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Andrew Hughes

Dec 26
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Head Shot Portrait for an Atlanta Doctor

By Andrew Hughes, corporate photography, head shots, headshot portraits, Masqueman Photography, portrait photography

This is one of those cases where I needed to match a style of portrait that I took several years before. Luckily, I meticulously measure the position of my equipment, flash power and camera settings for every job I do. That way if an office manager says “we need a photo of our new doctor and we want it to look JUST LIKE the ones you took 2 years ago, I can do it.

I have even kept old studio flash sets due to recurring jobs… even though I have much more capable and expensive gear now. The bottom line is that it is faster for me to set up the old stuff instead of recalibrate a previous setup with new gear. You can decide for yourself if that makes me smart or lazy.

Dec 26
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Web Site Design for BugBand Insect Repellent

By BugBand, Graphic Works, web site design
Every couple of years, I get to update the web site for one of my oldest clients, BugBand Natural Insect Repellent. I went very colorful with an emphasis on green which is now a major direction for the retail packaging and displays.

My favorite enhancement to the site is the new graphic headers on many of the pages. I wanted to show the various situations where the products could be used. Visit the site at www.BugBand.net.

Dec 25
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Package Design for Ice N Heat Ultimate Combo Product

By Andrew Hughes, BeWell, Graphic Design, package design, packaging
I love package design because it is a challenge to grab the attention of consumers in a busy retail store. People tend to make up their minds in a split second or two.

How does one balance the product name and image, key points, primary and secondary branding, box orientation, special callouts, required information etc. etc.?

Here is the final box for Ice N Heat’s Ultimate Combo which is a unique hot and cold compress product. It contains 2 types of compresses that attach to the same body wrap using velcro. Anyway, there is a lot the box front needed to say, and it was like a puzzle to get them all to fit. This is version #18… which is shows how many layouts and alternate text versions were tried.

This particular client, BeWell USA, Inc., makes their own health-based products, but also makes private label versions on request for pharmacy chains. This is a factor in the design that required that I keep the primary branding area easily changed out with different logos.

This project included graphic design, photo retouching, illustration, copywriting and marketing… the whole shebang.

Dec 25
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Corporate Headshots and Executive Group Photos for Q-Spex

By Andrew Hughes, corporate photography, Graphic Works, group photography, headshot portraits, Masqueman Photography, QSpex
I get to make a lot of headshot portraits for corporate clients. Instead of the client coming to my studio, it is usually more convenient for me to show up at their office with a portable setup. Scheduling is always an issue with busy executives so we time the photoshoot on a day when everyone is in town.

To make the photos consistently sized, I visualize the final proportions of the portrait. Sometimes I crop the photo very tight if it going to be used for low-res applications such as websites. That way, the face is larger and easier to see.

It is important to be fast and efficient when making these portraits. The last thing you want to do is waste the time of someone who has meetings planned all day. To do this, I shoot with my camera tethered to a laptop computer. As soon as I take the photo, it is transferred to the computer where we can review it. After several shots, we pull all the photos up on screen, and we pick the best one… usually by process of elimination. It is rare when we do not all agree on the final choice.

When I first visited the QSpex building, I was drawn to the front entrance that had a sitting area next to a huge window. Window lit portraits are things that photographers dream of… unless the sun is pouring in like bright white laser beams as it was that day.

The day we showed up was overcast which was very lucky indeed. I still could have made it work with  bright sun, but maybe not without a more complex multi-light setup. There was no time for that since one of the executives had a lunch meeting and had to leave. Nothing like performance under pressure, but that is always part of the game. I set up a huge and high umbrella and fired off several frames concentrating on the placement of the executives. The basic photo is below marked with things that I did not like.

I am not a photo journalist so I am not bound by truthful reality. If I think I can make the final image better by retouching, compositing, tweaking or outright removal of distractions… I will do it. Of course, I do share this fact with the client and let them see both versions… just in case they like fire alarms and closet doors. The cleaned up image is below.

I knew we would be making a web site for QSpex also so I wanted to make sure I could use the group photo in a web banner which has more of a 16:9 aspect ratio. See it still works this way.

And finally, the image must work as a black and white photo. I often turn images to grayscale to make sure that they have enough detail and contrast to work without color.

Dec 25
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Photos of an Amazing Miniature Baptism Dress

By baptism, dress, photography
I was asked to make photos of an exquisite baptism dress before it got used. I know that I am a guy and that I should not get excited about lace and stitching. The thing is, people rarely go through this much trouble to make things themselves anymore. Most of us would go to Babies R Us and be done with it.

I cannot imagine the hours spent piecing all the parts together. This kind of craftsmanship is so old fashioned and I think that is pretty cool. 

The lace inserts are floating in the middle of the fabric. You can barley see the stitches.

Dec 24
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Web Site Featuring the World’s 1st Biodegradable Nitrile Glove

By Andrew Hughes, biodegradable nitrile gloves, Graphic Works, green products, Green-Dex, Showa Best Glove, web site design
One of the hottest topics today in business is “being green”. This can involve saving energy, recycling,  using recycled materials, or reducing waste products. Showa Best Glove has hit a home run with their latest hand protection product called GREEN-DEX at www.Green-Dex.com. I got to design the web site.

Why is a Biodegradable Disposable Nitrile Glove So Important?

Disposable nitrile gloves get used and thrown away by the millions per year. Imagine a job requiring constant glove changes by a single worker. Now multiply that number by a large workforce over a year’s time, and one can see the result will be staggering mountain of gloves and tons of waste material.

Little things add up to be a lot of space in a land fill… especially if they do not quickly break down when exposed to wind, rain or the tiny organisms that turn a pile of trash into dirt. The chart shows how much faster Green-Dex breaks down compared to standard nitrile which barely moves at all on the scale.

GREEN-DEX™ packaging is also made from 100% post-consumer waste
and dispensers from 100% recycled material.

Different Materials Can Take Many Years to Biodegrade in a Landfill

I find it interesting to see how long everyday items take to biodegrade and the chart tells the tale of common things we throw away everyday. If this does not convince people to think more seriously about recycling, I am not sure what will.

Product Time to Biodegrade
Apple core 1–2 months
General paper 1–3 months
Paper towel 2–4 weeks
Cardboard box 2 months
Cotton cloth 5 months
Plastic coated milk carton 5 years
Wax coated milk carton 3 months
Tin cans 50–100 years
Aluminium cans 150–200 years
Glass bottles Undetermined (forever)
Plastic bags 10–20 years
Soft plastic (bottle) 100 years
Hard plastic (bottle cap) 400 years

All this talk about trash reminds me of my favorite commercial from the seventies…

Dec 24
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Family Photos with the Humphreys in Atlanta

By Andrew Hughes, Fall colors, family, group photography, Masqueman Photography, portrait photography

I have known Lisa since the 90’s when I worked with her at my day job at Graphic Works. A lot has happened since those days, but one thing has remained the same. She is one of the nicest people that you will meet, and she has a zest for life. She’s Italian… what did you expect.

Her two children, Graham and Marissa, have the same adventurous spirit, and they are just fun to be around. Every couple of years we get together for a photoshoot and to compare how much bigger the kids have gotten. I do not know what she is feeding them, but they are growing like weeds.

Here are a few photos from that day. The Fall colors were not really in “bloom” yet in Atlanta, but they were on the verge of changing. The day was very overcast which I prefer over too-strong sunlight. This can give a hazy feel to the photos and the colors don’t pop as much as would strongly backlit leaves.

I hope to keep doing this with them for many years to come. It will be great to look back and remember the journey. To see last time’s photos, check out the previous Gallery Link here.

It is not hard to figure out who Marissa will look like when she grows up.
It was a very nice day spent with old friends.

Dec 24
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Corporate Group Photo in a Narrow Gray Box

By Andrew Hughes, corporate photography, Graphic Works, group photography, headshot portraits, Masqueman Photography, photography
Sometimes the locations where I am hired to make portraits are not very exciting. Let’s be honest, many American corporate offices are basically gray painted boxes. In the case below,  it was a narrow conference room in which I needed to make an eight person corporate group photo.You cannot tell form this angle, but I would have been hard pressed to squeeze behind the subjects.

Because of the tight confines of the room, my only option was to set up two large strobes to the right and left of me at the close end of the table, and push light into the room. This was not ideal because of the glass display at the end of the room showed the reflections of the strobes very clearly. Also, the frame rate of the screen was giving me weird partial images. In the end, I just decided it was faster and more efficient to put the logo in post-production.

People have asked why I did not just use the fluorescent overhead lights to make the photo. There are a few reasons. First  fluorescent lights flicker unevenly and can cause issues with exposure and color balance. Those can be overcome, but it just adds complexity to the shoot. Secondly, there is not as much light as you might think in the room. Human eyes are much more sensitive than the sensor in my camera. Even at high ISO settings, I would have to set a longish exposure… not good for sharp shots of this many living, blinking people.

Flash captures the scene in 1/100th of a second freezing everyone perfectly. It allows me to control the color and shape of the light more easily, and in this case it made it possible to get the strong reflections in the table… the most interesting part of the photograph.

Dec 24
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My Philosophy on Photographing Children

By Andrew Hughes, Atlanta, child phtotography, children, Masqueman Photography
Photographing children is as much psychology and timing as it is a little luck. And, I am not just talking about child psychology either. Dealing with the parents can be just as challenging.

The final usable portrait of Tyler

I once heard a parent threaten their crying child by screeching “Do you want a spanking? If you do not sit there and smile, you will be in big trouble! Quit fidgeting and smile for the camera! Stop crying! You are going to get it when we get home”.

You don’t have to have a PhD to know that this is going to end poorly with either terrified looks, tears or even therapy many years later. Take a chill pill folks… Let kids be kids.

My approach with children is a bit more laid back. I play games with them. I ask them silly questions and make them forget that we are making their portrait. The thing that many adults forget is that children are creative creatures that may come up with a better pose or facial expression all by themselves without being told what to do every second. Sometimes, you just have to get rid of the “sillys” before you can take the portrait, as the photos below clearly show.

Tyler has a lot of personality. I have more silly photos than serious ones… 

I try to get the standard posed shots and then see what the kids do. You just might be surprised what wonderful characters they become. Creativity and personality should not be squashed by overbearing parental behavior. It’s my opinion that sometimes the totally wild photos become our favorites many years later.

My own mother told me that her favorite photo of me as a child shows me crying because I did not like the surly Sears photographer who was trying every trick in the book to make me smile. The story only makes the photo better. Thanks Mom.

Full disclosure…. Tyler is my nephew and nobody was yelling at him except maybe his little sister, Sara. Here she is demonstrating the perfect smile. Oh man, I can’t wait to embarrass them when they are teenagers.

Dec 24
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I was a Guest Judge at the Roswell Photographic Society

By Clubs, Judging, photography, Roswell Photographic Society, RPS
This is only half the room…. yikes!

In August I was asked to be a guest judge at a local photo club named the Roswell Photographic Society. I have been asked by photo clubs in the past to give presentations on my work or to judge events, but this was different just because of the sheer size of the event. There were probably 100 people in the room. I did not have time to count because that would have just made things worse for my nervousness about public speaking. Where is the “King’s Speech” guy when you need him?

I always feel under-qualified in these situations because honestly critiquing other photographer’s work can be a tricky business. I consider many of these shooters to be way more talented than myself, yet I was asked to critique their art. Some people are very serious and some very sensitive, but I figure truth is the best policy… stated as tactfully as possible.

After a nervous start, I almost forgot that there were so many people listening to what I had to say. I was highly impressed with the quality of images in the contest… some were so good that I would have gladly hung them on my wall. I have a feeling that more than a few pros or advanced amateurs were sitting in the ranks.

A few people told me that I did a good job and that they were glad that I brought up some basic presentation pointers along with artistic advice that was not sugar-coated. I think I was fair, but I would hate to be on the other end. It takes a lot of guts to have your work praised or picked apart in public. This would be the Atlanta photo club to visit if you are serious about photography.

I don’t feel that would be right for me to reproduce the photographer’s work full size on my blog, but you can see selected photos from that night’s contest by clicking the Gallery Link below…

Click image above to view some of the excellent Silhouette Contest entries.

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