When I was just starting out, one of my photography mentors told me, “Chris, the three hardest things you will ever have to shoot are kids, dogs and ice cream.” My first cover assignment for Focus on the Coast (see blog post dated - July 1st) was two kids. For this month’s cover, they threw a dog at me. Not literally of course! All kidding aside, I really enjoyed working with the fine folks at Luxe. They made us feel right at home and adding their store mascot, Lucy, to the shot was a great call. What’s even funnier is that we are now talking to a brand-new potential client. Three guesses what they sell.

It’s nice when “work” feels so much like play. Every so often, I get to leave the lights and the the crew behind. No scripts, no clapboard— just a couple of lenses and some willing (and sometimes not-so-willing) participants. I don’t believe in propping children in front of poorly painted canvases and teasing them with hand puppets. Let ‘em play. Let ‘em get dirty. Even when it’s a hundred degrees, they’d rather be outside. Then you’ll get those moments that remind us why we decided to be parents in the first place.

Don’t ya love it when it all comes together. Take for example the two 15-second spots we shot for Kitchen & Bath Galleries announcing their Expo in May (see the post titled “No Shouting Required”). After the event brought in new clients, K&BG asked us to shoot a 30-second branding spot. The idea they liked best: you’ll love your new room so much that you’ll never want to leave. See how it happily plays out below.

http://www.vimeo.com/14077018

I was honored to shoot the cover for one of Wilmington’s coolest magazines. Tourists and locals alike love Focus on the Coast for its fun, relevant articles and tips on everything from what to wear, to where to eat. Featured in the July issue is Lumina Station ~ a small mecca of upscale shops and eateries. We thought it would be fun to show a couple of kids enjoying this outdoor shopping venue. Look for more Focus on the Coast covers from us coming soon!

Here’s a sneak peek at “Insomniac,” a brand-new spot for the Goodnight Sleepstore that starts running in June. This is the second ad of a campaign that’s generating a lot of buzz for the mattress retailer. I enjoyed working with director Joey Connolley again. More collaboration is coming this summer to a TV near you, so keep your eyes open. :-)

http://www.vimeo.com/11977458

Somebody asked me the other day if I still took pictures. I know I’ve been doing a lot of video lately, but YES, photography is still a big part of the game plan! So in response to that comment, I’m ramping up promotion for my portrait work. Capturing a person’s personality in their element has always been a rewarding assignment and I love getting those calls. If you’re new to the blog, check out the FACES site at cdphoto.com/faces. For the entire FACES collection (50 total) , just click on the “Download a PDF” button on the left side of the FACES home page.

“It’s a still…no, it’s a film.” Actually it’s a lot of stills put together to make them look like a film. It’s also the latest video project for the E-media team at PC3. For the new sermon series on idolatry, we combined stop-motion animation with the “Jesus Saves” bumper sticker concept to show how we place less-worthy things above our Creator. Smartly directed and edited by Jesse Bond. Enjoy the ride!

http://www.vimeo.com/11500415

“COME ON DOWN!!” is a phrase that you will never hear in one of my commercials. Instead, how about a call-to-action with a little more class. Take for instance these two 15-second spots for my new client Kitchen & Bath Galleries. They’re having a remodeling expo in May and would like to invite some folks around town. The idea was to incorporate the mailer into the ads and feature two of their beautiful room designs. We hope these spots do the trick, without any yelling.

http://www.vimeo.com/11246390 http://www.vimeo.com/11246706