Fifth and Sixth-generation farmers! Ron Holter and his son.

In early August of 2009, I was sent by the Wegmans Advertising Department to Jefferson, Maryland to photograph for a day at Holterholm Farms, a supplier of milk for Organic Valley.  Established in 1889 by the great-great grandfather of Ron Holter, the 207 acre farm has been a producer of organic dairy products since 2005, and is now run by Ron, his wife Kathy, and their two children.  Accompanying me on the trip was Matt Byham, from Wegmans, who was writing the feature article on dairy suppliers for the Summer 2010 issue of Menu Magazine.

Jersey Cow number 139. She's a good milker!

The morning that Matt and I arrived at the farm was absolutely stunning!  There was enough atmospheric haze, that natural light was just perfect for photography, and it stayed that way for most of the day!  It was hot, though, even early on, and it would only get more so as the day progressed.  Matt and I met with Ron and Kathy Holter and got the lay of the land.  The Holters were making preparations for a visiting group from Wegmans, and while we waited for the group to arrive, Matt and I walked the pastures to photograph the land and cows!  A short while later, Ron and his son joined us in the fields and discussed with us the family farm’s history, the move to organic and sustainable farming processes, the great health benefits of organic foods, and of course, how very important it is to have happy cows!  I could tell, during our time afield with the Holters, that Matt was getting some great material for his article!

Part of the pastureland that I loved so much.

In Ron’s words, he and his family are farming as God has intended it to be.  The Jersey cows of Holterholm Farms dine on a nutritious mix of grasses of different types.  They are free to roam the pastures that are open to them on a given day, and each day, they are milked in a comfortable, cool, open-air parlor that creates a very stress-free environment for them.  The result is healthy, happy, grass-fed cows, and delicious, organic milk that is higher in antioxidants, other nutrients, and Omega-3’s than that which is produced at conventional dairy farms.  The cows are not grain fed, they do not receive hormones or antibiotics, and no persistent pesticides or synthetic fertilizers are used on the farm.  Managed as a seasonal farm, calves are born in February and March of each year, and the cows are milked from March to December.

Following the cows in for milking at the day's end.

This farm had such a wonderful feel to it.  It just seemed that everything worked in this nice, relaxed harmony, and that things were the way they should be.  The land was just beautiful, the cows were healthy, happy, and well looked after, even the cats seemed extremely content!  The Holter family proved to be very gracious hosts, are amazing people to visit with, and had a tremendous passion for educating others about the great benefits of organic farming.  It was obvious from the beginning that these are folks that truly believe in and love what they do, are fully immersed in it, and are more than willing to share what they’ve learned with others.  All of this benefits the consumer, other dairy farmers, and of course, the cows!

The Holter Family, photographed on their farm, August 5, 2009.

One of the many beautiful faces we would meet that day.

Ron Holter describing sustainable pasture management.

Camera:  Canon EOS 1DS Mark 2.

The July, 2010 North American Whitetail cover. On newsstands NOW!

It was back in early November of 2009 that for me, at least, the groundwork for this project began to form.  It was about that time that my friend, Garret Armstrong, of Elite Archery, shared with me pictures that he had just taken in the field of Chris Kiernan’s 2009 Illinois archery buck.  I’m pretty certain that my jaw dropped, and I laughed out loud in amazement when I first saw how truly incredible this deer was!  Back in November, though, I had no idea that I would have the opportunity to photograph the mounted buck for the July 2010 “kickoff” issue of North American Whitetail Magazine!

Chris Kiernan, of Illinois, is a member of the Elite Archery Pro Staff, and has several big whitetail bucks to his credit.  On November 1, 2009, he killed what was to become the pending Illinois State Record for a non-typical whitetail taken with bow and arrow. I was able to meet Chris at the ATA show in Columbus, Ohio in mid-January, and it was at this point that we started to discuss the possibility of doing some studio photography to accompany the field images that Garret had done in November.  Chris was in the early stages of writing his article, exclusively for North American Whitetail.  It was also at this time that I was able to meet and have a conversation with Gordon Whittington, Editor in Chief of the magazine, and begin to understand what types of images they would need for the upcoming article.

The Kiernan Buck as photographed on April 4, 2010.

It wouldn’t actually be until early April, though, that Chris and his lovely wife, Maria, would drive the mounted trophy from Illinois to our studios at Myers Creative Imaging in Rochester, NY.  We had made arrangements a couple of weeks prior to the shoot, and I had previously done some lighting tests with one of Garret Armstrong’s bigger whitetail mounts.  When the Kiernan buck arrived that Saturday morning, we were all set to go.  Once we had the mount arranged on a solid post in the studio, I spent some time with Chris and Garret just looking at the deer.  The antler structure and mass were just incredible.  There were so many details in the antlers that required close examination!  Lots of “Ooooh’s,” “Wow’s,” and “Holy cow’s!” as I recall.  I was blown away seeing the deer up close like this.

With Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts cups in hand, we spent time walking around the mount, looking at it from different perspectives, trying to decide which camera position would ultimately tell the best story of this buck.  The perspective we kept coming back to is the one you see in the image used on the cover.  After shooting some more refined tests, and working on the lighting until we were happy, we proceeded to make the cover photo, and then turned the pedestal at different increments to capture the buck from all angles.  The shape of the buck’s antlers change dramatically when viewed from the sides!  One of the side views we photographed, shown below, accompanies the article in its opening spread.

A stunning view of the whitetail buck's left side.

Several hours after the buck came through the front doors of the studio, he was gently packed back up in the truck, and before the Kiernan’s headed back to Illinois, we headed over to Dinosaur Barbecue for a little celebratory lunch of pulled pork, brisket, and loads of other good stuff!  The Spring day was warm enough that we could sit outdoors at the Dinosaur and overlook the mighty Genesee River as it rushed North to Lake Ontario.  It was a very satisfying way to end a really great day.

The story of Chris and his buck is one of a lifelong passion for deer hunting, of strategy, restraint, persistence, and success.  It’s a really nice read!  I would encourage you to hit up your local newsstand for a copy of North American Whitetail to check it out!

Camera:  Hasselblad H2 with Leaf Aptus 65S Digital back.

Taylor Chace, for Boston Globe Magazine. This is the image that the editor picked to run in the magazine's "Boston Uncommon" article on March 7, 2010.

As I write this post, Taylor Chace is still in Vancouver, British Columbia.  I would guess that he and his teammates are probably still riding the high of having won Olympic Gold.  To me, that realization is both incredibly wonderful and surreal, and it makes me wish I had been there to see all that had transpired in the four weeks since I photographed him for Boston Globe Magazine.

Heather had taken a message for me one day when the main line rang at Myers Creative Imaging.  The editor had called from Boston Globe Magazine to ask if I was available to photograph Taylor Chace, a defenseman and Alternate Captain for the US Men’s Sled Hockey Team.  Taylor and his teammates were here in Rochester, NY for training prior to their trip to Vancouver for the 2010 Paralympics.  The deadline on this project was super-tight, and once I understood the details, things were set in motion pretty quickly.  We had an extremely short window of opportunity, and once I had talked to Taylor on the phone and learned what the team’s training schedule was like, I realized just how tiny that window really was!

Usually, I would prefer to do this type of photography on location.  The team’s ice, for instance, a locker room, a training facility, a frozen pond.  All these ideas were knocking around in my brain.  When I thought of the time crunch, though, I decided that we could pull off an equally strong image within the confines of our Richmond Street studio, and maximize our time taking pictures rather than traveling to a location and lugging lighting gear.

I’d had a few different ideas about how to execute the photography in the studio, and by the time Taylor had showed up that morning, freelance assistant, Amy Millert and I had our lighting setup ready and all tested out.  We went over wardrobe that Taylor had brought with him.  All official USA Hockey Team gear, warm-ups, game jerseys, helmet, pads, sticks, gloves, the works!  We made a plan to start with just the warm-up uniform and progress forward, giving the Boston Globe editor as many options as we could provide.  In the end, I think the best images came from the early stages of the shoot, as well as the final stages.  I went home that night, and spent a couple hours in Adobe Lightroom, editing the job down to my favorite 25 images.  I separated those from the rest of the image files and processed all of the RAW files into JPEGS, all to be uploaded to an FTP site the following morning.  The editor in Boston downloaded them and got back to me with a selection that afternoon.  Then, I spent a little time retouching and color correcting the image, preparing it to go to press.  Final file, FTP upload, deadline met!

Early in the shoot. Warm-ups. Relaxed expressions. Taylor, I'd like one of those sweaters, please, in XL.

Taylor Chace was a great person to hang out with.  He was so easy-going, happy, funny, patient with all of our questions, and very helpful.  Perhaps what struck me most about him, though was his modesty, and dedication to his teammates.  I had, early in the day, voiced my expectations to Taylor regarding the shoot and had told him that we would probably be done after a couple of hours time.  That seemed like a pretty long time to him!  He really just wanted to get back to be with the rest of the team as soon as he could, and was really trying to downplay this whole photography thing.  This was a super-important time in their training program, and while I assured him that I understood the importance, I distracted Taylor, and had Amy hide his truck keys and lock the studio door.  We had a job to do, too!  We were able to convince him later to sit and have a nice, relaxed lunch with us, though, before he headed out.

After the shoot, we walked out to Taylor’s truck with him, Amy lugging a huge hockey bag full of gear.  Taylor was apologetic for the bag’s “locker room smell.”  Part of the game, I guess.  As I watched Taylor’s truck turn on to Main Street and drive away, I knew he was heading off to take part in some really big things.  It would be a few more weeks, though, until I learned just how big those things would be.

Wanting to learn more about Sled Hockey, or Sledge Hockey, as it is called in most places outside the US, I went to Team USA’s Saturday morning practice on the ice at the ESL Center in Henrietta.  I was blown away by what these athletes did, and how very good they were at it.  I mean, heck, I’m watching Olympic athletes, here!  I walked out of the arena after their practice that morning feeling incredibly inspired.  When I finally got home that night, I hopped on my computer, and went to USA Hockey’s website to learn some more.  I was excited to find that I could either watch live coverage of the Sled Hockey tournament at the 2010 Paralympics, or follow a “Live Game Blog” that gave by-the-minute updates during game play.  I tuned in when I could, which was for most of the tournament, and this is a summary of how things went in Vancouver:

March 13:  USA, 5 – South Korea, 0.

March 14:  USA, 3 – Czech Republic, 0.

March 16:  USA, 6 – Japan, 0.

March 18:  USA, 3 – Norway, 0.

March 20:  USA, 2 – Japan, 0.

Team USA claimed the Gold Medal in Men’s Sled Hockey on March 20, 2010.  In the entire tournament, not a single puck crossed the line into the US net.  The last time team USA had won Gold in this event was in the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Taylor, all of us at the studio are so proud of you guys!  Congratulations on attaining such an incredible goal!

Taylor Chace. Photographed February 17, 2010 at Myers Creative Imaging in Rochester, NY.

Camera:  Canon EOS 5D Mark 2.

Lauren Tracy, filmmaker, in the Editor's pick. This is the image that ran in Boston Globe Magazine on November 01, 2009.

Every so often, a job will come along that is so very enjoyable, it makes me feel as though I’m getting away with something!  I mean, nobody should get paid to have such a nice time, even if they’re taking their October Sunday afternoon to do the work!  When I got to photograph Lauren Tracy, a film student at RIT, on October 4, 2009, I realized not too far into the process that this would be one of those especially wonderful scenarios.

When the studio phone rang that Friday afternoon, I had actually been halfway to the front door to leave for the weekend.  The week had been pretty crazy, and I was ready to kick back and relax for a little while.  I set my things down and picked up the phone.  On the other end of the line was an editor from Boston Globe Magazine with an immediate need for an environmental portrait of Lauren Tracy, who was being featured in a section of the magazine titled “Boston Uncommon.”  The article showcases Boston area citizens who have risen to do something of significance for their community, or perhaps even on a grander scale.  After getting the details of the job and some pertinent information about Lauren’s background, I hung up from the editor and gave Lauren a call to introduce myself and set up the shoot.  Lauren immediately struck me as someone who was very intelligent, energetic and well spoken.  She also seemed as though she really loves what she does, and is very dedicated to her craft.  We talked over the necessary details, and decided that we would shoot sometime over the weekend, probably on Sunday.  Now, I just needed to find the perfect location!

Lauren in one of my five favorite outtakes. I really loved the simplicity of the green top, and the way it was complemented by the environment.

On Saturday, I spent some time in the morning researching and reading some more about Lauren, and what she is accomplishing.  Lauren has created, along with her father, a fund raising organization, X-Factor Filmmakers, which provides grants and scholarships to help female filmmakers produce their projects and bring their vision to the big screen.  Helping to increase the number of women enrolling in film schools is a major focus of X-Factor as well.  Funds are raised by donations, partnerships, and through sales of some very cool t-shirts that are available on the X-Factor website.

The name, X-Factor, is symbolic of the fact that females possess two X chromosomes in their genetic make-up, while males only have one.  X-Factor celebrates the idea that this “genetic formula” creates a vision that is special, and unique to female filmmakers.  At the time of this writing, X-Factor Filmmakers had just begun a new Short Film Contest, open to both female and male filmmakers.  Entry is open until April 19, 2010, and the winner will pocket $1000 for the production of their next film!  People interested in submitting work are invited to follow this link for the 2010 X-Factor Filmmakers Short Film Contest.

Now, back to our story.

Later in the day, after spending some time away from the city and in the woods, I headed back North to do some location scouting and finish getting the components in place for the next day’s shoot.  As I was driving back into Rochester, my mind was working feverishly to think of just the right place for the photography to happen.  Suddenly, it came to me.  After a couple of calls from the truck, I was all set to shoot in “The Snug” at The Old Toad, an English pub on Alexander Street in Rochester.  The Snug would provide the environment of an old sitting room with a British flavor to it.  Interestingly, I found out later, that one of the films Lauren had directed had been set in just such an environment.

I think this outtake would be my favorite of the day. The wardrobe was a little more sophisticated, but still warm and natural. I love the way Lauren is engaging the viewer here.

We rolled into The Toad just before 1:00 that Sunday afternoon, unloaded the truck and got to work.  I was working without an assistant that day, so while I set up the camera, laptop and ProFoto gear, Lauren was back and forth down the hall to show me the different wardrobe options we had selected from the collection she had brought.

Once everything was squared away with the lighting and wardrobe, we started taking pictures, and things just really fell into place very nicely.  Though the room was pretty small for photo-shoots, it offered several really nice perspectives that fit my vision perfectly.  It was a little bit of a challenge moving around such a small room once I’d brought in power packs, extension cords, strobes and scrims, but we managed just fine.  Actually, Lauren managed just fine because she mostly sat, smiled and ate Shepherd’s Pie.  She had arrived that day with a large Ace Bandage on her leg from a soccer injury, and I had given her explicit instructions to enjoy the sofas and chairs while I hauled the gear around.

I think both of us would have liked to have had more time to explore this environment! It had some really relaxed and playful potential.

I really would have loved to spend more time with Lauren that day.  We each had some additional ideas that we could envision and would like to have explored.  The reality was, though, that I was flying to California with John the following day, and had to go and get everything ready for that trip.  In the short time we had, though, we did some good things!  Lauren had been a dream to work with, the editor was ecstatic, and felt he had a tough job ahead of him because there were so many of the shots that he loved.  I was thrilled to have that kind of feedback!  Any time I can create a difficult edit because of the number of great images, I feel I’ve done things the right way, and done them thoroughly, too!

Lauren Tracy, October 4, 2009. In The Snug at The Old Toad, Rochester, NY.

Camera:  Canon EOS 1DS Mark 3

The Judge, new for 2010, in a matte black "Ninja" Edition. Extremely Slick!

My New Year holiday weekend was capped off with the completion of photography for Elite Archery’s 2010 Product Catalog.  I’m really excited to get my hands on the final printed piece, because the PDF I saw online today looks just great!  I’ve had a really fantastic time working with Garret Armstrong, the VP of Marketing and Sales for Elite Archery, and have enjoyed spending time getting to know the rest of their team, Maggie Armstrong, Missy and Denny Sharrone, and Pete Crawford, the company President.  It’s both energizing and refreshing to be working with people who believe so deeply in producing high quality products, are dedicated to supporting their customers, and genuinely love what they do.

Elite Archery's GT500, in Anthracite Gray Metallic. Absolutely gorgeous!

The upper limb and Rev cam of the GT500, Anthracite.

Eric Barbehenn, from our shop at Myers Creative Imaging, was the driving force behind the retouching of the images, and preparing them for going to press.  Many hours were spent at the computers in the studio during this post-production process, after the photography was complete.  At our latest estimate, 13 gallons of Starbucks Coffee and 29 pounds of Almond M&M’s were consumed during the entire project.  Amy Millert and Jennifer Morse provided a great deal of help in the studio on our shooting days, and I felt very fortunate to have had them as part of the team!

Elite Archery's One Piece Bow Quiver, in Realtree AP, mounted on a 2010 Judge. Made by Treelimb for Elite Archery.

Some really exciting, new products have been added to Elite Archery’s already solid arsenal of bows for 2010.  Elite’s newest bow, The Judge, is a very sweet looking piece of equipment, featuring an axle to axle length just a whisker under 35 inches, Elite’s new Revolution cams, and a 6 inch brace height.  Also new this year are one and two-piece Treelimb quivers, and a line of 7 and 11 inch stabilizers that are Doinker equipped, and feature a smoke colored acrylic rod that is etched with the Elite Archery logo.  These accessories have been designed in a way that beautifully complements Elite’s bows aesthetically, and they look as though they will perform solidly and effectively as they should.  Other new additions to the product line include a hip quiver and a soft-sided bow case that has to be one of the nicest looking cases I’ve seen!

Efficient Powerhouse! Elite Archery's 2010 Revolution cam!

The catalog went to press today, and will be delivered in time for distribution at Elite Archery’s exhibit booth at the ATA Trade Show in Columbus, Ohio this month.  I’m excited to be flying into Columbus on the 13th and attending the show this year for the first time, and for the opportunity to meet with and show work to new, prospective clients!  Wish me luck!

The Judge, dressed to hunt, in Realtree AP.

Elite Archery's new Field Quiver. Intelligent design and very classy!

Stokerized, Doinker equipped, and laser-etched! Elite's new 11-inch stabilizer, shown here in black, and available in AP and MAX-1. Also available in a 7-inch model!

Camera:  Hasselblad H2, with Leaf Aptus 65S Digital Back.

The "Holly Day Martini" and a few of her sparkling friends!

In early September, our studio took the call from Wegmans to photograph two drink recipes that were developed to help Menu Magazine readers refresh themselves cheerfully throughout the holiday season!  The images would run in the Menu Magazine Holiday Issue, the article beginning on page 58.  I was to work alongside art director and good friend, Michael Buckley, and was fortunate to have the wonderful Jennifer Morse working with us, too!   Together, we would execute the photography in the Tastings Restaurant dining room and lounge areas.  Bartender Extraordinaire, Janet Rudney, of Tastings Restaurant fame, and currently of Next Door Bar and Grill, had created the yummy recipes and would be making the beautiful drinks for us to photograph on the day of the shoot.  Michael came over to the studio and went over the list of necessary props with Kathy, and things began falling into place.  On the morning of the shoot, Jennifer met me at the studio, we loaded the gear into the truck, and headed out to the Pittsford, NY location.

First off, we decided upon our location for the article’s opening image. The Tastings dining room was chosen in this case for its spacious environment, as well as for the windows and lighting fixtures that would provide some out-of-focus interest in the background.  This shot would feature the “Holly Day Martini,” and sparkling wine.  The martini recipe combines the flavors of fresh strawberries, pomegranate and citrus, with a kicker of vodka (optional) to help boost the holiday cheer level up a notch or two!  We did another shot of the same martini recipe, without the accompaniment of sparkling wine, in the lounge area of the restauant.  This was a much tighter composition, and Michael performed his “votive candle magic” to help bring life to the environment.

Strawberries, pomegranate, and citrus make this martini a festive holiday treat!

My favorite shot of the day, though, is the one we did of the “Cozy Coffee” recipe.  Janet can do some amazing things behind the bar, and this creation of hers had Michael and I anxious to do some sampling!  The coffee smelled so good already, but when Janet topped the mugs off with perfectly roasted mini-marshmallows, the visual appeal of the drinks was increased dramatically!  After a little bit of “marshmallow primping,” and some “foam and bubble artistry,” we had our shots done for the day.  All sampling was done after Five O’clock, in case anyone is wondering!

Cozy Coffee! You simply can't go wrong with marshmallows and vodka!

Camera:  Hasselblad H2 with Leaf Aptus 65S digital back.

Daniel Caruso, Sous Chef, in the Test Kitchen of Next Door Bar and Grill.

Last week, our schedule at Myers Creative Imaging exploded into a super busy and exciting week!

One of our coolest projects from the past few days was again, for Wegmans, but this time, the photography would center around the opening of their new restaurant, Next Door Bar and Grill.  Both John and I were asked to head out to the restaurant at different times, and photograph the space, food, and people during the private parties that were being held at the restaurant prior to its opening to the public on December 11.

On Wednesday evening, after our shooting was complete, Wegmans art director Michael Buckley and I were able to sit for some dinner.  Wow!  I can’t wait to go back and spend some time at this restaurant again.  The menu really beckons to be thouroughly explored and enjoyed.  There was a really great energy about the place, the people working there were top notch, and the food was ultra-good!  The spacious bar area offers a fantastic social environment, and the fireplace in the far wall of the main dining room added a warm coziness to the entire place.

I’ll update this post soon, and include a more informative manuscript, for now, I needed to share one of my favorite images from the time I spent at the restaurant on Wednesday.  My portrait of one of the chefs, Daniel Caruso, was made in the Test Kitchen area of the restaurant.  I love his “toughness” in this particular image.  Nobody messes around when Dan’s in the kitchen.

Maybe Dan's not so tough. Yeah, right!

Camera:  Hasselblad H2 with Leaf Aptus 65S Digital Back.

From flowers to soldiers and back again!  The subjects we cover here at Myers Creative Imaging are extremely diverse!  I find there is an interesting rollercoaster of ruggedness and sensitivity that we experience during the course of our work week!

I am creating this particular post on the evening of December 13, and the holiday theme seems fitting.  The day the photography was done for the project, though, was a very different story.  Summer.  Hot.  Humid.  Holiday?  I think not!  It’s incredible to me that the flowers didn’t wilt that day!

Similar to the Wegmans Fall Floral project,  this series illustrates what the florists at Wegmans stores have created for shoppers to bring into their homes for the Winter holidays.

Working with art director, Michael Buckley, of  Wegmans Advertising, we set out to create a body of images to be used in an in-store display, promoting these holiday floral arrangements.  We were to shoot the arrangements themselves on location one day, and then photograph the design elements in the studio on the next.  Michael had reviewed the homes that our production coordinator, Heather, had scouted for our location files, and had selected the perfect one for the project.  It was one of those homes where you go in with all this equipment and gear, and have to be super-careful not to scratch something!  I don’t usually get too nervous about that until we have to start moving the furniture around.  This was one of those days that Michael wanted us to move lots of furniture, lamps, and delicate glass things around.  Thankfully, nothing was broken, scratched, soiled, or otherwise maimed.  We did good.

My friend and freelance photography assistant, Amy, who had HALO jumped with me for the previous, covert-operations project, was on-scene with Michael and me today.  It was a real “Power-Team” we had working on these flowers!  The house lended itself very nicely to the “holiday” feel that we were trying to convey, and we were all really pleased with our images from the day!  The next day in the studio was a fun one, too!  We worked the design elements used in the floral arrangements into several different still-lifes that would be used in the collage on the in-store displays.

Camera:  Hasselblad H2 and CF 132 Digital Back.

Receiving UAV imagery from a concealed position.

19 August, 2009.

Location: Highly Classified.  However, it was HOT and full of sand.  There was no Starbucks here, if you know what I mean.

Mission: Creating images to support the Harris 7800T, a ruggedized, handheld, encrypted communications system designed for hard-core military use.

Featured Technology: Included a top-secret monocle that would link a ground-based soldier to a tiny, man-launched UAV, giving him a birds-eye view of the battleground.  Ultra-cool!

My assistant, Amy Millert, (like Miller with a T,) and I HALO dropped into the location in the ink-black of a moonless night, closely followed by a treetop-level C-130 cargo drop containing our Profoto 7B kit, a few C-stands, and the rest of the gear we needed to survive, including a 3-pound bag of Almond M&M’s.  Fortunately, during the entire mission, the only casualty was the M&M bag.  Didn’t even make it through the first morning.  Damn the heat.

I’m not really at liberty to say who we worked with, or exactly what it was we were doing, but I can share these few pictures that have been De-classified.

I owe a great deal of thanks to Dave, Chris, and Spencer for their help in this mission, and for all the others they have completed.  You guys are the very best!

Chris launches the UAV while Spencer handles rear security.

Specialist Millert tends to HALO jump in bright colors and stylish shades.

Camera:  Canon EOS 1DS Mark 3.

Back in the latter part of August, the call came from Wegmans for us to fulfill their need for some new photography that would help to illustrate their Floral Department’s seasonal offerings.  The concept was to create a series of cohesive images, both of the arrangements and bouquets developed by the Wegmans florists, and also to build some still-life imagery using the design components that would be incorporated into the arrangements themselves.

The end result would be a large, in-store display that would utilize a collage of images,  illustrating the complete arrangements that the consumer could purchase, as well as the design elements that could be used to create arrangements driven by a customer’s own vision.  The project would include a day of location photography at Wegmans Organic Test Farm, and a day of studio still-lifes.  The Organic Farm was chosen for its rustic environment, which should lend itself well to complement the floral arrangements with an “Autumn” or “Harvest” flavor.

Spending time of the Wegmans Organic Test Farm is one of my favorite things, so I was really excited for another opportunity to shoot there.  The weather, unfortunately, wasn’t cooperating as nicely as we had hoped.  The forecast was for a heavy, gray day with drizzle and rain.  Not optimal conditions for photographing flowers outdoors.  Fortunately, our bag of tricks at Myers Creative Imaging included a 12 foot square canopy tent for just such an occasion.  The tent was deployed at 7:00 am, and our day began, creativity being boosted by an earlier stop at the Canandaigua Starbucks.  We provided our own version of “sunlight” with our Profoto strobe kit, softboxes and scrims.

I was in the company of Michael Buckley, a Wegmans art director, and Jenn Morse, my assistant for the project.  We moved our tent around three or four times to the different spots we had chosen, and decided to keep the laptop set up in the greenhouse.  Jenn would run the CF cards in from the tent and load them in the laptop for us to inspect.  Despite the gloom of the day, I felt that we created some vibrant, energetic images!  Our good luck held all day, and it didn’t rain too hard until the truck was halfway packed at the end of the day!  One of the day’s high points was Jenn’s lunchtime run to Casa Italiana, located on Parrish Street in Canandaigua, to pick up some truly excellent subs.  Italian Assorted, forget about it!

Camera:  Canon EOS 1DS Mark 3.