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24
Jan
2011
“So… did your mailers work?”
I’ve noticed a trend among the tip-top commercial photographers… minus a handful (Joey L, Nick Saglimbeni, Chase Jarvis, Zack Arias), most have a polished straight-laced persona that is unwavering no matter how big a gig they get, or what awards/feature they’re offered. Will I get jaded after I land my 50th job with Reebok or Atlantic Records? Hopefully I can tell you one day, but the answer to that will most certainly be HELL NO! Back to the question in the title, maybe this will answer the quizzing inquisitors; I’m featured in this months PDN magazine!!! (can you sense the excitement?!?) No, this doesn’t mean I instantly got 20 jobs the next day from the mailers, but YES I got a lot of replies from them, and that builds a solid bridge to future jobs.
As far as I’m concerned PDN is one of the most respected photography magazines in the states, so you could imagine how big my eyes got when I got an email from one of their editors. My little ‘ol mailer penetrated New York’s 6″ steel plated photography editors’ walls. After a morning chat on the phone, Jacqueline wrote a very flattering article. I can’t wait to put my upcoming 2011 work in my next planned mailer (and yes I already have it planned out!).
12
Jan
2011
Parody: New Comedy Central Logo
There are a few key channels I watch on cable; History Channel, Cartoon Network, Discovery, TLC (the freak show), Speed, and Comedy Central… So you could imagine the surprise I when I saw Comedy Central’s fresh new logo flashing across the screen. Sleek, stylish, simple, serious, satirical? All of the above.
I thought it looked very familiar to my logo, but not until I lined them up side by side that really got me flattered. I’m sure I don’t possess the only line-circle-line logo in the world, but the similarities are undeniable.
Am I wrong? I thought just the logo was similar, then I checked out their redesigned website:
Maybe I’m being too narcissistic, but I think the header looks extremely similar to my portfolio website as well. Their primary light blue swatch is also similar to my primary color. I’m thinking someone at thelab (the design firm) at least took a peek at my logo and implemented it somehow. If so, cheers! You have impeccable taste!.. and I’m expecting my check in the mail any day now! 
(ha, now that’s a joke worthy of late night stand-up).
** Update **
Josh Cox brought this to my attention, a logo he designed for his company Colossus of Clout:
When designing a minimalist logo, you will be hard pressed to create something 100% unique. But being in such a powerful position Josh has a good point:
“Imagine me sending Comedy Central a cease and desist letter and demanding they change the name of Jon Stewart’s show to the Colossus of Clout Power Hour, with just an old-ass quark file and a stack of unused business cards backing me up.”
6
Jan
2011
mini feature: Advanced Photoshop Magazine
After my first feature in Advanced Photoshop Magazine I was on cloud 9… is it possible to go any higher? Clint, welcome to cloud 9 and a half. I was asked by editor Adam Smith to submit a picture and a few words on how I use Photoshop to create effects and final edits at the end of my projects. Of course I responded right away. The top 40 tips are actually very useful to read, I highly recommend any Photoshop nerd to pick this issue up.
“Without the help of Photoshop, many of my images would simply be impossible to create. I take the most optimal exposure of the subject and background then combine them in order to achieve a hyperrealistic look. I primarily use the Pen tool to finely clip out objects – then combine the multiple images together for a final piece. In the end, I add universal texture, lighting effects and match the colours to tie everything together.”
And here is the image I chose to feature. Ashley Knights Jr. ripping up the 2nd street tunnel in downtown LA.
29
Dec
2010
Update + My new alter-ego: Davis Visuals
A LOT has changed for me in the past few months. First and foremost, I’ve moved from photo-mecca Los Angeles to my home state of South Carolina. Why? You can read here. Secondly, I’ve received a boatload of attention from my promotional mailer. More than I had ever dreamed. Photo idols Zack Arias, Chase Jarvis gave it a big thumbs up. aphotoeditor.com, petapixel.com, noplasticsleeves.com, Moo.com and PDN Magazine did a feature on the mailer as well. And most importantly I got some very solid job offers lined up for 2011! Thank you so much for the support!!!!
After making the switch from Art Director to full-time freelance photographer, I knew it was a matter of time before I started a lifestyle photography website. I love all types of photography, and I get asked all the time to do (relatively) simple shoots for family members, kids, portraits, weddings, etc. Considering Derrick Rose, floating desert girls, and blingtastic rap artists don’t really belong on the same portfolio as playful kids, families and newlyweds, I started a new website just for that. After countless hours of thinking of a name, designing a logo, making a twitter/facebook page, tweaking a blog, I finally launched www.davisvisuals.com. Most of the work featured is naturally lite, with a few excpetions. A very stark contrast to the massively lite and photoshopped work featured on my commercial portfolio clintdavis.net. Any day I’m behind the camera is a good day, and this is just another way to have more good days! Here’s a screenshot of the new website. Click and browse around and see if you like my softer, sweeter, more gentle alter ego 
