Best of 2019 – Take Two: Photographers and Directors
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We asked our contributors to send us their best projects from 2019 and to tell us why they were their favorite projects. The response has been great!
Above: Nathalie Gordon “This is a shoot for Vulkan magazine and I love it because it is full of so much color. Despite nearly not having a model at 6pm the night before, with a full team in place, I had to launch a bat signal to find a replacement. I was lucky enough to have three models turn up. The results, I think, are aesthetically effervescent.”
"This is my campaign for Jimmy John's, where they hired Lil John to promote their half-sized sandwich, the "Lil John." This was my fav campaign because the concept was perfect for product, and Lil John was a pleasure to work with. That I got to use all my camera and lighting gear at the LA Theatre location was stellar!" Roger Snider
"My favorite project this year was shooting for California Almonds because we get to taste all of the sweet nutritious snacks!" Leo Gong
Client: Smoothie King "This was my most interesting project of 2019 due to the technical challenges it presented. A single-point turntable was used to get as many angles of the hero fruits and vegetables without changing the lighting set up. In addition, placing and lighting the fruit in the bottom of the cup to match overall lighting was challenging as well." Brice Pennington
"Photographing Icelandic ponies trotting down a black sand beach in southeastern Iceland for Airbnb Adventures was a highlight of 2019. To combine adventure with such mindfulness and joy was restorative to my own spirit." Abigail Bobo
"The idea was to shed light (pun definitely intended) on the role Brilli's LED bulbs have in wellness, mood, and light quality. Bright, daylight-balanced light is used in the day to charge up one’s energy, while soft, warm light is used in the evening to help one wind down. This assignment was fun to work on, not only because it enabled me to showcase my amateur electrician skills, but also because stop-motion photography was utilized to bring rhythm to the images helping to convey the message." Tom Clark
"This is my favorite project of 2019 because it allowed myself and co-director Brian Wright to maintain our lighting style (watercolorist color palette) across both stills and motion." Jeff Kauck
"This is our favorite project of 2019 because of how much FUN it was! This personal project was a “pop-up” shoot on the side of the street where we combined dual-tone colored lighting with music to let people take a break from their day and play." Corey & Emily Critser
"Sharing makes the world go round. If only the world could get along as well as food does: different ingredients beautifully joining together to create something new. This idea uses food as a metaphor to show how collaboration, harmony, and sharing of different cultures make the world a better place." Beth Galton
"This shot of the girls looking off the dock into the green light in the water I chose because it speaks to all of my memories of endless childhood summers full of curiosity, exploration, and a sense of forever." Inti St Clair
"This year I have had more high profile jobs, better paying jobs, jobs that took me to Alaska, Italy, Greece, and Japan, jobs that I directed motion, and jobs with some cool athletes. But no job meant to me as much as this one for St. Louis magazine where I got to photograph my 7-month-old daughter, Jude, with her cardiologist two months after Jude's successful open-heart surgery." Paul Nordmann
"The first in a series of new spots I directed, shot, and edited: the narrative on this one really resonated with me as someone who strives to find that balance between work and play. This project had it all: everything from the story and creative concept, great locations and talent, and an amazing production team/crew without whom none of it would have been possible." Peter Barrett
"We shot a lot of amazing projects in 2019, but this video for The Resort at Paws Up was definitely my favorite. It was a perfect collaboration with a longtime-client and extremely talented team. It also combines my passion for the outdoors and my love for great food." Dan Goldberg
