Lee Mendelsohn, Portland’s Photography Representative, gives her two cents on one of Portland’s culinary gems:

“Without hesitation my favorite restaurant in Portland is Enzo’s Italian Cafe on Alberta in the northeast. Every time I go it feels like I am at home which is one of the many reasons I have brought my entire family, all of my friends, and many of the wonderful people I have met while working at Studio 3. This is a neighborhood restaurant where everyone knows your name!  Enzo lives a satisfying life and it shines through his food.

Immediately upon entering, you are greeted by name and served homemade delicious warm bread right out of the oven paired with authentic olive oil from Italy. I personally recommend the Cavatelli with Basil – WOW – out of this world! The antipasto, his homemade sausage, and tiramisu are must-haves as well. When asked about his favorite menu item, Enzo responded without hesitation, “Orechiette e cimedirape” which means “little ears” in Italian. Intriguing. If it’s Enzo’s favorite, this will be my next meal for sure!

Enzo (owner/chef) grew up in Puglia, Italy and learned the art of cooking from his mother at a very early age. Prior to introducing his restaurant he  spent many years opening coffee shops, traveling, and working in manufacturing. Enzo always dreamed of bringing the flavors of Italy to a restaurant environment and now that dream is a reality.”

Stay tuned for Enzo’s upcoming events in April! Easter Brunch, Special Wine Dinner (introducing 6 new Italian wines), and an event where he will be discussing an upcoming trip to Italy. He will be inviting 25 lucky guests to tour his hometown. Also, Enzo will be hosting a one year anniversary party during the Alberta last Thursday Event on April 26th. A must visit for any Portland resident or tourist!

Be sure to visit their website and like them on facebook!

We are like kids at Christmas when it comes to our new favorite toy: the Canon 5D Mark lll. It has been a blast playing around and learning all about it’s new capabilities. With two studios full of tech enthusiasts we couldn’t wait to learn all about the new camera’s impressive capabilities. In order to share our enthusiasm, along with our new found knowledge, we thought we’d let photographer Matt Jebbia say a few words about the research he’s done over the past few days :

One of the perks to working in a large commercial photography studio is getting the chance to utilize some of the latest and greatest equipment on the market.  We’ve been obsessed with the Canon 5D Mark ll for some time now. Last week, our obsession began to wane, as we were lucky enough to acquire one of the first to market Canon 5D Mark lll’s.  At first glance the 5D Mark lll has some real physical advancements over the 5D Mark ll.  The camera grip has been slightly redesigned, giving it a more solid, user-friendly feel.  The power switch has been relocated to the top of the camera next to the mode dial.  And who can argue with the new 3.2 – inch LCD display! It is a definite plus over its predecessor, more screen real-estate is definitely a bonus.

Where the new Canon 5D Mark lll really shines is with the new improvements added to the menu, giving this camera an increased depth of character. First of all the 5D Mark lll delivers a substantial increase in ISO sensitivity with the ability to shoot up to ISO 26,500 and with an expanded ISO range that tops out at 102,400.  Canon has also redesigned the 5D Mark lll full-frame sensor to use pixels that work better in low light conditions.  A marked improvement is the new 61 point AF (Auto-Focus) system, a huge improvement over the 5D Mark ll ‘s 9-point-auto-focus system. Although, personally I hope this feature isn’t more hassle than it’s worth. When it comes right down to it, the fast paced nature of being on set doesn’t really allow for time to make your way through 61 points of focus.

When it comes to the concern of shooting state of the art video, the new 5D Mark lll delivers dramatic improvements to it’s audio capabilities.  The addition of an audio headphone jack will surely make our videographers ecstatic.  The added feature of an on screen audio level indicator allows the user to monitor and adjust audio levels while recording video. Truly a great addition to a strong family of cameras.

We are so excited to start producing new, fun work with this addition to our camera family. We look forward to sharing everything we learn about this awesome photography & videography tool. :)

This biography lives under the PHOTOGRAPHER’s tab of the blog. More biographies on the rest of our photographers coming very soon!

1. Inspiration Pictures: They are extremely helpful when working with visually driven people. Think about it in terms of a musician. If you wanted him or her to play a song at your wedding, they would acquire the song, listen to it, dissect it, emulate it, and ultimately make it their own masterpiece.
2. Detailed Shot Lists: Be as detail oriented as possible; right down to the facial expressions or angle of the drink on the table. A detailed list helps everyone, from stylists to assistants, get on the same page.
3. Patience: This goes for everyone on set. In-order to keep a positive, motivated, passionate crew, everyone must be given adequate time to handle their end of the production. Nothing leads more quickly to an unhappy working experience then frustration.
4. Clear, articulated feedback: Trying to use positive, instead of negative statements, with your co-creators, will lead to positive results. Instead of simply saying “This isn’t working”, it helps to say “Could we try this amazing outfit?”. It’s a more specific, positive statement.
5. Know what you want: This goes hand in hand with the first 2 topics, but it can’t be stressed enough! This is ultimately the key factor in getting the best out of your extremely talented photog!

Barriers to visual communication.

We have a network problem. Something about locked files and messing with permissions. Henry’s bustling around the studio, little beads of sweat on his brow. The master is at work. He sits down for some orange juice (no coffee, this guy is intense) and a pastry. We manage to spurt out a couple questions and get him talking. Turns out Henry can build PCs and linux servers, inside and out. Without the manual. I know, crazy.

What really comes through is Henry’s passion for the mystifying worlds of the back-end. He explaines it like a recipe (he also loves to cook), it’s just a matter of putting ingredients together and adding some spices. He helped get digital up and running here at the studio in ’94. Back then, computers were not what they are today, big, bulky, a ton of problems. Henry has been through it all, and as a result, helped many local businesses in Portland embrace the digital age. Now we know why he loves shooting technology so much, he pretty much invented it.

The next request we have for Henry, a sweet limo-window between our offices. Oh yeah, he’s also a master at electrical engineering…did we forget to mention that? :)

Talk about museum quality, the house we shot in this weekend was unreal. Knick-knacks and artifacts galore. Couldn’t have set the stage better for this 30′s fashion shoot, inspired by shimmering handmade clothes from the amazingly talented fashion designer, Peter Czar. Here’s a word from the photographer:

Oh man, I felt like a bull in a China factory! Although, thank god, I wasn’t. I remember there were little tea-cups sitting out, and I thought to myself “those are probably worth more than my car”. Haha. On the serious side of the things, the shoot was fantastic. For the first picture, I was bleeding a light head to get the power down on the lights, and turned the head around the face the wall behind me. The wood in this house was a beautiful dark, almost red color. The light gave the shadows in the picture a beautiful amber tone, and created the reflection on the antique throttle. There are those incredible moments when everything just comes together so perfectly. Those are the shots I truly live for.

Jim, owner and photographer at Studio 3, has photographed Catherine numerous times. You could call her his muse. Not only is she a fantastic model and ready for any crazy ideas he throws at her, she is also an amazing musician. Which means her and Jim have a lot to talk about!

Check out her music online here!

This mornings Eblast had us salivating. How could it not? Featuring the delicious mouthwatering Smores Theo Chocolate, we were mesmerized!

This photograph is more than meets the tastebud.:) Photographer David Bell has a passion for food and chocolate is no exception. Inspired by Theo Chocolate and their organic roots, David Bell wanted to photograph an image that stayed true to Studio 3′s values: fresh, local, and organic.  This is his interpretation of the smores chocolate: shot on natural wood and crumbling to visual perfection.

We can’t wait to see what else David Bell has to offer us in his wonderful world of food photography! Our tummies are growling in anticipation.

Look at this explosive imagery!

Nothing short of a team effort, this awesome photo was taken by Craig Wagner and composited by our Digital Art team. All with one message in mind: You’ll be one cute hottie on this red Ducati!!

In honor of Friday, we thought we would share with you our secret recipe for the perfect cup of coffee.

In the form of a picture story, we add a dash of sugar, a splash of cream, and finally coffee. The magic is in the pour, that makes every ingredient combine together, creating absolute caffeine perfection.

The weekend is looming and let’s just say Monday morning we all will be happily making this cup to begin our week at the studio. :)