The Spencer Company, Inc.

A well-established commercial horticultural management services company in Houston, The Spencer Company needs quality images to effectively promote their work and services. Because the majority of their photographs are outdoor or exterior shots, special care must be taken to shoot the photographs in the best light, during the best time of the day, with the correct sun position, and no clouds blocking the sun. Correct lighting can mean the difference between a brilliant image and a rather dull image

Like most photo sessions, attention to detail, such as correct van placement in the background, or arranging crew members a certain way, can make a big difference. During the photo shoots, at least 20 photos are taken of each "set up" to ensure a good image is captured.

Treebeards

Capturing good images for Treebeards is often very easy because they are a great business, they respect the time it takes to capture good images, and the employees are very hospitable and committed to their work. Most portrait or accent photos (like the food preparation and fresh vegetable images) are taken during planned sessions with proper set up and lighting (strobes and umbrellas). For the more dramatic interior images, a camera with a wide angle lens is placed on a tripod for long exposures. It also helps that their locations are designed and decorated well, with good colors and interesting architecture.

Pioneer Contract Services, Inc.

Because they are a business services company, Pioneer's images are shot to appeal to their customers. Setting up photos with good lighting and a clean crisp look fit with Pioneer's professional image and presentation. It's important to them that all parts of their business, at every level, presents a high degree of professionalism.

Their photography includes lighted set up shots in office settings, accent photos (such as floor plans or design swatches), long-exposure interior photos, and exterior facility and equipment shots.

Several of these images have been used in their brochures (see Print Design) and Web site (see Web Sites).

CABO Original Mix-Mex Grill

With subjects full of color, artwork, and interesting textures, Cabo offers a wealth of photo opportunities. Long-exposure interior and exterior shots of the restaurants always produce spectacular images. Their entrées, specials, and desserts are also great subjects, and with proper lighting on their signature diamond-plate surfaces, the final images are appealing and enticing–something that's often hard to accomplish when photographing food.

These images were often combined with 3D illustrations and composited into layouts with glow, drop shadow, and other effects to make artful promotion pieces (see Print Design for examples).

See below for photos of Cabo Montrose.

SABA Blue Water Cafe

This small cafe had a unique appeal. The surfaces, furnishings, and presentation made it a unique dining experience. A series of photographs were taken during two sessions to capture and present the concept the owner wished to promote.

Restoration Concepts

While Jeff Gray & Associates managed the projects, they contracted with Tim Hansford to shoot photographs and design print materials and vehicle graphics. These photos were taken to promote the company's new Loss Mitigation Units.

Cabo Montrose

The smallest location of the Cabo restaurants, Cabo Montrose was packed with details and features that contributed to interesting photographs to be used in promotional designs.