An EMC Server

There is something about a server room. Row after row of large masses of data. Lights blinking. Wires streaming.

I always want to talk in a hushed tone around these objects, as if I would interrupt some critical calculation by asking where the light switch was.

Of course, you can't whisper, or even talk softly, because of the cooling fans, air conditioning units and occasional tech engineer trying to figure out why the marketing director wants to show him working on the new unit instead of the older one that needs to be repaired.

The Monkeys #2

All in the Timing, Poster Shoot OutTake. Brad Reed, an actor to watch.

One of my guilty pleasures is working with actors. They make it so easy to create fun and interesting images to market their productions!

Brad Reed, who is making his debut on the Footlight Club stage, had us rolling behind the camera.

Stay tuned! I have one more before I reveal Christine Conrad Lane's poster design!

More fun than a barrel of...

Monkeys.

Just finished up another poster for the Footlight Club for their production of All in the Timing. The idea for the poster came from Kristin MacDougall, who loaned me the script for a quick read before the shoot.

I shot ice coffee out of my nose inside of 2 pages.

Christine Conrad Lane did the design work on the poster, which I will show you next time. She did awesome work, as always.

It looks like All in the Timing is going to be a fantastic show so go get tickets now, if you are planning to be in the Jamaica Plain area in the next few weeks.

Rob Guptill is the actor featured above.

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.

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.

A Stock Conversation

Last week, I was in a meeting with a medium sized ad agency art buyer, showing her samples of my black and white work. She got enthusiastic about the work and started rattling off projects where this work would be appropriate.

As I watched, her face fell a bit when she tagged the conversation with, "But, we are having a hard time getting them away from royalty free stock images. Despite the fact that the images they choose keep showing up in [their competition's] collateral and ads."

I had another conversation over the phone with a head of a small design agency. She said that they used royalty free stock all the time. Yes, the images would show up in other companies' marketing materials. But, none of her clients were national, so it didn't really matter.

During a coffee conversation with an art director, he lamented that he was spending hours retouching and repurposing stock images to fit marketing concepts. By the time he was finished, he was billing as much in retouching fees as a custom shoot would have cost. And, the image still looked enough like the original that 5000 brochures were recycled when it showed up as the back wall of the competition's booth at a trade show.

I am not one to jump up and down and try to convince you that stock is bad and evil. It isn't. And, in some places, it is very appropriate. Even the royalty free stuff. Sometimes.

However, if you are working hard, spending lots of money and energy, trying to differentiate yourself - your company - from everyone else within your market, what is going to happen when the big national financial firm across the street is using the same image for their brochures that you have for yours?

Original marketing photography, like every other element of a company, is an investment. There is no get rich quick scheme. There is no short cut. There is no silver bullet.

And, in marketing, the payoff is directly related to your investment.

Great, original work will get you recognized. Great, copycat work... will get the other folks recognized...

The original image above was created to promote a production of "Anything Cole".

Sitting in Traffic

Have you ever stopped at a stop light and looked at the people in the cars around you?

Each one is the center of their own world. Each one is the ruler of all they survey from within their mobile glass and steel microcosm. They can exert total control over this little world, directing where it goes and even how warm or cold it is inside.

And, within that bubble, anything they do is justified. After all, they are the center of that little universe, with God-like powers.

Or, maybe I am projecting a bit...

Have you ever sat at a stop light and realized that someone was watching you from the next car?

The image above was created a few years ago, based on an actual event. I was the little boy in the window in the background...

Marketing Concepts Over Breakfast or My Favorite Morning Reads

Each morning, my boys and I sit at the breakfast table and talk about the coming day (if I have had enough coffee) or listen to the latest tunes my eight year old had found on iTunes (if I have had enough coffee). My wife leaves earlier than we do so we have the house to our selves.

While waiting for the school bus, I surf through a variety of blogs to help spark my brain and maybe give me inspiration for the day.

Here are a few favorites of mine:

www.sinfest.net No, it isn't dirty. It is Tatsuya Ishida's cartoon about pop culture. It is an easy read and helps me get started.

http://www.pvponline.com/ Another web cartoon that features characters about my age (or so I imagine). One of them is a mac-lovin', slacker type. Another is a troll.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ If you don't know who Seth Godin is, then you probably don't do much marketing. Love or hate his ideas, they certainly can make you think. And, he is not shy about sharing ideas.

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/ As a mac guy, how could I not like Guy. As a student of marketing, he is a must read. Think different, Dude.

Advertising/Design Goodness Sort of a Lurzner's Archive for the internet. Inspiration and clever advertising.

Heartstorming Ian Summer's blog about creativity. What Seth and Guy do for (to) me with marketing, Ian does with creativity.

The image above is a sandwich of two images I captured in New Hampshire. The poster was created for a software company working on a virtual racing simulator. The marketing director really liked the image but the powers that be went in a different direction, orphaning the project.

Ah, well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

To a certain extent, I feel like Linus, in the Charlie Brown Christmas, except for Valentine's Day. It's all a big racket set up by a conglomerate, back east.

Valentine's day is so commercial that it, more than occasionally, borders on the ridiculous.

Until you drill down to the heart (no pun intended) of the celebration and remember what it is all about. Then, it can become sublime.

This morning, I was sitting at the breakfast table, reading my morning blogs with the boys and came across Scott Kelby's wonderful web comic, pvpoline.com. (Who me? Read comics? Nah! Never! Childish pap!... er...)

His blog entry about his father explaining to a young Kelby that he was no longer in love with his mother, that it had actually moved beyond love to something so much more, really resonated with me. I can remember a similar situation with my father.

The image above was created a few years ago as a Valentine's Day card for my wife.

Executive Portraits are marketing tools, too.

A graphic designer/marketing guru friend of mine invited me in to her office to talk about creating some portraits that would work for a marketing/branding project.

She had observed that press releases had a higher percentage of success when an image was included. And, that the type of image presented had an almost direct influence on how big the article was presented on the page.

She was quick to point out that there were a lot of other influences and variables that play a significant roll in the success rate as well. In no particular order: how well the press release was written, how much the release was aimed at the publication's target audience, how unique the article was, what other news, happenings or releases were competing for the same space, how much the editor had on his/her plate when the release came in, how much work they had to do to make the article work, etc...

We talked about the pros and cons of different types of headshots. The most common type are the studio shots, on neutral backgrounds, sometimes on a painted background. They are literally head and shoulder images. The pros are that they can be done fairly quickly and inexpensively. Several people can get theirs done if the photographer comes out to the office and can set up in a convenient conference room. Everyone's image looks pretty much the same, which works well for proposal documents, web bios etc.

The cons start with everyone looking the same. Not only do they look the same for the office, they often look the same as everyone else's in the world. Some nicknames for these images are school photos, passports and drivers license photos. Also, because speed is an issue, sometimes people don't look their best ie: unwrinkled cloths, matching cloths, hair, shiny faces, etc.

The next level up was studio style but with the addition of a stylist/groomer. The sessions for each person go a little longer but they end up looking much better.

In an image that relies totally on the person's personality to shine through (remember: generic, neutral backgrounds, no props etc) every little bit helps to make the shot more effective.

Another con that came up was that these images, if published, will only get postage stamp size space in the publication. If you are looking for a cover story or a full page section opener or even a half page article, these images probably won't impress an editor.

So, the other option is the custom portrait. The pros for this type of image is that you can get away from looking like everyone else and can collaborate to create an image that is an effective story telling tool for your marketing (which should be the goal of these images, right?).

The cons? Well, it is more expensive, in the short run. There are things to consider like grooming, wardrobe, location, etc. The production time can be longer and take up more of your time. And, a big one is that the photographer will ask you to share some information that you may not have thought of. Such as, who is your audience? How do you want them to feel when they look at this image? and, how do you see your self?

I brought these cons up to my marketing friend, having heard them from customers and potential customers for years. She said, "Yes, but they are only cons if you are afraid of success. Won't a better image be more effective and then, directly or indirectly, make you more money? Be more effective with your marketing?"

What could I say to that?

The big picture above is a direct result of that conversation. I can't reveal who it is for yet, but... The smaller pictures were done for Cambridge Healthtech Advisors. They opted to do both types of images to give them more marketing flexibility.

Cat Poster in Layers Magazine

Yes, you have seen this one before. In fact, it was part of an August 07 blog.

However, I just had to brag a bit about getting it into Layers - The How-To Magazine for Everything Adobe.

Of course, as a commercial photographer, you get to see your work in print all the time. However, there is something special about having your work chosen to be published, rather than specifically commissioned. It is like winning a contest.

My bank account would much rather be commissioned, but I still get a warm, fuzzy feeling from the contests. Plus, as I said, bragging rights!

If you have the January/February 08 issue, it is on page 28, in the Digital Canvas section.

Happy New Year!

Okay, so this is the last time we procrastinate our holiday card! Still, you get a whole year to do thank you cards after a wedding. So...?

Big doings in the works for this year. New Years Resolutions include things like updated goals, better planning, less procrastinating, new personal photography projects to keep me fresh for the all important client shoots.

Also, contacting old clients that I might have lost touch with and suggesting projects to my favorite collaborators.

Plus, finish building the new office, look for bigger photo studio space and spend time with the family.

Gonna be a fun year for commercial photography. Hope you can join me!

The picture above was done in the studio. The background was added after.

Looking for Bug Props

I am on a search for bugs to be used as scale for product photography.

I have done some looking around and found lots of ready made framed and mounted pieces that are beautiful but the bugs don't come out easily. And they are often in the wrong position.

I know, I could take the time to learn to pose them myself, but, like everything I do with photography, I prefer to surround myself with people who are great at what they do. It means that the final result is so much better.

This specimen above has been used in a number of shoots but is starting to get pretty ragged. He doesn't have any legs left and there is only a half an antenna left. Poor guy needs to be retired.

If you have access to someone who can pose a butterfly, bumble bee, dragonfly or lady bug, get in touch with me.

Thanks!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I had to get a few more in before Halloween hits.

This series has been complete for a while now. Or, atleast as complete as I can make it until my kids are old enough to not want to go trick or treating or want to go with me to NYC.

But, I still love Halloween and want to do something photographic for it. Now the question is, what should I do next?

Blondie in the Village

Can't believe I am running out things to say about this event. Well, not so much running out as having other things going on.

Between clients, the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, which I am a co-president and web dude, and now Jury Duty, it is hard to keep on track on the blog.

So here is just a couple more cool pics from that series.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 5

For a suburban kid who moved to Boston, because he wanted to be in a big city (Boston is more like a big town to me), this place was nuts.

Over the top and totally out there.

For a photographer, a person who is basically a voyeur anyway, it was heaven.

Outrageous behavior and outfits, visual puns and Clinton masks were the flavor of the night.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 4

So, totally in the moment, Greg and I started a dance. He watched me and where I was aiming and moved to position himself behind and to one side of my intended subject.

I would approach a person, a character, and make suitable noises. 99% of the time, the people would pose or laugh and say "sure". A couple of times, I got a suspicious look or a head shake. But, almost everyone was out with their best work, ready, willing and wanting to be seen.

And, I was happy to oblige.

That year, we shot 10 rolls of black and white film.

Editing was exciting.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 3

We skipped a year due to a scheduling issue but were right back at it, better prepared and totally jazzed.

Armed this time with my new Nikon F5 and a wide angle lens, we hit the streets, looking for adventure and new images.

This time we had a better idea of what we were looking for. But, I still had a nagging problem. I had no idea what I was creating this body of work for. In a way, it was a handicap, mentally.

In another way, it was supremely liberating.

As I have said before, I love the challenge of getting into a client's head to see what exactly they are looking for... even when they can't describe it fully themselves. That, to me, is fun and has been lucrative for me, so I guess I have been successful at it.

This time, there was no limits, just create what I felt at the moment.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 2

In the days of film, the moment of truth was opening that envelop from the lab and shaking out the contact sheets.

Sometimes, you are reaching for the loupe. Sometimes, you are reaching for the malox.

Of course, as a professional, we endeavor to have more loupe moments than panic moments. That is one reason why we always shot so much film on each shoot. Our mantra of "Just one more roll" was for the sanity of ourselves and our clients, who would rather we didn't say "The film was ruined at the lab."

[A little known trade secret is that some photographers used that excuse even if they, themselves, caused the film to be toasted. Not that I ever used that excuse. But, in 14 years of shooting film, the lab did munch 2 rolls. Really! They did! But, they were very nice about it and, luckily, I had backup rolls. Besides, 14 years, thousands of rolls and only 2 ever got et? Not bad!]

The first sheet came out and, as dramatic as I would like to make this, I can't. The film was a little thin, but otherwise perfect.

I was hooked and would be for the next 6 years.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues

That first year was one of those personal challenges that was more mental that physical.

However, it also took its toll on our bodies.We walked over all over those 12 blocks, carrying a bag of film, spare batteries, and a charger for the second flash. Occasionally, we had to stop for a breather and a refresher.

By the end of the night, we had exposed 12 rolls of 120 film and imbibed a fair number of beers.

By two am, we were wiped out and ready to recover the vehical.

But, this wasn't the end of our adventures...