Problem Solving Part 1

This was a shoot I did recently for a well established flooring company that was just starting to import bamboo flooring into the country. The initial problem was they only had a small sample of the product in the country but they wanted to show their complete range of products in room sets. They had yet to lay a floor anywhere with this product and it create a number of issues to be resolved.
In pre production with the Add agency and marketing manager we discussed various options all of them with their disadvantages. The final solution was the best as it was likely to give the most realistic result and in the process solved the problem of damage to third party property

I undertook a comprehensive recce to find established house that had the finish and decor to compliment the flooring.

We laid a canvas drop sheet over the existing flooring then laid the limited new product that we had on top of the canvas. The lighting was planned carefully to be consistent over the entire area and add the shadowing and mood to create the realism.

A bit like a giant jigsaw we then slid the flooring into the different parts of the room adding and moving furniture as we went to create a patch work of images that were blended in post production to the final image.


The Panda was added to support the copy relating to Bamboo flooring.

Understanding the camera and lighting is only part of the skill of photography, problem solving and adding value for the client is equally important.










Here are some other images from the same shoot all utilising the same technique- the stairs are built using only one tread and one riser.

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Fine Tuning Cars

I recently shot a series of US Muscle cars for Performax International, Performax imports directly from the US and converts them to right hand drive in their state of the art facility in Qld. The technology behind this conversion is amazing and the result is as good if not better than what they produce in the US factory, they are completely reversed engineered for this market.

The requirement was to shoot them in a studio on a cycloramic white background and for use as either square finished images or so they could be deep etched and dropped onto appropriate backgrounds as the distributors saw fit.










In pre- production planning with the client we recommended that in this process we should ensure that any deep etch use of the images should reflect a realistic treatment of the windows when dropped over other back grounds. Glass is both transparent and reflective we want to see through it and we expect to see reflections on it. To enable this in post production we created an alpha channel mask to ensure the windows had both properties.

This is an example of the mask, the black allows complete transparency so it will show all of the background image the grey areas where the windows are show the semi transparent areas and the clear is obviously the body of the car.

This is a great example of the end result, the background is seen through the windows but not as clearly as the background behind the car and the reflections on the windscreen are still visible.

The main purpose of this is to really ensure that the clients product is always being shown to its best potential, while the initial brief was shoot for deep etch an experienced professional should always add value through advise, demonstrating options when required. For anyone dealing with this image in the future it is now only a one step option to get this result.

More shots of the Corvette ZR1

Gambling on good food

Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast recently commissioned us to shoot a series of food shots as introductory pages in their banquet menus and compendium.

Working with Junior Advertising and food stylist Jamie Reyes each image was to be shot in plan view with strategic areas left for copy to introduce the relevant sections.

These are some of the images shot and reflect the need by the art director for lighting elements to lift the product from the plain backgrounds

The Nikon AIPP Event

Every now and then you get to have some fun, as part of my involvement with organising the national conference for the AIPP I was asked by the agency involved to create an image relevant to photographers not missing the big event.Concept was from the agency, talent was a friend who is also an art director and the background was compliments of a trip I had to New Zealand a couple of years ago.

No animals were hurt in the production of this image !

Recent Jobs

Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji


I was commissioned earlier this year to create some imaging for a new spa that had been added to Outrigger on the Lagoon located on Fijis coral coast.


The spa was set on hill overlooking the resort and from the owners perspective the outlook and the privacy the location offered were unique.

The spa is also used extensively for weddings and small conferencing as well so a sub set of imaging was shot for this market.



Although outside the original brief while I was there it was obvious the resort was missing an aspect of their product essential to their beach side location. As our practice is to try and add value to any assignment we set this shot up in a short period of time, the resort subsequently ran it as the front cover image on their brochure.

Bigger than BEN HUR

Last year I was approached by the board of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) to join the board and undertake the organisation of their first national conference.

I love a challenge and I have never been one to watch others do the work so I agreed and have been giving every spare moment to ensuring it will be a landmark event- actually that is its branding name THE EVENT.

As it has evolved and momentum developed THE EVENT has now become an international event with speakers and delegates from USA, New Zealand and Asia attending with a half million dollar budget..... and it has become bigger than Ben Hur.

Recent assignments

Novotel Brisbane recently undertook an upgrade on their reception and bar area, we were commissioned to create a series of images that reflect the quality, style and additional space created.


As an established venue in a high traffic business precinct finding a time when these areas were not being used and at the same time coincided with lighting and talent requirements was not possible, as a solution we chose digital technologies with a dose of lateral thinking to create the images that reflect the brief.

This reception shot is a combination of 6 images, while it was being shot I estimate that no fewer than 100 guests walked through the frame or in front of the camera. The image on the right gives a feel for what it really looked like.

Additional images from the same project.