T.I.M.E at Navajo Nation

Wednesday May 15th, 2013

by Maria Luci

Santa Fe-based photographer Julien McRoberts‘s new photo series, TIME at Navajo Nation, documents the early phases of the creation of outdoor installation art in New Mexico.

She describes the project:

TIME stands for Temporary Installations Made for the Environment, and is unique to the Navajo Nation, in conjunction with New Mexico Arts. It’s been a project that I’ve been shooting for the last few summers, with each land-based art installation more interesting than the last. The newest installation of TIME is being held at Coyote Canyon, and is the brainchild of conceptual Navajo artist, Manny Wheeler. I was hired by curator Eileen Braziel and the State of NM to document the beginning stages of this very unique installation which will premier in 2014. The project is a collaboration between German audio/visual artist Robert Henke, Navajo sound/installation artists Raven Chacon and Bert Bennally, and conceptual artist Manuelito Wheeler.

The following images depict the very beginnings of their project, along with a special meal I shared with the artists and the crew. The Wheeler family was kind enough to share a feast with us, which everyone in the family had a role in preparing. This meal allowed for a rare glimpse into the very private and unique world of the Navajo.

See more at julienmcroberts.com.

Design: A Brand New Burcham

Wednesday May 15th, 2013

by Amanda Friend

At the end of 2012, John Burcham set a goal for himself: get his website in order! He was already using A Photo Folio, and was planning to upgrade to their Design X site. He just needed someone with the expertise to help him make the updates.

John’s old website

John got in touch with me to see what could be done. After talking for a bit, the plan somewhat changed. I believed his branding could benefit from a refresh, and John agreed. I would still be taking care of updating his website, but first, I  would tackle his branding. This is one of my favorite things to work on, so I was happy to assist John in the process.

I started off by asking who his clients were, what kinds of clients he wanted to attract, and what direction he’d like to move in as a photographer. Based out of Flagstaff, Arizona, John shoots for a lot of adventure and industrial clients. However, he didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into just one genre.

John also mentioned the red square used by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, with its simplicity and boldness, stood out to him. He wanted a logo that shared that same essence. With that in mind, I designed a few drafts for him:

John was excited to see the different options, and there was one mark in particular that stood out from the rest. After the selection, I went through a round of color refinements, finally landing on the following finished logo:

John’s new logo.

The bright green added a distinctive color that works great in his brand collateral, as well as his website design. After the logo was completed, I took care of his business cards, as well as updating his new Design X template.

John’s new business cards.

You can see the new website at www.johnburcham.com.

John’s brand new website!

John was pleased with the results, and was kind enough to provide some feedback on the project:

I had felt for a long time that I needed to update my look and website, but didn’t want anything drastic. My old logo wasn’t anything memorable. I always wanted something that would stick out, but didn’t take away from the real reason people were going to my site. I want people to see the photos not the logo.

Amanda was great. She asked me some key questions to get an idea of where I wanted to go. Having never gone through this process, I was a little unsure. But after Amanda sent me the first draft designs, I became really excited. Every draft could have been my logo—it was hard to pick just one design. When we finally narrowed it down, Amanda started incorporating the colors and fonts seamlessly, she knew exactly what would work and what wouldn’t.

Amanda and a Wonderful Machine made this whole experience stress free, and I am very happy with the results.

If you’re looking for help with your portfolio, design, copy, marketing or to just want to learn more about our services, please visit the consulting section of the Cog.

Becoming An Athlete

Tuesday May 14th, 2013

By Kayleen Kauffman

At the end of 2011, Paris-based photographer Max Riche approached the French National Sports Institute (INSEP), in hopes of working with their athletes on a photo project. Max had always been impressed by the intense discipline of athletes, and wanted to create a series that exemplified the journey they take to become Olympians or World Champions.

Max explains the inspiration behind the project:

I created this concept that mixed beautiful imagery and movement, which was inspired by Eadweard Muybridge’s images—The Horse in Motion, Running Full Speed—and added a new and modern style to it. It would be coupled to a story that highlighted the evolution of the athlete, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The athlete would change clothes as he/she performed the movement to gradually be wearing the competition outfit, thus becoming the Athlete he/she was. I dubbed the series, ‘Becoming an Athlete. You are not born an Athlete, you become one.’

Max used the pictures to enter the EISA Maestro Award Competition. He finished in 1st place, receiving the EISA Maestro Award Photographer of the Year for France (2012-2013) and 2nd place, receiving the EISA Maestro Silver Award for Europe (2012-2013).

Shortly after the awards, Max released an exciting behind the scenes video of the project, which went viral within hours. It soon found its way onto several prominent blogs including Petapixel and Fubiz, and hit 60k views within its first 10 days, receiving a Vimeo Staff Pick badge.

View the BTS film here:

Max says that since he started promoting the project, he’s received a huge influx of phone calls and attention from clients. Most recently, Red Bull approached him to apply his “Becoming An Athlete” concept to the extreme sports athletes they support, which has has made Max beyond pleased.

To see more of Max’s project, check out his website, www.maxriche.com.

Trying Something New In The Kitchen

Monday May 13th, 2013

by Wesley Kays-Henry

Recently, Brainbox GmbH was tasked by AMC Culinary Cookware to create a campaign marketing their new cookware to young adults. AMC wanted to change up their current look, preferring a clean, natural, “real life” feel. The plan was to show two young couples having fun while cooking with AMC products. To do so, they reached out to one of Wonderful Machine’s Germany-based photographers, Daniel Ziegert, who at first thought himself an odd choice. Daniel doesn’t typically shoot still life or food—but it turns out that Brainbox was right in their instinct. The shoot was a perfect fit, and Daniel ended up creating some beautifully clean photos that AMC loved. To learn more, I got in touch with Daniel to see how it all went down.

Mario Hoffman at Brainbox was hoping to give AMC—a high-end Swiss cookware brand—a fresh direction. They approached Daniel for a bid, which as stated, was a bit unexpected. However, he decided to go along with it, saying, “If a client asks you to come in for an assignment believing you are perfect for the job, you shouldn’t doubt their judgment! Take the chance.” He won the bid and was soon trying something new in the kitchen.

For the shoot, Daniel found himself in a cramped basement kitchen, with 4 models, 3 agency staffers, the clients, stylists, assistants, lights, computers, props and catering. Luckily, the abundance of prop wine got everyone loosened up; “The supply, which we had bought only based on the looks of the bottles, was well in demand.”

Interestingly, both Daniel and the food stylist are vegetarians, which created a unique problem when buying meat for the shoot.  “When we learned we needed to provide meat and prep it for the shoot, we were kind of grossed out.  The lady at the butcher was startled when we asked for the ‘prettiest meat.’”

After the shoot, the client was very happy with the images as well as the range of content. Daniel was curious how it would pan out with the client since the series was “miles away from their usual look.” But AMC is already talking about incorporating the style into future campaigns, which thrilled Daniel. “I’m glad to have given them material that made them think about going beyond what they’d done in the past.” So in review, never doubt the client’s eagerness to work with you, regardless of stylistic differences. You might be the Golden Ticket they were waiting for, and it just may be a perfect opportunity to try something new.

The final selects are available on Daniel’s site, danielziegert.com, go ahead and check them out!

Sunday Spotlight: 5/12/13

Sunday May 12th, 2013