Archive for the ‘3D Photography’ Category

This summer, Saglimbeni3D made a big splash in the UK, thanks to a front-page PrintWeek story and cover features in two of England’s leading photo publications: Professional Photographer and Photography Monthly.

All three features focused on our advances in 3D photography. UK audiences have embraced the progressive art form, and to their credit, they also are aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions. Journalist Jon Severs interviewed me in London while I was in town for the Sony World Photography Awards. While most of our American press features have been focused on which celebrities we are shooting, Jon’s hour-plus-long interview covered so many intricacies of the 3D photo universe—both technical and artistic—that I was actually caught a bit off guard, but happily so.

My sincerest thanks to Jon for his in-depth interview and articulate writing, and also to Adam Scorey at Archant Imaging. As an artist passionate about 3D, it is exciting to have the opportunity to talk about the science behind the art and the future of the genre, especially to such an interested and curious audience.

Get your copies of Photography Monthly (August 2012) and Professional Photographer (September 2012) at Barnes & Noble and on newsstands now. See a preview on Jon’s blog here.

Read the PrintWeek feature here.

Blogger & photographer Jade Lisa also wrote a wonderful piece on my traditional (2D) photography. I’ve received many positive letters from women about this interview, and I have to give Jade credit for approaching my work from a refreshing female perspective. See it here.

Recently, Sony invited me to join a panel of speakers at PhotoImage Brazil. The PhotoImage convention is the largest photography and image expo in Latin America, showcasing top photography-related gear and unveiling innovative new technologies. Over 30,000 attendees turned out at this year’s show, held August 14-16 in São Paulo.

Saglimbeni3D post-production supervisor Joyce Park joined me on our Brazilian adventure, and we gave two presentations at the Sony booth on the latest advances in 3D photography. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with a brilliant group of photographers, including digital pioneer Pedro Meyer, National Geographic photojournalist Reza Deghati, and UK-based rising-stars Palmer & Pavel and Andrew Scriven. We also met many aspiring photographers in the audience, several of whom came out to see us after we announced our appearance on Twitter and Facebook.

After the convention ended, Joyce and I headed north to Rio de Janeiro for some beach time and to see the sights. I fell completely in love with the city within minutes of arrival. Beaches surrounded by lush jungles are my version of paradise, and the preponderance of fruit markets and natural juice bars made me feel instantly at home. We walked the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema on Friday night only to discover what a physically active city Rio is: the bike lanes were filled with night-joggers and rollerbladers, and the sand was packed with locals running obstacle courses, slacklining (you’ve got to see it to believe it) and playing midnight beach volleyball. On Saturday we made our way to the top of Sugarloaf mountain to take in the jaw-dropping views of the coast. Far too short a trip for such a vast and beautiful country, but a perfect introduction to all that Brazil has to offer.

My sincerest thanks go out to Sony Brasil and creative director Astrid Merget of the World Photography Organization for inviting us to spend time amongst such esteemed company. I will never forget the sights we saw, the friendships we made, nor the wisdom we picked up along the way. I also cannot wait to get back to Rio. Vou sentir saudade, Brasil!

CREDITS: Photos by Nick Saglimbeni & Joyce Park 

TOP A: The stunning view of Rio from atop Sugarloaf mountain. Note the Cristo Rendentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue illuminating the sky from the mountaintop in the distance.
TOP B:  (Left to right) Pedro Meyer, Astrid Merget, Nick Saglimbeni, Joyce Park, Reza Deghati, Jared Palmer, Pavel Vizner, Andrew Scriven

The wonderful folks at NVIDIA 3D Vision Live surprised me last week by awarding me the 2012 Photo Champion award. This was the culmination of much support from our fans as well as two previous monthly awards on the 3D Vision site. It’s an honor to receive this award, and my deepest thanks go out to everyone involved. (Detailed thank-you’s below.)

We’ve been working with NVIDIA to roll out some of the world’s most ambitious 3D content, and as part of this new venture they encouraged me to look at our work on some of their high-end 3D rendering hardware. Now, as most of you know, I’m a Mac lover through and through, but one of Apple’s few major shortcomings is its lack of 3D support. So after a week-long test-drive of NVIDIA’s butt-kicking Quadro 5000 graphics card, I decided to make a foray back into the Windows world and build SlickforceStudio a new 3D PC workstation. After reading many reviews and speaking with several friends in both the visual effects and 3D worlds, here’s the setup I opted for (pictured below):

Eizo ColorEdge CG275W 27″ LCD display (left)
BenQ XL2420T 24″ 3D LED display with 3D Vision Lightboost (right)
NVIDIA Quadro 5000 2.5GB Graphics Card
NVIDIA 3D Vision Pro hub & active-shutter glasses system
Wacom Intuos 4 Medium tablet

First, let me say that this Quadro 5000 card is a BEAST. At an inch thick and with built-in fan big enough to cool a small tower, it takes up two bays on your machine and looks like no graphics card I have ever seen. That said, it’s also the best visual experience I’ve ever had on a PC. Rendering out both 3D video and stills and fast and effortless, once you get used to the new workflow. The Eizo display is absolutely gorgeous and showcases some of the richest color I’ve ever seen. The BenQ 3D display with 3D Vision with Lightboost is awesomely bright, which 3D connoisseurs know is almost always a problem with shutter-glasses systems, because you lose half the light in each eye. Not here. The 3D is absolutely beautiful and perfectly luminous (and unlike iPads using red-cyan glasses you retain full color information.)

As a test, we converted a portion of WMB 3D to be viewed on the 3DVision Pro system, and I can honestly say our 3D images have never looked better. Clint Davis‘ layouts jumped off the page, and it made me yearn for the day when everyone can view our content in full-color 3D.

My sincerest thanks go out to Steve Klett and Sean Kilibride at NVIDIA, and also to Thomas Gadbois at Eizo for helping us put this fantastic system together. I also must thank the amazing Saglimbeni3D team who continues to create and innovate in a new world with never-enough resources: Post-production supervisor Joyce Park, Director of Operations Kevin Savarese, lead engineer German Pinchevsky, photographer Christian Arias—this would only be a dream without you all.

For me, the NVIDIA 3D Vision Champion award is another landmark step in showing the world the undiscovered beauty of 3D photography, and I am grateful to all who have supported us in our journey.

For more on the 2012 Photo Champion Award, visit NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Live site here.

On Thursday evening, April 26, the Sony World Photography Awards were held in London, part of the month-long World Photo London event at Somerset House. My fashion piece Nuclear Summer (featured above) was nominated in their 3D category.

I always appreciate a good excuse to travel to one of my favorite cities, so I headed to London on Tuesday to show support for both the event and our nomination. All of the nominees’ work for all of the categories was displayed at Somerset House, in a remarkable gallery exhibition. It was thrilling to see so much amazing work from so many talented and varied artists. (My particular favorite was Mitch Dobrowner’s stunning black-and-white storm photography, which ultimately won the L’Iris D’or prize. Check out his site here.)

On the night of the awards show, the photographers appeared one-by-one in black tie—a stark contrast to the American photography award shows I’ve attended–and celebrated each other victories and work throughout the night. I was honored to receive the Grand Prize in 3D, mostly because it stood as a testament to the hard work of my brilliant Saglimbeni3D team, who has spent the last two years in the trenches with me, developing new 3D cameras and post-production technologies and launching 3D projects such as WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful. I’d especially like to thank Saglimbeni3D post-production supervisor Joyce Park, director of operations Kevin Savarese and the entire production team at Slickforce Studio.

My sincerest thanks also go out to Sony and the good people at the World Photography Organization for recognizing our work. We look forward to producing many more exciting 3D projects in the future.

Press photos © 2012 HoneybunnPhotography, Robert Leslie, Duc Le

Nuclear Summer © 2011 Nick Saglimbeni

The Amazing Stan Lee and Spider-Man

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve photographed my share of beautiful women throughout my career, but it’s not everyday that you get to work with your heroes. When I reached out to Marvel co-creator Stan Lee to kick off our “Legends” section in WMB 3D, I clearly underestimated the level of excitement I would experience when he said yes.

Mr. Lee is every bit as gracious, self-deprecating and funny as his reputation would suggest, rivaled only by his equally awesome office. As if the Spider-man pinball machine and Silver-Surfer hallway mural weren’t fantastic enough, his office walls were lined with pictures of him and Ronald Reagan, Steven Spielberg, Bill Clinton, and Michael Jackson, just to name a few. A heartfelt thanks go out to Mr. Lee and his team at POW! Entertainment, who allowed us to take over their offices for our 3D shoot. Here is an excerpt from Stan Lee: The Mind of a Genius, featured in Issue 2 of WMB 3D!

“I was 17 and I needed a job. I heard there was an opening at a publishing house so I went down and applied. I thought it was for the magazine department, but it turned out they needed someone in comic books. I never expected to be a comic book writer, but the work was interesting, and I did well. They kept promoting me and then I was sort of stuck.”

In January 2011, at 88 years-old, Lee received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. When asked if this moment offered him any sort of validation, Lee responds, “I wish I were richer. I would hire someone 24 hours a day to make sure no one steps on my star.” He modestly continues, “I was so surprised. I got my star on the same block as Paul Newman and Sophia Loren, but I still don’t know why they gave it to me. I think they think I am somebody else, but I’m not going to tell them.”

CREDITS:
Photo by Nick Saglimbeni
Interview by Katie Pegler

Unleaded? You're looking at Diesel, son.

I first noticed Mallika Sherawat in the early stages of her meteoric rise in Bollywood. It was clear she communicated with her audience on a different level than other actresses, and I always told myself that if I could get her in front of my camera, I would jump at the chance. I take the title “World’s Most Beautiful” very seriously, and after our launch I figured I had the perfect opportunity—and a responsibility—to showcase beauty on a global level, and perhaps introduce Mallika to a new hemisphere of fans in the process.

I met with Mallika a few weeks before our shoot, and she insisted on being heavily involved in the concept. We decided that an Americana-themed shoot would capture her in a way she had never been photographed, and it would also mirror her recent move to the US, where her Hollywood career has since begun to grow legs. I’m a big fan of Bollywood films, and I have the deepest appreciation for the stunning cinematography and glossy visuals used in their storytelling. However, to contrast Mallika’s previous work, I wanted to make sure this shoot looked very raw and dirty and American, hoping it would bring out a side of our star not-yet-seen.

As I expected, Mallika hit this one out of the park, bringing her own unique brand of jaw-dropping mystique to each frame. To see the full 2D & 3D photo feature, grab your copy of WMB 3D Issue 2, available for iPhone, iPad, Android and in print.

Go behind-the-scenes of Mallika’s shoot with these fantastic stills from WMB 3D photographer Joyce Park, and this awesome video directed by David Rivera for WMB 3D.

Credits:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Styling by SARAH ELLIS & AMANDA CARTER
Hair by GIO CAMPORA for The Wall Group
Makeup by GABY RAMOS

Download WMB 3D Issue #2 from iTunes App Store, Android Market, or 9×12″ Limited Print Issue.

WMB 3D‘s recent fashion feature has readers and artists buzzing, so I thought it appropriate to devote the first Issue 2 post to Warehouse Wonderland. 

I’ve always found amazing locations to be fantastic sources of inspiration. When I stumbled upon this forgotten machine shop in downtown Los Angeles, it was love at first sight. The exposed framework, massive steel crane hooks, and natural sunlight would create perfect contrast for a fashion-forward piece. 

I re-teamed with brilliant stylist Monica Rose, who did an amazing job of helping me bring our latest apocalyptic vision to life. I also had the pleasure of working with two of my favorite artists: makeup artist Gaby Ramos and hair stylist Gio Campora, who delivered electrifying flair within each frame. 

Model Aryn Livingston handled the complex shoot like a champ, never complaining as we had her climb ladders, lie on cold metal, or precariously walk an elevated girder (in heels!)

The unique layout of the warehouse also created several unique shooting situations, including multi-level landing camera setups. For many shots, we redirected tiny pools of sunlight using multiple mirrors to get the sun to frame Aryn correctly. 

Go behind-the-scenes of WMB 3D‘s Warehouse Wonderland shoot thanks to these amazing stills and video from photographer Joyce Park and director David Rivera. 

Credits:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Styling by MONICA ROSE
Hair by GIO CAMPORA for The Wall Group
Makeup by GABY RAMOS

Download WMB 3D Issue #2 from iTunes App Store, Android Market, or 9×12″ Limited Print Issue.

Maasai Mara: The men of Oltepesi village perform the Moran dance to display their strength as tribal warriors.

The infamous red elephants of Tsavo square off to protect their young.

Amboseli: Morning clouds part to reveal Mt. Kilimanjaro behind the acacia trees

Just before the holidays, I had the pleasure of returning to one of my favorite places in the world—Kenya—for issue 2 of WMB 3D. I reunited with my good friend Ali at Vumbi Jeep Safaris, and we embarked on a whirlwind tour of the country. I visited my Maasai friends in Oltepesi village from my first trip to Kenya, and then we explored the wild, capturing breathtaking sites in stunning 3D. For the full gallery in both 2D (ex: elephants above) and 3D (ex: Maasai tribe above), grab your copy of WMB 3D #2, and check out the video above for a behind-the-scenes look at my adventures.

The Kardashian Christmas card is always a fascinating piece of pop culture, and it is also our single most circulated image of the year. Kris Jenner reunited the super-team for 2011, and brilliant stylist Monica Rose began putting wardrobe ideas together immediately, ultimately opting for a black-and-white tuxedo theme. As with 2010, the shoot took place at the Jenner house in Hidden Hills.

This year, the Kardashian-Jenner-Odom-Disick clan embraced the 3D movement and chose to release the card in both 2D and 3D, with custom Kardashian Khristmas 3D glasses designed by SlickforceStudio. To see the image large, get our your 3D glasses (available free here) and click on the last thumbnail in the gallery above. Also check out these amazing behind the scenes by photographer Derek Eskridge!

CREDITS:
Photography by Nick Saglimbeni
Styling by Monica Rose
Make-up by Mario Dedivanovic and Joyce Bonelli
Hair by Clyde Haygood, Rob Scheppy and Alex Roldan.

Special thanks to Raffael Dickreuter for additional 3D assistance!

For the WMB 3D premiere issue fashion feature, we enlisted the help of celebrity fashion stylist Monica Rose and brought out Swedish fashion-model Therese Fischer for an apocalyptic shoot at an abandoned mining town. The first 3 images are from the 2D version of WMB, and the last image (Therese standing) is in 3D. This shoot has been getting a ton of circulation in the fashion world so I decided it deserved it’s own blog post.

Check out these great behind-the-scenes pics and video, and see the full fashion feature, Nuclear Summer, in Issue 1 of WMB 3D!

CREDITS:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Fashion Stylist MONICA ROSE
Make-up by GABY RAMOS
Hair by ASHLEE ROSE for ArtMix Beauty
Production stills by JOYCE PARK for SlickforceStudio