Spokane Commercial Photographer: Google Storefront

Follow this to the Google Virtual Tour click "Tour the Studio".

My good friend, photographer Roger Myers, set us up to do a Google Virtual Tour of the Studio. This is where, from Google Maps, Google Earth, or various other portals, a viewer can take a tour through our studio interior in some detail through navigable photographs. Roger has aligned himself with Google as a Google Certified photographer. He's the guy for this area. Roger does great work and knows how to do these "spins", as he calls them, expertly as well as entry to publish them on the Google system. From any of the camera positions you can turn 360º around and up and down as well. Any public business should have this done. In a year or two it will be standard for any public business.

Roger's phone # is 509-703-2672. Website: Ailana360.com

Spokane Commercial Photographer: HollisterStier

HollisterStier Website

helveticka, a top Spokane design agency, brought us in to photograph a new look and feel for the new HollisterStier Allergy division website. Owned by Jubilant, this company is a great Spokane success story started by Drs. Hollister and Stier almost a hundred years ago. They have an international reach and uncommon expertise with allergy treatments. It is a deep site- lots of pages and a fair amount of technical information. It is designed for both physician and patient use. For us several location sessions were involved including real allergy specialists at their practices, nurses, practice managers, (and we hired two models for patients). This authenticity resonates well with the sophisticated audience who are this company's clients. A studio session for the "product" header image was part of the package. Photography of the R&D staff, the phone support group, as well as the entire national sales team rounded out the project. The challenge in a project like this is scale- the number of components in the site and the number of people who have input, normally a good part of the management team. Clear and concise communications are essential and the execution has to be flawless. helveticka proved up to the task and I hope we helped to make them and Jubilant HollisterStier look good and improve their services to the doctors and patients who they are here to help.  

Clicke here to see the website: www.hsallergy.com

Spokane Architectural Photographer: ALSC Eastern Washington University

ALSC Architects asked us to photograph the new snyamncut Residence Hall at Eastern Washington University. It's a beautiful facility and the students who live there are lucky. Given a difficult to pronounce native (Salish?) name, I am curious what it might be nicknamed by now. Said phonetically, the "c" is pronounced like an "s". It was just opened and populated this last fall (2013). We hoped to get the exterior but the landscaping wasn't in place yet- too limiting. We covered the interior thoroughly with images of the great ground floor common areas, the entry, and upper floor study and kitchen areas. The client was happy with the result and we licensed them to Leone and Keeble Construction, as the contractor, as well. 

helveticka: Avista University District

Spokane design firm "helveticka" came to us on behalf of Avista Corp. to produce a print ad to express Avista's support and interest in the University District along the river in downtown Spokane. Avista Corp. has been instrumental, in fact a founding partner, in the development of the campus locus. Adjacent to the Gonzaga University Campus with elements of Eastern Washington University, Washington State University and other educational entities as partners in the location, it is already a beautiful and well used campus setting with a great future. Avista is rightly proud of their investment and the team's vision, which now lives in this superb addition to Spokane's culture. This was a way for them to express it. Happily, we had a beautiful summer evening to execute this image along with the cooperation of a group of our and helveticka's friends to populate the image. We needed to add just a touch of light to an otherwise natural scene and it all went according to plan. A very pleasant evening and we got home before dark. You should go down and walk the campus sometime- it is beautiful and has a great feel about it.

Read about Spokane's University District here: http://www.spokaneuniversitydistrict.com/avista.php

Spokane Commercial Photographer: Library Journal

The lid is off, now we can say it: Clancy (Clarise) Pool has won the "Paralibrarian of the Year" award from Library Journal Magazine . This trade magazine has a circulation of over a hundred-thousand which is very respectable in the world of publishing and makes sense when you consider the number of people with library careers countrywide. This is a national competition and Ms. Pool, of St John, Washington, was judged to be the most stellar performer in the world of libraries as a paralibrarian. She has done some great things for the Whitman County Library system. She shepherded funding and support for the building of a new facility in St. John and has worked at and improved a number of the small rural libraries in their system. We were sworn to secrecy in this work, even as we went to St. John to produce the images. We dissembled when asked what we were doing there and stayed obscure in our explanations.

Clancy was a great sport as we put her through a lengthy session for a cover image and then photographed her entertaining and reading to kids, out on the main street of St. John (in bitter cold), and collaborating with other library folks. I'm guessing she slept very well that night. Commonly, one person runs this library- it's a small operation and she is often it, but it is more successful and of a much higher profile and much more used by the locals with her effort to build it up. The magazine has been released, so we can talk openly about her recognition- pretty good for a small-town lady of great charm.  Read the article here: Library Journal Magazine 

Wellpinit School District

Integrus Architecture hired us to photograph the Architecture of Wellpinit School for which they designed and oversaw a very major rehab project. The High School/ Middle School combo is source of pride for the people who spend their days there. A lot of nice big windows and pleasant common spaces make school good for all of them. The school features some cool ideas such as drinking fountains that allow for quick-filing of your water bottle, so students can stay hydrated throughout the day, and automatic energy saving lighting.  Congratulations to the Wellpinit School District on their new Facility!

Wellpinit High School-Middle School.

Road King Magazine

Road King magazine cover art

"RoadKing", a magazine for professional truckers, came to us through Michael Nott at Parthenon Publishing in Nashville Tennessee, to photograph a cover for the January/February 2014 issue. The story covers how trucker Jason Baker won a contest for losing weight and got himself in much better shape. Whatever the prize, the improvement in his health and attitude was worth more. Driving his truck to northern Canada and back routinely was not a recipe for good health. We (Chase Warnick assisting) took Jason and his beautiful truck, thanks to his company "System Transport", and prettier wife out on old Highway 2 not far from Rearden. She came to keep him company and we got pictures of them both with the tractor, just for fun. They got published in the cover story inside the magazine too. Jayson is a great fellow with a real positive disposition which made the whole process in the cold and wind, even into the dark of evening, good fun. The designer was real happy with the result and we sent a handful of prints to Jayson. He thanked us heartily. Thanks again RoadKing, and congratulations Jayson.

I love editorial work- its always a challenge to come up with something good no matter what the circumstances. No excuses.

You can view the story here: http://roadking.com

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Road King Magazine: Jayson Baker

Cravens Coffee

Cravens Coffee is a great, sort of medium small, coffee roasting and supply company based in Spokane, Washington. As a Commercial Photographer we've done work with them for years, including an annual holiday card. Because they believe in high-service with custom blends, delivery and super high quality beans as well as roasting, this mailing presents their staff in a way that personalizes their business. 

The bag above is a the J. Craig Sweat Blend. The design of the bag features an illustration of Simon Craven Thompson of the owners of Cravens coffee.

Simon and Becky, the owners, put great stress on fair-Trade quality suppliers. They visit, meet and know many small growers from whom they buy. What a great way to do business - devoted to their growers and their customers and committed to high quality in their coffees and their relationships. It's a great way to live too!

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2013 Holiday Photo

Tipke: Foldit Cart

Tipke Manufacturing is a fine smaller company that does superb sheet metal and fabrication work. They have their own invention, the "Fold-it Cart", which they make in-house and sell all over the world. They've made thousands and thousands of them and people love the product! We did some new photography of the cart to refresh the promotion and to show some of their new products. You can contact Tipke Manufacturing and order your very own cart: http://www.tipkemfg.com/foldit/

This is a photograph of the trailer attachment for use with a lawnmower.

Studio Assistant Chris Thompson prepping the product and taking a mighty fine portrait.

Southwest Airlines: Spirit Magazine

We photographed Diana Barth in our studio for Spirit, Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine, so they could feature her in a full-page layout as an exceptional employee. The magazine is always in the seat pocket in case you're on a Southwest flight and want to check it out. She was really nice and we had Julie Farley at The Make-up Studio do her make-up as a bonus for Diana. You can view the online version of the Magazine here.

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Coeur d' Alene Metals [Spoon]

As a Spokane Commercial Photographer it is a rare occasion when the "Spoon" Agency from Stockholm, Sweden emails us. After perusing our website they chose us for their project. The assignment was to talk about Hardox Wearparts, created at Spokane's own Coeur d'Alene Metals, in SSAB World Magazine; an international steel industry publication. Talk about heavy metal!

Coeur d'Alene Metals, Larry Coulsen: President

Ferris Home in Dwell Magazine

The Joel E. Ferris Home has been getting a lot of press lately. We photographed the home and grounds last Spring at the request of Sam Ferris to document the house, and for sales purposes. It is currently featured in the MAC exhibit SPOMa (Spokane Mid-Century Architecture) and was very recently featured (ten pages worth) in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene Living magazine's March issue. It is mentioned in a number of blogs and other websites. Sam Ferris has set up a website just for the house at http://spokanemidcentury.com. 

This very day, Dwell Magazine is being released with a full page featuring the Ferris Home and some history and commentary about it. Sam Ferris, our  client in this project, asked if I had ever had a client get more mileage from a group of images. Having done published photography for quite a while, we've had a lot of "ink", but I had to admit that this was a contender, for sure. Toby Ferris, Sam's brother, said it would cost 35K to buy an advertising page in Dwell Magazine. It really is a great house and is getting a lot of buzz because of its character and sublime design. Take a look and don't forget your checkbook!

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Visit with the creator of Keyboard Cat [Charlie Schmidt]

Craig and Tony visited artist Charlie Schmidt at his studio in Spokane, WA today to discuss the current trends in social media. Charlie is known for comedic pieces like THIS and is the creator of internet meme, Keyboard Cat. Charlie is a long-time friend of Craig's and one of the most unique and inspirational individuals one could ever meet. Here's a photo of his studio which featured a collection of drugstore hearing aids, a miniature Vespa, and a rotating fixture of sunglasses.

Charlie Schmidt's Studio

JCSP 2012 Holiday Party

Our studio hosted a holiday party this past season with a combination of professional catering and hors d'oeuvres made by our employees and their families. We had a bartender serving beer, wine, and some amazing punch that Chase's fiancé provided! The evening was filled with jazz and holiday tunes by a live 4pc band Lesley assembled through her network of friends. Aside from poor weather conditions which prevented several of our guests from attending, the night was a success. Chase setup a time-lapse camera in the corner to capture the evening with a frame 5 seconds . . . here's the result:

Spokane District 81 Schools Festival of the Arts

Teachers from Rodgers, Lewis & Clark, Ferris, North Central, and Shadle high schools gathered nearly 70 students from within their respective photography classes and bused them to the INB Performing Arts Center today for Festival of the Arts. The JCSP team presented a slideshow and demonstrated various techniques to an auditorium of eager students. Topics ranged from theory of light (and shadows) to one-light portraits. The demonstration was followed by a hands-on workshop guided by the educators from each of the school's photography programs. After nearly 7 hours, the students piled back onto their buses and headed back to school with a breadth of new information and experience.

Here's a few images from the day:

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SuspenderStore.com Location Shoot BTS

We recently wrapped a location shoot at a horse ranch for SuspenderStore.com. The shoot featured a model (Jerry) wearing suspenders from their Western & Leathers collection. It was pretty cold on the set but you wouldn't know it from the images we got. Here are some behind the scenes images we grabbed while on location.

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2Modern Blog

After we photographed the Ferris family home last summer, Sam Ferris used the images widely, both in presenting the home for sale as well as for a number of historic architectural dispositions including this one at 2Modern Blog in their article Awesome Mid-Centruy Modern Design.

Ferris Family Home

On June 20th 2012 we began production on the Ferris family home located in Spokane, WA. If you are from Spokane then you have heard the Ferris name a time or two.  The home was designed by Bruce Walker in 1954 and reflected the modernist movement of architectural design that boomed in mid-century America.  It is a classic post and beam style and is one of Spokane's finest mid-century designs.

Production lasted four days and featured full supplemental lighting on all interior shots. Exteriors were shot at both dusk and dawn to maximize the quality of light showcasing the unique exterior design of the house.  For our post-production workflow we utilized the industry standard editing tool Photoshop to handle all the interior composites, and Nik's HDR Efex Pro 2 to blend a couple of HDR shots.

[Photographed by Craig Sweat]

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Campbell House [Anderson Mraz Design]

Anderson Mraz Design and Marcia Rooney, Senior Curator of History of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) put together a fine interactive exhibit about the Campbell House. This exhibit is installed in the adjacent carriage house. It's not a large space, but is packed with artifacts, story, and insight into the likes of these early founders of Spokane.

[Photographed by Craig Sweat]