(Through the great people at Sherwin Williams and Wyse Advertising)

A sense of disappointment pulsed through Cleveland as Lebron James, our glimmer of hope for winning a national championship, broke up with our fair city on national television. In what felt like mere moments after “The Decision”, workers got busy tearing down the Lebron James mural at the intersection Huron Road and Ontario Road by Quicken Loans Arena. “The Reaction,” as it’s been dubbed, was that of erasing his legacy from all parts of our scorned city including his jerseys, hats, memorabilia and finally the mural, leaving a large gap in the city’s Gateway District. Sherwin Williams wanted to fill that gap, and remind Cleveland that there are people and business born and raised here that won’t leave the city. When Wyse Advertising approached us on behalf of Sherwin Williams to create the photo that is featured on the building, we were ecstatic to be a part of it. So much so that we sent one photographer up in a helicopter, and another to The Flats, to see how to put the city’s best foot forward… photographically speaking. On October 26^th and 27^th, our cityscape photo from The Flats taken by Senior Photographer Adam Wilde, went up where James once was, with a tagline that reads “Our Home since 1866. Our Pride Forever.” Take a look at this video of the mural taking shape… (Photo by Adam Wilde, Video by Tim Smith) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmfh1Pf-KAM

Earlier this September, we had the privilege of helping to make a Make A Wish kid’s dream come true. Leshe Scott is a 17-year-old Broadview Heights girl battling cancer, with aspirations of becoming a photographer. The Make A Wish Foundation approached TRG to find out what kind of equipment they should get for her, but after hearing a little bit about Leshe’s story we wanted to be more involved in her wish, and make sure it was everything she wanted it to be. With the help of Dodd Camera, we were able to provide her with a Rebel Camera, additional lenses, memory cards and a case. The Make a Wish Foundation completed out her wish with an Apple Laptop and printer, so she can proudly display her work. We also invited Leshe and her aunt, who is her caregiver, to come down to the studio to see a fashion photo shoot for Dots, complete with professional models and make-up stylists. Leshe very quickly familiarized herself with her new camera and ventured into the studio to photograph some behind the scenes action of the Dots shoot. It truly was our pleasure to make Leshe’s wish come true.  Many thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation for letting us be a part of it, Dodd Camera for helping us put together the photography gear, and to Dots for participating in Leshe’s day. Below are some photos of Leshe with her new camera and equipment, as well as a few shots that she took on set that day. A wonderful photographer in the making!

Yesterday was a day for fashion in the studio! We filled up our studio with models, clothing and make-up for the 2010 Summer shoot for Dots clothing store. Photographer Julie Stanley and Dots marketing guru Melissa Skinner used large letters that create the Dots logo as props for the models to work with, and the results are fabulous! We’ll show you the images once they’re completed, but for now take a look at the behind the scenes photos to see what it takes to put on a fashion shoot!

In the last few days here at the studio we’ve had a few delicious photo shoots here for Nestle Foods, and top-of-the-line range manufacturer BlueStar.  Nestle brought with them their top chefs and a bevy of dishes that we got to nosh on all day long, while BlueStar sent us beautiful ranges that we all wished we could put in our kitchens. We took both dramatic product photographs as well as great food dishes.  Check back with us in a little while for some of the final photos, but in the meantime take a look at our behind the scenes photos from both shoots!  BlueStar is a new client of ours, which adds to our growing family of food clients such as Vita-Mix, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Sugardale, and Crop Bistro.

Over the Summer here at the studio, and under the art direction of W.B. Doner we completed a Holiday shoot for Things Remembered encompassing both their catalog and in-store signage needs. The pieces were tied together with a theme of 1950’s and 1960’s living, mimicking the AMC series Mad Men. Since it’s the holidays, it’s the perfect time to post them!  We trolled theater company wardrobes, vintage shops around town and our grandparents closets for clothing and accessories that perfectly fit the time period.  We also built a 60’s style wood-paneled bar that was so beautiful, it ended up in a client’s basement!  All of these can be seen in the Things Remembered Holiday Catalog, in-store signage, and as window clings on the front windows of their stores.  Happy Holidays everyone!

As we mentioned earlier this year in our blog we have the privilege of working with one of Cleveland’s leading theatrer companies located here in downtown. For a few years now, Great Lakes Theater Festivalhas invited us to work with them in creating images that promote their wonderful productions. We’ve just finished up a few more and wanted to share them with everyone!  We have two images of their Converse-wearing Shakespeare that shows off their newly rehabbed Hanna Theatre, as well as promotional images of Batboy the Musical and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  Enjoy!

TRG has a new videographer in training! 14 year old Teddy Boyer, son of long time TRG photographer Rob Boyer, made a two minute video of a day in the life of TRG Reality without most of the staff even knowing he was doing it. Using his Flip Camera, Teddy roamed the studio one day a few weeks back setting the tiny camera up and capturing the staff hard at work, especially Scoonie the Husky. He edited his footage, set it to music he composed in Garage band, and by the next day many of us were surprised with a new studio video.    As soon as the labor laws allow – we’re hiring him! Check it out!

In the “olden days of film” it was the photographer’s responsibility to give their clients transparencies that had perfect color. It was easy to hold it up to a light table and know if the color was right or not. But of course you can’t do that with a CD.  And to make it even more frustrating, most photographers don’t take responsibility for the CMYK color accuracy of their files, saying that’s the printer’s job.  TRG feels a little differently about these things. Using a spectrophotometer we’re able to precisely measure a color sample of your product and then match it exactly on a CMYK proof.  Just let us know what the color is supposed to be, and that’s the color that will print.   So don’t let terms like SWOP, Profile, Colormetric, and Black Point Compensation scare you.  We’ve got it all under control.  Accurate color is our responsibility – it’s why you rely on TRG.

After a 14-hour shoot in Dallas, Texas for one of our commercial clients, our photographer Tim Smith wandered the streets for five more hours to capture these amazing images.

Using HDRI (High Dynamic Range Imaging), which allows for a greater range of values between dark and light areas than standard digital photography, he was able to create these images that look almost more like paintings than photographs.

Check out these photos we've recently completed for Great Lakes Theater Festival! For the past four decades, this downtown Cleveland theatre group has been producing critically acclaimed theatre, and we're lucky enough to produce photos for their promotions and advertisements. In creative collaborative effort, we've started some work for their next season of plays including Shakespeare's Twelfth Night & A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as Checkov's The Dangers of Tobacco & The Boar. You can visit their website to see more images of the work we did for the current season at: http://www.greatlakestheater.org/