WELCOME TO OUR LATEST EDITION OF THE PDN PHOTO SOURCE STUDIO GUIDE. Studio Guide 2007 is still the one of the most essential, unique references for studio rentals, location services and digital retouching facilities across the U.S. and Canada, and remains the most comprehensive resource for finding that perfect studio when you need to pull a shoot together quickly, whether at home or on location.
Photographers are currently shooting all over the U.S. for a more authentic feel. As a result, studios outside of major photography hubs—like Kansas, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota and Washington state, just to name a few—are seeing lots of activity and production. In this issue of the Studio Guide, "Studio Remix" explores three studios that may be off the beaten path, but have some distinct offerings worth considering when planning your next shoot. Also in this issue, we give you a glimpse into the future as "Studio 2020" forecasts the key features and technologies that will be cropping up in studios in the coming decades. As always Studio Guide 2007, also offers updated and detailed reviews of studios, location resources and retouching services.
In addition, our updated listings section will help you find the ideal place to shoot, whether in the studio or on location, and provides all the up-to-date contact information—address, phone numbers, e-mails and Web sites. The compact, easy-to-use Photo Source Studio Guide 2007 in print and online remains one of the most indispensable resources for pulling a shoot together quickly and easily, with everything in one place.
—The Editors
hen it comes to hot photography studios, New York and L.A. locations usually rule the roost. But the vast landscape of the United States offers plenty of options in the way of offbeat or non-traditional photo studios. Think urban wooded parks in the Pacific Northwest, the open asphalt of NASCAR country and the ease of aluminum-grade portability. With locations not always in the thick of the photography market, we profiled three studios whose distinct details couldn't be found anywhere else.
ENGINES READY
Situated in the heart of NASCAR country, Destiny 3 Studio in Concord, North Carolina, is the obvious go-to for racecar photography. It's only a stone's throw away from Charlotte's premier motor speedway and most NASCAR teams.
 "Clients find it convenient for themselves and their drivers to go to a studio only minutes away rather than hours," says studio manager Matthew Marchese. In fact, Destiny 3 is located within the corporate building of one of the largest NASCAR teams, Roush Fenway Racing. "Ninety-five percent of what we do is NASCAR-related," Marchese says.
Working exclusively with one high-profile client has its perks—like access to otherwise off-limits props.Last year, the 5,200 square-foot-studio, which features a loading dock and drive-in capability, did a shoot for the National Guard NASCAR race team and had the idea to bring in an Apache helicopter. "We were just brainstorming ideas and someone mentioned 'Hey, why don't they bring us an Apache helicopter?'" Marchese says. "They did! Along with a Bradley tank."
Though the Destiny 3 staff couldn't fit the vehicles into their studio, they were able to shoot the helicopter directly outside the studio in a private parking area—with the Apache hovering over the racecar drivers.
While Destiny 3's prime location in Race City affords it the steady business of one major racing client, it doesn't give much leeway for others. "The photography market in this area is small, NASCAR and banking being the biggest industries," Marchese says. "It's a constant challenge just to keep the studio going."
PHOTOS TO GO
To some, the classic Airstream trailer might conjure up images of canteens, campfires and summers on the open road. But to old high-school friends and former AP photographers Peter Obetz and Brud Jones, the aluminum bullet means a world of creative options and work solutions. In fact, their sleek, custom-designed Airstream trailer is so integral to their Kansas City, Missouri, studio—Digital Labrador—that it's the first thing you see when you step in their front door.
"We saw that there was a real need in Kansas City for rental space," Obetz explains. The solution they came up was even more versatile: a rental space on wheels.
 Prior to opening their studio, Obetz and Jones used the Airstream for shoots and rented it out to other photographers and clients so frequently that they decided the new studio ought to be built around the trailer itself.
With the help of local architectural design firm, El Dorado, that's just what they did, ensuring that the garage doors were large enough and proper zoning laws were obtained for a driveway through and around the studio.
These days, Digital Labrador uses the Airstream for just about everything. Occasionally the trailer—designed by interior architect Christopher Dean and equipped with WiFi—serves as a conference room. "It's great because it's a quiet, intimate space," Obetz says.
When Dodge was shooting a truck ad at Digital Labrador, its team rented the Airstream as a make-up room for models. And BF Goodrich used the state-of-the-art trailer as a staging area when they were lighting a Mustang for a shoot.
The trailer comes in handy especially when they're shooting in a "dirty mechanics garage, and the clients, art directors and photographer need a clean place to sit and work during the shoot," Obetz says.
Naturally, the Airstream also provides the Digital Labrador crew of photographers mobility to shoot on location. After Hurricane Katrina, Obetz recruited some of his fellow photographers and drove the Airstream down to New Orleans to shoot street portraits of people who had chosen to stay and rebuild their ravaged city. "We just parked the trailer, set up the studio, and started grabbing people off the street," he says.
With such an unusual set-up, Digital Labrador attracts a good deal of press, like The Kansas City Star magazine and national photography publications. Like the studio's overeager greeter, Beau—a chocolate Labrador puppy for whom the studio is named—the Airstream is an icon for the company. "It's how people know us," Obetz says.
FOREST PARK
When it's time for Portland, Oregon's numerous outdoor apparel companies to shoot their products outdoors, Straub Collaborative is a natural draw.
 Straub enjoys a sprawling 20,000-square-foot studio capacity that's hard to come by in other major metropolises, but perhaps more unique is what's located across the Fremont bridge from the studio: Forest Park. One of the largest urban parks in the United States, Forest Park has nearly 5,000 acres of second- and old-growth forest as well as the Willamette River.
Its scenic location with trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding—and the nearby Straub facilities—go hand-in-hand for many an outdoor shoot, permit required of course.
"The light in Forest Park at 7 a.m. is just amazing," says Kristy Charroin, Straub Collaborative Marketing Director. "We had a shoot in the north section of the park for a sportswear client with Straub photographer, Lance Koudele, and two of the client's representatives. When this photograph [our cover image] appeared on Lance's laptop and the clients saw it, they hugged one another; it was that inspiring!"
For a solo product shoot, the same client wanted a sunny, clear day, but instead got drizzle and mist. The Straub crew was able to shoot in-studio and then, in post-production, replace the inclement weather with the desired sunlight and clear skies. "It ended up looking like a really beautiful day and cost them less since we didn't have to pay the crew to wait out the rain, and [instead] did a lot of the work with our post-production gurus," she says. "Forest Park is an amazing place to take clients; rain or shine it is going to offer a diverse texture."
Straub is green in other ways; a major proponent of green energy, Straub recycles wherever possible and does hard-drive exchanges, instead of burning CDs. A majority of the staff bikes to work, and the studio went paperless last year, opting instead to FTP photos to clients and put all written materials and instructions for photographers online.
While its outdoor proximity and green amenities are enticing, its business model also seems to be working—the studio was recently voted one of the top 20 fastest growing companies in Portland by Portland Business Journal. "We're a truly collaborative studio," Charroin says.
Photos from top of feature:
A shoot for the National Guard NASCAR racing team attracted an Apache helicopter to Destiny 3 Studio's outdoor premises. (© ASP Inc./Destiny 3)
Digital Labrador's Airstream trailer creates a mobile studio and prop for outdoor shoots. (© Peter Obetz/Digital Labrador)
Destiny 3's studio hosts NASCAR racing vehicles. (© ASP Inc./Destiny 3)
A recent Straub Collaborative shoot for a sportswear company took place in Portland, Oregon's Forest Park. (both images © Lance Koudele/Straub Collaborative)
1. DIGITAL CAMERAS: If sensor resolution continues to double every 18 months, the camera of 2020 will capture giga-pixel images instantly with enough detail to easily fill a 10 x 10-foot print.
2. LIQUID LENSES: Emerging technology will focus magnetic fields through a solution of oil and water, shaping it into a remarkably sharp liquid lens worthy of those billion pixels.
3. PLENOPTIC SENSORS: When photo sensors are stacked in layered sheets, they capture images on several focal planes simultaneously. And when processed together, the focus and depth of field of the composite can be selected after exposure is made.
4. 3D IMAGE CONSTRUCTION: A combination of GPS and LIDAR technology (similar to RADAR) will extend image manipulation by automatically fabricating 3D digital models, enabling subjects to be relit with virtual lights and shadows after their image is captured.
5. COMPUTER HARDWARE: Computer processors will continue to grow not just in performance, but also in the total number squeezed onto one chip. The 2020 computer will contain hundreds—possibly thousands—of processors operating in parallel to manage the myriad of new image processing and synthesis functions.
6. DISPLAY DEVICES: Today's large LCD monitors will be superseded by even larger multi-touch light tables and light-walls where photos will be manipulated by direct physical interaction, like working with film transparencies on a light table, but with new fluidity and versatility.
7. REAL-TIME COLLABORATION: Seemingly instantaneous connections will tighten the creative loop between art directors, clients and photographers. Shared digital walls will allow teams to visually collaborate at great distances.
8. PRINTING: Today, most professional photographers spend about 35 percent of their expenses on printer ink. As wide new processes emerge, the cost of print media will dive while quality jumps up.
(illustration © Danny Tsui)
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