…even mine! I learnt a few different things in school; primary amongst them were:
1) How to tie a real bow tie - yep, I actually learnt this during a math lesson - the teacher brought in a whole bunch of bow ties and taught us how to tie them. You may be wondering how this could ever be useful - well…if you’re a little tipsy at a black-tie event there’s no better chat-up line than actually knowing how to tie up a bow tie.
2) The other lesson I learnt was that only your friends would tell you when you “stank”; your real friends, the useful ones. And this was a really useful life lesson.
I’ve long been told and believe very strongly that the best way to find success and to accomplish great things very quickly is to find mentors…ones that will tell you that your poop stinks AND how to freshen it up a little, or even make fresh, better poop, that isn’t poop at all. This proved invaluable as I made the shift from architectural designer to photographer, a career move that has been unbelievably enriching and challenging.
In architecture the first mentors I found were those seasoned industry veterans who could tell me the pitfalls and the trampolines and most importantly how to think completely differently - learning how to think is very useful. As I moved into photography I found many mentors in the ranks of local and national photographers who were willing to give me incredible advice on how to look. Learning how to look is pretty much essential in this line of work. They also told me how the industry worked and taught me how even though I was a small part of the industry it was essential that I protect that industry and play a roll in improving it. So who are my latest mentors? Luckily my mentors now include the people that work with me at the studio. Last week I had a really challenging conversation with my studio manager, Kate, who’s kinda awesome. We made an overview of all the work I’ve done and then chatted about the industry, clients and both the strengths and weaknesses of my work in it. It was one of those tricky conversations where it’s really important to be objective and have an opinion and it was a lot of fun and really bloody productive. You will definitely be seeing the product of this conversation very soon.
So, I would definitely recommend finding yourself a mentor and making sure you keep them very handy as you make decisions and develop your portfolio, your business, your brand and you.
Blog
A food blog dedicated to the Kansas City commercial photography studio - Alistair Tutton Photography
We Christened the New Studio with Pasta and AIPC
We got to break in the new studio in the Fall of 2009 by shooting some work for the American Italian Pasta Company. We believe in carbo-loading to prepare for hibernating during the winter months so this came at the perfect time.
We worked for a month and a half creating pasta dishes that would make your mouth water just looking at them. Thanks to Anne Fisher for making all the pasta dishes look so amazing. We worked with the client, who was off-site, to get an entire library of images approved to use in their product packaging, advertising and in-store promotions. We are excited about the final shots and we celebrated with a bowl of spaghetti. 
Credits:
Client - AIPC
Agency - Global Prairie
Creative Director - Asher Johnson
Art Director - Sarah Huerter
Food Stylist - Anne Fisher
Assistants - Ryan Yoakum, Nichole Evans, Layne Haley
VML - RANK
This is one of the many, many missing shoots that I’ll be getting on the blog soon. I got a chance a year ago to work with a fantastically creative crew from VML on an incredibly unique project for RANK - “Rapid Acceleration Neck Kink”. This was the result. Thanks Brad, Jessi and Sam.
Credits:
VML
Creative Director - Brad Hamilton
Copywriter - Jessi Withrow
Art Director - Sam Hendricks
Stylist - Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Lauren Lemons
Morningstar Communications - Staff Portraits
Thanks to a wonderful referral from Mike LaMonica I got to meet and capture the whole staff at Morningstar Communications and it was a ton of fun. They’re a really cool group of people and we had a wonderful time working with them.
Credits:
Morningstar Communications
LaMonica Design
Art Director: Clara Miller
Stylist: Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Ryan Yoakum
Morningstar Communications - Staff Portraits
Thanks to a wonderful referral from Mike LaMonica I got to meet and capture the whole staff at Morningstar Communications and it was a ton of fun. They’re a really cool group of people and we had a wonderful time working with them.
Credits:
Morningstar Communications
LaMonica Design
Art Director: Clara Miller
Stylist: Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Ryan Yoakum
AIA Personalities - Willoughby Design
Another sweet photo shoot for Willoughby Design and this one involved working with my good friends at AIA Kansas City. We had a superb day capturing Shirley Helzberg, Marc Kline and Kay Barnes; all in ONE DAY! Thanks to all those that made this miracle happen.
It’s a great concept, where these public figures talk about the relationship with their architect(s) and how the landmark buildings they’re pictured with happened because their architects are so darn cool. The campaign is already out and is receiving great acclaim.
Credits:
AIA Kansas City
Willoughby Design Group
Art Director: Zack Shubkagel
Stylist: Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Ryan Yoakum
AIA Personalities - Willoughby Design
Another sweet photo shoot for Willoughby Design and this one involved working with my good friends at AIA Kansas City. We had a superb day capturing Shirley Helzberg, Marc Kline and Kay Barnes; all in ONE DAY! Thanks to all those that made this miracle happen.
It’s a great concept, where these public figures talk about the relationship with their architect(s) and how the landmark buildings they’re pictured with happened because their architects are so darn cool. The campaign is already out and is receiving great acclaim.
Credits:
AIA Kansas City
Willoughby Design Group
Art Director: Zack Shubkagel
Stylist: Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Ryan Yoakum
