chicago Jun 2009

Jim Hanson Artist Agent Ltd. is a Chicago-based agency representing photographers and illustrators from around the world. The company searches continually for interesting creative collaborations and believes no project to be too small or too large.

Photographers: Jim Gallop, Glen Gyssler, Chris Litwin, Christian Vogt.

Illustrators: Booda, Ingo Fast, Rob Perry, Tara D, Harry Whitver.

Clientele includes Allstate, American Express, Audi, Blackberry, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Marlboro, McDonald's, Mini Cooper, Pfizer, Sprint, Visa and Wrigley.

Brian Wetzstein is a food and beverage photographer who specialises in both advertising and editorial assignments. He has shot food and product images for companies including McDonald's, Quaker, Bunn, Pil and Weeks Publishing. By varying the focus of each shot, he is able to create beautifully styled and imaginative work.

Brian operates his own studio in Chicago's South Loop and surrounds himself with the best assistants, stylists and designers. The fully equipped studio can accommodate all his clients' needs. It includes a new kitchen, an endless amount of props, a pool table, WiFi, a TV and conference room.

The most frequently heard comment about his work? "It makes me hungry!"

Brian is represented by Katie Swanson.

Chicago-based Glen Gyssler is a nationally recognised photographer. His early reputation was built on conceptual studio imagery that led to a more crisp, illustrative style. His final images are often manipulated and enhanced in the post-digital work he creates.

Glen's recent work has expanded to include people, a welcome diversification he sees as a way of extending his range and style.

He currently produces a wide variety of work, from annual reports to advertising campaigns. His many clients include Allstate, Budweiser, Firestone, Gatorade, Microsoft, Office Max, Olay, Philip Morris, Sprint, Visa and Wrigley.

Visit the website to view more of Glen's portfolio.

Glen is represented by Jim Hanson.

Jerry Swanson has over 25 years of experience working with architects, interior designers and marketing professionals from coast to coast. He understands how to combine vision, lighting and experience to capture the uniqueness of a project, delivering stunning images that define elegance and simplicity.

He has been published in Architecture Minnesota, O Magazine, Elle Décor, American Bar Association, Health Care Design and AIA Colorado. His national and international clients benefit from the experience, creativity, and dedication he brings to every project.

Tauras Bublys Photography is a fully equipped 3,200 sq. ft. photo studio located in Chicago's South Loop with daylight capabilities and a gorgeous lake view.

Tauras brings his passion and years of experience, ensuring quality and dedication in every project. His love of shooting still life, be it food or product, shows in every shot he takes.

His work is creative while remaining true to the product. Advertising agencies, marketing firms, magazines, retail and catalogue companies have all hired Tauras time and again with complete satisfaction.

He maintains studios in both Chicago and Vilnius, Lithuania.

Client list includes: Sears, Kohl's, Parisian, Godiva, Spiegel, Chicago Social Magazine.

Chicago-based commercial photographer Steven Vail has expanded his love of photography to include food. Having always considered the kitchen the soul of every household, Steven takes his love for cooking and combines it with his passion for photography. Taking almost a decade of experience in Chicago’s catalogue and commercial arena and combining it with his love of food creates a recipe for only one thing: delicious photography.  

Clients include GSP Marketing, Centerpoint Graphics, McDonald's, Otto, LTD Commodities, Naturalizer, Goody's, Sears Tools, DMSI, and One Step Ahead, to name but a few.

Husband and wife team, John and Andree McArthur, have been working together for over ten years and "wouldn't have it any other way." While John is behind the camera, Andree concentrates more on direction and styling, but also shoots depending on the assignment. Collectively, they mix high energy and tag-team humour, creating a comfort level that is reflected on the faces of their subjects as well as on the faces of their clients.

Clients include Kellogg's, Dupont, McDonald's, Lands End, Sprint, Procter & Gamble, Mattel, Arista/BMG Entertainment, Target, Kraft, Milk, People Magazine, and Chicago Tribune Magazine.

Stephen Moskop is a Chicago-based lifestyle and lingerie photographer. He has shot numerous ads and campaigns for various agencies and retail clients, including Ogilvy Mather, The Food Group, Marketing Support, Spiegel, SC Johnson, Playboy Enterprises, The Monogram Group, 3Vodka, Wilton Industries, Manifest Digital, Pactiv, Jockey International, Bally's Total Fitness, and Unilever-Suave.

Visit his website for more information.

Steve Ewert has been photographing people in Chicago for decades, and his work speaks for itself.

He has shot all over the world but is based out of his fabulous 4,000 sq. ft. studio in Chicago's West Loop.

His clients have included McDonald's, Huron Consulting Group, Orbitz, Abelson Taylor and Arc Worldwide.

The last few months have seen Melanie Trombley in production for catalogue and advertising shoots, estimating, casting jobs, and relaunching her website to include links to global location scouting. Though primarily based in Chicago, she has lived in New Zealand, Germany and Spain. Her passion for worldwide travel and her keen 'producer's eye' have lent themselves to building a phenomenal catalogue of locations.

Melanie has comprehensive knowledge that can ease any location or studio shoot. Coupled with her production company, she offers a complete package of services for photographers around the world. Billing, estimates, travel arrangements, pre and post production services and booking crews are all essential things she excels at.

Recent clients have included The Great Indoors, Sears Wish Book, LG, and Nostalgia.

Christopher Rejano began an infatuation with imagery when given his first 35mm camera at age 13. After studying design, photography and fiction writing at Wayne State University in Detroit, he transferred to Columbia College Chicago for film. Here he was chosen to mentor under cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, ASC on the MGM film 'Return to Me'.

With nearly fifteen feature film gaffer credits to his name, Rejano has aimed his sights on cinematography. His first feature film, 'Boricua', directed by Marisol Torres, was featured at the Tribeca and the Chicago international film festivals, receiving much praise. Currently, Rejano is involved with a television pilot called 'Dragons', shoots music videos and commercials, and is in pre-production for a 'Straight-Edge-Hardcore-Punk' musical.  

Christopher Rejano is a member of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 and Studio Mechanics Local 476.

Southern Love Productions features a Chicago-based AVID video editor and field sound engineer, Travis Marriott. He has produced his own independent documentary productions and works as an editor-for-hire.

Having an English accent and David Attenborough as his hero didn't make the five-year-old Travis too popular on the playground in Texas. Regardless, he has maintained his love for documentaries for over thirty years.

Travis' experience ranges from professional to guerrilla documentary, short and feature productions across Texas, New Mexico, Utah, The Blue Ridge Mountains, Oklahoma, Finland, Sweden, Wales, Northern Mexico and most recently Angola. Awards and recognition include:

• 2009 Hermes Award and three Telly Awards.
• 2008 two Telly Awards and two Aurora Awards.
• 2001 Austin Film Society's Texas Filmmaker Production Fund for 'Crime Pays'.
• 2000 Plano, Texas airs on Dallas/Ft. Worth PBS.

Travis has a BS in Radio-Television-Film production and a BA in History from the University of Texas at Austin, and recently completed his MA in International Journalism at Cardiff University in the UK.

Planet Earth Agency provides 'real people' talent to commercial photographers and advertising agencies. New talent is captured by some of the most accomplished shooters in the industry, and together with the agency they select new faces for the Planet Earth website.

Contact Planet Earth to discuss the company's reasonable rates and to view a dependable directory of talent.

Studio Rental Chicago is Chicago's premiere photography rental studio. Located in the South Loop of downtown Chicago on celebrated South Michigan Avenue, the facility is close to the highway, Lake Michigan, the riverfront, Magnificent Mile, rail lines, taxis and an array of hotels and restaurants. On the third floor of a historic landmark building, its gated parking lot is just a block away.

Studio Rental Chicago has two distinct studios, with freight/commuter elevator, 16' ceilings, white concrete floors and natural light. Southern, eastern and western exposures ensure the studios are bathed in light from sunrise to sunset, though both studios have black-out curtain rail systems to convert them into a studio lighting environment - perfect for fashion, product or food photography.

Both studios have full kitchens and bathrooms, and are equipped with wireless Internet, fax, copy machines, and Epson printers. The studios provide make-up and styling stations, steamers, rolling wardrobe racks and rolling dressing rooms.

Situated in Chicago's Loop near the business and theatre districts, Kimpton's Hotel Allegro offers Production Paradise members a discount of 25% on the public rates until March 31st, 2010.

From the red carpet reception at check-in to nightly wine hour in the hotel's stylish living room, the recently renovated Allegro delivers star treatment with amenities including wireless internet, HD flat-screen TVs, sumptuous beds and linens, in-room spa services, and a 24-hour fitness centre. The historic hotel features 483 guest rooms that blend modern design with the Allegro's storied past as one of Chicago's grand old hotels.

Dining options abound with two restaurants on-site: 312 Chicago, offering contemporary Italian cuisine, and Encore Liquid Lounge, known for its casual fresh fare and extraordinary Martinis.

The Hotel Allegro can accommodate nearly any business meeting requirement, with 12 rooms offering 14,000 square feet of event space.