Wired Magazine

Peter Belanger January 7, 2020

It’s great to start off the new year with 8 pages in the January issue of Wired Magazine. The feature was about snow gear and things to keep you cozy in the winter. I really enjoyed collaborating with the talented Wired team on set. Once we get a basic idea of the photo arrangement the designer on set uses a jpeg to make a quick mockup of the layout. If they need more room for a large block of text, the block can be modified on the fly or we can move the props around on set. It’s a back and forth process that works out really well in the end.

Read the full article over at wired.com.

Ticktock

Peter Belanger August 15, 2019

A new addition to my portfolio. For this project the idea was to create a fun still image along with creating a short stop-motion for social media. The motion was to show not only the front but the back of the clock which is also well designed.

The clock was made by TAIT Design Co. They are a cool design studio out of Detroit Michigan. Their clocks are 100% made in the USA, something not easy to do these days.

Sightglass Coffee

Peter Belanger July 23, 2019

Local coffee roaster, Sightglass Coffee, recently redesigned their packaging. I worked with them to create some photos that would show off this new design.

Kala Eyewear

Peter Belanger July 11, 2019

Here’s some work I did for Bay Area made Kala Eyewear. It’s great working with a client that likes to try new things. I was inspired by the lenses of these glasses to create a pattern based off their shape and size. While I was creating the elements I realized that it was reminding me of the cover for the Pet Shop Boys album, Very. The process might look deceptively simple, but it was all built with cut paper and true shadows rather than digitally composited.

In the next photo I was looking to create an abstract face wearing a hat. I liked the contrast of textures with the clean, smooth, white circle. Both concepts add a little playful personality to the frame designs.

Donut Emoji

Peter Belanger January 7, 2019

Donuts are fun to eat and photograph. How I photograph them is always changing, unlike my favorite flavor...glazed.

One series I did involved carrying around 8 foot square photos of donuts mounted onto foam core. I’d place them in surprising locations and take photos of the giant donut posters in their new habitats. There was an appealing contrast of the gritty environments and the large clean colorful donut photos. I really enjoyed doing this but it’s not easy dragging that giant foam core around!

My latest idea is to shrink down the size of the print to fit in my bag. This allows me to be more spontaneous. I decided to make donut emojis for the prints. By placing these small images in new locations the donut emojis take on a anthropomorphic quality.

My donut series work can be seen on instagram @12happydonuts. Be sure to follow for some sweet fun!

https://www.instagram.com/12happydonuts/

Wired

Peter Belanger July 5, 2018

Wired magazine saw the paper cutout photographs I had done for a personal project and asked me to work with them on their June issue. Along with the team at Wired and stylist Grace Suh, we transformed the pages of the Gear Lab section of the magazine. It was a great opportunity to collaborate with a dedicated group of people willing to put the effort into the details. You can read the article online here.

Studio 54

Peter Belanger March 5, 2018

Kala Eyewear designs and hand makes glasses in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of their newest products is a frame inspired by Studio 54. The client needed an image to be used on a large vertical format poster at an upcoming trade show. The only stipulation they gave was to include a disco ball in the shot, which was used to make the patterns on the background. The glasses are positioned in a way to make then feel as if they are dancing the night away.

Geometric Fruit

Peter Belanger February 15, 2018

This recent project is a study of contrasts. The differences in the shapes, colors and texture create a tension and highlight the qualities of each element. Rather than turn to photoshop for the creation of the backgrounds, I cut the shapes out of paper. I wanted the lighting to be real and not a rendered approximation. The paper texture, edges, and spacing between layers are not too perfect, which makes the composition more intriguing. It was really satisfying to concept and then build the backgrounds…choosing the materials and colors and figuring out how to get the cuts the way I wanted.

Sayl Chair

Peter Belanger February 7, 2018

The Sayl chair by Herman Miller has simplified and advanced the desk chair in so many ways. I worked with the chair designers to photograph a new feature of the chair: a fabric back cover. This provides an added level of customization for the user. The goal of this project was to show how the fabric worked with the chair and showcase the color options.

The beauty of the design is that the fabric doesn’t hide the structure’s frameless suspension system. The loose weave of the fabric allows the chair’s back to show through. This quality was something we wanted to capture in the still photos. The stop motion piece allows the viewer to see the chair's shape from all sides as well as demonstrating how many colors combinations there are.

Color

Peter Belanger January 24, 2018

How light reacts to something isn’t always predictable, especially with colored lights. Matte, shiny, and reflective areas all react differently to the incoming color light. The golf clubs I shot recently had all of these types of surfaces in a very small area. I need to think about the finishes as I’m lighting. Finding the right balance between the colored light and neutral light is also important. Using a similar color on the background helped create the feeling that the subject and background are connected and exist in the same space.

Computer History Museum

Peter Belanger January 17, 2018

I was contacted by the Computer History Museum in Mountain View to use a photograph of mine in one of their exhibits. The subject of the show is the iPhone — it's history and impact on the world. It's a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the release of the iPhone.

At the initial release I was photographing the event and caught this shot of Steve Jobs gazing into the treasure-like case that held the first generation of the iPhone.

The museum features the photo in a display that is in their lobby. It was great to see how they curated the exhibit. I can't believe it's been 10 years!

Kala Eyewear

Peter Belanger December 1, 2017

It is amazing how something as simple as a pair of glasses can completely change your look, whether you wear them everyday or just when the sun is out. I wear glasses by necessity and really appreciate a well-crafted pair. That is one reason I love Kala Eyewear. Their glasses are made by hand here in the Bay Area which is another reason. I got the chance to photograph two styles: Twiggy and Mick. Each pair is a piece of art with the potential to transform individuals. I wanted to showcase them as such so I built simple risers to create a graphic scene which would highlight the design and quality details. See their whole collection here: kalaeyewear.com

Hot Fruit

Peter Belanger November 30, 2017

I teamed up with Amanda Hughes-Watkins and some of her colleagues from Hot Fruit to produce some imagery for their website. Hot Fruit is a series of events that connect women professionals with other like minded "Fruits" in a variety of fields. They had a great vision for the look and content of the photos and I was happy to help harvest the imagery. The direction was unique with exotic fruits, sweet wines, shapely greenery, and a delicious color palette. I think the images we created are rich and painterly. It was a fun shoot and great to collaborate with this bunch. Go to www.hotfruit.us.

Millie Lottie

Peter Belanger November 28, 2017

Millie Lottie has taken totes to the next level. Jan Hammock, the owner of Millie Lottie, wanted to show that these bags were more than just a stylish tote bag and that they had clever features to make transporting foods much easier.

I worked with Jan to create simple sketches in a storyboard format showing the different camera angles I would use and what action would be taking place in each shot. I had to think about what the finished video would show and how it would piece together in editing. I needed to highlight the individual parts of the interior of the bag and how it simplifies bringing food to a pot luck or picnic.

KALW Rock Stars

Peter Belanger November 3, 2017

I have a good friend who works at KALW (San Francisco’s public radio). I've helped him out with some photography in the past. When I was cruising the KALW website I noticed that the team could use some new portraits for their profiles. I approached them about volunteering my photo services for a day to update their head shots. The response was positive and I had many active participants who let me photograph them. I wasn't sure where I would be shooting or how much space I would have to work with so I kept my set up simple as possible. Even so, we had to temporarily take over some desk space to fit the setup. Thankfully everyone was very nice and willing to accommodate us for the day.

It was a fun day of meeting radio personalities and contributing to a local station. I was able to match a face with the voice of the radio hosts and meet all the people that work so hard to produce great radio shows about what’s happening in the Bay Area. They make it all seam so easy, but now I have a better idea of how much work goes into every show.

9th and Larkin

Peter Belanger October 30, 2017

I worked with local chocolate maker 9th and Larkin on some photos. They make bean-to-bar chocolate by hand right across the hall from my studio. This style of chocolate making allows for the unique, region-specific flavors to come out in the chocolate. There are two ingredients to these single origin bars: cacao and sugar. The flavors are dictated mostly by the environment where the cacao plants grow and the differences are quite noticeable even for an untrained chocolate fan like myself. I tried to illustrate the story of how this process takes place, from the cacao pods, to the beans, to the nibs, and finally the finished dark chocolate. It was fascinating to learn the details of this hand crafted treat and taste the range of flavors. Check out 9th and Larkin here.

The Runwell Turntable

Peter Belanger October 23, 2017

The Runwell Turntable from Shinola is a fantastic object to photograph. The first photo shows how well it looks in a room, no need to hide it in a cabinet. It’s beautifully crafted and has all the elements that make lighting fun: smooth metallic surfaces, wood texture, soft leather, etc. The design of the product allows for some fun abstraction as well. Photographing close up on the Runwell shows off the craftsmanship and simplicity of the design. This allows the viewer to focus on and appreciate each of the Runwell’s distinctive attributes.

Organic vs. Graphic

Peter Belanger September 25, 2017

Recently I found a local maker who crafts very unique handbags. By local I mean 2 blocks from my studio. Future Glory has a minimalist style to their handbags so I used a minimalist approach to the photography. The corner where the surface and wall meet is illustrated almost exclusively by the shadow and how it changes angles. I used a hard light to create the shapes of the shadows that fall on the surface and crawl up the wall. One bag has very organic designs and the other a geometric grid pattern. The shadows mimic these designs with a leaf and a triangle. The images are also in opposition in that one has a shadow cast onto the bag. The other has a triangle of light beaming down onto the bag. The positive and negative space created with the light and shadow is opposite in the two images. You can learn more about Future Glory by clicking here.

Colored Shadows

Peter Belanger September 11, 2017

Styles and trends have a tendency to come back around over time. I've found myself attracted to an older lighting technique we used to use often in the 90s. Colored gels were used to fill in shadows and create colorful images.

My new work is a play on that technique but a touch refined. When a shadow is filled with color it becomes more of an element in the photo, making things more colorful and graphic.

More Bags

Peter Belanger September 7, 2017

I’m exploring more with dramatic lighting on products. This time I was working with more rugged bags and chose stronger lighting to accentuate them. The shadows are darker than I often do, which adds to the mood of the photos.

The above photo features the Spectre Backpack and other items made by Triple Aught Design.

www.tripleaughtdesign.com

The photo below features the Journeyman backpack and other items made by Filson.

www.filson.com