A catalog photography shoot for Si French Clothing, which has a new line of t-shirts that will be debuted next month in a feature article in monthly national print magazine Music Connection Magazine.  A classic stroll and shoot session near Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank.

Models include Christine Vaughn (Sag/Aftra), Duff Ferguson, and John Paul.

To view a short slideshow with a selection of images, click here.

This 8×10 promotional model shot was taken in Hancock Park, Los Angeles.

Arnold Schwarzenegger may very well be the penultimate Hollywood success story… comes to America as a bodybuilder with just a few words of English, and ends up a millionaire action hero, married to a gorgeous member of the Kennedy family, and elected to California’s highest office.

Nothing epitomizes this celebrity dream more than the Hollywood Sign, which has brought many legions of aspiring entertainers to Los Angeles to try their luck.  As such, it formed the perfect background for this photo portrait.

In person, Arnold effortlessly channels the solid, powerful gravitas that he’s known for in his movies while disarming you personally with a wide grin and a stream of clever ad libs. He also can really pick a suit — this one fits him like a glove.

We had just a few moments to shoot these portrait shots, but the light, angle, and backdrop all fell into place quickly to make for an unforgettable image.

A selection of photos of rock songwriter Will Bryant taken on location in downtown Los Angeles, where we were able to incorporate views of some of the gorgeous Moderne, Gothic, and Beaux-Arts bridges that bejewel what is otherwise a gritty industrial landscape.

In one of the samples attached, you can see the Sixth Street bridge, under which the famous drag race from the movie Grease started.

click here to see a short slideshow

When Rich McCulley approached us about creating a cover for his fifth Americana record “Starting All Over Again,” we jumped right into it.  This is our third album together now, and the last two have seen quite a bit of radio play and placement activity on TV and in film. 2009 was a tough year for Rich, in which he lost not only a close friend but also a former girlfriend, both of which were music partners too.  So this record carries the theme of loss and inevitable change, not always for the best.

Typically we begin with me listening to his master recordings and sketching out dozens of ideas, a process that works well for artists that don’t come with set image or theme ideas out of the box.  I keep my sketch pad handy in the car and in the studio and just spin the record as much as possible.  All in all I presented about 30 finished sketches to Rich and this one struck a chord right away:  a little toy house burning right to the ground.

We had some difficulty locating just the right plastic house, but finally an Echo Park 99 cent store turned up two packages of the structure seen on the cover, allowing us to burn one as a test and use the other for the final shots (and only cost $1.98).  As it turned out, both sets of shots yielded some great stuff, so we ended up using one set for an animated film on the splash page of his website, and the other for the cover.  Who would have thought it would be so tough to burn down a little plastic house?  But it is, probably for kid safety I suppose, and it took an entire box of wooden matches set aflame inside to get the houses burning correctly.

The inside photo was taken on a concrete staircase nearby to Rich’s recording studio, showing him in a reflective mood that matches the vibe of the record.  All the album notes fitted neatly under the cd face, allowing the rest to remain relatively untouched.  On the back cover we placed a closeup of a match, which also appears from a different angle on the cd face.  The texture and color of the asphalt adds a nice grey tone to the whole package.

This album drops on March 16, 2010 with a full press campaign, so listen for it on a station near you soon…

A glance at a MySpace page for a prominent member of the Americana scene here in Los Angeles shows 5/20 of his “top friends” using photos taken by Duff Ferguson as their profile picture. Another 4 are clients, either for photos or art or both.

We’re proud to be such an integral member of this vibrant community.

What says Halloween more than an infant girl toddling through a pumpkin patch in her fairy costume?

Click here to see the full photo slideshow.

Who doesn’t love receiving a cheery baby announcement in the mail?

These 4″ x 6″ postcards are easy on the budget, mail cheaper than letters, and look really great.

Colors can match the clothing of the baby (in this case, light green and pink) or come from any palette.  Fonts can also change to match the family’s style.  They can also be upgraded with envelopes, with a short message from the parents (or better yet, from the baby!) on the reverse.

The picture shown was taken in Pasadena’s gorgeous Huntingdon Gardens, but any nearby park can be a great photo location that babies love.

A business card for songwriter Michael McClellan, featuring a relaxed photo of him placed in a studio.  The pic is made in two stages: pics of him were shot on white background at our photo studio, and then placed in the studio background.

The reverse has his contact info in an elegant style.

These photo cards are useful in places like Los Angeles where so much networking takes place.  It isn’t uncommon to arrive at home with a pocketful of business cards and have trouble remembering who the people were or what they looked like.  This kind of card solves that problem without being too promotional.

A nice clean MySpace website customization for songwriter Michael McClellan, including a confident  shot of him in a studio.  The pic was created in two stages: pics of him were shot at our photo studio, and then placed in the studio background.  A contact link at bottom right connects potential contacts with him.

Presents a very professional image without eating up a lot of bandwidth.  Loads fast and looks good.