Recent Work: Furniture Photography for Totem Road

Totem Road, based out of Sydney, recently tapped us to create some fresh images for the upcoming release of their new line of furniture. Totem Road’s aesthetic is bright, airy and coastal, so we wanted to create some super clean images that reflected that beachy, cruisy vibe. In the past, their visuals were shot in a natural light studio, but I had other ideas. For consistency and not having to rely on ol’ Mother Nature, we opted to use artificial light to recreate these moods so we could shoot for a prolonged period of time, focus on details, and not have to worry about our earth’s rotation around the sun. We built a set and our aim was to create spaces that were minimal yet looked inviting. peaceful, and coastal. The collaborative process in preproduction made our shoot a breeze and it all goes to show that proper planning and being able to bounce ideas around before hand always results in better work. Endless thanks to the team at Totem Road for all the hard work in minding the details and being such a crucial part in how these turned out.

Go have a look at their new lines here and here and you can pick up one of these beautiful pieces for your house.

For the lighting folks, these were all shot with Elinchrom lights. We had a few 1000 watt monolights and a few packs and heads depending on where we positioned the lights. For the room scenes, it was a 3 light setup - 1 light in a big octabank camera right through the window to recreate that soft morning glow, 1 light to camera left in a v flat to ensure we were filling in any light fall off, and 1 light through a 10” reflector through the window to create the light patterns on the floor and walls. I used the curtains as flags to dial in the exact shaping of the light.

Travel Diary: Coron, Philippines

It’s been over 8 years since I’ve been to Coron and I’d heard things had changed drastically since then, so as I headed back to the land of WW2 shipwrecks and incredible scenery, I wondered how this sleepy town of my memory had changed. While there’s actually a pub that serves craft beer, and there’s a bit more traffic, it still had much the same vibe as I remembered. Super friendly people, incredible diving, and a laid back air that seemingly only island life can have. While most of my time was spent underwater exploring the Japanese wrecks from WW2, I made use of the surface time to wander around and take some street shots here and there. Of course, I tried (key word “tried”) to capture the jaw dropping vistas of the surrounding islands, but I’m well aware of what ticks the boxes as far as what I love shooting. Either way it was such a nice return to Palawan with new eyes!

For the photographers, these were all shot on my trusty little Fuji x100s. I love (and my back as well) having such a little camera for these types of trips.

If you like these types of images, head on over to my Instagram and give it a follow!

Travel Diary: Hong Kong

During my weekly scan through google flights, I came across cheap flights to Hong Kong and impulse bought a ticket so off I went to Hong Kong for a few days. With no real itinerary in mind other than gorging myself on dumplings and catching up with some friends, strolling around Hong Kong aimlessly with my camera was such a fun way to see the city with new eyes while revisiting some old haunts.

The way the tall buildings break up the light into little shafts of illuminated vignettes always hits that aesthetic bullseye for me and that coupled with the neon glow of Hong Kong’s nights, most of my images consisted of little pools of light and textures. Probably one of my favorite places in the world to shoot street photography, I felt like I was drinking out of a fire hydrant when it came to where to hit the shutter. Little alleys, interesting textures, incredible light and how it bounces off the buildings, the juxtaposition of new and old. It’s a street photography dream.

Travel Diary : Alor Archipelago, Indonesia

A recent trip took me to the Alor Archipelago in Indonesia for a week of scuba diving. Yes, I know there are going to be questions about why there aren’t any images from the dives and I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t shoot underwater. At least not yet. Diving is about flow and meditation for me and the last thing I’ve wanted to to do when I’ve been underwater is to think about f,stops and exposure and composition That being said, it has been creeping into my mind lately, and I may…. maaaaaaay try to get into some underwater photography the future. No promises though. In any event, this little bit of paradise is just as stunning above water as it is below water, so during the times between dives, I wandered around and took some little travel snaps to keep my creative juices flowing. Incredible vistas, traditional markets, and mountain villages are all the things I love about travel. Meeting new people and watching new horizons. These are just a few of my favorite frames and I can’t wait to get back. Perhaps there will be some underwater shots next time a post goes up about Alor.

Recent Work: John Lyle Design

Recently, the good people at John Lyle Design tapped us to make some images of their incredible furniture. After a visit to their workshop and watching the artisans craft these pieces, we knew we had to make some super clean images to showcase them the way they deserved. We had two looks - one on a white background and one with a bit more mood to it to differentiate for the multiple channels they’d be used. We opted for pretty simple lighting setups with a single key and a fill to carve out the angles. We bounced some light with some white cards and cut some light with a flag or two, but nothing super complicated as far as lighting is concerned. To achieve the two different looks, we adjusted ratios for the, but kept light placement the same to maximise the efficiency of the shoot.

Live Music Recap: The Black Lips and Skeleton Goode

Last week, Atlanta hometown heroes, The Black Lips played a small one off show here in Saigon after their gig at Coracle Music Fest up in Mui Ne. It was all a bit surreal as I’ve seen The Black Lips more times than I can probably count and it brought back memories of beer-soaked ridiculous shenanigans years ago when I lived in the A. It was so good being able to indulge in some nostalgia while partying with the Saigon homies. Skeleton Goode opened up with their take on Psych rock and absolutely killed it. Super solid opening set. The Black Lips followed and played to an increasingly rowdy crowd as the night went on. Booties shook, rugs were cut, good times all around.

I only took my Fuji x100s anticipating maybe a few beers flying and wanted to avoid cleaning the Sony kit after night of rocking out, but it turns out Saigon has a bit more manners than Atlanta so everything stayed dry. Shooting with the Fuji was ….. not ideal. While this little camera is completely capable in travel and most other situations, it is not exactly fluent in autofocusing in low light situations. That being said, I loved the rawness of these frames and they definitely matched the vibe of the show. It felt like the DIY punk shows I grew up going to nearly every week. I wish more of these type shows happened in Saigon , but based on some info I heard recently, this may be changing in the near future. Fingers crossed! Now onto the images!

Skeleton Goode

The Black Lips

Travel Diary: Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

Recently, I had the opportunity to hop over to Siem Reap to revisit the temples of Angkor for the first time in 9 years. My previous visit was my first to Cambodia and within 6 months of moving back to Southeast Asia. Needless to say, it was an incredible trip to an absolutely magical place. The temples of Angkor are out of a storybook to say the least. It was a lesson in very early rises to avoid the crowds and to see the temples at their very best. Moments of stillness as the sun peaked through the jungle burned some truly unforgettable memories into my mind. So, when the time came to take a weekender, I was quick to jump at the chance. I wondered how Siem Reap, the city just a few kilometers outside of the temple complex, had changed over the last decade. Had it fallen victim to overdevelopment and lost its charm? Had it survived the pandemic? Would the magic I experienced exploring the temples still be there years later? I had so many questions. One way to find out, right?

I opted to fly into Siem Reap this time and was greeted by a slick, shiny airport. You can tell tourist dollars have been put into it to support this Unesco World Heritage destination. Apparently a new airport is being built now, so I’m curious to see how this one will compare. Siem Reap seems to have weathered the storm of the pandemic with tourists already back, albeit not at pre ‘Rona numbers. Honestly, it feels like a happy medium right now as it felt completely unsustainable the last time I was here. Tour busses clogged the roads, temples felt like ant hills crawling with tour groups - it felt hectic. Not exactly what I envisioned when 1000 year-old sacred temples came to mind. In any event, while tourists are back and the economy has seemed to have rebounded, it didn’t feel like navigating a stampede within the temple complex. Quiet moments were abundant, yet the town didn’t feel like a ghost town like so many other destinations following the last two years. It was a nice balance. I hope the reopening of the world won’t cause this to devolve into the roving hoard of zombies it was pre-pandemic. Here’s to wishful thinking…

As far as photography goes, I made the call to leave the Sony kit at home in favor of traveling fast and light with my Fuji X100S. I picked this little guy up in a trade this year and have been playing around with it around Saigon. While it’s so fun to have a lightweight camera around my neck all the time, I’m not gonna lie, leaving the “proper camera” at home was giving me anxiety. That said, I felt like I needed to rip the band-aid off and jump into the deep end. Immediately, it changed the way I shot and travelled. A small point and shoot is certainly lower profile and almost went unnoticed in the quiet, intimate moments. My back also thanked me as I wasn’t hauling around a few lenses and a heavier camera body. Travel flowed and it felt a bit more free in my movements. The equivalent of a 35mm lens is a perfect walk around focal length and allowed me to focus on the moments in front of me rather than thinking about which lens was the best option for each situation. Liberating, really. Although portraits weren’t in the cards with this setup, I was more interested in street and travel photography so not a big loss there. This camera was more than capable for what I was after and the files were great in the edit. I’d be more than happy printing these in bigger formats. I’m couldn’t recommend giving this a try more.

As always, have a look at my IG and give a follow over there for more images like this. And now on to some of my favourite frames.

Travel Diary : ¡Viva Mexico!

In previous musings, I mentioned the 8 hour layover in Japan on the way to Mexico. If you haven’t checked that one out, have a gander. In any event, the warmer winds of Mexico were a wonderful reprise from the cold and rainy Tokyo. While a bit chilly at night, the crisp air in the morning followed by the midday heat is right up my alley. Sayulita and San Pancho lie just a short drive north of the perennial tourist outpost of Puerto Vallarta. Both surfer hangouts, Sayulita has grown into a fiesta filled destination with quiet beaches just short little jaunts from the center of town. Getting back to Mexico was incredible and how i’ve missed Latin culture. Music, food, fiery blood… give it to me. Here are a few of my favourite frames from what was far too short a stay. A return is definitely high on the list of travel priorities for the foreseeable future. And as always go give me a follow over on IG if you like these types of images.