, and happily, everyone seems pleased with the resulting images that both groups get to leverage.

Shoot days are always exciting, especially on location – stories from the day?

I was married in The Old Church, so it was a little strange at first for me (laughs), but it is such a beautiful place that I recovered pretty quickly.

It was a big day with a time limit: we had 25 garments to shoot and we didn’t get the space until 7AM and had to be out by 5 PM!  Fortunately we were really well organized and moved quickly – we had a great team on it.  Katie Barton was the stylist (and de-facto assistant photographer), Susan Bogdon was on hair and Stephanie Fajardo did make up.  Susan’s hair was crazy – she had rag curls for some of them, and BIG hair with completely different looks on each new outfit.

The space had its challenges as well.  It can be really dark shooting inside a building and Modi was looking for an airy tone to the shots, so we worked really hard to balance the indoor and outdoor light.  We also needed a diversity of shot settings so we’d get the lighting set up, then after 2 outfits we’d have to change to another location and relight.  Katie, the stylist, did overtime performing her own job and also helping out as an assistant photographer that day.  She worked her tail feathers off – she’s great!

Tell us about the press!

About Face published and article about Modi’s work in their summer edition featuring our photography from the shoot. http://www.aboutfacemag.com/2011/06/globetrotting-thai-native-takes-portland-style-to-international-heights/

Oh, and they accidentally printed the wrong email address!  If folks want to write me, they can reach me at: elizabethr@straubphoto.com

A congratulatory shout-out to our beverage shooter extraordinaire Jenn Farrington whose work (along with writers Ted Munat & Michael Lazar) on the book Left Coast Libations, has been recognized by the international Tales of the Cocktail® event and nominated for a Spirited Award™ in the category of  Best New Cocktail / Bartending Book.
Tales of the Cocktail is a long-running New Orleans, LA event that hosts suppliers, bartenders, writers and the most authoritative experts in the industry—all acting as partners in the celebration and appreciation of cocktail culture. Through its annual Spirited Awards, Tales of the Cocktail recognizes those individuals and establishments that have shown an outstanding talent for advancing the craft of the cocktail.

Notably independent of the two additional cocktail writing categories, the Best New Cocktail / Bartending Book nomination highlights Jenn’s superlative photography contributions to the publication with imagery that makes those cocktail recipes splash to life and purr, “Drink Me.”

Check out her portfolio

Fantastic job, Jenn! We’re thrilled with your nomination - cheers to you and bon chance!

Check this out . . . One of our fellow collaborators, Lorenzo Triburgo, is exibiting a powerful show curated by Harris Fogel at The University of the Arts, Gallery 1401 in Philadelphia. It’s great to see our collaborators/your collaborators exploring their passions.

“Transportraits,” a series of 20 x 24 inch portraits of transgendered men, photographed at the studio, is an exploration of identity and representation.

Photographed against oil-painted backdrops that were created using the landscape painting instructions from Bob Ross’, The Joy of Painting, each subject is photographed to evoke a ‘classic’ portrait, recalling both renaissance portraiture and popular photography.

“I am interested in addressing the implications of a photographic portrait and the parallels of representation in photography as a medium, and in the gendering of a person. Photography is a subjective medium often mistaken as objective; misunderstood as portraying truth, evidence. Photographers are thought of as capturing a replica of the original subject, as well as its essence. I would like to confront this idea by drawing a comparison between photographic portraiture and the perception of gender as an unchanging truth.”

A gender on a body, an image on paper, oil on canvas. Representing a male, representing a portrait, representing a painting.

Here is the link to the upcoming events and show in Philly:

http://us2.forward-to-friend.com/forward/show?u=e1ff68edfb645256a199fb814&id=566a2c6989

Longtime Straub Collaborative team member Jason Carlisle’s photomosiac exhibit “Tidal” will be on display at Biwa (www.biwarestaurant.com) through the end of May.  50% of all sales of  Jason’s one-of-a kind laser print transfer images of the Oregon coastline will go to the Global Giving Tsunami Relief Fund, created to raise money for the local nonprofits and agencies best equipped to provide emergency services and long-term relief to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

We had a chat with Jason about the project – here’s what he had to share:

Tell us about the significance of the imagery in this show to the disaster in Japan:

The coastlines of the earth are a line of engagement between sea and land, a place of constant change that brings beauty, bounty as well as potential catastrophe for those who live on the ocean’s edge.   To look out to sea from the Oregon coast is to look toward Japan, addressing the same ocean that wrought so much havoc and destruction.
I had assembled the images and concept for this show before the disaster hit, but in the process of taking it to completion, I realized that the connections of the imagery to the disaster in Japan were multifold, revealing a purpose behind the work that is more cohesive than what propelled me to work on the project in the first place.
What’s most powerful for me is that through that very connection I am allowed an opportunity to use my artwork to help out the victims of the tragedies.

Can you tell us little about your photography background and how you selected the ocean as your subject for this show?
My photography education was fueled partially by the idea that I needed to learn “the rules” regarding existing photographic styles as well as film, optics and the camera itself. With respect to the work that came before and the existing mechanics/technology at my disposal, I had to move beyond those rules to forge my own processes and style.
I wanted to create images that are an honest picture but would be, without the aid of the camera, impossible to see with the eye.   When I capture the image, I have access to all sorts of components that affect the final print that can be drawn out with the mechanics of what goes on in the camera.
Studying the ocean gave me a lot of license to play with those mechanics.  Shooting light on water with sky above is dynamic and deceptive… the light changes so much on the surface of both elements that it’s hard to capture what you’re seeing is exactly and it forces you to come back to considering the process of vision itself: image hits eye /eye transmits to brain/ brain attempts to translate, “what am I seeing?”   It was a great creative exercise and I am really happy with the resulting artwork, both as individual pieces and a complete show.

A little about your photography background and your role at Straub?
I studied Fine Art photography with a minor in drawing and printmaking at the University of Iowa.  I’ve long considered visual arts a sort of relief from words.  So much of western cognitive thought is rooted in language and imagery allows us to communicate without the structure and limits of language.
That said, my background was fine arts and all that I have come to know about commercial photography I’ve learned from Straub Collaborative.  When I first joined the team, I started in post-production just designating clipping paths on files.  The work was a little repetitive, but at the time I was just happy to be working in a business related to my degree.   Now I’m a post-production lead, training freelancers, establishing workflows, managing assets as they go through post, quality checking everything before it goes out the door.  As the part of the team that fine tunes final images, my work requires creativity, an eye for detail an exacting hand –there isn’t room for “almost right” for our post production team. I take pride in my work and excel at what I am tasked with.

Wait, University of Iowa?  You’re from the Midwest and this show’s all about the ocean. Should we not see the irony in that?
(laughs) It’s actually not as big a stretch as you might imagine. If you’ve ever spent time in the Midwest, you know that you can look over miles of fields stretching any direction and have no obstacles in your line of sight.  It’s a similar sensation to looking over an ocean – a sense of the infinite.  I get that same sensation in the desert – wide open spaces where the horizon is a blur in the distance where surface intersects sky.

Anything else you’d like to share about the artwork you’re showing at Biwa?
Although the imagery is photo-based, the transfer process produces unpredictable results thereby making each piece one of a kind. I can create custom versions of any of the pieces in a variety of dimensions and any additional pieces commissioned from this series will also be eligible for a 50% donation to Global Giving.

In January 2011, David Straub and Lindsey Lynch headed to Salt Lake City to attend Outdoor Retailer (OR). For those unfamiliar with the event, OR is the widest and most comprehensive expo for outdoor specialty retailers + manufacturers in the US, offering a focused and targeted forum for brands of all sizes to contribute and conduct the business of the outdoor products and services. It’s a show full of fresh ideas where you can learn about product innovation alongside media and marketing for consumers with a passion for the outdoors.
Straub Collaborative has worked with many clients in the outdoor industry over the year and OR offered a unique opportunity to literally see 1000s of people (presenters and attendees alike), all involved in the industry that the Collaborative has shot for and supported over the years.  David and Lindsey reconnected with familiar faces and met many new ones, gaining exposure to the breadth and variety of companies and products that define the industry today and a fantastic venue to see how all of these businesses are using imagery to put their brands and products out into the market place

David: I have to admit, it was a really great surprise to walk in the front doors of OR and see an image our studio created, blown up GIANT on the OR welcome banner.  It was both complement and testimony to the work we do at the studio, confirming that we create compelling images that resonate with the brands and the consumers identify with positively.

Lindsey: It was my first time attending OR and the scale of the event were pretty breathtaking – it was so much larger than I thought it would be and there was so much information to take in!

David: I was impressed that it really was a multi dimensional, multi-faceted show.
It was inspiring to see innovations in product design, both the technology as well as the graphic executions on new-to-market products  Some high end technical brands offered on-mountain demo opportunities at the event: “try it on, use it climbing/skiing etc. and see why this product is so great”, which provided pretty compelling selling stories.

Lindsey: We were very tuned into what’s happening with marketing in this industry, and it was fantastic to see that Straub Collaborative has been a leader in marketing imagery. We saw manufacturers who had adopted photographic styles clearly taken from work we had done for our clients that had already been out in the marketplace.  It’s great to work for a trend-setting team whose work is so readily adopted industry-wide.

David: I also appreciated the variety of businesses represented at the event: you had the big brands like Columbia and The North Face presenting their brands as an experience with music, events, competitions and giveaway, then on the other end of the spectrum there were these small start-up manufacturers trying to get their name in front of the big retailers. The little guys often were laser-focused and, in their own way, have unique selling propositions. There was one guy who just made premium alpaca socks while another guy was selling a jacket that transformed into a tent while you were wearing it, while another had created a 6’2” sleeping pad that packed down to the size of a soda can.  There was excitement and innovation at every level which was very inspiring – a great shot in the arm for a creative team like Straub Collaborative.

Takeaways?
OR was a unique opportunity to see the breadth and depth of the outdoor industry under one roof – a chance to see what’s out there and think about how we could put the best foot forward image-wise for a diversity of products and producers.  We came back with all sorts of ideas that we are excited to experiment and execute for our clients… it’s going to be a great year!

In January 2011, Straub Collaborative’s team of photographers took a trip down south for Photo LA, a multi-day Fine Art photography event with 100 + galleries and over 500 photographers represented.   It was an opportunity for the team to take in a worldwide scope of photographers’ work, offering a full spectrum of styles, skills and subject matter for an infusion of inspiration + team building.
We had a chat with them to find out about their adventure; Straub Collaborative clients past, present and future should be pleased as to what they brought back with them to base camp.

Elizabeth: “There was so much to see, so many different styles from one gallery to the next…it was like walking through Communication Arts Magazine.”

Lance: “It was a great opportunity to remind ourselves that photography is not restricted to the commercial realm. Working with so many clients at the Collaborative producing consumer goods, it’s important to have a mental recess to recharge the mind, and remember that photography can be so much more.”

Each day, the Straub shooters arrived at the show as a united front, but once they hit the event space, everyone went their own direction, going their own pace and taking notes in anticipation of commiserating each evening.

What work evoked the most response from the team?

1. The subject of China was a focal subject for a number of photographers. One captured old world China images, while Yang Yi did a series about the Three Gorges Dam project with “A City Underwater” as the theme.  The images themselves were beautiful while the subject matter controversial and disturbing at turns.
2. Claudio Napolitano from Brazil’s provocative images got the team buzzing about content and execution with his surreal portraits of children in richly-textured, theatric sets and costuming – young faces wrought with world-weary expressions.
3. A gallery of work shot by legally blind photographers captured the team’s imagination with beautiful, distorted images with deeply saturated color.

How did work at the 2011 event compare to prior years?
Elizabeth: “On our last trip to the event, darkness was predominant, both in subject matter and execution with color and lighting. This time, everything seemed lighter, brighter. I am guessing that the choices were happier because there may be a sense that that’s what people are looking for right now – seeking more up-beat images.  We saw a work this time that was totally whimsical: it was made up of miniatures skiing down slopes of food.  I’m sure you would not have seen that at the last Photo LA.”

I can see how Photo LA provided inspiration, but how is it a team-building activity if you spend the days on your own?
Team: “Looking at and critiquing other people’s work gave us, as a team that works together constantly, a neutral ground to talk extensively about what each of us looks for and values without putting one another’s work on the spot.
One of the things that we enjoyed was the fact that all of us have very distinctive, individual tastes, styles and interests, so you could almost guarantee that we would all like or dislike a single piece for completely different reasons.”

Jenn is drawn to the work of photographers who have strong advertising backgrounds whose skills shine through in their Fine Art photography. The artists who know their form and are applying it to high concept, more difficult subjects are who she finds most intriguing: “I was looking for ‘what’s next’ – Fine Arts is a place to explore, challenge the viewer, make commentary and focus on concept.  I want to see where the medium is going to go.”

Scott was pulled in by the technical components: “I was drawn to the evolution of the physical frames on the photos… examples of fusing the image to Plexiglas. The surface itself becomes another dimension of the artwork – you can alter the shape and texture, allowing the frame to become part of the story.”

Lance likes documentary-style imagery: “I was pretty surprised at how much work was heavily stylized and photo-manipulated. I have to say that I like the work that comes straight from the outside world, with minimal direction. Mitch Dobrower and his infra-red storm pictures are a great example: framed, wide open plains with hauntingly apocalyptic cloudscapes placing the scale of man so small compared to the natural world -very powerful.”

Elizabeth is eternally haunted by lighting (it makes her wave her hands in excitement as she describes what she witnessed): “We saw pieces that actually didn’t execute as well as they should, and that was actually as educational as things where the photographer succeeded. There was one piece that was lit TERRIBLY! Bad printing! Under exposed!  Flat!  It could have been SO much better!”
“A lot of the artists in this show work primarily as commercial photographers but Fine Art is really a completely other part of your brain – it gives you room to stretch.  We all need to do more of it to have a continued influx of creativity and not get caught in trammels. This trip gave me a renewal of my love for photography.  Seeing other people’s non-commercial work helps one branch out, inspiring us to bring fresh ideas to our daily work.”

Jenn: “Since I am new to the studio, it was so helpful to get to know everyone outside the studio – build respect for each other by hearing their perspectives on photography but also learning about their lives beyond photography.  Having those additional touch points makes working in the studio that much more positive, creating greater connection between the team members with increased familiarity, trust and admiration.”

So was it all business?
Lance: “Relaxing back in our hotel with the other Straub photographers was  almost like being back in a dorm room – tons of jokes and laughter.”

There was plenty of light-hearted camaraderie at the event, and they made sure that their down time was fun. For a bunch of sun-starved Oregonians, the sunshine, surf and palm trees were salve for their soggy winter spirits.
At the Santa Monica Pier Arcade there were friendly competitions over Skee-ball, Air Hockey, Pop-A –Shot; later, everyone enjoyed the spectacle of Jenn’s hair whipping about madly as she screamed and laughed in the Squirrel Cages (video to follow, if she doesn’t catch us).

The crew rode bikes along the beach path from Santa Monica, arriving at the circus that is Venice Beach for breakfast, after which they wandered amongst the muscled-and-oiled strongmen, glass-walking street performers, roller-disco superstars, capturing other-worldly images (photos=business!) and taking in the sights.

Inspiration + team building in Sunny California: Mission Accomplished.

Hi Jenn!

A professional photographer with 13 years in the advertising industry, Jenn Farrington creates compelling editorial, documentary and marketing images, embracing a cavalcade of diverse subjects and contexts that she commands to sing before her shutter.

But between you and me?  The lady has a love for drink.

Jenn’s superlative beverage photography receives accolades from clients, contemporaries and discerning drinkers worldwide. Her images have been known to induce mild to excessive longing, thirst, desires to possess and/or escape fantasies.  She lit up the pages of the recently-released Left Coast Libations: The Art of West Coast Bartending: 100 Original Cocktails as well as Tequila: A Guide to Types, Flights Cocktails, and Bites with images that beg, “Drink Me”.

We at Straub Collaborative are very pleased to have such a gifted markswoman on our shooting team and we’d like you to get to know her a bit better.   Here are some highlights of a chat with Jenn about her recent enlistment in the Straub Collaborative team, her plans for Portland and the soundtrack we can expect to roll while she’s shooting:

You’ve been a very successful independent photographer for many years – why the move to a full-service studio like Straub Collaborative?

Jenn: Photography tends to be a solitary career and I have been so used to wearing all the hats and doing every single part of the job over the years. At times, being an independent operator has limited my ability to really focus on what I love, which is to shoot.

Working with Straub Collaborative is such an amazing opportunity for me.  I love that everything is in-house with a team that knows each other and works together well.  It requires a certain lack of ego to work within an environment that moves the entire group forward more efficiently and effectively while still fostering creativity, inviting possibility.

I really appreciate the support and encouragement that’s offered:   “If you want to experiment or learn about something, identify the kind of work you want to do, put a bull’s eye on it and make it happen – we have your back.”

That’s exactly how I want to be working as a photographer.

Shooting venue preference: in studio or on location?

Jenn: I have shot most of my work on location but have a strong background in studio and I’m excited for the opportunity to do that more at Straub.   I like it when we can create a bridge with both types of images; when a product has elements in both.   In studio and location images of a single subject can feel like different mediums altogether, heightening the emotional response to the subject and really complement each other.

If you get a choice of music when you shoot, what do you select?

Jenn: When I am shooting people, I go for music that’s reflective of the mood I am trying to capture which, more often than not, is the soundtrack to a party, music that’s more movement inducing and upbeat.

Shooting products? I tend pick music that’s more eclectic, introspective, since that’s usually my mood when I’m off by myself studying and shooting a subject in a closed environment.

What are your favorite subjects to shoot?

Jenn: Well, I am really excited to do more on- model apparel shoots here at Straub Collaborative, but as far as my main experience, I LOVE shooting food and beverage, heavy on the beverage and I am happiest when that work crosses over into capturing the people who are passionate about the subject.

My drinks photography has given me access to this incredible cocktail community that’s global yet very tight with one another.  It’s really the only industry of its kind,  with so many people from wildly different parts of the world who come together to toast… they also dance the fine line between work and play every day, allowing it to be a friendly, more connected community than most industries.

What/who would you love to shoot but haven’t yet?

Jenn: I really enjoy interacting with people, which is part of the reason I love photographing people in the food and beverage industry – because they have so much personality!  I am really excited for shooting lots more on-model lifestyle and beauty shots for outdoor and fashion brands here at the Collaborative.  I want to capture images from location shoots that bring product to life… from sportswear to high end fashion, moving images from an inert piece of material to something lively and life-inspiring with lots of character that create a sense of connection for the consumer.

And, of course, with the lively wine and brewing and spirits industries here in the Portland area, there is a long list of local brands that are on my hot list… so much to do, so much to do…

Straub Collaborative: A photography, videography and G7® color certified retouch studio specializing in emotive, iconic images for advertising, eCommerce and catalog.

KEEN Hybridlife – Simon Hirter from CHISEL INDUSTRIES on Vimeo.

Simon Hirter: Eco Kayaker. Photography by Lance Koudele / Straub Collaborative