Supporting the Haiti Relief efforts of The Mangrove Fund

February 3rd, 2010

picture-9The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti destroyed most of the buildings and infrastructure in and around Port au Prince, Haiti.  Sadly this natural disaster seemingly adds insult to the already destitute population of Haiti - the poorest of all nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Since 2007 The Mangrove Fund has been formed in dedication to helping the people of Haiti, elevating the level of education, sustainable business and level of orphan care in and around Port au Prince.
Something that makes the Mangrove Fund very different is their promise to deliver all funds directly to relief efforts and humanitarian support.

Here is the promise from their site:

Every cent collected by these coin drives  will be administered in the same manner that Mangrove manages its own donations.  Mangrove is an entirely volunteer organization;  100% of the money collected, including those from any Coins for Haiti efforts, will go directly to relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

Bill reached out to Straub Collaborative to quickly develop a video feature on his 4 year old son’s personal quest to raise funds for his former home.

Every once in a while the opportunity to do good presents itself and we were happy to help Bill Pierznik and the Mangrove Fund.
The video was compiled and edited by Rob Tyler, and shot by Straub Collaborative at the Pierznik home in Portland, OR.

Elizabeth Russell’s Portfolio

January 15th, 2010

Elizabeth Russell is a professional photographer at Straub Collaborative.
Her latest book features multiple fashion and lifestyle series from select apparel designers.

Woven Dress

We encourage you to take a look at her new portfolio, see what’s new in fashion and a handful of stunning tabletop images as well!

Click Here to View Elizabeth’s New Portfolio

Happy Friday from your Friends at Straub Collaborative.

Holiday Cheer

December 14th, 2009

Happy Holidays

First Ice Storm?  Check.
Seemingly light-less days here in Portland?  Check.
Rosy cheeks, Santas and Elves running about downtown?  Yup!

The Holidays are here and we hope yours is the best.  Ever.

Special Kudos to Michael Marcheschi (Mark’esk-i) at the Collaborative Design Group for the schnazzy print & E-card design.  Santa looks festive!
Collaborative Design Group

Fluid Technology

September 15th, 2009

Blackburn Design had a great idea:   “Show consumers more of our high-tech indoor bicycle trainers.
They also had a great challenge:         “Give us something new - take a swing at it!”

A swing, you could say, we took.  Russell and Marcus had the batty idea of EXPLODING a fluid trainer and snapping a shot of every piece, threaded bolt and ounce of resistance fluid splayed out for all to see.

While it may not be as crafty a timing challenge as, say, photographing a bullet leaving a rifle - it was quite fun deconstructing something for once.  The result I dare say, has taken our technical photography skills to the next level.

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Thank you to Blackburn for trusting our ability to run with your great idea!

Here is how the full shot turned out:

fluid_trainer_exploded

Hawks View Cellars

April 30th, 2009

Nearby Sherwood, OR is the home to the most accessible wineries that also happen to produce award winning fruit every year.  A new Estate, Hawks View Cellars is on the map.   Populated with a select few varieties (Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris) they pride themselves on crafting extremely high-caliber wine, with limited release to guarantee superb quality.

Hawks View Cellars also features breathtaking views from their state-of-the-art facilities.  We at  Straub Collaborative had the great pleasure of working with Jack and A.J. Kemp when photographing their bottles and beautiful property.  These gentlemen are quite the savvy minds behind the barrels.  For more information go to their website.

hawksviewwinery_lawnh

hawksviewwinery_tastingnookn

hawksviewwinery_barrelroom

Elizabeth, Marcus & IDOM Designs

April 3rd, 2009

Recently Oregon Live posted an entry showcasing IDOM Designs new product and photography.  Straub Collaborative’s own Elizabeth Russell and Marcus Fischer were the location team who put together these stunning lookbook images.

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Photography re-illustrated

April 2nd, 2009

merrelldrawinglo1There are inspiring projects rolling through our studio right now and one of them is our own website project. Russell Weyant took a moment to reflect upon one of our more obscure location shoots, then he took out a pencil and roughed it out. I love the effect of the sketch over the digital image so much i used to to depict the way we at Straub Collaborative contribute creative concepts to our work.

Going Digital

March 10th, 2009

Yes, we at Straub Collaborative most certainly shoot digital photography.  In fact, our studio spaces and office would make Mac-ophiles and photographers alike start to twitch in satisfaction with our terabytes of storage, mega-gigahertz of processing power, camera and lighting gear galore.

Remember 1994?

Straub Collaborative has officially launched its all new website which includes the blog you’re reading this very instant.
Thanks to the extremely talented folks over at Sightworks we present a beautiful portfolio experience with special attention for each of the
talented collaborators in an S.E.O. rich, content managed platform.  Sight CMS - it’s the bees knees.

You may be wondering why the switch?  Here’s a quick Q&A to bring light to our reasons and give you some early peeks under our new hood.

Q:  What is your favorite part of the new site?
A:  We at Straub can update our portfolio at any time without going through the back-and-forth process with a typical web agency.
The second a photographer shoots something he or she wants to promote it can go live for the rest of the world.

Q:  What is your second favorite aspect?
A:  It will enable Straub Collaborative to be ranked #1 for “Photography” in the Portland market.  Soon; The World.  MUAHAHAHAHAHA

Q:  How much wood can a woodchuck chuck….
A:  5 - but let’s keep this businesslike
R:  Oops, Sorry

Q:  What will your site’s visitors enjoy about Straub’s new face to the Internet?
A:  That is a great question, and I’m glad to have many answers.  They are:
1.  An updated, customizable portfolio display
2.    Information on each “Collaborator” at Straub.  We are a group of characters let me tell you!
3.    An outline of what we do here at Straub and what makes us different.
(Nowadays anyone with a Costco card can get a decent digital camera)
4.    A few case studies to show prospective clients our results.  Results don’t lie.
5.    The blog!

Straub Collaborative: Who we are & why we exist

March 3rd, 2009

straub-logo

 

Straub Collaborative, Inc is a photography, videography and G7® color certified retouch studio. We specialize in Advertising, product line photography and emotive, iconic imagery.

Straub Collaborative is composed of 22 passionate individuals who produce world-class imagery for each client. These visual professionals work together to offer our clients this service set:

* Creative Concepts & Asset Management
* Location & Talent Recruitment
* Art Direction & Quality Assurance
* Photography & Styling
* Digital Retouch, G7 critical color & illustration

As a business partner of many leading brands, Straub Collaborative is an extraordinarily organized group of creatively indulgent individuals. We enjoy new ventures and unique visual challenges by tackling each project with passion and a keen business sense.