THE DEN » Libra

On Color

Mary Dail — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:02 +0000

David Land filmed this great interview with designers Celerie Kimble and Jamie Drake for TRADHome, the new online magazine that accompanies Traditional Home. It is a really great step for a print publication – they hired the team behind Lonny Mag to animate the online version with short films like this. Not only to you get to see stills of each designer’s work, you get to meet them on camera. What a great way to really to get to know them and see how their personality goes hand in hand with their personal style. Very cool.

Fresh Living

Mary Dail — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:56:04 +0000

In this sharp little video filmed by David Land, Paul Lowe of Sweet Paul fame gives some great tips on spring entertaining for Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It was shot for the iPad edition of the magazine; these videos are very much the equivalent of a story in the magazine, but more animated and better able to communicate an idea. The way Paul talks about little things that he plans for each dinner, you get a nice feel for his sense of style and ways to recreate that at home. See more tips in Sweet Paul’s spring magazine, and more films by David Land on his personal site.

Big Leo Artists on Instagram

Mary Dail — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:50:25 +0000

Big Leo artists have adopted Instagram en masse – be sure to follow everyone for quirky, fun, and beautiful updates! Here are a few images from the artists and from our team. And that just scratches the surface – so many of our favorite photographers, art directors, and client friends are on there, too. Check it out!

From Afar

Mary Dail — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:48:14 +0000

Last year Brian Pineda lit out for the territories like a photojournalist Huck Finn – all the way to Sri Lanka. No assignment, no problem. This is the kind of self-assignment we really encourage, for a million different reasons. A way to see the world, recharge your creative batteries, find photos that no one else can find, push your own personal and creative limits. The list goes on and on. So it is just bonus that when he got back, Afar magazine picked up some of the images for a little story that Brian himself wrote.

And Brian is already talking about his next trip this summer – Nepal! Tickets in hand, he is ready for yet another adventure. Need any shots from the Himalayas? He just might be in the neighborhood, ready to rock…

Caribbean Craft

Mary Dail — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:30:53 +0000

David Land packed up his gear and traveled all the way down to Haiti for this shoot on Carribean Craft for West Elm and HandEye Magazine. I feel like there was a time when it seemed that all manufacturing was moving towards bigger and more volume and lower quality, when buying from a company meant buying something that was mass-produced. But now, with such greater connectivity, the companies are able to go back the other way, towards crafts that are handmade. It is now easy to get in touch with people who make crafts in small batches, and easier for them to get in touch with larger companies. This helps the craft producers, it helps the local economies, and it means that overall the quality of the goods is going to be so much higher – all the way down to the quality of life of the people who make them. Not to mention the fact that David could go down with a streamlined crew and highlight the creators of this particular craft, then share it all over the world in this video. Inspiring from start to finish.

Sibling Rivalry

Mary Dail — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:44:55 +0000

We can’t say that photographer Brian Pineda is the overachieving sibling of the Big Leo family. That would be unfair to all the other overachievers here. But we can say for certain that he is in the spotlight for his awesome work – here for Parents Magazine he illustrates the difficulty of giving all kids equal treatment. Take it from us – it is always a challenge to make sure that the strong silent stylists get just as many accolades as the flashy photographers. But at the end of the day we’re all one big happy family, with enough spotlights for everyone.

Food fight with the crew! Thanks to stylist Jen Everett, Director of Photography Lily Alt, and Assistant Photo Editor Kristen O’Hara.

Picky picky

Mary Dail — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:37:15 +0000

Brian Pineda was locked in the studio with a client, a bunch of kids, and one camera. It is hard to tell just who was the pickiest person in the room. Probably not the kid. Was it the stylist, Jen Evrett? Certainly the rows and rows of food packages look very nice and OCD. Or maybe it was the people at Parents magazine? With some hyper-specific mockups? Or Brian himself, who would stop at nothing to get the light dialed, the perfect confrontational look on the kid’s face? The whole team of professionals working hard to get the shot, fussing over the smallest details… and the poor kid was probably wondering when they were going to order sushi for lunch.

Saucy Glossie

Mary Dail — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:19:15 +0000

Rainy days – you either love them or hate them. I always remember my mom saying ‘don’t go out when it is thundering and lighting!’ But… I went out anyways! These days I don’t get to splash barefoot, especially not in the Brooklyn puddles, but the spirit is the same. Galoshes and a sweet umbrella. David Land shot this spring story for Better Homes and Gardens on Lindsay Calla, of the blog Saucy Glossie. To me the most important rainy-day essential is state of mind. Get out there and embrace the thunder!

Brian Maranan Pineda

Mary Dail — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:34:56 +0000

Big Leo would like to give a warm welcome to young gun Brian Maranan Pineda. He brings a great sense of style and light to the Den and we’re happy to have him join the pride!

Recently Brian shot a Siemens campaign with Ogilvy + Mather, led by creative director Jeff Leaf and art buyer Jessica Fiore. Brian was awarded the shoot because the client was drawn to his personal work. We’ve always been so supportive of artists who strive to develop a signature style outside of their normal client base, not just because it pushes them on a technical level, but also because it really helps define who they are as an artist and person. The work stands out, and clients call to collaborate instead of calling to put your name on a list of other people bidding. There are so many reasons to pursue personal work and Brian sets a great example. It is so exciting to work with him and keep an eye out for more new projects coming down the line! In the meantime check out Brian’s blog for a behind-the-scenes look at how the campaign came together.

Contained

Mary Dail — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:38:37 +0000

Clearly the editors couldn’t contain themselves – this story just had to have a great pun in the title. But it is no joke – this is an interesting and beautiful home made even more beautiful by the lens of David Land. Foam Magazine braved the wilderness of Queens for this story on a couple who took DIY to a new level. Shipping containers are the ultimate in modular technology and provide a great starting point, if you have the creativity to convert them into something not just livable, but personal and cozy all at the same time. That sunroom looks soooo nice!