Behind The Scenes

Make a Face – Rubik’s portrait puzzle

The Make a Face puzzle is a customized Rubik’s cube that I sent out to perspective clients as a self-promotion this year. Working in portraiture, lifestyle, film and even animal photography faces are my true subjects. The idea of the puzzle was to to challenge people to think consciously about the faces they see in real life and in imagery. I wanted to re-purpose the cubes to become a user-interface so recipients could create new faces out my photographs.

The project broke into three areas each with its own requirements, photography, production and packaging.

Working with Suzette Blackwell and Cast Images we brought people to the studio based on specific looks: age, mustache, eye color. Then I photographed them all the same way. I added markers to the ground glass in my camera so I could get the eye size and position the same in each image. Next the selected images were retouched by Chrysta Giffen and then printed on 4×6 paper at a mini-lab. From there things got challenging. I needed to dissect each photo into 9 square stickers and attach those stickers to the 6 faces of the cube. If you are keeping track that’s 54 stickers per cube or 5400 stickers on 100 cubes. Those stickers would all have to be aligned on all four sides. This is a job for a die-cutting factory. All that was a no-go. This needed to be a DIY project. I ended up creating an acrylic jig to align the print to the cube and using a laser cutter to create my “die-cut” stickers. The process was: align the cube in the jig, glue the photo to the cube, laser cut the 9 squares out, peel away the excess. Repeat 6 times per cube. As a result the alignment is okay, but it’s far from perfect registration. Even with the precision of the Helix Laser, these are essentially each hand-made.

Once I was sure I’d be able to successfully create the cubes I turned to friend and creative director Kurt Herr I found a tuck-box I could laser cut which meant I could ink-jet print a design on the box and then cut it. Pretty cool. I gave Kurt the design template and we talked about how to make a package that would explain the project without being to complicated. I suggested we could have a few directions on one side of the box. He pushed me in another direction. Instead as you see here we choose to show how the cubes worked and we came up with the name Make a Face that in a few words really explained everything we wanted people to know about the gift they received.

The photos for the sides of the cubes needed to be really straight-forward, without context and similar. Since I was having really cool people in the studio for the shots I wanted to do more. I also photographed each person with my Graflex Super D on Fuji 4×5 neg film. Those image became a contest-winning portrait and the folded insert we sent with the cubes.

A big thanks to consultant Diane Eames who kept, what became a monumental project, on track and Kurt, Chrysta, TechShop San Francisco, Suzette, Amber and my intern Neil Norman who helped me shoot the video.

-Michael

Animal Portraits / Behind the Scenes / Portraiture / Self Promotion / Winokur Photography — No Comments
8
Aug 12

Velcro is now a BOLD FACED name.

This portrait of Velcro the Ring-Tailed Lemur won an award in PDN’s Faces Photo contest. Ironic because it’s virtually the only image in the series that doesn’t prominently feature a face.

I started making animal portraits around 6 years ago before many of the books of that sort started getting attention. The biggest struggle with the project has been finding animals who want to sit for a portrait. Animals aren’t motivated by fame the same way humans are, mostly they are motivated by money and the food it allows them to buy.

Photographing animals in a studio setting is a natural extension of my work, specifically capturing a moment that reveals character and personality. That applies to my stills, videos and yes to animals. A picture that makes an introduction between the viewer and the subject is a success for me. When I started thinking about animals what I hoped to accomplish is to create the same kinds of personality studies that I do with human subjects. Essentially separating my subjects from context so something unique about them may surface. I worked as a photojournalist for the first part of my career. There was so much in those pictures, the goal was to capture as much story as possible in a single image. Now my work is about stripping away and telling a story in the most minimal way possible.

You can see more of my animal portraits here: Animal Portfolio.

And some exceptionally cute videos here: Mr. Fox Takes a Nap. and here: Behind The Scenes.

Behind the Scenes / Equipment and Technology / Large Format and Alternative Process / Polaroid / Portraiture / The Foundry Studio — 4 Comments
30
Jan 12

Precious Polaroid 804

Portrait of Michael Winokur by James Lesko, second sheet of film and we're off to a good start.

My friend James and I spent Saturday in my studio shooting some of the last Polaroid 8×10 film in the world. James brought over his beautiful Linhof 8×10 view camera – what a stunning example of mechanical engineering. We experimented with some black and white Polaroid 804 and a processor I had found on eBay. Neither of us had ever used this film before. All I can say is I wish I were shooting 8×10 Polaroid by the box back when it was still being made. It’s a slow methodical process but one with exactly the magic that people talk about when they romanticize photography.

James inserting the Polaroid film holder into his Lindhof Master Kardan.

The film was almost 10 years old. The processor in unknown condition. We could just have easily found out that neither worked. It could have been a hugely expensive pile of garbage. It was not garbage, it was amazing. All these years later it still made pictures that have that Polaroid goodness.

Shooting and processing 8×10 Polaroid requires - according the the instructions - 33 steps. From inserting the negative in the holder to placing the positive in the processor and timing the development to finally peeling the print from the negative. We shot 8 pictures in about 5 hours. We could have been faster but we didn’t want to waste any film. Oh, we did waste film. The first sheet got flared and then we mis-processed a sheet – that’s an expensive mistake about on par with shattering a bottle of fine wine.

The very first sheet we exposed, showing light leaks form improper handling.

Let us not give all the credit for this look to Polaroid. The Linhof camera fitted with a Heliar 360mm lens is special all by itself. One of the reasons this camera is exceptional for portraiture is that huge 8×10 image area. Technology companies have done wonders with small sensor digital cameras. But there is no changing the physics that govern light and optics. The bigger the imager (in this case 8×10) the longer the focal length of the lens which creates a “normal” field of view. The longer the focal length the greater the compression and shallower the depth of field.

Back to the Polaroid. The science side of photography is all about controlling variables. E.g. processing time and temperature effect film speed and contrast which in turn effect exposure. Many of these variables are well documented. In the case of 10 year-old film, the temperature vs. processing time side of the equation is a mystery. We started at the recommended 45 seconds and quickly doubled that to 90. With a decent supply of film that was all manufactured and stored under the same conditions we could determine the “right” processing time. Since that’s not possible we tried some variations around 90 seconds then accepted that as optimal.

This incredible day of making pictures purely for the sake of experimenting with the medium reminds me how much I loved working with Polaroid films, especially Type 55. It of course also reminds me how betrayed photographers feel by Polaroid for taking away integral film. There are fine-art photographers whose entire style was based on Polaroid’s films, if I’m annoyed by loosing this film I’m sure they are devastated.

The ghostly Polaroid negative just after being peeled away from the positive print.

There has never been more interest in photography and never have we seen more people building small companies devoted to photography enthusiasts. Somehow the MBA’s at Polaroid thought it would be better to hire Lady Gaga then to make even small amounts of the film that made them a worldwide brand. All we can hope for is the impossible. Impossible project that is. Maybe in years to come there will be more of this film. But there are very few 8×10 cameras, so it’s kind of hard to imagine. There are however tons of 4×5 cameras, I am told that 4×5 integral film like type 55 will never be made again. Polaroid destroyed the equipment. Fuji still makes a 4×5 instant film, it’s very good but it’s not the fine-art media that Polaroid’s films were.

Digital photograph of the ground glass

Michael Winokur photograph by James Lesko

James seen on the ground glass of his Master Kardan

Behind the Scenes / The Foundry Studio / Winokur Photography — No Comments
16
Nov 11

Fashion at the Foundry

We invited friend of the studio Daniel Castro to shoot a fashion test here at The Foundry studio a few weeks ago. While he and his team were here I shot a few minutes of behind the scenes video with my “toy” camera the Panasonic GF1. Take a look and see a whole new side of the Foundry Studio.

Animal Portraits / Behind the Scenes / Collaborations / Filmmaking / The Foundry Studio / Winokur Photography — 9 Comments
6
Sep 11

Meet Velcro and Zero.

This might be the cutest thing you’ve ever seen: Here is Mr. Fox Takes A Nap:

Introducing the adorable Zero and rambunctious Velcro: I had the great fortune to be the first photographer to work with two brand new talents in the industry. Zero, a beautiful Arctic Fox and Velcro the wide-eyed Ring-Tailed Lemur. I’ve been working on an Animal Portrait portfolio for years, I just had the amazing opportunity to photograph an 18-foot Reticulated Python named Lemondrop for California Academy of Sciences. I love making portraits of animals so I’m actively looking for new subjects and clients who share my interest.

The Fantastic Mr. Zero

Velcro the ring-tailed lemur

I found out on Facebook that Bowwow Productions were here in town working with my friends Jennifer Bullock and Tom Hood, they were doing a shoot with a big adorable St. Barnard, but they were traveling with two fresh young faces who had never been in a real shoot before. It was an opportunity for me not only to photograph two of the cutest animals, but to meet and work with Stephanie and Judy from Bowwow. I’m so happy it worked out, it was great fun for everyone and I’m very happy with these new additions to my collection of animal portraits. Check out Winokur Photography to see more photos of Zero and Velcro.

Zero is an Arctic Fox - Vulpes lagopus

There is something about a studio-portrait of an animal that I find endlessly fascinating. The thing is, and this is true for much of my work, by removing every element except the subject and the relationship between the viewer and the subject, we create an image that allows us to believe in a personal connecting with the sitter. An introduction if you will. Photographs of these animals in the wild can certainly be beautiful and fascinating, but by photographing them in a neutral setting we have the opportunity to focus on their eyes, expression and body language. These are character studies just like the portraits of people I make.

I knew it would be huge fun to have a fox and a lemur in my studio, so I recruited my brother, Stephan, to shoot some video while we worked. I edited his footage and put together this 2 minute video showing us working with Stephanie and Judy of Bowwow Productions:

Behind the Scenes / Collaborations / Editorial / The Foundry Studio / Winokur Photography — 2 Comments
9
Aug 11

New client and new friends

I wanted to work with Yoga Journal from the time I started my own yoga practice. As soon as I was introduced to Yoga I became creatively inspired by the strength, beauty and grace of the practice. I began seeking out yogis to photograph. Like dancers yogis have an awareness of their bodies that makes them a pleasure to photograph. Last December, after pestering Creative Director, Charli Ornett and Art Director, Ron Escobar for some time I was given my first assignment for the magazine.

Since December we have worked together regularly – except a brief hiatus after my knee surgery. It should be no surprise that the team from a magazine like Yoga Journal is an absolute pleasure to work with and have in the studio. The shoots are busy and we have a lot to produce each day but it feels more like having friends visit then a busy production day. Since December we’ve worked on projects for the section Home Practice, two feature stories and a video.

This video, an interview with yoga instructor, Kia Miller was a last minute request from the magazine. I had worked on several video projects but hadn’t shot lip-synch sound before. Since I didn’t trust the 5d for audio I ran around and pulled together a mixer and wireless mic in time for the shoot. Any photographer who considers film-making of interest should begin paying close attention to sound in film and take sound as seriously as pictures in their motion projects. Audio mixing is one of the next things on my self-education to-do list.

Most of the time I am looking for the moment. Dancing with a subject finding the best way to express an idea. Because YJ wants to show perfect yoga poses the methodology of their shoots is unique. We have to show the perfect expression of each pose. Conceptually, It’s as if our whole team is doing the pose together breathing into it, finding the right depth and angle. The picture is that moment when we were all in tune on that same breath.

Behind the Scenes / Collaborations / Filmmaking / The Foundry Studio / Winokur Photography — 3 Comments
4
Aug 11

Producing Small Pleasures

Small Stuff:

“Enjoy the simple things.” It’s a cliché. The kind of unwanted advice you get when you’re fighting with the big things. However once you realize that something small gives you a tickle of pleasure, like a warm welcome home from your cat or dog, it can be amazingly satisfying to pay that little moment an undue amount of attention. This concept grew into the film project I’m debuting here. No spoilers, but this is the first in a series of shorts called Life’s Small Pleasures. It’s about one of the little things we enjoy in our home. Please take 2 minutes to watch, we had a great time making this and learned a lot on the way. If you like it I hope you’ll share this link with your friends.

For me making new work isn’t just a small pleasure. It’s where my energy and happiness come from. As a result I’m always looking for my next project. Life’s Small Pleasures came to me one day while I was watching the structure of broadcast commercials. Isn’t that a great way of saying I was “working” when I was really watching TV? From that moment I started figuring out how to execute it. Like most photographers I’m always pushing myself creatively and technically. Lately that means exploring motion and learning the tools and techniques of that media.

This short film was a personal project. I was the producer, director, editor and chief instigator but I didn’t do it alone.

Film-making requires a team. We keep our crew small, tight and nimble. For this project I had help from the start from my friends at Artist Untied. Artist Representative Samantha Sommatino and I talked about the idea and she suggested stylists I could work with. Then CEO and Creative Director Jon Lucca got involved, he provided invaluable support. Artist Untied put Ken Baldwin on the project, he not only worked on props and wardrobe but he took the lead on casting. Renee Rael provided hair and makeup styling. I brought in my usual crew including Mike Blumenfeld (gaffer / assistant) and Chrysta Giffen (retoucher / colorist). This is partly because I love working with them and also because I want my motion production to run hand in hand with my still productions. I want my crew to be as comfortable changing production hats as I am.

The shoot:

By the time we had the video production moving forward and knew what location and talent would be required it was clear that we would be well-served to combine a still lifestyle project with the film production. This is what clients are requesting so why not do the same for ourselves. What we didn’t do was try to shoot still and video at the same time. Each art-form has its own creative and technical needs. By breaking the shoot into two distinct days we allowed each its own physical and mental space. Though camera and lighting tools are merging in ways that allow still and motion to come from the same teams and the same equipment each has a different kind of storytelling and directing needs.

We only had one day for the motion project and one for the lifestyle shoot, everyone worked exceptionally hard the results speak for their professionalism and talent.

[Gallery not found]

Creating a film and body of images out of a single stream-lined production exemplifies what I love to do for clients. We are already working on the next “Small Pleasure”

Stay tuned.

Behind the Scenes / Editorial / The Foundry Studio / Winokur Photography — No Comments
3
Aug 11

Yoga Journal at The Foundry

New this month on the Yoga Journal website is a video from the Talent Search Winner shoot we did here at Winokur Photography & The Foundry Studio. The video was shot by Lynton Vandersteen and edited by Sarah Kleinman at Yoga Journal. I think I managed to avoid being pictured, except the side of my head, but there is a good shot of my 1st assistant Mike Blumenfeld hard at work with stylists France Pierson and Lyn Heineken.

Enjoy.

Animal Portraits / Behind the Scenes / Winokur Photography — 4 Comments
4
May 11

Lemondrop’s portrait at California Academy of Sciences or did I mention I’m afraid of snakes.

Before Thanksgiving last year I got a call that was at once very exciting and also a bit frightening. I have been slowly working on a series I call Animal Portraits. It’s been a project I’ve been interested in for a long time but finding cool and interesting animals to photograph has made for slow progress. The call was from Rhonda Rubinstein at the California Academy of Sciences. She had an animal for me to photograph, a 15-foot-long reticulated python. As Indiana Jones says, “Snakes, why does it have to be snakes.” The snake’s name was Lemondrop – how bad could it be. I decided that this was as good a time as any to get over my irrational phobia and make it work. I couldn’t be happier with that decision, the shoot went really well. You can watch a behind-the-scenes video here:

Lemondrop now lives in “The Hacienda” on the first floor of the Academy. His house is decorated in images from our shoot.

You can see some of the Lemondrop photos and my animal portraits here: Winokur Photography

The show is opening at California Academy of Sciences on May 9, be sure to drop by and say hello to Lemondrop for me. I’m of course thrilled to see my work 20 feet tall on the side of the building. I understand there are also some murals inside too but I haven’t seen them yet.

As always huge thanks to my team especially Chrysta Giffen and Mike Blumenfeld.

Behind the Scenes / Collaborations / Portraiture / Winokur Photography — No Comments
21
Jan 11

Volunteering making portraits …

Volunteering making portraits of designers for AIGA #cpm11