Thursday, May 29, 2008

Got to visit Malone & Co/Torchwerks today...

This morning I got to visit Malone & Co and Torchwerks today to visit with Ben Drickey about some work things. I was pretty excited because I've been a big fan of their work for awhile now, both photo- and video-wise. The principle photographers, Mike Malone, Geoff Johnson and Andrew Marinkovich are crazy talented, and I think Torchwerks, their video creation wing, is no different. Here's a video they did for First National Bank of Omaha and you can see more from their arsenal and reels.

From time to time I get to play with video and editing at work. Of course, I know just enough to get myself into trouble, and have been concerned with the quality of light available for my shoots. Ben, one of the principles at Torchwerks, gave up some of his time this morning to do a lighting consult and help me explore some workflow options.

Anyway it was a great visit. It started with me meeting Patty Malone, who was kind enough to give me a quick tour while I waited for Ben. She introduced me to a lot of the staff, who were already engrossed in their work at 8 a.m. 

An interesting thing about Malone & Co.: they seem to work in mostly dim lighting. I wasn't sure if it would sound jerky to ask why, so I bit my tongue, but I wonder if it might help develop super-keen photographic senses (like Daredevil with a 1Ds) or enhance their post processing abilities. Then again, maybe it just helps save them money when it comes time for the utilities bill.

I've had only a few opportunities to work with the guys from Torchwerks, but I have to blog how impressed I am with their willingness to share their knowledge. And not just in a nuts and bolts way, either. I had a nice little conversation with Jamie and Mike about the benefits of having a general arts education vs. a specific career path, and Ben essentially gave me a mini-workshop on lighting for video (I'm glad that I've been reading the Strobist the last couple of months, otherwise I probably would have been a little more lost). Great people those folks, inspiration for how to work and share as a creative.


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