Posts from the ‘Advertising’ Category

Apr 9

Give Me Strength

To say that I have been absent from this blog lately is a slight understatement, in all reality I have been absent from life in general. I have been sitting on planes listening to podcasts more than I have been sitting at bars listening to friends. All for one giant campaign, Muscle Milk.

When the Give Me Strength campaign started, back in December, it was initially thought that it would cover a few days with a few athletes, and maybe a couple additional shots would come along later in the year. That was until we produced the first campaign of four images; a runner, a girl doing yoga, a lacrosse player and a basketball player. To say that the images went over well is an understatement and the call from Mekanism (Muscle Milk’s agency) came in to shoot four more, then another four, then three in NY, another in SF and a final in Aspen. All the while I was trying to keep up with campaigns that had been booked before we ever thought that there would be more shots.

In the end, this campaign cost me a substantial amount of my sanity, however it served to strengthen my appreciation for the people on set and in the office that have made it all possible. From producers to assistants to the DJ we hired to keep things light (yes, we seriously hired a DJ for the shoots and it was awesome), every person was incredible and shares responsibility for this campaign’s success.

With the extensiveness of this body of work, I have decided to release a series of blogs so that you the reader can take in what is was like to be on set. Also, with the amount of pro athletes that we were able to photograph, I figured some shots may warrant more time than others. In the end, once the final photos have been shown, we have also made a behind the scenes video so that you can see the shoot, the shenanigans and have a laugh at my dancing ability. With that said, let’s show some photos…

photographed by Blair Bunting

The idea behind these shots was to show the truest for of athleticism. When arenas are removed and fans don’t exist, the essence of sport is the athlete. Minimalism at it’s finest, we decided action on black would be the key to the series. For consistency we would need a lighting schemata that would be able to be used throughout the campaign. This may sound easy, however trying to find a ratio that holds a strong look over multiple sports like lacrosse, baseball, yoga and cycling is not an easy task at all. Originally I had five different lighting setups that I wanted to use, and then we reduced it to two, however choosing one setup to use for a campaign is like choosing between a Ferrari or Lamborghini… both are good, but you can only drive one.

photographed by Blair Bunting

With quality of light being key and speed needed to capture the action, we decided that we would shoot with four Profoto 8a’s power packs. I hopped around between 16 and 22 on the aperture as sharpness would sell the complexity of the shots.

photographed by Blair Bunting

Now I know that a lot of photographers are touchy about showing their RAW files to the public, but I want this blog to teach, so here it is:

mm-basketball-raw

The spray was originally for texture, but over the progression of the campaign it was decided that smoke would be better, and it the transition was made. It was felt that if we could get a strong shot out of camera, then the authenticity of the image and sport would convey better. All to often the “hyper real” style seeps into sports campaigns and we get this very action driven image that consists of 40 photos composited together and called a photograph when it should be called a collage. The sheer number of pieces in this campaign would have meant years and millions spent on the retouching alone, so the realism and action would be done the old fashion way, lighting and timing.

As I said early, we had a crew of people from Muscle Milk, Mekanism and my end that made this one possible, I wish I could write the list down, but I fear way too much chance of forgetting people. So instead, please enjoy some behind the scenes pics (shot by my assistant Dan) of us all making these four shots possible and stay tuned to the blog as we will be releasing the first series of pro athletes in the coming weeks.

Mar 20

The Best Photographer Alive

Hey guys, sorry about the lack of behind the scenes and photos lately. To be honest, things have never been busier, but that has come at the cost of keeping up this blog the way that you deserve it. I thought of bringing on a team to keep up my social media and blog, but at the end of the day I feel that is almost disingenuous to those of you who actually read my blog to hear my thoughts. Originally I started this blog because I thought it would be fun to write, never was there a thought that so many would enjoy reading it. I can remember the first conversation where someone said, “you know, you should use your blog to get more jobs.” I cringed. Why should everything in life be used to make money, and why is the default measurement for anything a photographer does how much he made from it? I have seen photographers brag about, “shooting the covers of magazines” only for the image to be among a mere tile in a collage. The ideas of doing work one is proud of and shameless self promotion got trashed, and this is the bastard child they produced.

A common email I get usually goes along the lines of, “Hi Blair, I am a beginning photographer and am wondering how I can get into ad agencies to shoot ad work?” While the question is valid, the approach is one that feels as though it is the pulse of the industry in it’s current state. I encourage those that have written and those that read this to not search for how to get into agencies, but rather look for where your passion is in photography. Ask yourself what you style is, what is unique to your eye and what you really love about this hobby. The truth of the matter is, many will not get to the upper echelon of photography, some by lack of drive, and others by unwillingness to give up that much of their lives. Even if success at the ad level is achieved for those that want to make money, I promise there is a crushing blow awaiting, for if you don’t have a love for photography first, it is easy to get lost when the work goes away.

Think of it as a friend that you met at a business networking event. Perhaps the relationship is fun and you may exchange texts, but no real trust is formed as it is all topical conversations thinly veiling your want to work together. Is this really a relationship at all? When shit hits the fan, are you going to call this person and tell him you had a bad day, your girlfriend left you or that you have insecurity in you job? No. This is just a “relationship” and there is no ground to stand on in real need. The same can be said about photography.

There will be more recessions, and we all will see times of no work. However, those who based this career on a passion for creating will always have photography, and those that based this career on the want to look cool and make money will be lost. I have often contemplated who the best photographer alive is….. Is he or she a person that is always booked, a jet setter that sees first class more than they should, living a lifestyle of interviews and sponsorships?…… no

I believe the best photographer alive today is most likely a math teacher that cares more about ensuring his kids learn geometry than his possible lucrative career. He loves photography and probably just shoots to decorate his house. He might have a broad knowledge of gear, but would never brag about what camera he is shooting. Most likely he will live a life of humble means and may one day be appreciated for his work after he has passed and his children show his art to a collector. He is a man that I envy, for he will never know how to justify a quarter million dollar campaign, but more importantly, he will never care.

Be proud to be a photographer, but never try to be the “best” photographer. Care little about how much you can impress others with your work, but be passionate about it. After all, photography without passion is accounting.

Mar 8

Bb at WPPI… kinda

So I had originally planned to sit out WPPI this year, as my shooting schedule has given me very little time to spend with my wife and dogs. However, there are some sponsors that I need to meet with and a contract that needed to be signed, so…. I’m going

I am only going to be in Vegas briefly, as in hours, but wanted to give y’all a heads up. I will be around the Nikon, LowePro, LiveBooks and Photoflex booths, so if you see me, please feel free to say “hi”. I am always down to chat photo with anyone, so don’t think I am unapproachable.

It’s Friday, so go get a drink… safely

Feb 12

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The softer side of Pawn Stars

For reasons unknown, I receive many calls to photograph pseudo reality TV shows more than almost anything other than athletic campaigns. Like sports, I try not to watch the shows I photograph. It is not out of disrespect for what the celebs and athletes are doing, but rather I want to remain distant from the connotations put upon them from commentators or editors. As much as we’d all like to believe that everything about a reality TV show is real, it is often far from it. The shows must be interesting and engaging, and standing around a pawn shop in real life is often contradicting to both of these.

However, when I got the call to fly out to Vegas and photograph the Richard Harrison from Pawn Stars, I was going into a situation that was somewhat unfamiliar as I watched the show pretty commonly. It was one of those shows that I could get work done around the house while i had it on in the background and never really miss much. I have always been a history and museum type of person, and on the show it was like walking through the exhibits that never were. This also meant that going into the photoshoot I knew the characters, and in effect knew I was going to photograph a crotchety old man….. or so it would seem.

Pawn Stars

Upon arriving at the shop I found myself to be a bit taken back by how common it was. Other than the back of the shop where Pawn Stars merchandise is sold, it is a pawn shop, nothing more. Being a watch collector, I was hoping that the fame that national exposure brought them would bring along with it some nice timepieces, of which I thought I might pick one up for memento’s sake. However, it was a sea of ordinary horology, almost telling the stories of lives gambled away in the casinos down the street. There were family heirloom Rolexes that had seen many anniversaries and grandchildren, yet were pawned for a mere pittance in a final effort to earn back assets lost. The quick walk of the shop left me feeling nostalgically sad for what culminations led to the merchandise.

After a few minutes the producer came and told me that the old man would like to see me, and that we could start getting ready for the shoot. In all honesty, I was apprehensive of what the next couple hours of my life would bring. Opting to not go right into shooting, I chose to sit down with the Old Man, and talk to him, get to know the non-celebritised person with hopes to develop a report that would show in my images. As is many times the case with talking to a celebrity, I learned more about who I was in the efforts I took to learn who he is. Beneath all the gripes on the show and the almost iron fist that he rules the shop with, he is a very soft, kind person. I had just lost my grandfather a couple months before the shoot, yet sitting in a small room talking about cars, family, life, it was as though I were being allowed to have a conversation with him again. It was also very familiar to me from the days that I shot The Deadliest Catch, because the compassion for family mirrored that of Captain Phil’s love for his sons.

I then started to realize that people like the Old Man and Captain Phil existed on a level of character that prevailed regardless of cameras of fame. While so many have given their lives over to the proverbial “15 minutes”, these men were of a generation of bona fides, where legacy meant more than worth. Irony thrives in the idea that the shows we watch now seem to have diluted a real creed by exploiting a false reality.

Jan 23

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Nikon

Terminal E, Gate 18. In a chaise lounge made up of my roller case and an available chair, I await my flight home. The last three days have taught me more about myself than I believe I have taught others about photography. This time the only absent item was the camera, sharp irony considering I was speaking for a camera company. However, even in the absence of my D3X, I have a newfound pride in Nikon. This one is based not of some technical number measuring depths of sensor latitude, but of a very apparent value that often goes unnoticed in a camera purchase. I am talking about the people behind the curtain that make it possible for us to tell our stories, for me, they are the people at Nikon.

Over the last few days I have learned what it is to be a part of a team, and what it’s like to have real pride in my equipment. I can never again say I shoot Nikon, it’s not fair and too topical a comment. With shots and lighting planned around how much the sensor in the D3X can deliver, it is only fair to say that Nikon is truly a part of my image, my images, and will be the future of my imagery. The sensors that lie at the heart of their cameras are the heart of an exposure and in practice have given me the ability to create the images that have marked my style for years. The sharpness of the 24-70 has been equally as important as my eyes in pulling out every last detail a campaign requires.

The request from Nikon for me to speak on their behalf was an honor and a surreal feeling. While on stage, I felt more like someone talking about why they loved their family rather than a photographer talking about a piece of camera equipment.

Twelve years ago today a dad gave his son his very first Nikon, today that kid just spoke for the company.

… a dream realized

Jan 16

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Hunters and Smoke

As a commercial photographer, one of the biggest stressors that I face is getting the shot. Some shoots are easier to accomplish this than others, but you must always get the shot or you haven’t worked hard enough for your client. However, today’s post is about a shoot where getting the shot was actually an impossibility.

It started with a call to shoot an advertorial of a truck getting some hunters around the open landscape of Oklahoma, aiding in their quest to bag a large turkey. It was a piece that I really looked forward to as I wanted to test out a new camera body on set. However, before I even set foot in Oklahoma, I got a call that would change everything I planned for the shoot.

hunters-and-smoke-2

My travel itinerary had me flying to Oklahoma City by way of Dallas. I would then rent a car and drive an hour and a half to Sulfur, OK (not only the name of the city, but actually the smell). However, upon landing in Dallas, I turned on my phone to an absolute barrage of voicemails from the creative director. I called him back, while running from one gate to the next, only to get the news that the truck for the photoshoot had been destroyed in transit to the location.

Shit…

There are many ways to look at this situation. The despair route would say “all is over” and that I should stop everything and look for a flight back to AZ. However, the way I chose to view was that I was off the hook, playing with the house’s money. When all hell has broken loose and the control of a shoot is out of your hands, you can only achieve greatness. I got on the plane to Oklahoma with the intentions to go out, shoot well and create a piece that was worthy of publishing (even without the truck).

hand-and-brush

Upon getting to the location I was met with one more setback to the piece… You see, we were supposed to do a turkey hunt with the now crashed truck. However, in the haste to get the piece shot before the publishing deadline, the client had failed to notice that turkey season actually started the following week.

Again, Shit…

So, there we were… shooting a turkey hunting campaign where we couldn’t hunt turkeys, while using a truck which we didn’t have…

hunter-and-bridge-3

To be honest, I was very stressed in the beginning as my mind ran “what if” scenarios nonstop from the hotel to the lodge where we staged. However, once I let go of the idea that I could control things that were out of my hands, I saw a piece that existed, beyond the limitations put on my shoulders. We could shoot free of failure, free of control, and free of critique.

We created art that day, a story of real life without the forced falsities that exist an advertorial. Ironically, the piece was so well received by the client that it was run… without a truck at all.

Jan 9

Bb to speak for Nikon

To be honest, writing that title alone makes me smile like a little school girl.

I am honored to say that I will be speaking for Nikon at the 2013 Imaging USA expo in Atlanta, January 20-22. Those who know me, know this has been a long time in the making and an even longer time in the dreaming, but at just over a week away, things are set and the speech is going to be a very fun one to give.

We decided that this speech would focus less on lighting, and more on my approach to photography and more specifically the gear I use and why I use it. The goal of the speech is to be flat out honest about what it takes, equipment wise, to shoot advertising and commercial work. To the sadness of many, there will not be any point and shoot cameras mentioned during the speech

So if you are in Atlanta, the East Coast, the continental US, or Earth, please feel free to come enjoy.

Speech times are as follows (all located at the Nikon Theater):

Sunday (1/20) – 2:45 – 3:30
Monday (1/21) – 11:45 – 12:30
Tuesday (1/22) – 1:15 – 1:45

I will try to build in a few minutes to answer questions during the speech, but if not I will hang around the Nikon booth and answer them to anyone who has them.

Dec 4

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Finding Bigfoot

Color me a skeptic, someone who judges feasibility through a scientific mind, sees believability in reputable results… and then ask me to photograph the ad for the show Finding Bigfoot.

Skeptical cynicism aside, producing a photoshoot for a show that hunts a mythological creature was an idea that had never crossed my mind. Before seeing the comps, all I could think about was how much is it going to cost me to have a Sasquatch costume made or will it be easier to work with a CGI company for that? From there my mind drifted into the random abyss that it lives in, and I wondered, “I wonder if making a video of the bigfoot photoshoot is going to piss PETA off the way my River Monsters one did?”

Animal rights aside, I was pleased to see the comps for the shoot focused on what I do best, portraits. Admittedly, I have never seen the show, but the concept was interesting and the characters had personalities that would work well with the camera and some good lighting. Negotiations done, we headed out to Colorado to make it happen.

Finding Bigfoot

My career has shown me that I can work well in the squelching heat of an Arizona summer, the cold of Dutch Harbor, but I had never been tested when it came to altitude, 10,000 feet to be exact. Knowing that the air would be thin, we booked double the amount of assistants than I do for a regular shoot. I even thought it was overkill until the scout took me to the location for the first time and I ran back to the car only to wheeze for the next half an hour (my cardio is embarrassing).

Finding Bigfoot

On set the shoot was easy, sans the altitude. We had a cast that were interested in the shoot and brought beer (any celebrities reading this blog, bring beer to a shoot and you are pretty much the coolest person ever). The crew from Discovery was the same that had done the River Monsters shoot with me in Miami, and they were as cool as it gets. Being able to see the concept and client’s vision is one thing, but having art directors that appreciate the strengths and weaknesses that exist in photography can take a shoot to a higher level.

Finding Bigfoot

The shoot itself was a brisk cold that was very dry and went well into the next day, wrapping around 2 am. The cold, thin air was a different dynamic to work around as it was the first time I have ever had to shoot and then check to see how many of my strobe heads exploded so that they could be replaced. What made it even more comical was that the flood lights that we were using to search for the shattered glass from the strobes, shattered as well.

However, what always matters more than any broken gear or excess wheezing is that we get the shot and the client is happy. With both of these requirements fulfilled, we flew back to the warm weather and lower altitude that Arizona had to offer. Like it always is, I am nothing without those that helped me to make this happen, so Linas, Allison, Mary, Kerry, Mike, Chuck and Charles, this is your shoot and I am truly grateful to have created it with you.

Nov 28

Jan Brewer photographed by Blair Bunting

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RESPECT

Let me first say that this post was originally going to be made a few months back, however the temperament of our nation’s political climate seemed too volatile and I was worried that it would detract from the point of the article. While this blog does contain political figures, I hope that it can be read not as a viewpoint on politics, but an approach towards photography.

As all these shoots do, it began with a phone call, this one from The New York Times. On the line was the photo editor asking me if I would be interested in photographing Arizona governor, Jan Brewer. A woman of much controversy, Governor Brewer has made headlines for signing bills that had angered many, and is known for a rather infamous picture of her pointing a finger at President Obama as he walked off Air Force One. On a more personal level, I have actually lost work from clients that were boycotting AZ in light her signing of SB1070.

When I hung up the phone, memories of the infamous photoshoot that Jill Greenberg did of John McCain came to mind. For those that don’t remember it, you should Google it. In short, Jill did not agree with Senator McCain’s political views and wanted to make him look bad without him knowing. She set up a lighting scheme to uplight him and make him appear scary, and so when he came to be photographed, he would never know what had been done until the photo came out.

It was a moment that set the photo world back years, all for the attempted gain of one photographer. We as photographers are nothing without the trust of our subjects, and when that trust is broken we are nothing more than paparazzi with a studio. Yes, the option is yours, but it is Pandora’s box if you choose to mislead someone in an nth degree of passive aggressiveness where you not only waste the subject’s time, but screw them over in the process. When an ulterior motive replaces respect, turn down the assignment and keep your integrity.

So back to the photoshoot of Governor Brewer… yes, she publicly disrespected our President, and yes she has cost me many jobs. However, it is my job to be honest, not just for myself, but in this case my client, the New York Times. So with all the preconceived notions I had entering the day we set up and were ready to go early. Then she entered, and to my crew’s and my surprise was very polite and extremely excited about the photoshoot. We shot for a short while, even though we knew that we had the shot within the first two minutes. We talked life, we even talked politics. I was honest and she respected my views even though we didn’t necessarily see eye to eye. We shook hands, thanked each other for the time and life went on.

Jan Brewer

At the end of the day, all that matters is the client and your character. Work hard, and be respectful, and this career will be one that means the world to you.

…. OK, so with the lesson of this blog aside, I know you want a good story from the shoot, so enjoy….

The photo I was shooting of Governor Brewer was a full page and needed to have text on each side of it, so my client had asked that her hands remain at her side or crossed in front of her. As I love to do, I had set up a tripod and cable release and talked to her as I shot (a throwback to Avedon). At one point she says to me, “I feel so weird with my hands having to be at my side or crossed, I feel like I should be pointing at something.” Speaking what I probably should have just thought, I replied, “Ma’am, I think there are already enough photos of you pointing.” Everyone on set including my crew and her advisors went dead silent, and then, starting with the governor herself started laughing hysterically.

A Shoutout: I want to send a congratulations to the Arizona State Sun Devils football team, not only for winning the Territorial Cup against U of A, but for doing so with class and character. It takes skill to beat a team of U of A’s caliber, but it takes class to walk to midfield after winning in order to shake the hands instead of gloating… well done guys.

Nov 5

Planes, Trains, Hurricanes

We all know by now, the east coast (especially NY and NJ) have suffered a terrible disaster and there are many good people out there that need help. So if I may offer some advice, instead of buying that new iPad mini with 32GB of storage, you could get a 16GB version and take the extra money and go to RedCross.org and help them out with the aid they are providing.

As for my story, to say I was lucky is an understatement. Just over a week ago I sat at Newark Airport looking at the plane I was boarding with very dark stormy skies ominously approaching in the background. It was Sandy, and even though I could see the storm, the idea of leaving seemed a bit much as the last hurricane to hit NY (Irene) was about as rough as a windstorm in Arizona. However, I had to be on the west coast a few days later and wanted nothing more than to stop by my house for a day to see my wife.

The week in NY was a hectic one, full of meetings and speaking engagements. With as much as I have shot in NY, this was actually the first time I have ever seen Time Square, rode on the subway, and visited B&H. I was fortunate to stay with a good friend of mine and have the guys from Fstoppers to hang out with at the Photo Plus Expo. Yet through everything, I found myself a bit lonely without a camera for once. What I wouldn’t haven’t given for a D800E, a Nikkor 50 f/1.2 and an hour in my schedule to walk around and shoot some pics to relax. There is a mystique about Manhattan that makes one crave the history and look less at a building for how it looks, but rather look in wonder as to what it has seen. While I spend my life craving every bit of modern comfort I can get, there is something romantic about a building from the 1800′s that has a restaurant that was once a hotspot during prohibition.

However, the day after I got home, I found myself glued to the television as the places I had been were now underwater, all while getting texts from my friend that he was in Manhattan in an apartment without power that was starting to flood. Over the next few days the situation only got worse as his phone battery died, we couldn’t get him a hotel, and the airports had shut down. For someone who travels for a living, I felt useless to help as I sat there watching the scale of the disaster. It would be five days before my friend was able to fly home to San Francisco, smelling from the lack of a shower, yet grateful for a new outlook and respect for what he had.

This all brings me to the point of this blog… What does it take for you to look around and be grateful? Whether it is being grateful to have water, power, a house, or it is grateful to have food everyday. It is very easy to take this all for granted, and we all do it, so don’t feel bad when it happens. But take some time to think about it and when you do, I strongly encourage you to help those that are in need. I tweeted this week about helping other photographers that were without power, water, or a place to sleep, and you responded, from people offering up studios to sleep at, to others offering to let complete strangers take showers at their place.

Humanity lives at the doorstep of tragedy, and is an opportunity that presents itself when we see someone in need. So to those who have given shelter or aid, or volunteered to help complete strangers (like my friend), thank you, truly thank you.

Again if you can help, please visit RedCross.org and check out the ways you can assist in the relief effort for the east coast.

Thank you.

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