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Update & Latest Work

Sorry for being a bit quiet lately, but I've had some good excuses.

First of all, I've been working on 2 commercial projects which hopefully I will be able to share with you very soon.

Then there was the shoot for Roxy with finely dressed ladies, a pool and cocktails.....ok not so much an excuse as a brag.

Lastly I've been working on a major update of my portfolio both online and in print, with a web upgrade and completely new blog......stay tuned.

For now, have a look at this fun model test I had last week for my friends at Fashion Model Academy. View the whole series here:

3 of My (current) Favourite Things

For fellow photogs out there, here are 3 things I'm digging lately:

• Dropbox (www.dropbox.com) Being able to upload files by syncing a drive on the computer is awesome, and probably the best way I've found so far to deliver images online. You can share folders using a unique email link for each folder, and your recipient can download them, saves heaps of time.
• Billings 3 (www.marketcircle.com/billings) I've just started using the program Billings for all my accounting, and so far I've found it to be AMAZING. You can use a timer for tasks to accurately track your work in progress, enter activity slips for each client, then raise a bill when you want to. The reports module ties everything all together, and if that wasn't enough, you can sync it with your iPhone for when you are on location. So much easier and more relative for creatives than MYOB. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I got mine from the Apple store for $69AUD!
• My custom made lighting case. I used a Stanley "Fat Max" giant toolbox, removed the inside molded compartments, lined it with molded foam and now have a watertight case to house 3 strobe heads, all the cables and attachments. It's key lockable, and my foam lining ensures nothing moves out of place and can be flipped upside down without disturbing anything. I've attached some iPhone pics, check it out.

Babysitting

Had my nephew over today for a visit. We were sitting on the porch and I grabbed the camera. Such an animated little guy. Well, this is what happens when I'm left to babysit.

The Gold IP Project

Last year I got to work on a series of shots for Gold IP, a brand leader in the intellectual property (IP) legal industry.  Amongst other specialist work in technology, media, and sports law,  they are also the go-to guys in protecting creations by inventors, artists across all mediums, writers and anyone that has made something that needs to be protected as far as copyright.
The images were intended for print, display and web campaigns, and I was honored to be involved as they obviously have a number of creatives on their books nationally.
During the creative meeting I was impressed by their dedication to have all original works and not go near stock images at all. Another thing that was fantastic was them giving me the time and financial budget in order to produce the final images.
I had just read Annie Leibovitz' latest book "At Work" and was really inspired by her black and white portraits and the tonal depth she is renowned for, and used that inspiration for this project, all the way from the initial drawing of the mood boards to the final processing.
Check out the Gold IP website here.

Spilling the Beans - the Commercial Application of Lightpainting

Ok a lot of people have written me asking how these shots were done, and since there really are no secrets any more, only creativity, I'm gonna tell you. Interested? Keep reading.
These were shot with a flashlight. That's right, a humble flashlight was the only lightsource.
Lightpainting gets used a lot for fun. You see it all over, long exposures with people experimenting with different flashlights and LEDs writing funky little messages into the picture. "Hi Mom", whatever, It's cool.
This print campaign I shot last year used the same technique, only in reverse. I shone the light onto the product and the reflection beamed back through the lens and burned the image.
Here's why; We had a problem, how do you evenly light a highly reflective product that ranges from a few feet to up to 6 meters in length? Solution: paint the inside of a hanger black, walls, floors, everything. Block all the ambient light from the roof etc, and using up to 4 minute exposures "paint" the product with a flashlight using long even strokes.  Over a day and a half we shot in the dark and the result is what you see pictured.
The equipment/staff list for this shoot is pretty unique:

• One factory/hangar 
• A crapload of black paint
• A way to get black paint on walls and floors quickly
• A forklift
• 3 product specialists to set up/take down the product
• 1 assistant cataloging the products we were shooting
• A flashlight
• Canon 1DsMkIII
• Canon 17 - 40 F4L

Assistant Wanted

Due to my regular assistant not being available over a couple of shoots, I am seeking an assistant (s) for some upcoming projects.
The position is paid on either a full day/half day basis.

Successful applicants will have:

• Enthusiasm for all things creative
• Ability to display initiative and work unsupervised
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Excellent communication skills
• An outgoing and friendly demeanor and be well presented
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment
• A degree of physical fitness and ability to lift equipment

Also preferred but not essential are the following:

• Basic knowledge of photography
• Basic understanding of lighting
• Basic understanding of electronic equipment
• Basic knowledge of Photoshop, Aperture or Lightroom

Applications in writing to info@kennysmithphotography.com

Industry Recognition - The ACMP

We all know that creating images and showing people is fundamentally all that it takes to be a photographer. But, every now and then, it's nice being recognised by peers and aknowledged for our work.
The ACMP, or Australian Commercial Media Photographers, is the foremost national association of photographers who focus on advertising and commercial work. This week I had the honour of being invited to join the prestigious ACMP directly as a full time member. Normally there is a process whereby you join as an emerging member for a period of 2 years, but there is an allowance for someone to go directly to full member based on their work, and the committee offered me full membership status under this provision.

I'm excited to be counted amongst such prestigious company.

Check out my ACMP profile here

Artist Profile: Jordan Jansen

You never know who's watching. Got an email out of the blue from New York agency Electric Feel Management. They had just signed a young Australian artist named Jordan Jansen and wanted me to shoot his promo pics for his US promo. After reading the email I realised Jordan lives around where I do, and is in the same class as my daughter in school! Small world!
Initially thinking that I was refered by Jordan or his family here, I later found out that they had never heard of me and the referral came from the US! So I'm thinking I gotta thank my web and marketing guru Mike. Thanks Mike!
The shoot went fantastic, and its great working with someone who is a natural performer.  Gotta thank Electric Feel Management and of course Jordan and his family for working with me on such short notice.
P.S Jordan, thanks for tweeting me a shoutout to your 11000 plus followers on twitter!

Final images to be released soon!

Stay tuned for more from Jordan, word is he's gonna be huge!

For the Techies here is the equipment list of what I used:
Canon 1DsMkIII
Canon Lenses, 17 - 40mm, 50mm, 20mm
Gridded Alien Bee AB800 hooked up to a Vagabond II battery pack
Triggered by Cybersyncs

It's what you do on the way that gets you paid

Been doing a lot of networking lately with other industry people, doing the "rounds" so to speak. Namely advertising agency ceative directors and promotional representitives. During one of these networking meetups, I was talking with someone about what people are actually paying for, is it the equipment I own, my ability to focus, my knowledge of lighting properties and shaping light? To a certain extent, yes. But are those things essentially what people pay for? Absolutely not. Here's why:
Taking a photo is actually pretty easy. Most photos are taken with up to 3 lights max, some technical knowledge of camera and lenses, and click! in as fast as 1/8000th of a second, you have your image...pretty simple huh?.
Now, if you're one of those that think that if you get all the same gear, punch in the same settings, and you're going to achieve some great shots and get paid a decent amount, you gonna be pretty disappointed. And the reason why is that clients aren't paying you for that. On that level photography is incredibly easy.
What you're being paid for is what you dont use the second you click that shutter. The planning, concept, research, direction etc etc, all the way up to the point that you push the button to capture it. That is what makes you a pro.
Take the photo above for example, one light, one click of the shutter. Model Kaylyn's shirt said "All the Plans We Made Are Going to Fail". Luckily for us her shirt was wrong.
View the whole series here

And the Winner Is.........

Jai Mitchell and the Grassroots Street Orchestra!
First of all a massive THANK YOU to everyone who applied, emailed, said they're were going to apply but didn't, and even booked fully paid commercial gigs but didn't apply (true story) over the last month.
There can only be one winner so Jai's appication takes the cake for a few reasons:

• His initial post on my Facebook Wall "Yo Kenny, save a mofo a penny" showed personality, creativity, and a personal favourite of mine, swearing without actually doing so.
• Then he sent me a message saying him and the GSO liked what I do and how I do it....flattery will get you EVERYWHERE.
  
• Next, his follow up email detailing his proposal of WHY he should win was perfect. In 4 paragraphs he told me about his band, their vision, and the fact that they had blown all their resources on hiring top end studios cutting their first record and were out of money to pay for much needed promo images for their advertising; a sign of a creative obsessed with achieving excellence in their product, I like that A LOT. He even included links to their Myspace page so I could check out their music online, and I DIG it. He ended by giving me a list of all the gigs they had coming up locally so I could check them out live.........A+ for delivery.

Congrats Jai, let's DO THIS

Bali High

I just got back from a trip to Bali. Most of us have been there, many more than once. Everytime I go I'm blown away by the hospitality of the people and how hard they work to make a living and support their families. Sure things aren't perfect, but nothing is. I saw something that I thought was really cool. I paddled out in the surf one day and it was not by any means small, in fact it was pumping. Out in the line up were 2 local ladies on old shortboards, looked in their mid to late thirties, dressed modestly in shorts and long t-shirts, pretty much fully clothed. No roxy girl wear or billabong bikinis. They were laughing together and paddling for waves and having a blast, much like the social mum surfers I see where I live who meet on their longboards and catch up. They actually couldn't surf yet and were going over the falls, yet just kept hooting each other on and laughing and paddling back out. Awesome! Oh yeah, I took some pics too

Win a Shoot for Free with "Hey Kenny, Save Us a Penny"

This is for REAL! Are you a band, business, organisation, amateur sporting team, dancer, new magazine, writer, actor, or creative individual? Keep reading.

Normally, I shoot promotional photoshoots at a considerable cost to my clients, and rightfully so, they take a lot of time in pre and post production. But right now, I'm in a giving mood, here's why:
American lighting company Alien Bees has been lighting shots and putting smiles on the faces of photographers in the USA for years, and now they have recently become available in Australia. I've been lucky enough to get my hands on a great complete set, and to celebrate, I want to do something for fun. I'm going to shoot a project for free. That's right, it will cost you nothing other than turning up. I will even cover hair and make up.

To enter, this is what you have to do:

• Join the KSP Facebook page here
• Write "Hey Kenny, Save Us/Me a Penny" on the wall
• Email that you have done so to info@kennysmithphotography.com and include information about who you are, your goals, past achievements and WHY you are the right project to shoot for free.
• Be original in your application/pitch. Feel free to use colourful language, funny photos or drawings, anything tha best descibes who you are and what you are about.
  

The winning entrant will be chosen by me after the close of competition and in return get a photo session free of charge, with all fully retouched final edits in high res. I will then grant the winner usage of the photos for their own promotional use absolutely free! There is no hidden catch, just show up, and we'll shoot!

Entries close March 31, and on April 1 (April Fools Day) the winner will be announced!

The shoot will take place within the Gold Coast/Brisbane area

Tell all your friends and nominate whoever you want, may the most creative win!

In: Series - Emily R

Worked with model Emily updating her portfolio. In this shoot we really went for lively natural poses, and focused on the overall colour palette.
Emily naturally has a real outgoing personality and turned out to be real athletic. I don't know many models would just do a handstand on a whim, but it went real well with what we were doing.
Styling, hair and Make Up by Mel Grafton.
View the whole series

Creatives: Thalassa's Samantha Hough

This is Samantha Hough. Sam is a designer responsible for designing interiors of places that are cool. If you've ever been to a party at a pimp house, or been thrown out of a trendy nightclub, chances are Sam and her team at Thalassa designed it. I shot her for an industry publication.
All you fellow lighting and tech geeks: pretty simple stuff, one speedlight, umbrella, and a reflector.

Storytelling In:Series

As I eluded to in a previous post, Mike our web guy here at KSP and I have been working on ways to get out the work for your enjoyment beyond delivering our commercial product to our clients.
They say that great photographers need to be great story tellers, and often out of all the frames I'll shoot, only one or two will have a life beyond sitting on a disk drive.
In order to storytell a bit more, and share some of these images with you, we've built a new page onto the KSP website, called "In:Series". This page will contain picture tales narrated by imagery which when you look at it all together, tell a certain story that I hope you will find interesting.
You can view the new In:Series page here.
This first Series is with a friend of mine on the East side of the island of Oahu in Hawaii named Debbie. I stayed as a guest with her and her husband Ivan and their 2 boys Christian and Allen while I was over there in Jan.
You can view my blog post with more pics from Hawaii here

Amanzi Swimwear Campaign - Behind the Scenes

AMANZI Swimwear Behind The Scenes 2010 from AMANZI Swimwear on Vimeo.

Here's a video that my assistant Kyle shot and edited during the shooting day for the Amanzi Swimwear 2010 campaign.

Kyle shot all the footage and took all the stills as I was working on the actual campaign pics. He then wrapped it all together in this neat little edit.

The original soundtrack was licenced from party masters The Surecut Kids. Check out their site or connect with them on Facebook.

Hawaii, Go and Explore

I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. So when friends Dean and Alana announced their wedding would take place there, I knew I had to make it over. I caught up with some old friends and met a lot of new ones too. I have to really thank everyone who let me crash on their couches, gave me directions, let me U-Turn in their driveway, surf their waves, take their picture and laugh at their jokes.