advertising photography
I recently did a portrait project for a client. We photographed a bunch of employees for posters to be displayed on workplace walls along with inspirational quotes. The plan was to create dramatically lit portraits to print in duotone. Here are a couple of the images. One was taken in the warehouse, the other in the offices. Let me know what you think.
I like shooting portraits on location. Getting people in their own environment. In some ways, it's easier to see someone's soul when they are on their home turf. This day I was photographing some exceptional women who were being recognized for there work. I enjoy the excitement of pulling together the location/background, the lighting, and posing until everything works. Or at least I think it does. What do you think? 
Lead-acid batteries have been the standard in cars since the beginning. They are rectangular prisms too. This is a lithium-ion battery, so it's smaller and lighter. But still a box! The orange background helps it out. What do you think?
We are all part of a larger whole. The scope of the larger whole is sometimes difficult to fathom. In this case, these are pulleys, not cogs, and they have a bit of silicone or rubber to absorb shock and vibration. Smoothing out the bumps seems like a good idea in many contexts.I like the way the translucent silicone looks. It's always fascinating how industrial parts are beautiful objects with the right perspective and lighting.
Location Photography has its share of challenges. There are lots of things you cannot control, weather large among them. On this day it was snowing and below freezing all day. We persisted and ended up with lots of good photography—the result of a great client and crew. Let me know what you think. 
Photographing anything shiny is a kick! Finely machined aerospace parts fit the bill. You wouldn’t think Detroit for aerospace, but in the last year I’ve done work for several aerospace companies. I’m guessing that there is a lot of talent here honed making automotive parts. It’s fun shooting them, wherever they end up.
The science of automotive paint is stunningly complex. This car only has an “E coat”; it’s the initial coat of paint. It’s a process not unlike electroplating, where the paint is attracted to the metal by an electronic charge. The upshot is that the paint gets onto all of the surfaces of the body including all the inaccessible little nooks and crannies. This, among other things, is why our cars last longer than they used to. My job of course, is make an interesting and compelling photograph for use in an ad. Let me know what you think.
Telepresence, a concept from science fiction is here! Well, not a Princess Leia 3D hologram.This one is made by Suitable Technologies. It’s a beautiful product, making my job a little easier. We shot all day and ended up with some very nice photographs. (If I don’t say so myself!) There is another image on the Blue Sky Photography, Inc. blog and a little further down in this blog. Let me know what you think!
I got to shoot a fully restored 1966 Shelby Mustang. Ok, it was a job, but it was a treat! This beautiful car had original tires, an original battery (it was just the case of course), tags from the dealership still on it. Let me know what you think.
Not long ago I had the opportunity to photograph this customized Dodge Charger Hellcat. It’s a beautiful car, though I’d have preferred red to black. Black is nice, but red is just hotter! You can see it’s 700 plus horsepower engine on the studio blog. I am always interested in your thoughts.
I recently had a project photographing people and trucks in our studio. It was a busy day. This is one of many photographs we made that day. We had a great crew, and client. As always, I’m interested it your thoughts and comments.
My best friend, Richard, created this gold necklace with diamonds. His hand is holding it. This is one of a series of images we’ve done with his hands. The jewelry pops off the black background, and his hand contrasts nicely with the jewelry. The photograph tells the story that this necklace was crafted by an artist. I like working with Richard, he has a finely tuned aesthetic and we collaborate well together.
Just because your customers are businesses doesn’t mean you should tolerate crappy looking ads and sales materials. I worked on this project with a talented art director and the result speaks for itself. As always let me know what you think.
There is a misguided belief that photography for web should be less expensive. This might be the case if photographers charged by the pixel. The value of an image is not determined by it’s resolution. The value of a photograph is determined by it’s ability to tell a story, communicate an idea, and grab your attention. As always I am interested in your thoughts and comments.
Here is another photograph in the series of Barry’s ’66 Mustang. Let me know what you think.
Most people don’t like to think about the things that surgeons do while they’re working. We’re happy enough to have their help when it’s needed. One of the things I love about commercial photography is that it give’s me a peek behind the curtain, into industries and professions that ordinarily are invisible. It’s necessary to learn at least a little about things you’re photographing to tell the story. I am interested in your thoughts and comments.
We have been forging metal for thousands of years. Modern industrial processes are used to forge a wide array of automotive parts. As it involves shiny metal, I enjoy photographing it. In this case, it’s a die and the finished forged part. I stood them up on a table top in my studio using blocks and shims. Afterwords, I put them on a brown background in Photoshop. I’m always interested in your thoughts and comments.
This is a tourniquet used when doing surgery on hands, arms, legs and feet. We weren’t doing surgery in the studio; it’s not nearly clean enough. The red and blue together with the low-key feel help make this an interesting photograph. The doctor was my assistant. He’s very good, but I’d get nervous if he were working on me in a hospital. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.
It’s a classically autumn vegetable. Cultivated for centuries, they have been used for food, kitchen tools, toys, musical instruments and decoration. They have fascinating shapes and colors that make interesting subject matter for photography. I’m sticking with the simple approach again, a single light source and a white background. I feel that it allows the nature of the gourd to be revealed. As always, comments are welcome.
Detroit Photographer Tom Kirby
I had the opportunity to work with an excellent art director on a project for a local medical equipment manufacturer. This is one of several photographs we made that day in my studio. Collaboration was theme of the day, as we worked together to making photographs that would enhance the design of the brochure. As always, please let me know what you think.