I took three of their new dinner menu items and decided to create a clean fresh ad campaign that marketed their ingredients and image.  From the I heart Vegan Bowl to the Curry Bowl we used vibrant angled photos that had some depth of field.  Camera lens used was a Canon L Series 35mm lens, great for close up shots and depth of field.  I have had this lens for a month now and I just love it.  It is so crisp and clean when it comes to dim or natural light and focus points for a variety of subject matter.

I did not use any lighting and manipulated the aperture and natural lighting from outside.  Little to no – editing was done in Photoshop which is a great thing and saved alot of time for marketing on social media and web promotion. Text and info was added in Indesign.

If you have questions about this post feel free to comment below or contact me.

depth of field with 35mm L series

This past month in March I was asked to shoot an  informal wedding for some friends… I have to say I was a bit nervous and started prepping and researching checklists, equipment and staging.

The equipment I brought and used where two different stories.  Having the lighting gear in a small space was not easy so I put the lighting gear aside and utilized my Canon 7d and L series lens 35mm.  Both where great for those candid shots and small spaces and provided some great depth of field and vibrant colors.

Some Tips & Tricks…

Equipment to bring: Ultra-wide-angle lenses can capture scenes beyond your natural field of vision.  A good zoom lens is also great with bounce, beauty dishes and speedlites for those outdoor pics.

Along with my camera body and lens, I had – batteries, charges and backup memory cards always good for any shoot, big or small.  It is always better to be over prepared then under prepared.

Scout the location and meet the family: Show up early and meet and greet the family while checking on the location and space for shots.  I also have a weather app – to check current and future weather for outdoor shots.

Props are a must:  I used the flowers and invitations as props for the couple to engage and interact.

Shoot the small details: Photograph rings, backs of dresses, shoes, flowers, table settings, menus etc – these help give the end album an extra dimension. Flick through a wedding magazine in a news stand for a little inspiration.

Shoot in RAW:  I know that many photographers feel that they don’t have the time for shooting in RAW (due to extra processing) but a wedding is one time that it can be particularly useful as it gives so much more flexibility to manipulate shots after taking them. Weddings can present photographers with tricky lighting which result in the need to manipulate exposure and white balance after the fact – RAW will help with this considerably.

Change Your Perspective: Get a little creative with your shots. While the majority of the images in the end album will probably be fairly ‘normal’ or formal poses – make sure you mix things up a little by taking shots from down low, up high, at wide angles etc.

Weddings are about celebrating:  they should be fun. I had a great time hanging out with this couple and their family which made me less nervous as the day went on.

I am excited to shoot more events and think that with practice and knowing your equipment and being comfortable with techniques that will bring all your events to life when shooting!

The inspiration of the images are of my past and present. Bold, black ink on a washed out painted background as well as graphic horizontal lines depict my fundamental excitement of the power of eyes, speed and structure.

The Process Explained

After selected my images and pulling them into photoshop – I began the manipulation in grey scale. Desaturating the image and pulling out the colors started the process.  I then created a mask for each image, which allowed me to focus and get detail from the subject of each photo.  Pulling the black and making them strong for the print process on R-Film.  It is always good to make your image/ design — 100% black and fill in any white spots that will come through when you print on the transparencies. Some grey is good but really depends on the software you will be using for printing.

After I was satisfied with each image – I used Accurip for printing halftones onto R-Film – with an Epson 1400 and BLACKMAXX ink.

As you can tell I had to use 13 x 18″ transparencies and meticulously cut and paste them together by hand, creating flawless seams for the exposure process on my homemade lighting table (use clear scotch tape and an exacto knife on a cutting mat, to create flawless seems for a complete image)  The image on you left is 6 transparencies seemed together and the image size is 36 x 36″.

Image prep was a bit tricky – I needed to use rulers in Photoshop and some math to slice the image into six pieces for print on the 13 x 18″ film. Click on the images to get a closer look…

After the image is printed, cut and seamed into one image you are ready for the emulsion process.  This part was by far the most tricky.  It took me several tries to understand the technique and that you need to have an even coat of emulsion on your screen. I used a hybrid emulsion for both water based and plastisol inks. It is also very important to select the right mesh count.  I used 200 mesh on an aluminum screen because of all the detail.  The lower the mesh the less detail you will have for your image. Once I had a thin coat even distributed on my screen – it was time for the drying process.

Make sure your screen is horizontal and level.  LEVEL – is very important so that you do NOT get drips and blotches on your screen. After your screen is completely dry, it is time to tape the film onto the emulsified screen that you just set up.  Making sure that the transparency is the placed the way you want for printing process.  A backwards print can make for a bad print especially if you are using type/ lettering.

Tape your film to your screen and place onto your lighting table.  I left my light on for 25mins and then took the screen outside for pressure washing to get my positive/ negative image.

Now it time to get your ink and squeegee ready.  Tape the sides of your frame so that you don’t get leaks or spill onto your paper/ canvas when running the ink through. Place your frame in place and pour some ink onto the the screen.  I used a water based black ink which is good on paper or canvas, for t-shirts use plastisol. Pull the ink through the screen once to get it ready to place onto the canvas. Once the canvas is in place press hard down and up to get a sooth coat/ layer onto your medium. Too much ink will make a blotchy image and not enough will look faded and incomplete.  Practice a few times on blank paper to test before putting your image onto your prepped canvas/ artwork.

If you have any questions about this process or upcoming shows please feel free to contact me! A great source for materials is Ryonet Screenprinting supplies.  They have great customer service and are always available to answer questions about products and screenprinting techniques.

CONTACT HOUSEINK

First off, thanks so much for your time! I actually found your business on the Portland Creative List by the way. Okay so I have 10 questions to ask you, and again, I want to stress how thankful I am for your time : ) I will just number the questions for you and if you could number your answers according to the question–hopefully this is the best way to go about this. Also, you can keep your answers as short and simple as possible for the sake of not taking up too much of your time.

1.) What training and education did you have that lead you to this career?
I attended the University of Texas at Pan American in Edinburg Texas. Worked with several marketing and advertising departments for over ten years after graduation. Attended design conferences and took software training – online courses via www.lynda.com

2.) What graphic arts skills are essential to being successful in this field?
Understanding design elements and color as well as software/technical tools like – Adobe Creative Suite.  More importantly is communication. Visual communication in the creative world and business communication with clients and teams.

3.) What other skills or qualifications would help you get started?
Building a print and online portfolio is essential for any designer. Many times I have designers wanting to work with my company but they have no portfolio for me to review.  Ask friends and family as well as local businesses if you can help them with their projects.  Whether it be a business card, wedding invite or newsletter. The more you work with people and develop your skills the stronger you become as a designer.

4.) How would you suggest that someone break into this field?
I would suggest going to school and interning with a design firm.  Develop your skills and build your portfolio. Ask lot’s of questions – read many books and take online tutorials.

5.) What is a typical entry level salary? Are there any benefits?
It can vary depending on the region/ location, skills and knowledge.

When I first graduated I worked with a newspaper in the advertising department and made very little.  For over ten years I continued to learn and grow in the field of design with several companies and now I am able to charge my own rates per/ hour via Houseink.  The more you know the more you grow!

6.) What do you do all day, everyday?
My day consists of answering the needs of clients via email and phone.  Creative design, development, research, following up and making all my clients happy all of the time.

7.) What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy problem solving and creating marketing solutions for various industries.
I am always learning something new everyday – and that will never stop being fun.

8.) What produces the most stress?
The most stressful thing about the industry is the advancement in technology.
Every year – new software, ideas, design, web and media change creating a constant need for continuing education.  Most of my time consists of researching new trends, evolving platforms and updates. – oh and of course invoicing and book keeping.

9.) Do you work independently or as part of a team?
Currently I work with a network of very talented designers, marketing consultants and developers.  We all work independently on various tasks at hand to create the best possible solution for our current client.

10.) How do you get clients?
There are several ways to generate leads.  Marketing yourself via social networks, business cards and having a website to showcase your portfolio are a couple.  Although I find the best way to get clients is to talk to people and let them know what it is that you do and how you can help them improve their business/marketing.

Once you get those clients, be creative and do well on all your projects, communicate and be on time and they will refer more clients.  A happy customer is a referring one

This is it for questions. It is very kind of you to do this!

Best Regards,
Jeremy Rickson

The process was not easy and took several weeks of reading up on screen printing, emulsification, building frames and many trips to the hardware store as well as  silkscreeningsupplies located in Vancouver, Washington.

The first couple of steps were easy.  Editing the photo in Photoshop CS5 – through desaturating the image and increasing the levels resulting in a sharp positive image also known as: Tusche-resist or ” positive!’ method.  After getting the image ready I was on to the next step of printing the image onto a transparency. Since the image was larger then 8.5 x 11 – I had to cut the image into four quadrants and print them out individually – then piece them together to make a large poster size image for my screen-mesh/frame.

Next it was onto my lighting table and Emulsification – a messy job but fun when I saw the results after pressure washing the chemical off. PRESTO – the positive of the image washed off – and now I was ready to PRINT!!!

Below is the final end results of the spring bike ride trip  – downtown.  Post me a comment and if you have questions please feel free to contact me via my contact form.   I cannot wait till the next print – coming this fall along with two paintings!  Art show 2012.

A website is the most important marketing component for an organization and it has become almost impossible for a company to get customers without a professional and appealing website. If you want to build a website, there are thousands of web designing companies on the net and you can outsource the work to someone who is not even in your country to save some money. But recently people prefer to hire local firms for web designing. There are several reasons

1. Communication: Communication will become easier when you choose a web design firm that is within reach. If you are selling services or products, the content of the website has to be modified every now and then to highlight new offers or promotions. Sometimes it is impossible for you to explain your requirements through emails. So, it is better to have face-to-face communication with the web designers. Mobile phones can help, but sitting down at a table and discussing ideas is the best communication tool available.
2. Personal Attention: With the local web designer, you can hope for prompt and personalized service when you call or email. It helps in building a good business relationship. When companies spend money for web design, they also want to feel comfortable with the people they are hiring to do the job. If they are not satisfied with the web page, they can communicate with them comfortably to get the changes made.
3. Knowing the People: It is better for you to know the person, who is going to pick up your call or read your email. So, you can get an idea about their reliability. You usually don’t hire a local web designer without some referrals. You can see their portfolio to find several other local web sites, they have built and customer testimonials from people you may already know. It will be hard for you to get even the name of the designer, if you outsource your work. They mostly use pseudonyms.
4. Understanding the Local Community: Your website should reflect an understanding of the local culture and the local business climate. Local web designers often live in the same community as you and can understand your local target market. They know about the competitors and the local market trends. You can’t expect this when your work with an overseas company. It is as if you are speaking two different languages.
5. Helping the Local Economy: By hiring a local web designer you are keeping your money in the community and that will help the local economy. It will also help you business grow because the local web designer may recommend people they know to use your business.

Photoshoot w/ Marcelo Cantu
Photographer: Sheri House
Hair and Make up by Hair Hustlr
Model: Kristen Hilary Washington