2008 Warrior Girls Swimsuit Calendar Unveiled

The 2008 Warrior Girls Swimsuit Calendar was unveiled last night at the Oakland Coliseum with thousands of fans watching the huge 20+ feet TV atop the court and plasma TV all over the entire coliseum. What was it playing?

Oh boy, this footage below played, over... and over... and over... again. Even a burly security guard walked to me to shook my hand like he knew me since I was a little boy. LOL. T'was quite an interesting... rather, exciting time.

The management team did an amazing job showcasing the calendar. The line to purchase a calendar, to be signed by the cheerleaders were.... extremely long. The poor celebrity girls must have signed hundreds of calendars in the first 30 mins alone. Hey, anything for the fans!

View the high resolution video (38 MB) of the shoot.

Video is copyright © 2007 Golden State Warriors. All Rights Reserved.

Embarrassed to say, this is the first NBA game that I've been to. It's quite an eye opener to breathe in the energy of the fans and learning the etiquette. The Warriors did amazing that night, defeating the Rockets 113-94, with Baron Davis taming Yao Ming utilizing skills over physique. GO WARRIORS!!!

Check out the imagery in my gallery. Hey, you may even find some hidden jewels, i.e. images that are not in the calendar, a la Photographer's Cut! ;-)

The 2008 Warrior Girl Swimsuit Calendar is now available!! Get yours today online at warriorsteamstore.com.

- Michael Soo

Lifestyle & Jewelry Photography

So, I got a bit bored of shooting straight product shots this week. Although they are pretty, nothing conveys the feeling of "if I buy that diamond ring, I'll look as gorgeous as the model in the poster" better than a lifestyle photography of model(s) wearing or using the product in an ad campaign.

This genre of commercial photography takes a lot of work and can cost a bit more. Think about it. Instead of only hiring just a product photographer and his/her assistant; you'll be paying a crew of talents that range from great model(s), a makeup artist, a hair stylist, photography assistants, coordinators, security guards, location rentals, equipment rentals, etc, a la Annie Leibovitz le grandeur style. And of course, don't forget about the knowledgeable photographer who needs to project manage this team of artistic and talented players in the studio or on location.

It's no wonder that only the large jewelry companies are the only ones that can afford the types of ad campaigns that slap enticing images into several pages of popular magazines. These larger scale expenses can chew into the profit margins of large corporations with a tight budget. For the smaller guys, these types of campaigns are near unreachable.

I don't think it needs to stay that way. Amazing lifestyle imagery with products can be achieved without breaking the bank.

So, how can we increase efficiency in a photoshoot? Here are some suggestions.

1. Substitute some of the less important roles with freelance models. Your photographer has probably worked with plenty that they think have high potential. Ask him/her for suggestions! Do note that, a risk involved is the ability of how the model to performs. Professional models are a bit more in-tuned with their poses, look and style that will match your creative needs.
2. How about getting a good photographer who has the know-how in lighting and can work his/her own lights without hiring 5-10 assistants that he/she can bark out orders to. Yes, of course, project size varies and there are times where a large crew is necessary. What I'm merely recommending is to increase productivity without creating waste or cutting corners.
3. A photographer who owns his/her lighting equipment means that he/she won't have to rent them and that can be a great cost savings too! Equipment rentals can run from hundreds to thousands of dollars!
4. Also, getting a good coordinator to manage the time is absolutely critical and can save you money overall. Bottlenecks in production can halt the entire process and increase cost!

On another note, last week was an amazing week. I am proud to say that my photographs (both comp cards and beauty shots) help propel two more fantastic models to get recognized and interviewed by huge international status agencies; i.e. Ford Models and Marla Dell. These are the agencies that supply models to ads and campaigns such as Elizabeth Arden, Cosmopolitan, Glamour magazines and Abercrombie catalogs.

Suffice to say, there are phenomenal opportunities that can open up to them and I'm truly happy to be a big part of this turning point of their lives and careers!

- Michael Soo

NBC 11 - Golden State Warrior Cheerleaders 2008 Swimsuit Calendar

We're featured in NBC 11 sports news last night; in the Golden State Warrior Girls 2008 Swimsuit Calendar photoshoot.

They spelt my name as Michael Su instead of Michael Soo. I fixed the video using Photoshop Extended. Amazingly, Photoshop now deals with video as well as stills! ;-)

View the video in NBC 11 site or View the high resolution video (17 MB).

The thing is, this's quite a bit more than just lighting. There are lots of behind-the-scenes that require great teamwork. We have a phenomenal team that made this photoshoot as smooth as silk. I want to take the opportunity to thank the 2nd photographer Paul Ferradas, photography assistants James Wilson, Ron Crain & Nancy Crain, the amazing makeup artists Janice Daoud and Karolin Sharin, hair stylists from Christopher Michaels, videographers, coordinator Alicia, the coach Susan, executives in WG, Kyle & Travis for making this all happen. Of course, the gorgeous cheerleaders themselves. ;) The final key famly to thank are Jamal, Ranna & family for letting us use their phenomenal residence in Los Gatos. I apologize if I missed out anyone. THANK YOU!!!

After the official unveiling of the 2008 Swimsuit Calendar (which is slated to happen in a few weeks), the images will appear in my portfolio, blog and eMagazine.

Michael Soo
The Official Photographer for the NBA Golden State Warriors Cheerleaders

The whole is more than the sum of its parts

Many a times, we use a single image to sell a product or to show beauty. For whatever purpose that image portrays, it needs to convey its story. That one image will also need to stand on its own unadulterated territory, emitting glory and charm to seduce its audience. However, like a fragile twig, that single image is an uninsurable agent that can't please the world.

In comes the collective. You have most definitely seen them. They are a collection of artifacts in a museum like the King Tut's tomb or an art gallery displaying the sum of the work from a single artist.

You certainly may or may not get Wow-ed by one of the pieces. However, the collection of coherently simple work can conglomerate to become a powerful set of art that ascend your mind to new heights.

The trick to successfully use a collection of images is actually to avoid the ultimate pitfall of treating each image as a single piece.

Am I confusing you? Think the classic example of a football team where the coach would kick a great player off the team due to his/her inability to work as part of the team. It's all about teamwork.

Suppose you have a series of 10 beautiful photographs you took in Yosemite. All eight of them looks fabulous in black & white while two, look resplendent in color. By submitting to the temptation of processing 8 into B&W and 2 into color, you have essentially destroyed the series or collection. Now, each piece will have to stand on their own.

Do note that the application of this knowledge isn't solely on art but on marketing, branding and even engineering (consistency and change management)!

- Michael Soo