A food blog dedicated to the Kansas City commercial photography studio - Alistair Tutton Photography
Kate, our lovely studio manager, promised her husband, Shaun, some beautiful portraits of their puppies as a present - and then we got the chance to take them. So welcome to Hunter and Gracie, Hunter is the Hunter looking one, while Gracie is the soft, fluffy lab. Definitely a pair of lovely pups.
Credits: Adam Caselman - Assistant
The oddest things can happen - I’m always certain to meet incredible people and see some of the most beautiful, creative offices around the country. But without a doubt my favorite was this year when visiting Campbell Mithun. Yep, this is a photo of me in a soundbooth, doing a voiceover for the agencies entries into “The One” show. I have to admit that while my silly accent has proven very entertaining over the years I’ve spent in America, this was the first time I actually had someone choose to record it for posterity - thanks go to Kat Dalager for a very entertaining time.
Credits:
Kat Dalager, Campbell Mithun
So I typically use the blog to show off the new images, so I wanted to try and post some stuff that’s a little less shoot based and a little more me based. I occasionally get asked “how did I end up here”, pretty much all the time - it’s the accent I think - and while it generally relates to me being in America and talking in a strange way, I think it could equally relate to my photography. So yeah, how did I end up here. I started off in a very different direction; I was going to be an architect, like my father, and wound up doing an exchange program to the University of Kansas - there’s a long story there - and then wound up designing retail interiors and exhibits all over the country - several long stories there. I loved it, it was a really cool job with some really exciting projects…and then I started photographing them.
That was that.
I just bought a camera from Best Buy, and twelve months later I was done, I chatted to some wonderful full-time professionals, who critiqued and advised and helped me adopt the best practices. I went to the library and read, I picked up the camera and practiced, I looked and looked, at my work and other people’s work and then just walked out.
So why?
I love the camera, I love the physical nature of capturing that fragment of time, that moment, I love the technique, the multiplicity of options to solve almost any visual option. I love the incredible range of styles.
That’s why I do it.
So I take a lot of photos, a lot of photos, and sometimes I get asked what my favorite image was. Last year I finally had time to go home at Christmas and see my family for the first time in four years…yep, it sounds soppy but my favorite image was this outtake that really took things full-circle for me. There are some images I want to frame, some I want to frame and have in the house, but I don’t have many images that make me this happy.
Credits:
Mum and Dad
Part two of our mailer campaign recently went out and again, thanks for the ongoing feedback. On this one we opted for a postcard mailer so we could show off the artwork a little larger. This time we opted to use the rub as a hair tonic with my good friend (and fellow photographer) Phil Peterson stepping in to model for us. Also, that’s Kate’s hands are doing the rubbing. On the food - Trina prepped a beautiful tied pork roast and this was one of those occasions where we got to eat the props - we finished shooting this one just before lunch and without any obscure adulteration to the food Trina finished it off and we just sat down to reflect on a great shoot. Thanks to Sarah Thompson Lift who styled the head rub shot and made sure Phil left with his eyesight in tact - safety first.
Part three is coming up next. I hope you are enjoying the images.
Credits:
Food Stylist - Trina Kahl
Stylist - Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Adam Caselman
So it’s been a while since we last did a physical mailer, so we knew we had to come up with something that would stand out, amuse people and show off some really nice images. We were coming into Spring and Valentines Day was just around the corner, so we figured we’d make it a gift, with a twist. Kate, our resident genius, came up with the double entendre of a meat rub - so we could show some portraiture and some food imagery with a twist - in this case we went for “Give your meat a little rub…THIS MEAT” as the copy and went with a good old fashioned Kansas City strip for the meat. Thanks as always to Trina Kahl and Sarah Thompson for their fabulous styling skills as well as Chris Galloway our perfect “find” from Kate’s morning workout at the gym. We heard some great feedback on the mailer and apparently there was a lot of use of the included BBQ rub. This is part one of a three part series - so get ready to see some more wonderful imagery soon.
Credits:
Food Stylist - Trina Kahl
Stylist - Sarah Thompson Lift
Assistant - Adam Caselman
SAN FRANCISCO: BEAUTIFUL SCENERY AND BEAUTIFUL OFFICES.
We’ve been working with BRR Architecture for several years now and it’s been wonderful watching them grow and some of my favorite shoots for them have been the satellite offices. Most recently, we got to visit San Francisco and photograph their incredible new downtown offices. I loved the interior with its beautiful open feel, and those old-school plan chests in the conference room are gorgeous.
Credits:
BRR Architecture
Assistant - Adam Caselman
So when it comes to summer I can think of few places I’d rather be than here. Another great chance to work with the wonderful Andrea Darr from KCH&G and photograph an absolutely stunning home.
Credits:
Kansas City Home and Gardens
“Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” - Author Unknown
Change is inevitable, it’s the only sure thing in life. Things are changing at Alistair Tutton Photography. We now have an on-staff retoucher/assistant in Andrew Hoxey and with my addition to the staff we now have a studio manager as well. We are growing and looking forward to all the future holds for us. New opportunities with current clients and opportunities with new clients.
Who am I you may be asking yourself? My name is Kate Crockett and I joined Alistair in mid-March as studio manager. I am very familiar with change and the opportunity it can bring. I am a navy brat who moved 11 times in 13 years and have enjoyed a variety of experiences in my over 15 year career in marketing. Change always brings some level of trepidation with it, like learning to work with new people, my least favorite - learning new computer programs or sometimes it’s just learning the names of your co-workers - granted here it’s learning the names of all four pups and yelling the right one at the right time to avoid incident. But change also brings with it excitement at the opportunities yet to be uncovered.
I look forward to the excitement of helping Alistair Tutton Photography expand it’s opportunities and I am thrilled to be working with such a great group of people. We are looking forward to launching an updated portfolio on our website so stay tuned for that very soon. In the meantime if you see me at any upcoming networking events please say hi and if you are in need of a puppy fix feel free to stop by the studio for some time with our furry friends.
