Create Magazine's Editor's Choice --Correction

Whoops! I guess people really do read my blog. I was just informed that the picture I posted in the first press release was one of the nominees but not one of the winners.

And, not to brag, but I got two Advertiser Awards!

Both of the ads were put together from images created to promote the Footlight Club, America's Oldest Community Theater.

This one was for their production of Charles Busch's classic spoof of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Sleeping Beauty or Coma.

In a rather bizarre turn of events, right before we concepted this poster, A&E ran a show about Mr. Busch and introduced me to his creatively spoofy world.

I had had an opportunity to come up with a poster for the Club's earlier Busch production of Psycho Beach Party.

The best part of these productions is working with comedic character actors. Rodney Raftery and Eric Greimann were a blast to work with and the difficult part was narrowing down which images to use.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MATTHEW MCKEE PHOTOGRAPHY WON THE AD MOST LIKELY TO GRAB YOUR ATTENTION AWARD AND THE BEST SHOT AWARD IN CREATE MAGAZINE’S EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS

Orlando, FL, April 16, 2008 – Matthew McKee Photography won the A Most Likely to Grab Your Attention and Best Shot crowns in Create Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Awards. Engel conquered tens of other candidates to earn the title and was selected based on their originality and unstoppable design. The award-winning works dazzled the world in the Sep+Oct 2007 Northeast issue and the May+June 2007 Northeast issues respectively.

“Matthew McKee Photography produces consistently stimulating and innovative ads that never cease to impress,” said Create Magazine Editor Dana R. DeLapi. “Their work is always impressive and perfectly complements the message of Create Magazine.”

Create Magazine has seen some fantastic creativity grace its pages in the last year. From advertising to design, writing to gadgets, the Create Team has singled out the best of the best in a showcase for the May+June 2008 issue. With fun quirky categories like “Most Likely to Make you LOL,” the Editor’s Choice Awards provide recognition based on a different set of criteria.

The May+June issue of Create Magazine will be on newsstands on May 12, 2008. Create is also available online at www.createmagazine.com for Create Magazine subscribers and Create Network members.

Create Magazine's Editor's Choice Award

Hey, Wow! Thanks!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MATTHEW MCKEE PHOTOGRAPHY WON THE AD MOST LIKELY TO GRAB YOUR ATTENTION AWARD AND THE BEST SHOT AWARD IN CREATE MAGAZINE’S EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARDS

Orlando, FL, April 16, 2008 – Matthew McKee Photography won the A Most Likely to Grab Your Attention and Best Shot crowns in Create Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Awards. Engel conquered tens of other candidates to earn the title and was selected based on their originality and unstoppable design. The award-winning works dazzled the world in the Sep+Oct 2007 Northeast issue and the May+June 2007 Northeast issues respectively.

“Matthew McKee Photography produces consistently stimulating and innovative ads that never cease to impress,” said Create Magazine Editor Dana R. DeLapi. “Their work is always impressive and perfectly complements the message of Create Magazine.”

Create Magazine has seen some fantastic creativity grace its pages in the last year. From advertising to design, writing to gadgets, the Create Team has singled out the best of the best in a showcase for the May+June 2008 issue. With fun quirky categories like “Most Likely to Make you LOL,” the Editor’s Choice Awards provide recognition based on a different set of criteria.

The May+June issue of Create Magazine will be on newsstands on May 12, 2008. Create is also available online at www.createmagazine.com for Create Magazine subscribers and Create Network members.

This was one of the ads. The image was from one of the poster campaigns for the Footlight Club, during their production of Charles Buch's Psycho Beach Party.

Izzi's in the House!

It is amazing to me to watch kids work at things that excite them.

They bring so much passion to a project. Sometimes they bring a little chaos as well, but not so here.

Izzi, who's parents are involved in productions at the Footlight Club, came to the shoot fully prepared. In fact, she asked Joy, my stylist and make up person on set, about where paint should be placed on her shirt to make it more effective and authentic.

She was fully engaged in her portrait and a great collaborator!

Industrial Lighting and Adapting Photography

So, there we were, in a dark room, with a gazillion volts of electricity stored in huge banks of batteries. High voltage signage everywhere. A deep hum, charged with menace, replaces the whir of ventilation fans from the data center we were just shooting in.

We went from brilliant flat lighting to almost no lighting at all. And, the concept called for shooting into a dark cabinet, while the technician does... well, whatever they do in there. (When I asked him, he said, "Mostly, we try not to get zapped!")

I looked up and saw three different tubes of flourescent lighting, two tungsten cans and something that may have been a mercury vapor.

I looked at my assistant, who shrugged back at me, and I said, "Get the secret weapon!"

Under the technician's careful supervision, we tucked it back in the cabinet and plugged it in. Added a couple of gelled lights and reflectors around the outside and started shooting.

So, what is the secret weapon? An LED worklight from the hardware store.

Perfect for those hard to reach, tucked in spaces, to add dimensionality to any photoshoot!

The Knightly Arts

Well, this was an exciting shoot! This guy is a practicing swordsman and has won awards around the world. He showed up with two suits of armor and lots of stories.

If you are interested, he runs a school for sword play and other martial arts involving edged weapons. Check it out at http://www.knightlyarts.com.

We are having a conversation about a series of marketing images for the school. Could be really interesting.