Food. Camera. Paper. Action!

Sometimes a client will give you what seems to be a simple request. 

Photograph some food.

But then you realize that you don't have a way to lug a lighting setup or a bunch of equipment. Yeah, that happened. I was thinking about all of the different types of photography we do for clients and started looking through some images and found the ones I will share below along with the story of how they came to be. This is why it is always a good idea to hire photographers who can think on their feet and make things happen under less than ideal conditions.

Several years ago, when ALM Photo was based in the Old City of Knoxville in the Jackson Atelier Building, we were asked to head up to Market Square and photograph some new burger platters that would soon be offered at Latitude 35. For those of you who live in Knoxville, you know this was a while ago because Lat 35 is no longer there and has been replaced by what I am sure is an even more exciting restaurant. Anyway, the client was publishing the photos in an article about the new burgers and the images had to be shot ASAP.

Allan was off shooting something else, perhaps even out of town, and so I was limited in my choices of gear. Plus I didn't have a vehicle to transport any gear. It's not that far from Jackson Avenue to Market Square, but it could be if you have to lug gear. I put on my thinking cap. And thought. And thought. And thought some more.

Lightbulb! I'll take a swath of white background paper, some clamps, a camera and taking advantage of the overcast day, shoot outside on the restaurant's covered seating area. Genius! Right? Well, if you know me, you know that I approach things a little differently than Allan when it comes to doing a proper shoot. I am not afraid to wing it. Allan likes to have everything all figured out and, get this, he likes to plan ahead. Scary, huh?

So, I somehow managed to pack up all this stuff and cart it down the street to Market Square. I recall that it was a bit breezy and I was having difficulty with the paper acting as a bit of a sail. I made it to the restaurant with everything and found the chef, explained why I was there and proceeded to set up my little studio out under the covered seating area. I really wish I had a photo of my set up because it was quite the sight. Basically, what I did was clamp the paper to a chair to create a mini-background, found the best light and used another chair as a ladder as needed for some of the looking down shots.

So that's a lot of words to get to the most important part of this story, the photos. I think I had to shoot with a 50mm because Allan had all the other gear with him, so my depth of field was fairly shallow, but I will let you be the judge of the images. Let me know what you think of the results. Seriously. It's been several years since I shot them and it's always fun to look back on past work and think about how you might have done it differently. Allan did not believe me when I told him about my set-up.

Here you go! Oh, and for the record the burgers were delicious. I got to try a couple of them and was quite pleased. Also, except for the big platter shot, I left a lot of white space so the client could crop the images, so the composition does look off. I would have made the composition more interesting if I had more latitude. (Haha!) Enjoy!

And if you are a photographer looking for some amazing, gently used long lenses, take a peek here. We're doing a bit of studio cleaning...

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Matthew | College Graduate {Knoxville Portrait Photographers}

Graduating from college is a big deal and we are always honored when we are asked to document this important milestone in a young person's life. Matthew was an amazing young man to photograph and we never ran out of things to talk and laugh about during our time together. He is extremely talented and loves to  shoot video, so there was definitely a lot to talk about.

These are a few of our favorite images from the session. We photographed him in the studio as well as outside around our studio|office building. As you can see, we had a lot of fun!

Did I mention we love to have fun?

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{ Portraiture | Commercial | Architectural | Event | Wedding | Sport & Action }

Ace Infiniti | The Book of A.I.

Allan and I enjoy working with creative, talented clients and helping them make their dreams a reality. We have had the opportunity to work with Ace Infiniti twice over the last few years as he was preparing to launch his Christian rap album, "The Book of A.I.". 

Our first encounter was a studio session to capture images specifically for the album cover and this was shot under a partnership we had created with our friend and fellow photographer, Dave Moore. Working with Ace Infiniti to develop the specific images that would ultimately grace the cover, we utilized several different lighting set-ups and Dave worked some amazing post-production magic to give the images the right feel. We all eagerly awaited the launch of the album, but as happens with many creative projects, the launch was delayed for many months.

Here are some images from the album cover.

And then in February, we received a phone call from Ace Infiniti and found out the album was scheduled to launch in mid-March and he needed some fresh promotional images pronto. We did another studio session, this time in the new ALM Photo studio, and captured some terrific images, some of which are shown below.

We wish Ace Infiniti great success with his album. Read on to find more about him and his album.

A note from Ace Infiniti:

I thought that I was finished with rap music 6 years ago, and God pushed me back into it. With all the negative lyrics and material that we hear, I'm thankful for artists such as myself that can show the world another life, the life that God meant for us to have. My first full length album as a Christian Artist "The Book of A.I." shows an in depth look at my life experience as a Christian! Take a moment to listen and hear what God has done for me! Thanks, and Be Blessed!!  You can visit the website at www.aceinfiniti.com.

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Brittany | Model Portfolio

Allan and I recently worked with Brittany to create some fresh images for her portfolio. She wanted a combination of in studio and outdoor images to show her versatility in front of the camera. We had a great time together and are planning our next shoot. 

We love working with aspiring models who are developing their portfolio as well as experienced models who love our work and would like some diversity in their book. There are several packages available to fit your needs. Contact Lisa for details at 865.406.3870 or lisa@almphoto.com.

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Kaite | She Wears Her Art on Her Sleeve

Right around Christmas we were at the Hooter's down the street taking a break between sessions and while we were waiting for our lunch, I noticed Kaite and her amazing sleeve of tattoos. I sort of kept staring at her and finally had Allan go out to the car to grab a copy of One Eighty Magazine so I could explain why I was staring at her. Allan and I have been shooting the Illustrated Girl for One Eighty Magazine for several months and I am always on the lookout for new girls. Kaite was only in town for a few more days {she's in the US Navy and currently stationed in San Diego, CA} but was really excited to work with me because she would love to break into modeling for tattoo magazines and the like. She was full of energy and we had a lot of fun working together. Here are some of my favorite images from our session. We hope to see her gracing the pages of magazines one day soon!

Be sure to pick up a copy of One Eighty Magazine, Knoxville's new and true alternative, around Knoxville. Our buddy Storm Taylor would really appreciate and so would would we!

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ALM Photo :: Pierre Steenekamp Corporate Portrait Session

Pierre Steenekamp
COO/Managing Director
Bel-Essex Corporation
Knoxville, Tennessee


Allan had a corporate portrait session with Pierre, who needed some professional photographs to use in company printed materials, as well as for the board room. As you can see, Allan was able to capture several different expressions from Pierre while still keeping them very professional. These photographs were captured against a dark grey background, but soon ALM Photo will be able to incorporate their Virtual Background system into their portrait work for an infinite number of background options. Stay tuned to this blog to follow the completion of the ALM Photo studio and the installation of the Virtual Background system. It's going to be like nothing you have ever seen before. We guarantee it...

Contact ALM Photo should you have a need for corporate portraits for advertising, business cards, websites, blogs, or conference rooms.

Studio Update #11

Things were getting kind of crazy around our property and we finally got a new walkway and stairs installed thanks to Adam. It was a little embarrassing for our visitors to have to walk up stairs, through the unfinished studio and down the connecting walkway in order to get into our house. Much better...

Stairs just before completion

The studio's interior is ready for insulation and once that is installed we can have the drywall put up and the floor laid. This studio is truly a labor of love...if Allan and I didn't love each other so much we would not have survived this project this far into it.

We haven't forgotten that we have a business to run, so we have been busy shooting and are looking to log some studio shooting as soon as the new space is ready. Look for us every Thursday at Wild Wing Cafe shooting the rail jam. Photos are also on Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/almphoto/sets/.

Lisa's bunny garden - viewed from the porch of the photography studio

Bubba waits patiently for a chance to see his friend, Baby Bunny

Studio Update #10

Allan and Adam moving the dog pen

The porch complete with ceiling fans

It's been one month since the last general posting and even longer since an update on the studio progress; however, there has been some progress, though not as much as we would like. Lisa is still waiting for the plumbing to be completed so she can move into her new glass studio and the siding upstairs needs to be finished before the insulation and drywall can be finished. Allan, Lisa and Adam have been working on other aspects of the construction in the meantime since it would be foolish to just sit back and wait. Lisa and Allan are getting antsy because they want to get into the studio and set up the new background system and become one with it. Here are some recent photographs of how things are looking and if you are in the neighborhood feel free to stop by and say "Hello", not only to see what we've gotten ourselves into but to feel better about the chaos in your own home environment. Seriously. In order to even get into the house you have to practically circle it completely which is not ideal when carrying glass out to the kilns. All the frustration, messiness and treacherousness will be well worth it in the long run...or so we keep telling ourselves.

(L to R) The art show tent drying out, the back deck and evidence that plumbers are here

(L to R) The front porch and back deck, the dog pen, and a side view