Old Port Magazine Premiere Issue

If you are familiar with my work, you know that I have been a regular contributor to Maine Home & Design Magazine and also have contributed to Maine Magazine. Well, the creative team over at the Maine Media Collective, publishers of these two fine publications have done it again. This time with the launch of Old Port Magazine, a publication dedicated to showcase all the amazing things Portland, Maine has to offer.

Old Port Magazines editors trusted me with the task of creating an image for the cover of the premiere issue. The image for the cover had to be shot in a horizontal orientation so the image could wrap around from front to back cover, something that I found particularly exciting.  I was also asked to contribute in creating images for a hotel feature. The focus would be on some of the best hotels Portland has to offer, including three hotels that are scheduled to open their doors soon.

Aside from some of the great locations we also enjoyed photographing four of the hotel developers. We shot the image on location in South Portland with the Old Port in the background and couldn't have been happier with the results.

To commemorate the launch of the premiere issue of Old Port Magazine we will be giving away a 27x17 inch print printed on metallic paper. To be entered in the drawing all you have to do is "like" the Irvin Serrano Photography Facebook page. The drawing will be on Friday June 13th. So head over to our page and you may see this image hanging on your wall.

We look forward to creating more content for this magazine and continue collaborating with the great team behind it. Special thanks to Art Director Heidi Kirn who put so much of her creative talents to work in not only designing the cover but conceptualizing the direction of the visual content over several phone calls.

Here is the cover.

This is the full frame image which includes what would be the front and back cover.

The opening spread for the hotel feature.

Portrait of hotel developers.

The Hilton Garden Inn, Portland, ME.

The bar at the Westin has some of the best views overlooking Portland,ME.

A detail from the new Hyatt Hotel.

Down East Magazine

Last year we had the pleasure of photographing the Stephen Phillips Memorial Preserve for a feature in Down East Magazine. Now that it has been published I wanted to share it with you. It was such a fun feature to photograph. I spent two days camping and exploring the preserve. Places like this are one of the major reasons I love living in Maine. The preserve has 6,000+ acres of preserved land on Mooselookmeguntic Lake and its located in the Western Mountains of Maine in the Rangeley Lakes Region.

One of the nights I camped on the mainland and the second was spent on Student's Island. I also had the opportunity, thanks to some of the staff there, to visit some of the more secluded camp sites in the preserve that can only be accessed by boat. While I was there I also took the time to create a small time-lapse video from the Height of Land lookout that overlooks the preserve. The place is amazing to say the least and I plan on going back there with my family the first chance I have.

Where is your favorite place to camp?

Thornton Academy - Architecture

We recently had a chance to collaborate with Thornton Academy in creating some images of their newly renovated space. TA worked with PDT Architects to redesign what would be a new library and arts and new media center. In the past we had created images for TA, so we were familiar with how the space looked before. The renovation was impressive.

The new facilities are really inviting and their overall design and high ceilings provide an environment that in our opinion fosters creativity and learning. I only wish the high school I attended had facilities like these. Our experience collaborating with TA has been great and we really enjoy photographing there. The energy is amazing, which is only accentuated by the many nationalities represented in the student body. We know one of the images has been used for the cover of their program of studies and that another will be used in a display at the airport. Can't wait to see where they show up next. 

 

  

Our latest cover!

We were pleasantly surprised to get in the mail the latest issue of Maine Home + Design Magazine with our work on the cover and thought we would share it here. Had a lot of fun on this shoot, photographing in the home and studio of the talented artist Grace DeGennaro. Her artistic sensibilities were evident throughout the home, from the warm interior design to the great art displayed throughout. Her studio was for us one of the highlights of the shoot, a space that I'm sure would make any artist feel right at home.

UFC Fighter

Last week we had the pleasure of photographing UFC fighter Emily Peters Kagan. I met Emily a few years ago shortly after relocating to Maine. We kept in touch through social media which allowed me to keep somewhat informed about her progress in becoming the athlete she is now. Her hard work and perseverance paid off, getting her signed with the UFC. She is actually a pioneer in this sport by being included in the first-ever all-female Ultimate Fighter women’s strawweight division of the UFC.

As most creatives know, practice makes perfect. That is why we have focused some of our efforts in creating new images using compositing techniques. We want to be able to showcase what we can create to some of our clients. Although we love to create images all in-camera as well, sometimes creating a composite is the best way to approach an assignment.

We wanted to share with you one of the images from the shoot and will share on a later post a video showcasing the process of crafting this image. Hope you enjoy it and we would like to thank Emily for collaborating with us.

Ira Glass on the Creative Process

If you are a creative of any kind, this short video featuring Ira Glass might resonate with you. I believe it has been around for a while now but I still found it worth sharing. Great advice for those that are looking to master their craft or might have just found something new they love to do and plan on pursuing it further.

Bowley Builders

We have been fortunate to work with many great clients throughout the years. Recently we noticed an ad by Bowley Builders we wanted to share with you. The ad was designed by The Brand Company and has been running in Maine Home and Design Magazine for whom we are also a regular contributor. We are always pleased to see how the images we create are ultimately used.

Bowley Builders is a family owned and operated business that has built quality custom homes in southern Maine for more than 40 years. Collaborating with Bowley Builders was an absolute pleasure. Their flawless craftsmanship and attention to detail is obvious in every detail of their projects. Geoff places the same expectations on everyone he brings on to his team, this is why we take such pride in collaborating with Bowley Builders.

We invite you to visit their website to see more of their great work. In the meantime, we will keep our eyes open and see where else we can spot this ad.