Before I was a part of CurrentMarketing’s social media team, I was a photojournalist. As a photographer you think of photojournalism as changing the world one well composed frame at a time. I’ve been a part of some great storytelling, but as a freelancer it seemed more often than not I was standing at a ribbon-cutting with 20 other people, 15 of which were holding the ribbon and the other five were holding news cameras or microphones. I was ready for a change and a new challenge, and I certainly got that by joining CurrentMarketing’s team.

I had no agency experience, or any clue as to what I could expect at CurrentMarketing (besides dogs, lots of dogs). The biggest question was would I find advertising rewarding? It took me all of a week to figure out I loved working at CurrentMarketing – maybe even just a few days. Much of my time spent here has been learning the business as we go, and as my understanding of advertising grows, so does my passion for it.

Last year, we handled a campaign for one of our clients, Texas Steakhouse and Saloon, that I am very proud of and found incredibly rewarding. During the entire month of November we collected letters for US troops and the response was overwhelming. Hundreds of heart-felt letters began pouring into our office the following week. We received over two thousand total.

Part of our job was to review the letters. People of all ages sent us letters, from former servicemen and women who have been retired for decades to children who were barely old enough to write. The messages were always positive, and some tugged heavy on the heart strings.

“Come home soon, daddy,” was one that stuck out to me. The child signed their name and age – he was only five years old.

A retired naval officer prayed they have strength through the holidays, because he knew they were the toughest times when he was deployed years ago.

Some of the restaurant servers took time out of their busy schedule to say how much it means to them that the troops sacrifice so much.

Working on this project was a pleasure. Unlike turning in a photo from a crappy assignment and wondering whether or not anyone will even notice it, I know these letters will be appreciated. Service men and women will hold these letters and get to read these positive messages, and they will be thankful for them.

I’m thankful I work at a place that’s able to make things like this happen. I’ve loved every minute of working at CurrentMarketing, from the office dogs to our daily Jolt meeting. I feel like I’m building a rewarding (there’s that word again) career for myself, and I look forward to coming up with more projects like this for all of our clients and new challenges for myself.

For me, it’s something I really enjoy doing. I’ve always loved art, graphics, words (gray matter), ads, photos, films, etc. One of my college art teachers thought he was criticizing me when he said that everything I created looked like it belonged in an advertisement. Ha! He never really understood why my ultimate goal was to be a Creative Director, because his thing was “fine art.”

In pondering this question I’ve thought a lot about the folks in our world who do the same thing, day in and day out. The people inside “plants” who have a specific task and are often timed and rated according to the repetition and quality of their work. I’m thankful for these workers because simple things like the chair I sit in wouldn’t be easily available, or nearly as comfortable, if I had to create my own. The car I drive would be WAY too expensive, as the streamlined process of a car manufacturing plant has made it possible for most folks to own some kind of vehicle.

I have often wondered how these people stay engaged and happy in their daily work? Is it that they know what needs to be done and don’t have many unexpected challenges to deal with? That they can leave work at work and not take it home with them? I’d suppose it’s the relationships they form that aid in their happiness rating. And, the challenge of finding a better way to get the “thing-a-ma-jig” completed. Plus, the comfort of knowing exactly what you’ll be doing each day.

In our world at CurrentMarketing, it’s quite the opposite. We have new challenges every day with new technology, new products and services to market, and new “vehicles” for getting the message to our target audiences. It’s a full-time job just staying on top of Facebook and their constant need to re-invent the user experience. New typefaces, new photo/video techniques, new twists on familiar phrases…all keep our jobs fun and exciting. And, it’s so competitive too. The thrill of a client sharing the amazing results they’ve experienced has always been one of the greatest rewards for me. That, and knowing the “sky is the limit” when it comes to having ideas; and, the fun we have in generating/implementing them.

Ultimately, I believe we work to serve each other, no matter what you do for a living. And so we should serve each other with honesty and integrity, and the joy that we want from others when they serve us. “Give more than we take.” Leave “it” better than we found it. I think being “service-oriented” is right there with being the best at what your company does. Of course you want to have the best product, or in our case, the best ideas. And then our level of service should be equally as important. (For both our external and internal clients.) It seems simple enough: do what you say you will do – when you said you would do it – and with a great attitude. Wouldn’t the world be a lot better if we all made the act of serving joyful! Heck, it might not feel like “work” any longer.

Like many years, 2011 was a mixed bag for us at CurrentMarketing.  Without any doubt, all of our “ups” far outnumbered our “downs.” But no matter how many “ups” we celebrated this year, they could never offset the cumulative weight of our “downs,” due to one devastating tragedy.

We kicked off the year in great form. Katy Miller, in her new capacity as Account Supervisor, landed a large multi-unit dental practice.  Along with several other great gets through the year, Katy closed 2011 preparing a client to to roll out a new product with a big-box retailer.  (I’m sure details on the product and the retailers will follow as soon as it’s announced publicly.)

Led primarily by Katy’s efforts, we added a total of 18 new clients in 2011 and increased our overall billings by more than 20% (final numbers won’t be in for a couple of weeks).

In order to provide great work to those clients, we had a total of 18 new hires throughout the year.  That’s more than 2009 & 2010 combined. With seven people leaving our ranks in 2011, that left us with a net growth of 11 people.

Today 40 of us enjoy the CurrentMarketing culture that still includes occasional company lunches, Partner Days in the summer and the Birthday Wheel ‘O Fun at least 40 times.  And the experimental “let’s close up for the holidays this year,” gave us all a week off between Christmas and New Years. Free coffee, sodas and a no-prima-donnas-allowed environment top-off the reasons this is a wonderful place to work. Thanks, Lisa, for creating such a culture!

In 2011, we began using Studio NuLu, our next-door neighbor, for photo and video shoots.  The commercial grade kitchen is a unique advantage for NuLu since there’s not another food-shoot-equipped studio within 100 miles.  From steaks and Tex-Mex food to wine, whiskey and Bourbon to fitness and wellness….oh yeah, and lots of people, too…NuLu proved to be a great resource for us and our clients.  It also served as a terrific venue for our annual Halloween Party!

We expanded our Geek Suite to five people in 2011 and our video/motion graphics team from one to three. This included the first-ever returning employee, Luke Hattemer, who quit CurrentMarketing a few years back to attend film school in Chicago.  He left us as a production artist and returns as a highly-capable 3D animator…incredible capabilities for CurrentMarketing to offer new and existing clients heading into 2012.

However, reflecting on the past year, none of us can help but come back the mid-year tragedy which I mentioned in the opening lines of the entry. On the June 26, a drunk driver took the life of young Ben Koier, son of our COO Lisa Schardein and stepson of our CEO Rick Schardein. It was a tragedy that will follow most of us far beyond 2011 and some of us for the rest of our lives.

As Lisa and Rick continue coming to grips with their “new normal,” so does everyone else at CurrentMarketing.  In their absences through the last two quarters, a new generation of leadership emerged here.  Steeped in The CurrentMarketing Way and tempered with an occasional WWRD or WWLD, the younger managers kept the ship not only afloat but steered toward the ever-changing horizon…the evolving vision of what our client need to compete.

So, bring it on 2012.  There’s nobody more ready for you than CurrentMarketing.

This is the third in a 3-part series on what to get for the advertising professional who has everything. Today: The Geek.

Around our office, the term “geek” isn’t the insult it is in most places. At Current, the Geeks are the fine folks who make our websites and smartphone apps sing and dance. Without them, our pretty photoshop files just kind of lay there. What they do is an absolute mystery to me and they make me look good at every turn, so if you are like me, you want to keep them happy. So here are a few gift ideas for the geek in your life.

1) Geek Work Shirt
The fine folks over at ThinkGeek.com have a site full of “stuff for Smart Masses,” but this one really caught my eye. Sadly, I don’t have the tech cred (or the hipster swagger) to pull off an ironic work shirt, but I would totally wear this if I could.

2) Coding Books
The internet is a constantly evolving thing and the coding behind the curtain is always changing too. Now I’m not going to pretend that I know anything about programming, but I’m told this is where you start if you want to learn to write Perl script.

3) Matias Folding Keyboard
I’m actually kind of coveting this one. A folding FULL keyboard for your Mac. The ultimate in portability for the Geek on the go.

4) Keurig Single Cup Brewing System
Most of our geeks (and most I’ve met) run on caffeine and code. And the last thing we want is for them to be up wandering around when they have crazy deadlines they need to be meeting. So this single cup coffeemaker will keep them at their desks and hopped up on C₈H₁₀N₄O_2.

5) Make Your Own Zombie Kit
Our Head Geek-in-Charge, The Bouv, loves Zombies. It’s his thing. And if your geek is anything like him, this make your own Zombie action figure kit might be just the thing to make sure your internet stays on and your code keeps flowing.

This is the first in a 3-part series on what to get for the advertising professional who has everything. Today: The Designer.

Designers can be tough to buy for. Most of them are high-strung and temperamental and they tend to lash out when provoked. And since they don’t usually wear ties to the office, that old standby is out. So maybe try one of these suggestions this year.

1) Pantone Swag
Pantone, the color matching system, is ubiquitous in the design world. It’s how a designer let a printer know exactly what color they want to see on a printed page. And along with numerous color match books that designers use to spec colors, they also sell a line of accessories that let a designer show off their “street cred” with coffee mugs, iPhone cases, and my favorite, cufflinks. Very cool gift.

2) A Whack on the Side of the Head
No, I don’t mean you get to take a shot at that designer that keeps giving you static about making the logo bigger. I’m talking about the book by Roger von Oech.  It’s one of my all-time favorite books on creative thinking and it has tons of tips on how to train yourself to think outside of the box.

3) Cintiq 24HD
How much do you love your designer? Do you love them $2500 worth? Because if you do, they Cintiq 24HD is kind of gift that makes sure your projects rush to the top of their task list every day. It combines the best of Wacom tablet technology and a 24″ HD display so you can draw directly on the screen. I’m an old-school mouse kind of guy, but I’d love to take one of these for a spin.

4) Designer’s Guide to Color
Most designer start a collection of design inspiration books when they get their first job. Books of logos. Books of business cards. Books of web sites. They can be great sources of inspiration and are fun to read, but I rarely pick them up anymore. Not a lot of repeated reading value. But the one series of books I use all the time is the Designer’s Guide to Color. A five-part series of small paperback books, they are basically a color combination cheat sheet. They have pages and pages of two and three color combos. When I find myself in a “blue rut,” I’ll grab one of these books and find some grey and orange combination that I would never instinctively reach for.

5) A Lynda.com Subscription
On the rare occasion that we have some downtime in the studio, I love to browse through the tutorials on Lynda.com and pick up new tips and tricks and they have tutorials for pretty much every software package you could want. Want to learn to program websites from scratch? Lynda has a video. Want to learn a 3D fundamentals in Photoshop? Lynda has a video. I highly recommend checking them out.

Next up: What to get the Account Executive who wants has everything.

Duuuude, Patty, Lucas Oil, Luuuuuke, or whatever you may call me here.  I’m back! Two short years ago I decided to leave CurrentMarketing, sell my car, sell my soul to student loans and move to Chicago to study Media Arts and Animation at The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago. While I had convinced myself, whether I liked it or not, that it would probably be a long time before I would return back home. Well, as things turned out, here I am.  And I couldn’t be happier!

I am just beginning to get settled in back here at CurrentMarketing, and looking around, change is everywhere.  Being the only CurrentMarketing employee to ever leave and come back, I have a unique perspective of what has happened to this company in two short years. I have the familiarity of the company I know and worked for three awesome years and also the shock value of walking into a place that is nearly twice the size. Yep, TWICE. When I left in August 2009 there were 23 employees here. As of this week, just two years and two months later, we now have 41 employees. I think that says a lot for any company these days and just goes to show that things are heating up here.

Another big difference I am getting used to is the expansion of the office space here. I’ll be honest, on a couple occasions I would brag a little to my classmates (generally kids barely 20 years old or so) about the environment I once worked. Well, luckily it has only gotten better. CurrentMarketing has now expanded to occupy nearly the entire first floor of Bakery square. Now instead of seeing people from Lebowski Fest or other randoms walking around the courtyard, it’s  CM employees… and now that I am in an office next to it, I am able to turn to Brandon ask the ever important question, “ so, do they work here too?” Really, I am trying to get all the new faces and names together so I don’t have another incident like the one at the Halloween party. Just ask Meredith.

In last 6 months, CM has bought the old cabinetry company next to the courtyard and converted it into a fully operational photography studio.  This space is a perfect accent to an already killer work environment. We now are able to handle most photo and video shoots in house and we seem to be getting bigger and better equipment weekly. Not to mention, it is perfect for throwing a party. Which brings me to something that has stayed unchanged. CurrentMarketing and its employees know how to thow a party. Yep, we get down. In my second week back we had our Halloween party and it was just like I remember them… or don‘t remember them. I hate to use cliche’ expressions, but “work hard, play hard’” just about sums it up. One major thing I always enjoyed about this place is the atmosphere. There is a great mesh of so many different creative personalities and everyone seems to approach their days with positive attitudes which makes it that much easier to be involved.

The capabilities of this company have continued to move forward and are only growing.  We are now full time working with motion graphics and now that I am back with some newly learned skills, we are incorporating 3D modeling, animation and compositing to enhance product visualization to take the client’s branding to the next level. My focus and passion while in school was character animation and is another area we are moving into and plan on incorporating that into commercials and mobile applications.  This is very exciting and different for us because until now we have not had this capability or even been able to brainstorm with these kind of options. With the creative collaboration and the diverse skills between everyone here, there isn’t much we can’t do. The sky is the limit and I am stoked to be a part of it. We are moving in the right direction and I can’t wait to see what projects the future holds.

I am very thankful for so many things. I have a warm, comfortable place to lay my head every night. I always have plenty to eat. I have the benefits of technology that allow me to work from anywhere, communicate with my friends and family and even get all my Christmas shopping done without hitting the malls. I have the freedoms of expression and worship. And a great place to live and work, something I really value after recently spending a long weekend in New York with our daughter, Sarah.

I am also very thankful and amazed at the love and support that our family has received from all the people we work with. My co-workers came running the minute they heard the terrible news about Ben. Many made daily visits to the farm to just hold me close. Several had to step up and do my job, in addition to their responsibilities. And I am so grateful still. The funeral home was filled with compatriots, clients and vendors as well. The beautiful cards, flowers and unbelievable generosity of all who care about us was humbling. Even the media came to give us a chance to tell our story and hopefully save a life in doing so.

Recently I received a beautiful quilt made from Ben’s clothes. Two of my co-workers, Katy Miller and Pam Kruetzer, worked together at night and on weekends to make a really special memento for me to wrap myself in whenever I want to feel close to Ben. Other gifts include a tree planted in his honor and an infinity cross that I see every morning when I am home at the  farm. And these are only a few items—of many—for which I am truly thankful.

My main message today is to say “Thank You” to my co-workers. They continue to be there for me no matter what kind of day I am having. They are patient with me when I am grumpy or sad. They always seem to know when I need a hug or a kind word. And they have continued to carry the torch when I haven’t felt like it, because my life has forever changed. We have cried so many tears together and still do today. The wound is still fresh and the hole deep. And I could not be functioning at the level I am today without all the love and support of my CM peeps. I love you all! Thank you for all the love you have shown me. I am truly blessed!

Before departing yesterday afternoon, each of the bulbs here at CM was asked “what are you grateful for today?” I love these kinds of questions because, as you can imagine with this group, the answers can be amusing, obtuse, arresting, thought-provoking and sometimes all of the above.

Here’s what I heard back:
That we’re getting off early today.
That I get to spend the evening with my family.
My family, a great job and co-workers and modern plumbing (in that order).
All of God’s blessings and the promise of eternal life.
OH MY GOSH!….My family, my health, my job.  All the awesome people I get to meet along the way.
Being here. (I loved this one, because “here” leaves it up to you, the reader, to interpret!)
My husband.  I’ve been grateful for him all week.
The peace and mercy I have found in Jesus during the worst time in my life.
That I’m back working for an awesome company like CurrentMarketing.
A beautiful daughter, wonderful husband, my health and a great job.
To still be alive after hitting 44.
My job.  My family.  My big plasma screen TV.
Erin, the new young lady in my life.
That Molly let me pet her. (Molly, the dog, not the person)
Getting to work on Kentucky Derby Festival!
I’m thankful for my daughter and I’m thankful to be here (another “being here”).
My husband, because I’m newly married.
My wife and my dog.
My job.  My family.  My dog.  Beer.
Lots of things…my family.
Our new photo studio.
My family.
This job, my wife and that so far we’ve been shielded from this economy (knock on wood).
My family being healthy and here.  Having my mom and dad still around is awesome.
There’s nothing that I’m not grateful for.  (If you can get your head around that one, it’s an awesome answer!)
My job and that I’m home with my family for Thanksgiving for the first time in five years.
Oh, so much.  My son, my job – especially today since I got to have them both – that my truck’s running well.  So many things!
My job.  My family.
My family.

You know, we hear so much every day – from pundits and politicians on the Left and Right – about what’s wrong with our country.  Today is a great day to stop and be grateful for what God, Yahweh, Allah, Vishnu or Wakan Tanka (or whatever you call your higher power) has given us…and especially us in America.  It’s not perfect, but we’re all trying, right?  We’re all working – in our own way – to make our community, our country and our world better than we found them.

Here’s something that can make your part of it a little better:  In the next week, remember to thank someone when they’re least expecting it.  And, rather than describing what I mean by that, I’ll take a less from the couple of folks who are grateful for “being here.”  I’ll leave that for you to interpret.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Born in February, 2008, Inside CM weighed in at 8 lbs, 2 oz and came out screaming like Rick James on crack. She immediately brought us joy and pain, smiles and tears, gifts and debts. Diapers, formula, insomnia, toys, clothes…we’ve all poured our heart and soul into turning the blog into a productive adult. It takes a village. No doubt.

So, here we are – the blog is 3.5 years old and has exactly 700 entries under its belt. What do you give the active 3.5-year old on the go?

Well, 700 words, of course. 700 words about CurrentMarketing. 

Of course, it’s pretty hard to assign a list of just words to CurrentMarketing. Although the last sentence of this sweet bloggage action sure does get close.

Accelerator
Accommodating
Accomplished
Achievers
Action-oriented
Active
Advanced
Adventure
Adventurosity
Adventurous
Advocates
Agile
Agimobile (agile AND mobile)
Alert
A-List
All the rage
Ambitious
Amusing
Animated
Appreciative
Art
Artistic
Attentive
Audacious
Avant-garde
Avid
Awesome
Backward
Bakery Square is a great space
Balanced
Ballsy
Beast
Bewildering
Bitchin’
Bizarre
Blessed
Bodacious
Boisterous
Bold
Bomb-diggity
Booming
Boss
Boundless
Bouvtastic
Brainy
Brand guardians
Brave
Bright
Brilliant
Camaraderie
Can’t be expressed in 700 words
Captivating
Caring
Celebratory
Challenging
Chaos
Charismatic
Charitable
Charming
Cheerful
Classy
Clever
Client-Centric
Collaborative
Colossal
Comfortable
Committed
Community
Compassionate
Confident
Connected
Conquerors
Conscientious
Considerate
Constant
Constructive
Contemplative
Cool
Cooperative
Courageous
Courtyard
Crackerjack
Crafty
Crazy
Creative
Cultured
Curious
Cut-throat
Cutting-edge
Dancers
Daredevils
Dazzling
Dedicated
Dependable
Determined
Devoted
Different
Diligent
Diverse
Divine
Dog-friendly
Dogs
Donut-lovers
Doozie
Downtown with a splash of the burbs
Driven
Dynamic
Dynamite
Dynamo
Early adopters
Easygoing
Eccentric
Eclectic
Edgy
Electric
Electricity
Electrifying
Emerging
Encouraging
Enduring
Energetic
Energy
Engaging
Entertaining
Enthusiastic
Essential
Ethical
Ever-changing
Evolving
Exciting
Experienced
Extraordinary
Fab
Fabulous
Family
Fancy
Fantastic
Fascinating
Fast
Fearless
Festive
First
Flexible
Flowing with great energy
Fly
Focused
Force with which to be reckoned
Forward
Forward-looking
Foxy
Frantic
Fresh
Fresh-to-death
Friendly
Friendship
Fun
Future
Gangsta
Gazelles
Geeky
Generous
Genius
Genuine
Get your invoices in, AEs!
Giving
Gnarly
Go-Getters
Gracious
Groovy
Grateful
Greased lightning
Growing
GRRRRREAT
Halloween parties
Happy
Hardcore
Hard to describe
Hardworking
Harmonized
Heavyweights
Helpful
Heroes
Hidden gem in the Louisville ad scene
Hilarity
Hilarious
Hip
Home
Honest
Hot
Huggy
Humble
Humdinger!
Hungry
Hysterical
Ideas
Imaginastic
Impervious
Impressive
Inclusive
Incomparable
Incredible
Independent
Indestructible
Indomitable
Ingenious
Innovative
Insane
Insightful
Inspirational
Inspired
Integrity
Intelligent
Intense
Interactive
Intoxicating
Intoxicated
Invested
Inviting
It’s wonderful and magical and people who visit it notice that right away
Jacked
Jokesters
Jolt
Keen
Keepers of cool
Kids in adult bodies
Knowledgeable
La Familia
Laid-Back
Laughter
Leaders
Leading
Leading-edge
Lean
Legendary
Legion of creative freaks
Light
Lightbulb
Limitless
Lively
LMAO
Loud
Lovable
Loved
Loving
Loyal
Luminous
Magnetic
Major leaguers
Mammoth
Mashing the gas pedal…hard
Marvelicious
Mavericks
Merry
Messy
Mighty
Mobile
Modern
Momentum
Momenturockin’ (momentum AND rockin’)
Motivated
My home
Naughty
Nerdy
New
Nick’s laugh
Nimble
Non-prudish
Off-the-wall
On a scale of one to ten…twelve
On-the-ball
Open-minded
Opposite of dull, drab and boring
Organized
Original
Partiers
Party posse
Passionate
Peerless
Perseverance
Persistent
Phat
Pioneers
Pleasant
Ponkie Ball Tree
Popular
Positive
Powerful
Preeminent
Premium
Priceless
Pride
Problem-solving
Productive
Professional
Progressive
Purposeful
Quick-witted
Quirky
Rad
Ready
Refreshing
Relaxed
Relentless
Resilient
Resourceful
Rewarding
Ripped
Robust
Rockstars
Ronk
Rootsie
Sassy
Saucy
Savveeky (savvy AND geeky)
Savvy
Second to none
Serious
Sexy (What?)
Sharp
Shining
Showstoppers
Sideways
Six
Slapstick
Smart
Snappy
Snazzy
Social
Solution-finders
Sparkling
Spiffy
Spirited
Spotlight
Spontaneous
Stalwart
Stars
Stratelaserific (strategic, laser-focused AND terrific)
Strong-willed
Structured
Stunning
Stylish
Successful
Superior
Supersonic
Superstars
Supportive
Swank
Swell
Tactical
Tailored
Talented
Tanned
Tapped into the creative pulse
Team
Team-oriented
Tech-savvy
Tenacious
Thinkers
Thoughtful
Tight
TNT
Tops
Tough
Tree-huggers
Unbreakable
Uncommon
Unconventional
Uncorked
Unexpected
Unique
United
Unparalleled
Unpredictable
Unstoppable
Unsurpassed
Unusual
Urban
Versatile
Vigorous
Vim
VIPs
Visionarium
Visionary
Vital
Vivacious
Vogue
Wacky
Warm
Warriors
We tackle the work of an agency twice our size…every day
Welcoming
Whiz-bang
Wicked
Wild
Winners
Wisecrackers
Witty
World class
Zealous

When I wake up I want to go to work.

Warren Lynch, a Louisville photography legend, officially retires today. Many of us at CurrentMarketing have had the pleasure of working with Warren over his long career of making beautiful images for advertising and marketing purposes.

We wish Warren the best as he enjoys a new chapter in his life: retirement.

Warren -
Thanks for all the great work you have done for us, and others in our community. Your attention to detail, expert lighting and laid-back attitude will be missed.

Scroll to the bottom to see a gallery of Warren’s work, collected from his website.

In the spirit of fun, we asked Warren a few questions as a tribute:

CM: What’s the strangest thing you have ever been asked to shoot?
WL: I am going to say it was the monkey jumping up and down on a mattress. Somehow, at the time it looked like a normal thing to do. I have no idea what the reason was..I think the drugs the AD’s were using were more interesting in those days.

CM: Were you always the one behind the camera at all the family holidays?
WL: I was, until the time I was shooting a nephew’s wedding, but I had a little too much punch and the pictures got more and more ‘artistic’ as the evening wore on. The last few rolls disappeared and I was never asked to do another wedding for free!

CM: After spending all this time shooting commercially, do you ever shoot just for fun?
WL: I do a lot of amateur shooting for fun. I have always been interested in astrophotography. You know where you strap a camera to a telescope, and stay up all night waiting for certain stars and such. I can already see this getting out of hand and costing a lot of money.

CM: What’s the worse crime against photography: Sears Portrait Studios or Glamour Shots?
WL: Since those places are not in the same business I am in, I think they are a great way to separate people from their money, thereby helping the overall economy.
I do think if you pay money and you feel you got ‘ripped off,’ it makes you think and appreciate good or interesting photography.

CM: Photoshop: “Takes the art and skill out of what I do” or “Makes my life 1000X easier”
WL: Sort of a mixed emotion here. A little of both. I remember times before Photoshop and it did not stop people from insisting on trying to do impossible layouts,(see answer 1 about good drugs.), like flying chicken wings. Somehow we would get something on film that somebody would spend weeks on putting together some how with scissors and glue. Sometimes no matter how much skill or art you pump into a shot it still looked…how should I gently say this…CRAPPY!
So the photo Saints looked down and said we need to help these people. Poof–Photoshop was invented. So crappy just gets done a lot faster.
When we first got into Photoshop we would say we can fix it in Photoshop and found we were volunteering to do a lot of editing that should have been fixed on camera. So now we always say “you can fix it in Photoshop.” Because every agency or studio has an expert on staff, which can be good or bad. I still feel a photographer needs some Photoshop skills but to be a Photoshop expert you really need to spend most of your time editing and then are you an editor or photographer.

CM: What’s the farthest you have ever traveled to shoot?
WL: I went to LaGrange to shoot a bull. No kidding this was a big ass bull and they did ads for you know, artificial cow stuff. I had to shoot through a fence because the week before he put one of “the hands” in the hospital. So LaGrange is my answer. Which is sort of exotic with that whole ‘La’ and then ‘Grange’ spelling.

CM: What was your first camera?
WL: Cameras are like tools. They are a means to get your work done…which means I can’t remember…OK I am old and my memory only goes back to the 60’s.

Got any easier questions?

CM: What’s your favorite shot you’ve ever taken?
WL: Of course, FRESH PAINT. Julius Friedman came to me with the shot he had somebody else attempt before. So I was 2nd string and did it and thought it was fun and all. Julius put the finishing touches on at the printer with making the eggs red and blue. This was before Photoshop so Julius would camp at the printers until they did what he wanted. So when he showed it to me I thought it was “good” but when it got into National Museum poster collection and won about a kazillian awards, I thought it became great. GREAT ART!!

CM: Smartphone cameras: good, bad or ugly
WL: Greatest invention since girls. I used mine recently to do some interesting furniture pictures. I just wish all this technology was invented 30 year ago when I was just getting into the business.
I love the artist that does his art on his iPhone (in bed) then emails it to the gallery where he has 20 phones hanging and each day…new art. That is art.
Also we will be using the iPhone at our open house as a means of communication so I don’t have to talk to anybody.

CM: Digital versus film?
WL: I could not wait ‘til film died because of the water pollution it caused during process. I think art wise it was a much cooler medium but commercially digital has been great. After getting use to the digital process there is no comparison. I love it.

CM: Who was the best ping pong player you faced over the years?
WL: Some smart-ass kid AD came in and had never played ping pong and after a few minutes I could not return a serve and he could send everything back. He was a natural athlete so I never invited him back. Asshole.

CM: How many Hawaiian shirts do you own?
WL: Are you asking this because you think I am cool or funny looking? I think I look very cool in Hawaiian shirts. Which of your people asked that question? It’s not polite to make fun of old men and their attire. Hummmmph.

CM: What was the best or favorite thing you shot that was never used by the client/agency?
WL: Of course every photographer at some time in his career thinks he has a better idea than the client. So I have done extra pictures that I thought were better for the job. Most clients are polite and would say ‘we will run it by them’ which is code for ‘that sucks.’ More assholes!
Well, the weirdest thing was, we shot for 3 months for an unnamed local appliance manufacturing company, and they wanted everything black and white because of budget cutting, but during the time we started shooting and final printing they decided color was better and they found some money. So we reshot everything on a rush basis meaning we stayed up for several nights, charging OT to get the same work done again. Another example of why God invented digital.

CM: What’s the most bizarre thing you’ve put in the deep fryer and eaten?
WL: The tastiest were the valentine Sweet-Tarts. We first dipped them in fish batter and experimented with different times.  I think we were very, very bored.
Nobody would try the rubber ducky, But, it looked delicious.

CM: You’ve done amazing work over the years, what is the worst thing (or project) you had to shoot?
WL: It’s all great and I loved every minute of it. (code for…I hate this shit) Especially when they pay me to do it.
When I think in the middle of a shot, ‘I have done 10,000 times’ and then I think, ‘why am I doing this? Oh it’s my job!’ But some times I do wonder –when the final product is nothing but landfill in the end. Is that cynical enough for you? I got more.
You know some of the things you would think would be bad sometime turned out the most fun because It was something you don’t do everyday.
Like the time the pigs bit my hand. I didn’t know pigs bite. (State Fair poster, don’t ask.)
Or one time I did some filming in New Mexico inside a tunnel they were digging to get water to an Indian reservation. It was dark, it was wet, it was filthy, and it was fun. We had a ball!
Oh I said LaGrange was farthest, but I lied. Am I supposed to be telling the truth here? Oops.

CM: Besides photography (and occasionally ping pong) what talents do you have the most people don’t know about?
WL: I am a great fisher-person. Ask Jim LIndsey. I need more practice, which is on the agenda after I am outta here. Also I like to make tall grass short. I spend a lot of time doing that. I am also taking lessons on the Dobro, which I love but need a lot more time on it. I plan to be a bluegrass star in my next life.

We love you Warren! Thanks for all the great memories!!!

Click the image below to see a few of our favorite shots from Warren.