Ringin' in the New Year

so the last time i made a post i was just about to graduate. and now i've officially graduated and i am getting ready for the new year! the ceremony was really nice... i had been dreading it all quarter, but it really was not that bad. the national building museum is BEAUTIFUL and was the perfect venue for our exhibits and ceremony. i gave out a lot of resumes and business cards and such, so hopefully some business comes around. now that i'm done i can focus on working and building a successful business in the new year! i already have a few things lined up in addition to my internship at the Kennedy Center, but i am always looking for more. my plan is to send some marketing materials to the professional theatres in the DC area such as Arena, Signature and Woolly-Mammoth and i will certainly keep you all in the know on what i am doing. anywho! i'm sure this post was a little bit anti-climactic, but i don't have much else to say and i just wanted to give a heads up before the new year starts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!


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Build It and They Will Come...

i have a wall! with frames!

so this is basically what my exhibit for graduation will look like (insert my photos in the frames and voila!). i have almost everything all ready to go. prints... check. wall... check. promo materials... check check check. awesome new suits... check. haircut... well... about that... all i'm waiting for now is my book and my mattes... and i guess a haircut. we've reached the home stretch folks! here goes life!!!

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Family Session : Yin's Family!

on thanksgiving day, i did a family session for my dear friend Stacy Oosterink. her nephew is serving our country and was home for thanksgiving so it was the perfect time to get everyone together. there were people everywhere and it was a little cold outside, but we got it done!

stacy happens to live next to a horse farm, and there was this great wooden fence and lots of fall colors... it was a perfect location.

this is how they came out...

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Exciting News!

soooooo... like the title says, i have exciting news! i interviewed for an internship on monday, and just found out that i will be the advertising/graphic design intern at the kennedy center starting in january!!! it's a full-time, paid internship in the advertising department at the kennedy center and i will be working with my superiors to create ads for the center and its productions for the season.

i am really excited about this because it's literally my dream internship. i will be working in a field that i love, in a place that i love and combining two of my greatest passions in life (theatre and art). what more could i ask for? not to mention the upcoming mainstage productions are fantastic... including Follies, Next to Normal and Wicked (which is not my favorite, but i know some of you love it). i can't wait!

in other news, i have everything i need for portfolio all ready to go. i just have to print, which i am doing on sunday. and get my book that i ordered from adorama. and then i'll be good to go! it's exciting to be closing one very big, important chapter of my life to move on to a new, equally as important chapter. it's going to be an adventure!

also stay on the look-out for an image or two from the photoshoot i did today with a good friend of mine. they're going be awesome!

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Melissa and Jordan

this past sunday, i had the pleasure of shooting with two wonderful models. i met Jordan Kwong (the one on the left in the image above) at an event i was shooting in Annapolis about a month ago and i had the perfect idea in mind for her (which you can see to the right). she had the perfect facial structure for what i was going for, and her look is perfect for what i was trying to convey. just look at the jawline! and she was a pleasure to work with!

Jordan had a friend (on the left) who i also shot with named Melissa Foley who was just as fantastic ! i did not really get to familiarize myself with what Melissa looked like before shooting, just a few facebook photos, but i had a few ideas once i saw the clothing she had brought with her. she had a very clean, commercial look so i focused on very natural shots that really captured her features.

these are just a few of the photographs from that day, but i think they fairly sum it up. both girls were fun to work with, and i would shoot with them anyday!

there are quite a few more, new photos on the way also! be on the lookout for a few product shots over the next couple days. i am also going to embed a preview of my book, "back.story" shortly (maybe tonight?) that you all should check out! it's going to be one of my centerpieces for my graduation exhibit, and will actually be available to buy!!! so keep on the look out!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Promotional Materials

today, my promotional materials/give-aways for graduation show came in the mail!
so that's what they look like. i will have a stack for product, a stack for people and a stack for theatre-related stuff at show (to go with my prints and portfolio and book... it's all pretty uniform). there's 240 of them, so i'm pretty sure there's enough to hand out. the leftovers will be kept to hand out/mail out to new prospective clients.

i'm really excited! all i have to do is maybe a couple more shoots, get my printing and framing done and build my wall. so close i can smell it!

i hope you all like them/let me know if you want one... i should have plenty :-)

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On A Roll

some other things that i shot in the studio yesterday. maybe i'm not so bad at fashion and beauty photography???




a big, humungous thank you to Amanda Lynne Rosario for modeling for me! you're the best!


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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

And Another...

i think that i have been feeling flirty and frankly a little "lovey dovey" lately... so this heart pendant i shot probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to me. even though these feelings have not really manifested into anything, they did inspire me to do this shoot.


i've been holding on to this piece of jewelry for a while and finally found a way to photograph it which would give it justice. i edited two shots, which are admittedly similar, but i can't really decide which one i like more... so you get to see both!




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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Photoshop Magic

just because i'm a little bored in the studio today... i shot this watch...

i wanted a shadow from the watch, so i had to use some side lighting but this made a harsh shadow on part of the face of the watch. i decided to do a little bit of a pseudo-HDR with these three images...

it only took a little bit of finessing and a smidge of patience and i think it came out pretty nice. what do you think???

not too shabby. anyways, there will be some more shot coming up very soon! i also shot another piece of jewelry and i'll be shooting some beauty shots and a make-up ad in a little bit. and on tuesday i'll be shooting an event for Select Confections, so check back soon for some new stuff!

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

New Spread - Sarah/Ragtime

and there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! yesterday i collaborated with my friend, actress Shemika Berry, to great this heart-wrenching character still of the character Sarah from the broadway musical "Ragtime". there are a few other shots on my other blog: http://scottybeland.blogspot.com./

i hope you all like them!

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Book Page Spreads???

i have been working on the layout of my book design today and this is the page layout that i've come up with.



the book is going to be 8" by 12" hardcover, so the design above is a full spread across two pages. the images will be full page and will go on the right side and the title of the image, song lyrics and actor's back story will be provided on the left page. i considered adding more color to the left page, but i feel like that would not go with the theme of my other branding materials and would be a distraction from the images (which will all be in color). there will be 8 of these spreads in succession in the book, followed by a section of "live performance" photographs.

i am in the process of designing my cover, which i think might be just comprised of text... no image. thoughts? ideas? feedback??? anything is appreciated!

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

back.story

today i wrote my artist's statement that i will include in my book. the book will be called "back.story", and... well... you'll figure out what it's about once you read below!

"What is a back story?

A back story is a device used literally as a background story which chronologically would have taken place prior to the narration of a novel, film, or in this case, a dramatic work. These devices are directly related to the narration and usually deal with the history of characters or other underlying elements. Kind of like a prequel.

There are a lot of considerations an actor has to make when coming up with a back story for their performance to make it their own. The lines in their script are only a basis for practically birthing a new character. The psychology of a character simply cannot be provided in a script or the brief character summary that not even all scripts provide; it is the actor’s responsibility to create this psychology and what makes the character tick. After all, if you think about the way a person was raised, who they knew growing up, what trials they faced, the obstacles they overcame, their first kiss... All of these things shape who a person is. This should be a testament to how powerful a back story can be. Two actors playing the same role with two different back stories will portray the character in very different ways.

My intent for this series was to create a collection of “character stills” that show actors, who have played these characters, in full costume and make-up and for them to talk about the back stories they developed for their characters. The photographs are meant to capture the essence of the character and what makes each character unique. Accordingly, each photograph and back story is accompanied by song lyrics that give insight to each particular characterization.

If anything, a person who reads this book should be able to take away the importance of a back story in someone’s life and how these “prequels” shape a character, and ultimately an entire society.

So, tell me... what’s your back story?"

if you want, you should totally let me know what you think! i want as much advice as possible. i will be posting about my progress in the making of this book on this blog.

i am also looking for advice on what to do for "give-aways". i'm really stuck! it's probably because for the longest time i felt like give-aways were tacky... and i still kind of think so. but it might only be because i can't think of a good idea that i really want to go with. HELP!

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Gathering Thoughts...

i realized that i haven't posted anything on here for a while, and that is mostly because i have not shot much over this break between quarters at school. i have been a little busy with the show i'm doing and auditions and work, but i promise some good, new stuff is on the way! this is one thing i worked on over the break. i did a random shoot with a couple friends about a month ago and they came out with an indie fashion vibe to them.


i wanted to talk about the fact that this is my LAST QUARTER of college! i am ecstatic to say the least, and at the same time a little nervous because i don't know what happens next. maybe grad school? who knows??? as much as i may have complained to any of my friends about school, i do have to say that i learned a lot and acheived the goals i set for myself. aside from that i couldn't ask for more, but i know i will come out of this experience with a lot of good friends that i know i will carry with me for a lifetime. couldn't have done it without any of them.


although i have been going to college for 3 and a half years, i still can't say that i prefer one genre of photography over the others. i like shooting people for the social interaction and learning something new, and product and food photography has grown on me because there's so much thought that can go into it. i kind of enjoy being able to say that i don't necessarily have a niche of photography that i'm married to. it keeps my options open and that's always a good thing. anywho, i wanted to share a few things i have shot along the way at good 'ole aiw... so here they are!

also, check out my other blog which i just posted on about the show i'm currently in! and come see my show, i promise it's good!

http://scottybeland.blogspot.com/2010/09/somethings-cookin.html

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Select Confections

i recently shot a bunch of product shots for Select Confections. they are a gourmet bakery and creamery located in annapolis. they do all of their orders custom, and of course it is delicious. and that's saying a lot coming from me because i don't even have a sweet tooth. i shot for a couple hours in their shop and came up with some good stuff...

so if you ever need a custom-made cake, you should call this guy. his name is Chris and he is the owner. you can visit their web-site at www.selectconfections.com or you can call 410.267.9866

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All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

Black Leaf Vodka

this is what i just shot for Black Leaf Vodka's premiere ad campaign! i shot one part of the campaign (i got red, which i was happy about). these will all be used to market this new, premium organic vodka to the public. here's my favorite from the shoot.

you can check out their web-site at http://blackleafvodka.com.

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.

sb.imagery and some new images

hello blogosphere! my name is scotty beland and i am a portrait and advertising photographer in the washington, dc area. i will be using this blog to post about my new shoots and to talk about future plans. over the past year, i have been working on a series called "back.story" in which i shoot with actors portraying characters from different plays. i have another blog specifically for these images where i post new photographs and reviews for shows, as well as my own personal theatre adventures.

you can check that blog out at http://scottybeland.blogspot.com

in other news, this is a recent series of environmental portraits i did. sonia is a freshman at temple university this year. she speaks 5 languages, plays piano and clarinet and is majoring in international affairs.

here are the images...

sb.imagery

All images owned and copyrighted by Scotty Beland.