Photographing The Lost Sauna Co.

Lost Sauna Co. is a mobile sauna rental company based in North Lake Tahoe in California.

Towards the end of last October (2021), the owners of Lost Sauna Co, Tony and Trevor, invited me out to help them launch their new business. I had just gotten done with some commercial photography work for another company in Minnesota a few days prior. Feeling a little worked from the prior assignment, I had another cup of coffee and jumped on a plane.

Day one, they picked me up from the airport and we headed to the beach to link up with some friends and fire that bad boy up. The time of day couldn't have been better with the sun setting and we were able to get a few pretty stellar product and lifestyle photos.

Day two was a big one. We set out early for a sunrise photo shoot and Mother Nature blessed us with a REAL ONE. After we got everything setup, we came away with what is now the Website Header. A Timelapse with some real mood to it.

Hands down, our hero shot made that morning. I was feeling it, but tried to keep it cool and not tell anyone until we were back at the computer. We continued on for a couple more hours at that location getting a variety of photos that will be great marketing and advertising assets.

We packed up, took a skate break, grabbed lunch, and continued onto our next location. While waiting for our talent (the homies) to arrive, we grabbed a few other photos that will mix well with the content we're trying to create. Tony is a damn good craftsman and made a couple of additional logos out of wood that Trevor and I played around with.

Once our talent arrived, it was time show the size of the sauna and how comfortable that thing really is with a group of people or if you're just trying to have a time with your significant other.

All in all, we were able to come away with more content than we had planned for. The shot list originally created was finished and even expanded upon. We processed a good batch of images and put together about 7 Reels for instagram. Follow along @lostsaunaco on Instagram to see where it travels and to get in touch.

And if you make a trip to the Lake Tahoe area, do yourself a favor and book The Lost Sauna Co.

Inver Grove Brewing - BTS

We had the pleasure of working with Andy Campbell Design Studio in Minneapolis last fall and decided to take you on a look into part of the process from being on site to post production.

A look into the post-production workflow.

ACDC Studio transformed this what use to be chain restaurant into a modern industrial hang that people could enjoy both inside and out. With the addition of a brew room, outdoor patio, and unique materials; the vision came to life. We picked a particularly good time in MN to be able to capture the space with fall just getting into full swing.

Photographing commercial spaces can have some interesting work arounds. Especially restaurants. Having the space look alive without be intrusive, helping the viewer grasp a sense of workflow, etc.

The image to the left was a behind the scenes of one of the twilight images we were able to capture. Capturing a busy location and showing off how happening this place is. If you're wondering why the camera is on the ladder... The trees just under the "brewing" sign were completely blocked. So, we used the ladder to show the whole logo.

Below is our final image.

The interior posed some problems and was a little more tricky than expected. It had some bigger windows that let in a ton of light and a very dark interior design made up of navy blues, black, and dark-unique wood patterns. Given our time crunch for putting the images together on site, we had to take what we could get and shoot around high noon. Using a combination of artificial and natural light, we were able to show off details in the interior with out drowning the image with flash or having blown out windows.

Scroll to see a few images from the interior.

One of the most important things we had discussed for the exterior of Inver Grove Brewing was the addition of the outdoor patio and the lifestyle and community that it would bring. To bring this idea to life, we captured images at two different times of the day to show off the architecture and the lifestyle elements we were after. Working around the busiest time they were open allowed us to have a lively feeling but also proved to be difficult as to not impose on the guests.

A favorite image from the night.

The most time consuming part of post production was easily the front exterior. Here, we captured several images trying to highlight the extensive work that took place on behalf of ACDC Studio.

Starting with the morning glow, we shlepped picnic tables, umbrellas, parking cones, etc out of the way. Capturing the images we were looking for, we then put everything back where we found it so the employees coming into open wouldn't have to clean up the mess.

The images below highlight a before and after from the on site tripod location down to the removal of the signage on the building in post production.

Each exterior required similar post production to remove signage and clean up the image the way the client meant it to be.

The image to the left features a brand new addition to what once was a chain restaurant. It houses everything necessary for brewing and is complete with large windows on each side to provide necessary natural light for an inviting work environment.

The final image we are going to show below, highlights shapes and colors. With the direction it faces in relation to the sun, it creates a unique depth into highlights and shadows. One of my favorite image we captured. And finally, if you've made it this far thanks for reading. Feel free to share or drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts.