Like many studios we have interns that pass through, spending a few weeks to a few months, depending on their schedules.  Agnes Prammer was a recent visitor with a different story.  For one thing, she came from Austria.  For another thing, she had an insatiable appetite for the wet plate collodion process.   For those unfamiliar with the process, to describe it as labor intensive is a delicate way of saying it can be a temperamental pain in the ass, especially for one who is learning the craft.  But learn it she did and in a remarkably short period of time; taking home with her a beautiful body of work.  The day before she left I had her stand in front of my camera and took a series of portraits that became the basis for this video I call “Agnes’ Dream”.  - Scott Ferguson

You can imagine how proud I was when my kid emailed me a snap from his iPhone of the LeBron James Coke POS asking if I shot it.  I usually I have to tell him that I am shooting the Jack Daniel's ads just before lecturing him about underage drinking.  Coke and the Olympics - such a wholesome client. 

What I didn’t tell him about was the altercation I had on set with Steven Lopez when he refused to take direction…. and how big of a kick LeBron got out of watching me try to defend myself.  Meanwhile Shawn Johnson and Sandra Richards were goofing off trying to come up with their own poses.... It's a wonder we got any work done at all. FK producer Scott Reed and the Momentum Worldwide team did an excellent job coordinating the hundreds of shots we needed to get done in the limited amount of time we had with the athletes. 

More photos from this project after the jump... 

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Continue reading COKE OLYMPIC SHOOT"

After a hectic winter of commercial work, Mark Katzman was off to Morocco for some adventure and photographic inspiration...

I knew Morocco was a photographer’s playground.  What I didn’t expect, however, was how challenging it would be to capture the full spirit of the place and it’s people in a still image.  It became clear immediately that the presence of my camera sapped most scenes of their genuine character, exacerbating the challenge of capturing the real feel of the place.  This image was made early one morning as the city of Marakesch was coming to life. It is comprised of several exposures I took from a secluded spot in an alley.

To see more images from Mark's trip, follow the link.

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Continue reading MOROCCO TRAVELOGUE"

Last night FK was pleased to host a discussion about the creative process with ReBUS, part of Ad Club St Louis. Photographer Mark Katzman and retoucher Curt von Diest presented case studies showing recent projects. The process from the initial concept all the way through to the final art work was discussed. We also looked at the role of stock photography and the pros and cons of using stock in comp layouts. A dynamic discussion followed.  We all had a great time hosting this event and really enjoyed meeting everyone that came.  ReBUS is welcome back at FK any time.

See more images from the event after the jump.

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Continue reading ReBUS Event at FK"

Thanks to the cool boys and girls over at Marlin Co (and here) for hiring our own Jay Baker to shoot some fun TV spots for Brashears Furniture. 

And the "making of" video...

Photogravure.com | The Art of the Photogravure - Mark Katzman's personal labor of love -  was recently featured as the Webpick of the week on Communication Arts' homepage.  Launched in 2006, photogravure.com has become an invaluable resource for collectors of vintage photography throughout the world.  Please take a moment to browse the collections and articles on photogravure.com.

Curt von Diest - FK's digital department - recently won Grand Prize in the faculty category of the Photo Imaging Education Association's annual photography competition. Below is his winning photograph of grazing horses in southern Utah.  Curt currently teaches Digital Photography classes at Webster University in St. Louis.

Here are four new book covers featuring images from FK's stock photography boutique, Haloimages.com.