The content team at Ivy Greis is inspired daily by different ways to showcase the clothing line. The team strives to be unique and reach new creative goals by executing unique conceptual projects featuring our designs. Our photographer, Dennis from the Ivy Greis team is astonishing at making ideas come to life. Read the Q&A below to receive the inside scoop on a conceptual piece that received positive feedback and attention from @ivygreis followers.
Q: Your name & title:
Dennis Gatz, Creative Director, photographer, Bob the Builder, panda enthusiast
Q: What drew you to photography?
“I was drawn to creating conceptual images and art. Photography was just a means to that end.”
Q: What inspired you to create this piece? So, what sparked the idea for using the kids blocks or the mountains?
“Blair had brought in some building blocks and left them on her desk. I spotted them when I got into the office and slowly, throughout the day, the idea brewed in the mind's eye. The idea was trying to get into the minds of parents who have to stay at home during these times. I imagine that they have to constantly create these worlds for their kids daily. I pitched the idea to the content team and they were very supportive. They gave it form and direction. They tethered it to the brand.”
Q: Describe the steps it took to make this piece come to life.
“The first step was sketching the concept. Next was creating the environment in Photoshop by compositing stock assets to populate the sketch. Next we shot the blocks to match the perspective and lighting of the environment. The next step was sketching the poses for the kids to fit the space. Finally we photographed the kids and photoshopped them in.”
“I have Nikole, my Nikon D750. I used Lightroom and Photoshop.”
Q: Do you prefer more conceptual pieces like the one you made? Or more lifestyle or studio photography pieces?
“There are pros and cons. The conceptual pieces are a ton of fun to create. Seeing something that resided intangibly in your minds eye come to life is an incredible feeling. There’s a certain high you get from trying to put together all the moving pieces. However, It’s also very time consuming. There’s a piece I worked on for almost a year. The lifestyle and studio photos can be a ton of fun because they’re malleable. It’s easy to explore different styles because the feedback is instant. You’re constantly growing and evolving.”
Q: What was the hardest part of creating this piece? What was your favorite part of creating this piece?
“The hardest part was trying to make it make sense. As surreal as the image theme is, it has to obey certain universal rules: gravity, light, physics etc., so trying to weave the fantasy world into the realistic realm is always a challenge. The best part was seeing the content team own it and work together to bring it to life. It was very validating and inspiring. Additionally, seeing the kids do their absolute best in the photoshoot was a joy. They had nothing to go on other than our shared imagination. Seeing them grasp the concept and help bring it to life was amazing. Also, seeing all those panda emojis on the Instagram post was a thing of beauty.”
Dennis and the creative team are constantly expanding on our creative ideas. We are dedicated to new and fun ideas to show our follower base! Our brand thanks you for the constant support and amazing feedback from our creative posts. Stay tuned for more conceptual pieces in the future.
Xoxo,
Ivy Greis
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