Clark Vandergrift’s AMAZING Tree People Project

It is always refreshing to see a photographer creating images that are unique and interesting.  As most shooters know, today’s markets are crowded and getting attention from buyers is increasingly challenging. Especially for outdoor and nature photographers who tend to overlap in their subjects, the need to stand out is important.

When we see a photographer shooting outdoor work, and work that impressively stands out, we want to learn a little more and that’s how we came across Clark Vandergrift and his Tree People Project.

Clark is a professional photographer out of Baltimore who shoots landscapes and outdoor lifestyle imagery and also is venturing into the world of video. Clark recently released a self promotion campaign of his tree People project and sent it to art directors and photo buyers. There are 11 postcards in a wooden box embossed with his name and the project title. Clark sent 300 of them to a carefully selected mailist and in short time had over 25 call backs. That’s incredibly impressive response in the saturated world of photographer promotions.

What caught our eye though was Clarks idea and execution of these incredible images.

Copyright (c) Clark Vandergrift

Hi Clark: Your new project Tree People is fascinating. How did you come up with the project idea?

The idea came to me in pieces.  I first started thinking of the series when I was hiking through the Redwoods in California.  For me, it seemed so “other worldly” and really sparked the creative ideas that evolved over time until I decided to include body painted models.

Copyright (c) Clark Vandergrift

Readers are going to wonder how you did it and I understand this is done with body painting.

Yes, it was body painting along with composite work (except for one that was actually shot on location). Since that trip to the Redwoods I found myself noticing more trees and especially the unique lifelike qualities of certain species (the Ancient Bristlecone Pines for example).   I began researching unique trees and location and making special trips to photograph them.  I spent a couple years on and off researching trees and traveling to some very remote locations to shoot them.

After the right talent had been selected for each scene we would put them on a pre-lit set in the studio (usually in their underwear), do a quick shot, a quick composite, and make a large print to be hung beside the set.  This print served as a guide for the body painter, Jen Seidel, so that she could determine the scale of person in the shot.  Jen is extremely talented and got the elements of her paint to line up seamlessly with the existing photographs.  Jen would usually spend from 2-4 hours doing the painting.  From this point, I would usually spend at least another day or even two doing retouching to each image to make the composite as seamless as possible.  I don’t think people have any idea that these are composites.

Copyright (c) Clark Vandergrift

You have now turned that project into a direct mail promotion and it looks fabulous. Did you work with any designers on the design and layout?

I have a good friend, Rob Myers, who designed the logo and helped me come up with the final presentation.  We spent a lot of time bouncing ideas off each other and in the end we decided a wooden box would work best for the housing of the Tree People piece.

Clark Vandergrift

I understand these are all hand built collections of cards rather than commercially printed?

I printed them all myself using an Epson 7900 with HDR Ultrachrome inks and Exhibition Fiber Paper.  I wanted the quality and the control over the finished prints that I would not have gotten had someone else done the printing.  It was a lot of work.  I created 300 pieces and there are 11 images in the series that were printed at 8×12 inches each (3300 prints total).  I printed 6 up on 24×30 sheets.  It was a solid two weeks of printing, trimming, interleaving (with glassine), and packaging.  I also included a “note from the artist” that explains the series and it’s origins.

What is your intended target clientele?

I sent the pieces mostly to advertising agency creatives (art buyers, art directors, and creative directors).  I also sent some to photo editors at magazines and some to client direct.  These agencies and publications vary in their scope and clientele from pharmaceutical to automotive.  My consultant and I created a target audience based on my body of work as a whole and the Tree People is a vehicle for getting attention and driving traffic to my website where a more comprehensive body of work can be seen.

Do you have a print portfolio as well with an expanded collection of this project or do you present a more diverse collection of imagery?

My print portfolio does feature some of the Tree People but that is not all.  There are several series of images in my book.  A lot of the imagery is shot in the form of a series.  I like to tell stories this way and I think that maintaining a visual integrity throughout the series will tell an Art Director a lot about your ability to complete a cohesive advertising campaign.  With that said, I do have a lot of singular images that still convey a story and stand on their own.

Clark Vandergrift

You have mailed your promotions by now and what kind of reception are you getting?

The response has been fantastic.  I have done many promotions but never have I enjoyed the reception that Tree People has gotten.  Almost 10% of the recipients have contacted me via phone or email to let me know how much they enjoyed the piece.  Here are a few quotes from some of the recipients:

•Hey Clark,

I don’t know how you came up with my name for your mailing list, but glad you did. Hope to get the right assignment to have you bid on sometime.

-Mike

•my creative director gave me your TREE PEOPLE box and i gotta say “well done.”

i’m an AD and i’m gonna display your book on my coffee table.

-winston

•Clark,

Clark Vandergrift

I have had this lovely wooden box on my desk for a while now, buried under PDN’s and Archives, but only today have been able to go through the stack, get to the box open it up and review the amazing images inside. Wow, what a treat. I love the pictures and the promo in it’s entirety, which is rare (believe me).

Thank you for making my day with your images. I will be taking them home for framing and display. Oh, and I’ll keep you in mind for projects that might be suitable as well.

Thanks again.

Kelly

•clark, had to take a minute to tell you how impressive this piece is.

i’ve been in this business for a while and it’s refreshing to come across someone who cares so much about presentation. you’ve put some serious thought (and craft) into this piece. very, very nice piece and body of work, and it’s appreciated. great job.

thanks,

len
not that it matters, but i’ve never sent a note like this before

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your project and marketing efforts. Is there any place which readers can view your work or see more of you?

My main website is www.clarkvandergrift.com

From there you can access my blog, Facebook & Twitter feeds.

I also have a site where you can buy Tree People prints: http://clarkvandergrift.photodeck.com/

We love featuring cool projects of all subjects. Are you working on or know someone who is? If so, please get in touch and tell us about it so we can consider featuring it.