Steve Kalalian: Digital Imaging on Steroids
“Neutrogena. Mac Cosmetics. Esteé Lauder. Evian. Michael Kors. Origins. Oscar de la Renta. Tiffany’s. Victoria’s Secret. One by one, they’re all switching to digital. We’re just making it easy for them.”
Steve Kalalian, president of Industrial Color, Inc., talks with the assuredness of a guide leading a gaggle of tourists down Class 5 rapids. Not content simply to help the world’s top fashion photographers capture exquisite digital images for their clients, Kalalian is also transforming the digital workflow so high-end photo production and post production occur, literally, at the click of the shutter.
“We’re bringing post production, the photo lab and the prepress house right to the studio or location” Kalalian says. “And we’re cutting anywhere from a week to a month off of the traditional process to get to hi-res digital files and proofs.”
The Leap to 22 Megapixels
Kalian says top photographers and clients are demanding — and cautious about switching from film to digital. “These are big-budget shoots,” he says bluntly. “The photographers we work with need to capture beautiful images every time. Richard Pierce, for instance, always shot on 8 by 10 chrome film. Esteé Lauder, Clinique, L’Oreal and Neutrogena are among his clients, and he’s worked with them for 20 years.
“You’ve got amazing shadow and highlight detail, tonal range and very accurate color. So it’s very photographic. And files can be enlarged to billboards without any trouble.”
“Richard had experimented with digital photography over the years but was never satisfied with it,” Kalalian adds.
“But very recently the technology has become so good that photographers like Richard who are very, critical realize the technology is there. So he and others are making the jump to digital. And they’re getting higher-quality files.”
“Now, with 22-megapixel camera backs,” Kalalian adds, “it’s the right time to switch. You’ve got amazing shadow and highlight detail, tonal range and very accurate color. So it’s very photographic. And files can be enlarged to billboards without any trouble.”
Digital Photography Assistants
To help photographers, agencies and studios work digitally, Kalalian provides turnkey digital imaging equipment and onsite production support right at the shoot — whether it’s in the studio or on location.
“When photographers switch to digital photography,” Kalalian observes, “they take on a huge amount of responsibility. It’s not just a photographer shooting film anymore. Now every shot is captured and displayed on the computer screen. Art directors and photo editors are right there, expecting to make selects and prints and take back perfect high-res files at the end of the shoot.
“Now, in addition to dealing with the pressures of on-set editing,” Kalian says, “the photographer has to provide digital processing, printing, archiving, file management and color management.”
To support photographers during an assignment, Industrial Color relies on a mix of Power Mac G5s, PowerBooks, Xserves and Xserve/RAID storage. An Industrial Color technical assistant on the set assures a flawless experience throughout the workflow.
Even if the shoot takes place on the edge of a boat in Belize.
