Return of the Intern: Old Dog, New Tricks

Hello readers of the Internet!

It’s Connor Tomlin, back for the summer with new stories, familiar faces and a new job title. Last summer I was the intern in charge of social media but this year, since there are so many exciting things going on, I’ve been added onto the staff as Production Coordinator (which basically means I do whatever is needed including social media, pre-production organization, and assisting on shoots).

This summer’s adventures begin with our old friends Binatone (you can see the blog on last year’s shoot with them here) shooting Motorola headphones and Motorola earbuds in a fresh and stylish take on product photography.

Our day starts off at 7:00 in the morning, outside of American Tent and Awning affectionately known as “The Graffiti Wall”. As suggested by the name, the Graffiti Wall is a collection of buildings in the southern quadrant of Indy filled with creative and diverse street art that has added a pop of color to other jobs we’ve done. This gave us a trendy and vibrant backdrop for showcasing headphones reminiscent of 90s hip-hop that are making a resurgence.

Next, we head off to Massachusetts Avenue downtown. “Mass Ave” is well known around the city to house artsy and bohemian shops and eateries. Here, with the help of the cityscape, we were able to capture a light urban look to market to young adults and business professionals. By the time we got there and set up, the wind picked up and we had to hold down the lights so they wouldn’t blow over! The cold got to near unbearable, but thanks to the Starbucks nearby we had hot coffee and a refuge from the wind in between shots.

The challenge of the day was one faced by many others when shooting location photography: power outlets (or a lack thereof). Since both the Graffiti Wall and the Starbucks location were outdoors and in public places, outlets for plugging in the multiple ProFoto lights we used were virtually non-existent. Due to good location scouting, Lesle, our trusty Head Photographer, recognized this problem and rented a power generator from Hammer Lighting and Grip ahead of time, giving us energy to spare.

For lunch we went to BruBurger on Mass Ave and I had the best turkey burger I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously, it was to die for.

Our final location for the day is the YMCA at City Way to capture fitness shots. In the style of our last shoot with Binatone, I was needed for a bit of amateur modeling. For the dog collar shoot, it wasn’t that far of a stretch to think that I might own a dog (as one day I’ll probably own 25) but the thought of me working out and being “fit” for this production is enough to make just about anyone who knows me roll on the floor with laughter.

The guy model made me feel like a scrawny little ant and the woman, a Crossfit gym owner and guru, made me feel like a weakling. But I did it anyway.

The job lasted 10 hours and at the end we were exhausted but satisfied with putting in a full day of hard work.

The images produced will mostly be used on packaging for Motorola shipping, but will also be featured on updated website layouts and as product examples for e-commerce and in various shops that will sell these headphones.

I had only been home from college for less than 48 hours when this job began; seems like a real jump-start to my summer “vacation”…

So who knows, I might be coming to a package near you!