Tag Archives: photography

MY LATEST UPDATE

Dec
03
2020
by Brendan Lutes | 0 Comments

MY LATEST UPDATE

Hanging out between takes on PCH.

This year hasn’t been an easy one, and the pandemic has definitely put a bit of a damper on what I was hoping was going to be a stellar year of growth. In spite of that, however, when I look back at the past 11 months, I’m very proud of what I accomplished. I’ve grown, achieved goals, and continued to move forward while it seemed as if the entire world was doing nothing but moving backwards. I’m not going to lie, though, it hasn’t been easy, and even as I write this I sit and wonder “what’s next?” There have been times where I was just hoping to get by and times where things have been so busy I didn’t know what to do with myself. But when I sit back and reflect on the past 11 months of 2020, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. Not only have I—so far—been able to weather the storm of uncertainty with the pandemic, but I’ve been able to work on projects that have allowed me to improve both creatively and professionally. This post might be a little longer than normal, but whatever… I only post on here about once every year or so haha.

One project that I’m very proud of is directing the commercial assets for Aprilia’s RS660 launch with my good friends at Sweatpants Media. We filmed it all back in late September/early October. The shoot was done on an over-night in Downtown San Franciso, a day on the coast and Laguna Seca, and another day in a motorcycle shop. The completed commercial shows Pikes Peak Champion Rennie Scaysbrook ripping the new bike out of the city, around the track, and down the beautiful California coast.

Our set for the garage scene of the commercial.

DoP Mikey Zeller getting our final sequence of the day, overlooking the coast.

Another project that was fun to put together was Travel Paso’s latest marketing campaign, showcasing the beauty of the area through a road trip story of two different couples in two different, but very cool, vintage cars. I was responsible for pre-production work, directing, DoP, and editing. It was quite the undertaking, but Travel Paso was ultimately pleased with the final product. It was great to be able to safely shoot this and bring some friends/colleges along—new and old—to AC, provide a tracking vehicle and gimbal, drone work, and photography. Thanks to them, because this piece woudn’t have been what it is without them. If you’re driving through Paso, be sure to keep you eyes peeled for the billboards.

Screen grabs from Travel Paso.

More Travel Paso screen grabs.

I have also continued to produce 805 Beer’s advertising and creative content. In spite of the pandemic and global shutdown, the alcohol industry has been obviously flourishing, and their need to content hasn’t stopped. Below is one short film about custom bike builder Bryan Thompson that I finished editing and post work for earlier this year.

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LDM UPDATE

May
23
2018
by Brendan Lutes | 0 Comments

LDM UPDATE

I feel like every time I write one of these short blog updates, it’s been a long time since my last post—and this time is no different. I guess time flies when you’re having fun—or when you’re busy—and I’ve been wide open lately, working on commercials, filming projects, and photo shoots. Last year, though, I achieved a major milestone. Along with Justin Chapman at Chapman Aerial Productions, I joined the ICG Local 600. We were inducted into the union during a quick ceremony at the Local 600 offices in Hollywood, with the Local 600 president and the board. I really look forward to what the future holds for us and the projects we’ll be working on. It was a step in my cinematography career that I will never forget. 

A bad ass camera greets you in the Local 600 lobby.

Another huge step forward for me was the purchase of a brand new Red Epic-W. In the world of cinematography, this camera is at the top of the heap. Capable of filming up to 8K, the camera is one of the most advanced on the market. I’ve already had the chance to put it to work on some projects, and the future is exciting with this new piece of equipment. It’ll be fun flying it on drone jobs as well. All in all, some pretty exciting stuff has been happening to start off 2018. I’m looking to keep the ball rolling, accomplish my goals, and make memories while working in a field that I’m extremely passionate about.

Putting the new Red Epic-W to work recently.

 

 

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It’s Been A While

Apr
07
2017
by Brendan Lutes | 0 Comments

IT’S BEEN A WHILE

I was just going over my site to make sure everything is still in place and working properly, and I noticed that’s it’s been a while—like a really, really long time—since I updated my blog page with the latest news and happenings. LDM has been keeping busy since the beginning of 2017 with a variety of fun projects. I’ve mentioned on this blog before that I’m a huge fan of movies, both for the entertainment factor and the art that goes into filming and putting together a major motion picture. And over the past month, I’ve been working with Hollywood stuntman Corey Eubanks, shooting and editing together his Stunt Stories show. Each show features an in-depth interview with a stuntman or stunt woman, and the stories that these individuals tell are nothing short of pure entertainment. It’s cool for me to hear what they’ve gone through on the big budget movies that they’ve been involved with over the years. Corey himself has worked on just about ever major motion picture since he first got his break, driving the General Lee in the original “Dukes of Hazard” television show. In addition to Stunt Stories, I’ve also been staying busy with drone work, filming for some national television commercials and TV shows. You can see some of the work in the recently released Subaru commercial below. All in all, the beginning of the year has been all about filming/cinematography more so than still photography, which I’m pretty excited about. People that know me, know that cinematography is largely where my long-term goals are. If anyone cares… I’m going to try to update this blog a little more often—at least more than twice a year. Until next time…

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Pleasantly Surprised

Jul
28
2016
by Brendan Lutes | 0 Comments

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED

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It doesn’t happen too often when shooting photos, and I don’t always like to admit it, but every so often I luck out. The light is just right, the subject is easy to work with, and things just click. That was exactly the case when shooting some new Fasthouse/Cadence Collection cycling kits up in Mammoth a month ago. We didn’t even know where we were going to shoot; all we knew was that we wanted some cool scenery through the trees. When we left to head up the mountain from our condo, the light was dropping fast, and it was nearly lost as we finally pulled up to a spot that worked for what we needed. As I jumped out of the truck and built my camera, Terry got on his bike and found a suitable trail off the side of the road. With some excellent timing, we were able to knock out a series of shots before the sun went down. No strobes, no planning, and a lot of team work. I’m a big fan of using natural light to create a beautiful photo. There are a lot of photographers using tons of strobes nowadays—and there is nothing wrong with that, I even use them too—but there is something to be said about producing a shot without a lot of extra lighting. I was beyond surprised that we were able to come away with the quality of shots that we did, because we literally only had about 15 minutes to knock them out. I’m hesitant to admit that, but sometimes it doesn’t take a lot of pre-production to come away with amazing imagery. All it takes are some good people, a little luck, knowledge of photography, and the art of light.

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Film

Mar
03
2016
by Brendan Lutes | 0 Comments

FILM

Shot on Velvia 100 transparency film with a Hasselblad 500C.

Film was what I initially learned photography on. Back in High School and then college at Brooks Institute of Photography, film was the standard. Nowadays, kids hardly ever touch the stuff, and until recently, I’ve been guilty of that as well. It’s the instant gratification of digital photography that I believe has taken a bit of the art out of photography. Film requires you know have a solid grasp on exposure, composition, and timing. You can’t just crack off hundreds of photos and hope one comes out. Shooting on film requires a lot more forethought and planning in order to get a solid photo.

My grandfather was an avid photographer, and not just one that took family portraits and pictures of pretty flowers in the yard. He had a darkroom, owned nearly every size and style of camera available, entered—and won—numerous photography competitions, and even built his own view cameras. To this day, I still have black and white photos he shot hanging on the walls of my house. When I decided to become a professional photographer, my grandmother began handing down my grandfather’s cameras to me. In college, I used his Horseman 4×5 camera, and when I became a little older, I was gifted his Hasselblad 500C. It wasn’t until recently, though—due to getting caught up in work and not wanting to take the time to shoot film—that I decided to dust off the over-30-year-old camera and run a few rolls through it. What came out blew me away. Not only was I surprised that the old camera still worked nearly flawlessly, but the entire process of shooting with film brought back so many memories of my introduction to photography. The process, having to nail exposure, and the excitement of picking up the developed rolls from the lab reinvigorated my love of the art. It’s so easy to get caught up in taking pictures and forget why we do it, but my venture back into film has reminded me why. It’s fun shooting for myself and not having to worry if I get the shot or not. I get to have fun, and hopefully come away with a couple good shots that I can print and hang on my walls next to my grandpa’s photos. It’s also a great way to keep my skills and knowledge of the craft sharp. I’ve already shot six rolls through the camera. I’ll post more once I get the time to scan them in.

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