photography

Everyday Experiments – In Full Bloom

The first cellphone camera I ever used was in an imported unlocked Nokia so-called “smartphone”. It was an expensive flip phone with a screen that rotated 180 degrees. It had some form of limited office functionality, texting, and a 0.3-megapixel camera that shot postage stamp-sized images and no video. I thought it was the greatest phone ever, and the ability to take somewhat decent photos with my phone was a game-changer. Then in 2007 and the world changed.

When the iPhone went on sale in June of 2007, it was light years ahead of the competition. It had a whopping 2 megapixel camera and 320×480 pixel resolution screen. The day it went on sale I was 4th in line at the ATT store to make sure I got one before they sold out. At the time, I had no idea how much this single piece of technology would change the way people create with images, video and audio.

Fast forward 15 years and the impact has been very obvious. So much so that Apple has built an entire marketing platform around “Shot on iPhone” that focuses exclusively on the creative aspect of the handset. One of the best examples being a series of videos by Donghoon J. and James T, called “Everyday Experiments that show people how to create some pretty amazing videos with their iPhones and things they have at home. Something that would have been impossible to do with my Nokia in 2005, or even using a “Flip Video” camera that was hugely popular at the same time.

Everyday Experiments as well as the rest of “Shot on iPhone” show just how far we have come in a very short period of time. If you are into using your phone for creative endeavors I encourage you to take a look at the “Everyday Experiments” content. It’s well-produced and they have a section of behind-the-scenes videos that show how these two actually make the videos Apple commissions from them.

Not Real – Grace

This afternoon I was hanging out on Vimeo looking at a variety of things to get some inspiration for a motion graphics/video project I have in the works, and I happened to stumble upon “Grace Sunset Collection” by Not Real. It’s a really well-done advert featuring some great photography, typography, and 3D animation. What’s better there is a making-of video that shows off some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into putting this together. I always like to include the behind the scenes/making of videos if I can because it shows how much work actually goes into producing something that looks so simple. And that is where the magic is. A complex and involved project that produces a final clip that looks simple.

As you watch this, think about how the animation and edits are timed to the rhythm of the music. It goes together so well, and if you weren’t looking for it you might miss that aspect. The other thing that caught my attention is the easing that is applied to the movement of the type, images and objects. It’s subtle and very lifelike. The fall off is natural, and that is the kind of thing that takes some serious skills, whether you are doing it with After Effects expressions, or using the motion graph.

This is some really nice stuff. Now I’m inspired and its time to get to work.

Directed by: NotReal

Creative Direction: Valeria Moreiro
Executive Production: Roberto Connolly

Art Direction: Valeria Moreiro
Animation Direction: Milton Gonzalez

2D Design: Luján Borzi, Pia Alive, Valeria Moreiro
3D Design: Valeria Moreiro, Alejandra Lan, Luján Borzi

2D Animation: Milton Gonzalez, Joana Cabrera, Roberto Connolly
3D Animation: Milton Gonzalez, Joana Cabrera

Lighting & Shading: Valeria Moreiro
Rendering and Compositing: Milton Gonzalez

Making off: Roberto Connolly

Photography:Cecilia Armand Ugon
Photography Assistant: Ayelén Di Biasi
Styling: Maia Frid
Make up: Julie Doee

Models: Abril Castroman- Lo Management
Layla Ferreira- Pink Models

Year: 2020

Believe in Experiences – Mastercard Pre-Pandemic

What a difference a year makes. The images below are from a Mastercard campaign that was developed by McCann Columbia that is built around shared experiences. The imagery is great incorporating the Mastercard logo into a series of engagements that involve eating out, sports, travel, etc. All things that people really aren’t doing right now because of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The background copy that accompanied the launch of the outdoor campaign read “At Mastercard, we believe in experiences. We believe in the awe of simple things. We believe in those moments where only present matters. To us, that’s priceless and we got the opportunity to merge our logo into some of those occasions for all of the 2019 billboards.”

It’s a great campaign. The visuals alone are fantastic, selling the product/service in a quick read that billboards need to do. The irony is, that there is no way Mastercard and McCann could have foreseen the future when this campaign was being developed. And if it is like any outdoor campaign I’ve ever worked on, there is a pretty solid chance that a number of these billboards are still up in Latin America, which unintentionally drives home the reality of where the world is today. Social distancing, self isolating, and apart from one another. The polar opposite of what this campaign originally set out to champion.

It’s beautiful work though, and the team that created it should be extremely proud of what they produced. Great photography, solid retouching, simple and effective copy… priceless.

McCann Colombia
Creative Director: Andres Salamanca Soler
Art Director: Felipe Álvarez C. – Andrés V. De la Hoz
Copywriter: Laura Garzón – Julian Triana

The Poster Designs for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Are Crazy – Awesome

I’m not sure what the selection criteria were for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, but I’m digging the completely crazy set of images that were chosen. The styles range from Manga to Cubism to Surrealism and Photography. If you compare these to what we traditionally have gotten the Tokyo posters seem almost out of left field. Hat tip to the judges for taking a chance and choosing posters that are a reflection of Japanese culture, and that take a chance. You can see all of the posters here and read the artists statements about the works as well.