Andrea Johnson Photography

 

Aug 21, 2017 Eclipse video at Cristom Vineyards

“Dance beneath the stars, as you drink in the night…feel the force of nature penetrate your skin, spin with the world as the magic sinks in” Christy Anne Martine.

I’m still feeling the emotions from experiencing the total eclipse on Aug 21, 2017. Words can’t express the energy of the totality, the awe of the diamond ring and solar flares, the surreal glowing of a 360 degree sunset view of Mt. Hood and the vineyards during the 94 seconds of totality. But fortunately we we were able to capture several perspectives with 7 video and photo cameras – telephoto lense close up detail of the stages of the eclipse, wide angle views of the of the crowd & vineyard, and drone views of our group of 100 people hiking from Bethel heights winery past Temperance Hill Vineyard to Cristom’s highest elevation planting, Eileen vineyard. Here, on top of the Eola Hills, we drank wine, ate oysters, and shared a once in a lifetime experience with unobstructed views over the Willamette Valley.

Diamond ring in all it’s glory just before eclipse totality at Cristom Winery, Eola Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Eclipse day began with a hike from Bethel Heights winery through Temperance Hill Vineyard.

Eclipse viewing event at Cristom’s highest-elevation planting, the Eileen Vineyard with an unobstructed view of the Willamette Valley.

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Wild about Game fowl dishes for Oregon Wine Press

While I typically focus more on capturing the process of growing and sourcing food on farms, I do love the energy and imagination of working with chefs.  This assignment was especially rewarding, collaborating with three of Oregon’s top chefs to capture three brand new dishes of wild fowl paired with Oregon wine.  A few sneak peak photos, stay tuned for the full story in Oregon Wine Press Sept 2017 cover and feature story….

 

Pheasant dish by chef Sunny Jim, Jory Restaurant, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Chef Sunny Jin preparing pheasant dish, Jory Restaurant

Chef Sunny Jin’s pheasant dish, Jory Restaurant

Sunny Jin searing Involtini (small bites of food consisting of some sort of outer layer wrapped around a filling) in a cast iron pan

[Read more…]

Tips to optimize Video b-roll libraries

One of the key lessons I’ve learned in video is that you can never have too much video b-roll to use for projects. Over the past fifteen years I’ve created over 100 photo libraries for wineries, agricultural companies & tourism associations where my background as a photojournalist has helped me craft impactful stories through imagery. More planning is needed to create video b-roll libraries, but the same principles apply – timeless, sense of place, storytelling video clips with compelling visuals to captivate the viewers attention.

When carefully planned, video and photography can be captured on the same shoot; this is especially relevant for events like harvest, spectacular sunsets or sunrises, and lifestyle shoots involving many models and styling where it would be cost prohibitive or impossible to reproduce the same scene on different days. Several cameras can be set up to capture the action from multiple angles, including time-lapse, drone aerials, adding camera motion with a slider or jib, etc, and ideally two shooters work in close tandem with similar aesthetics for each scene.

Here’s a few examples of short video clips that have been used in social media and archive b-roll for larger video stories. Creating effective video b-roll clips is a similar strategy as creating effective photo libraries, which I’ve detailed on a previous blog post linked here –

http://blog.andreajohnsonphotography.com/the-art-of-creating-effective-wine-image-libraries/

Highlights from Travel Oregon  story & Willamette Valley Wine Region of the Year videos

Herding Longhorn cattle at Willakenzie Estate Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Saffron Fields Vineyard Fireworks 

Rosé swirl

To view the full videos, please visit my video productions company website: http://lumariaproductions.com/portfolio/

Aerial photography Tips for drone, helicopter & airplane shoots

I’ve always loved heights. I’ve progressed from a kid climbing trees and the roof of my house, to my first trip as a teenager parasailing, to skydiving, paragliding, to hundreds of photography shoots from helicopters and small craft airplanes. There’s nothing to compare with the thrill of experiencing a birds eye perspective.

Recently I’ve added a drone to my kit, though I must admit I was hesitant at first. I’d worked with a phenomenal team of aerial cinematographers, Dane Henry and Sean Haverstock for our Washington State Wine videos: http://lumariaproductions.com/work/wa-wine-consumer/. And I’d seen firsthand the expertise to operate high end octocopter drones with movi image stabilizer kits capable of carrying DSLR cameras and a two person drone/ camera operator team. As much as I’d love for my clients to have the budgets of projects like this Red Bull rock climbing project in Lebanaon, that is not the reality for most boutique wine clients. https://www.danehenrydigital.com/blog/2017/1/25/t7swubm1394hwfgylgb0s60ticmgpo

Then in 2016 with the release of the latest DJI phantom 4 drone, I was convinced on the DJI’s quality and ease of use for video. While I’d primarily purchased the drone for video aerial work, I was pleasantly surprised by it’s capability for still photography.

I’m often asked by clients how to best capture aerials of their properties, and to compare the pros and cons of drones vs helicoters vs airplanes. So here’s examples of my work, and my thoughts on each type of aerial photography.

Drone Photography examples:

Drone shot over pinot noir grapes being harvested at Cristom vineyards

Drone shot over pinot noir grapes being harvested at Cristom vineyards

Drones excel in close proximity, and shorter duration aerial photography. I’ve done helicopter photoshoots over many vineyards and sadly seen the workers literally run or hide from the helicopter in fear of INS immigration raids. Not to mention the noise and dust even from a small helicopter at 20 feet above the ground is quite distracting for the subjects. Though I have successfully captured several large group photos at groundbreaking wine events, I can’t imagine flying over a winemaker dinner at close proximity without major disruption!

Drone shot over Brooks Vineyard

Drone shot over Brooks Vineyard

In addition, when I need to capture both aerial and ground perspectives for time sensitive activities such as harvest, I’m able to cover both in quick proximity and with less budget than landing a helicopter and paying for standby time. My drone was also helpful on a recent snow day in Oregon, where I wasn’t sure if the vineyard was completely covered in white and I also needed to quickly capture ground views before the snow melted.

Drone shot over Montinore wine harvest

Drone shot over Montinore wine harvest

[Read more…]

Wine Spectator Oregon Story 2017

I always love photographing the Oregon story for Wine Spectator – hard to believe it’s been over a decade I’ve been photographing these features, and how much the Oregon wine industry has succeeded and grown!

Here’s tearsheets from the hot off the press March 31, 2017 issue:

Stoller Family Estate, Wine Spectator, Oregon Wine, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

Stoller Family Estate – Opening Spread of Wine Spectator Magazine’s Oregon Wine Feature story, March 31, 2017

Bergstrom Winery & Eminent Domaine ,wine, Wine Spectator, Oregon Wine, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

Bergstrom Winery & Eminent Domaine – Page 3-4

Willakenzie Estate & Lingua Franca -page 5-6 of Wine Spectator Magazine's Oregon Wine Feature story, March 31, 2017

Willakenzie Estate & Lingua Franca -page 5-6

BJÖRNSON & Walter Scott Wines , wine, Wine Spectator, Oregon Wine, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

BJÖRNSON & Walter Scott Wines – Page 7-8