Who we are and why we do it.


For us, life is all about experiences and connections which is in large part what membership in your club is designed to give your clientele. With this is our mantra, we have combined over 30 years experience in photography and film production, a time-tested and well refined workflow, an obsession for producing high quality work, and a love of travel into a highly productive team throttled perfectly for the luxury travel and destination club.

 

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Below is a breakdown of our experience, our approach, our workflow and the range of services and polished deliverables that our lean team can provide, which we believe could be a valuable resource for you and your team.


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    A Multi-Disciplined Photographer & Producer Team




    Eric Russell

    Director of Photography+Film, Principal

    Award winning Director of Photography+Film
    Traveled the World shooting for numerous clubs, hotels & resorts
    Advertising Background
    Tenured in both Still and Motion
    Technical
    Obsessive

    Lauren Kruse

    Producer, Manager & THE LAW

    Tenured Producer (Sony Pictures, etc.)
    Award Winning Producer of Short Film (22 film festivals)
    Manager for Equity Estates
    SAG affiliated Actress and Model
    Detail Oriented
    Stylish and Sexy


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    The result is a well balanced creative team spanning both the left and right hemispheres of production.


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  • The Workflow

    Over the years, we have refined our methods of architecture and lifestyle production. This begins the moment we are given an assignment with systematic pre-production documentation and checklists, smart methods of travel, a refined and efficient light painting and post work technique based in smart scheduling and great equipment. These efficiencies continue all the way into the scouting and lifestyle work, the staging of each shoot, even down to the way we pack and travel with our equipment. This approach optimizes budgets in every way and typically can be performed with a nimble, 2 person veteran crew so decisions are made quicker, overhead is lower and our clients receive polished assets sooner.

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    A small veteran crew throttled to produce great work with efficiency, creative prowess and look damn good while doing it.

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
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The Architecture

For us, photography is more the study and control of light than anything else so having the latitude to produce photography around optimal lighting conditions makes all the difference. A well organized production that utilizes morning and evening lighting coupled with a precise light painting technique allows for a smaller crew and a more hand-crafted, finely tuned approach to a polished shot.

 

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Traditional 3 point hot light configuration
(setup & post work – 2 hrs)

12 point speed light painting technique
(setup & post work – 3.5 hrs)

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Another aspect to light is weather – the one variable we cannot plan, schedule, or fully rely on. A specialized crew is more nimble and can be flexible to the conditions and problems that often plague photoshoots.


Good planning, flexibility, and experience make all the difference.

 
 

  • The Locations



    In addition to the architecture work another critical aspect of our shooting are lifestyle and location shots. Typically before we even get to the area we will already have researched the area and have built these shots into the list of priorities and scheduled around light, seasonal and weather conditions. And having shot in over 50 major international and metropolitan travel destinations we will often already know exactly where to go.





    TRAVEL LOG + JOURNAL




“For some, travel is a well deserved reprieve from occupational woes. For others, travel is a lifestyle. So for us, Travel and Lifestyle photography all comes down to connecting people with environments and activities that offer renewed perspective and inspiration to live a life well traveled. You see, it’s not just about showing beautiful people doing amazing things, it’s about helping people make associations with the real moments of life that travel affords.”

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Eric Russell


  • The Work

     


     

     

    TRAVEL+LIFESTYLE PORTFOLIOARCHITECTURAL PORTFOLIOFOOD & RESTAURANT PORTFOLIO


    “Eric Russell was a fresh perspective for Deer Valley Lodging. He has attitude and talent of professionalism. Eric photographs in a way that illustrates a new representation of what is in front of you. His photography of our properties is distinctive and unconventional yet elegant and tasteful. Eric has rejuvenated the look of some of our older properties and defined class in our newer properties all with great work ethic.”


    Becky Rosenthal, Deer Valley Lodging


 
 

Film+Motion

As broadband rapidly multiplies, film and motion pictures is arguably the most effective mediums to tell a story. A decade ago, complex production, shotgun strategies, expensive broadcast media buys were just part of any video campaign. With the maturity of the web, the advent of social networking, and new and innovative production technologies and techniques, film and motion production has never been more relevant, responsive, affordable, targeted, measured and down right effective.
 

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OUR SHOOT MODEL IS A PERFECT PLATORM FOR FILM WORK AND THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO MAXIMIZE A BUDGET THAN TO INTEGRATE MOTION WORK INTO AN EXISTING PHOTOSHOOT. THESE EFFICIENCIES CAN SAVE YOU THOUSANDS IN PRODUCTION AND HELP YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A POWERFUL MEDIUM.

 
 

  • Production Efficiencies

    Of course, we are creatives first. However, we pride ourselves in the ability to produce with speed and efficiency in order to maximize the production value of each project. This model is not only a result of over a decade of production experience all over the world, but the by product of a combined 25 years of Producing and Directing (Lauren) and Commercial Art Direction and Advertising (Eric). Everything we do is rooted in marketing forethought, and oftentimes because of this objective-driven approach, we often find ourselves integrating into our clients marketing teams throughout the process. We would not want it any other way.

    Below is a breakout of the key aspects of our method of production:



    PRE-PRODUCTION

    Comprehensive Planning

    • Clearly defined budget proposals, work orders and releases.

    • Comprehensive documentation (Creative Brief, Production Schedule, One Sheet, etc.) defining schedule, logistics, creative and strategic objectives.

    • Smart, comprehensive planning and systematic workflow help us be organized, flexible, and in a better position to be creative.

    PRODUCTION

    Maximum Productivity, Minimal Impact

    • Shots are strategically scheduled for morning and evening shooting where the light is on it’s edge and at it’s best.

    • A smaller crew and well scheduled weekday shoots results in less impact on property, and less property blackouts.

    • Specific and well refined shoot techniques require less heavy equipment and can be produced with a smaller crew (i.e. speed lights vs hot lights, etc.)

    POST-PRODUCTION

    Perfectly Tuned and Systematically Delivered (cloud based review and delivery).

    • Progressive, on site post work during non-shooting hours (high light, weather days) optimizing daily production time.

    • In progress reviews of pre-defined signature shots help us perfectly tuned the post work, and allow for better client involvement and progressive delivery of pre-defined signature shots.

    • Balance of assets (remaining signature, lifestyle and detail shots) will be delivered no more than 2 weeks from the completion date.


     

     

    SAMPLE PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

  • Your Producer

    Having immersed myself in Eric’s work, observing him in action for a long time, I am continually impressed with his precision and work ethic. He lives and breathes it – creating, perfecting, developing, refining, producing… He is an artist, a professional, and a true craftsman.

    Over the past 15 years, I’ve been exposed to a myriad of productions and workflows. I’ve learned that the biggest crews actually aren’t the most efficient. The expertly refined light painting technique we use simply doesn’t require a large brute crew. It’s just not necessary nor does it add any more value to the work. Working smarter not harder. That is what we represent.

    Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have and I look forward to meeting your specific needs, creatively, strategically, and logistically.





    Producer+Manager

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    917.923.0696

    lauren@ericrussellphotography.com

VIEW SAMPLE BUDGET