Jamie Chung captures the year’s best inventions for the current issue of Time Magazine. “The Inventions Issue” highlights 50 of the year’s most useful and ingenious breakthroughs, alterations, and transformations. The cover features the hummingbird device, a surveillance prototype for the Defense Advanced Research Agency, developed by California-based AerVironment. Chung photographed the device and a handful of the other inventions seen in the magazine.

Chung spent two and a half weeks shooting the hummingbird. Lead engineer Matt Keennon brought the device to Chung’s studio where he shot it in several positions. The remote-controlled device weighs just 0.66 ounces and is officially named the Nano Air Vehicle. It is designed to go where humans cannot, be it spying or scouting out safe spots in combat zones. Chung says of the device, “It’s crazy to think something so pretty is used for something so dangerous.”

In addition to the hummingbird, Chung also photographed six other inventions, including the Switch60 Lightbulb, a more energy-efficient light bulb, Necomimi, smart cat ears powered by brainwaves, and the perfect razor made of iridium, one of the strongest and densest materials in existence. Chung says of the shoot, “It was inspirational. Meeting the inventors was the best part. They’re totally comfortable with their nerddom, but so am I, so we had a lot of fun together.”

“The Inventions Issue” of Time Magazine is on newsstands now.

See more of Jamie Chung’s photography here.

Publication: Time Magazine
Issue: November 28^th, 2011
Story: “The 50 Best Inventions”
Photographer: Jamie Chung

Jamie Chung has been busy recently with photography appearing in several recent publications. Chung’s work appears in issues of Time, Condé Nast Traveler, V Man, and on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek.

For the cover of the latest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, Chung photographed a Guy Fawkes mask for an article on the Occupy Wall Street Protests. The spray paint text was added later in post-production. Chung photographed a cat reading Haruki Murakami’s latest novel 1Q84 for Time. The article was on how cats are key to the novelist and his narratives. Chung also captured a black and white photograph of a hand writing “V Man 23” for the magazine’s 23^rd issue. Lastly, Chung photographed gems for a Condé Nast Traveler story on bringing home gems as souvenirs.

See more of Jamie Chung’s photography here.

Jamie Chung photographs the history of Apple products for Bloomberg Businessweek. The magazine’s latest issue pays tribute to the late Steve Jobs and his visionary legacy at Apple. Chung’s photographs chart the history of Apple products, from the very first computer Jobs created to the iPhone and the iPad. The slideshow includes commentary from Jobs, the company’s history, and product information.

Chung captured the new and old Apple products in a computer archive in New York City. The shoot was nostalgic for Chung as he’d once had one of the company’s older models. He says he is “glad to participate in the tribute to Jobs’s legacy.”

See more of Jamie Chung’s photographs of Apple products here.

Fast Company has selected photographs by Jamie Chung and Jim Wright as two of their best of 2010. The magazine’s photo issue highlights their favorites of the year. After scouring every issue from the past year, the photo team chose two from each issue to highlight.

Wright’s photograph, seen above, is of the band Shinedown. It accompanied an article on how the band is one of many helping Warner Music Group redefine their label for the digital age. Wright shot the band in Atlanta during their tour last year with Nickelback. He chose the underpass and railroad tracks outside the band’s latest venue because he “wanted to portray them as a traveling band.” Wright’s photograph first appeared in the July 2010 issue of Fast Company.

Chung’s photograph appeared in an article on SpinMaster Toys’ hit toy Liv Dolls. The photograph features the Liv Dolls chasing down Mattel’s iconic Barbie, suggesting that Mattel is running scared from the success of their competitor. Chung’s photograph appeared in the April 2010 issue of the magazine.

See more of Jim Wright’s work here and Jamie Chung’s work here.

Time magazine hits newsstands this week with The 50 Best Inventions of 2010, honoring the year’s most momentous innovations in science, technology, and the arts. Jamie Chung captures the NeoNurture Incubator, lab-grown lungs, a Maison Martin Margiela Plastic-Fur coat, and the STS-111 Instant Infrastructure for the weekly publication.

Lab grown rat lungs, photographed at Yale University October 10th, 2010

NeoNurture Incubator, an incubator made from old car parts. Photographed at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum October 27th, 2010

The Plastic-Fur Coat, Maison Martin Margiela’s Herringbone patterned price tag fastener coat has 29,000 fasteners in total. Photographed at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum October 27th 2010

STS-III Instant Infrastructure, an unmanned flying vehicle capable of carrying crucial communications technology in the event of a catastrophe. Photographed at Maryland’s Easton Airport October 25th, 2010

Publication: Time Magazine
Issue:November 22, 2010, Vol. 176 No. 21
Story: 50 Best Inventions of 2010 – NeoNurture Incubator, Lab-Grown Lungs, a Maison Martin Margiela Plastic-Fur coat, and the STS-111 Instant Infracture
Photo Editor: Natalie Matutschovsky
Photographer: Jamie Chung

The 51st Communication Arts Photography Annual looks at the best photography of the year, choosing 147 winning projects from the 6,075 entries. Among those to catch the jurors’ eyes are Jamie Chung, Michael Schnabel, and Stephen Wilkes. Says juror Jane Perovich of Getty Images, “Original, authentically inspiring images that are emotionally accessible will continue to be the foundation for what informs us, makes us think and ultimately captivates us.”

Pictured above: Michael Schnabel’s advertising campaign for O2, one of the largest leading mobile telecommunications provider.

Photographer: Michael Schnabel
Category: Advertising
Client: O2
Campaign: Neue Wege gehen. Damit Sie es einfacher haben.
Agency: VCCP Berlin
Creative Director: Lars Wohlnick
Art Director: Michael Milczarek
Learn more

Photographer: Jamie Chung
Category: Editorial
Publication: ESPN magazine
Photo Editor: Amy McNulty
Learn more

Photographer: Stephen Wilkes
Category: Editorial
Publication: Vanity Fair
Photography Director: Susan White
Assistant Photo Editor: Dana Kravis

If you’re wondering what to get your loved ones this holiday, look no further than the premiere gift guide, “The Flyer’s Collection.” It’s the peak time of year for travel so make sure you fly in comfort. Scratchy fabric seats? Try “Leather in a Jar.” Feeling the tight cabin space? Zip into the “Full Body Compression Garment.” No leg room? Strap yourself into the “Knee Jockey.”

These are just a few of the JetBlue offerings to get you through flying in high season if you were not able to book a JetBlue flight (actual items not for sale). The gift guide lampoon concept is the brainchild of Jim Wood, creative director at JWT. He worked closely with Jamie Chung and stylist Ariana Salvato.

“It’s obvious that the state of the commercial airline industry isn’t good,” notes Jim Wood. “Travelers are charged for everything, given nothing and treated like livestock. JetBlue honestly tries hard to make things better. They recognize their passengers are actual human beings. And they work like hell to make people’s travel experiences better. That said, they also recognize that sometimes people fly other airlines. So, we created The Flyer’s Collection specifically for those times.”

At one point, there were close to 80 products in the gift guide, including a miniature elven cookie factory where elves made macaroons. Through thoughtful editing, 15 products were carefully selected, placed with a bow, and put in the catalog. Unfortunately, the elven cookie factory had to go but other favorites such as the Mind Eraser (memory altering gamma rays for erasing bad flights), Marshmallow Pillow (edible pillow for long flights with no snacks), and Extrago (a shirt with extra cargo space to avoid luggage fees) made the cut.

Wood recalls, “One of the best parts of the shoot was walking the models through the overall concept and then showing them their wardrobe. We chose a really good looking cast and then told them they’d be wearing a luggage shirt and resting on a pillow made of marshmallow.”

As Chung directed the models, he sought to find a balance between sly humor and outright camp. “The models had to be over the top, yet the look we were going for was a subtle humor. We tried to make ‘The Flyers Collection’ look like any other high-end gift guide, until people read a little closer and got the punchline.”

Adds Wood, “All of the ideas were in place before the shoot, but we needed a way to bring them to life in a way that felt elevated and premium. Jamie helped us get there. Not only did he add a host of details and accents to each individual item, his lighting gave the overall project a real polish.”

Besides small props such as the Knee Jockey and Leather in a Jar,  Salvato also handled 750 lb. airplane seats and enlisted the manpower to rig it to an airplane wall. She additionally oversaw the wardrobe and a mock pop-up shop. Used to having at least a month to prepare for window displays, Salvato managed to turn around a raw space into “The Flyers Collection” store in less than a week. All of the gift guide products will be displayed in the faux storefront in the high-traffic Meatpacking District neighborhood of NY.

The JetBlue holiday campaign will be taking over New York City this month. The catalog will be an insert in the December issue of New York Magazine and distributed in car service vehicles around New York City. Ads will run in subway cars and there will be a full cover-wrap on Metro NY. Banners ads will be placed on the New York Post, New York Magazine, AOL online, and Facebook websites. A mock pop-up store on 9th avenue between 14th and 15th street is now open. If you are in New York be sure to visit the store and keep an eye out for “The Flyers Collection”!

-Helen Shih

>Explore The Flyer’s Collection
>View Jamie Chung’s Portfolio
>View Ariana Salvato’s Portfolio
>View The Flyers Collection at Creativity Online

————————————————————————————————————————–

Ad Agency: JWT NY
Client: JetBlue
Creative Director: Jim Wood
Art Buyer: Cheryl Masaitis
Photographer: Jamie Chung
Wardrobe, set, and prop stylist: Ariana Salvato
Producer: Elle Sullivan Wilson
Pop-up Shop Set Builders: Mike Myers and Composition Workshop
Location: Pier 59

I sat down yesterday evening to converse with Jamie Chung about his recent sojourn across America for ESPN magazine’s October issue, “The Body.” As I’m talking to Chung, he’s in the middle of building a cityscape out of cellular phones. Keep in mind, he has just returned from a two-month trek across the nation the capturing the stresses, injuries, and strengths incurred on athletes’ bodies. It’s clear that Chung never rests and that his work is in demand.

From August through the end of September Chung traveled back and forth from New York to Iowa, Florida, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and California photographing athletes’ hands, feet, ears, lips, jaws, heels, and more. He was in athletes’ homes, training centers, and even a Nascar pit, which Chung adds, “was not made for humans.”

ESPN photo editor Amy McNulty on why she chose Chung for this arduous project: “We decided to go with Jamie because we loved his portfolio for it is whimsy, creativity and intelligence. He was exactly what we were looking for… And since he is a so young, we had a feeling he could handle the breakneck travel schedule.”

Click here to view the ESPN online gallery.

More images and full interview with Jamie Chung after the link:

I hear you’ve been traveling a lot.
You’ve heard right. It was really great to get out of the studio. I had no idea how much fun traveling was. There were times where we were traveling and traveling and I was really super exhausted but we would still make a point to go out and explore. My assistants are really curious as well. We’d always try to do something fun and meet the locals, just make the most out of the trip because we’re in NY in the studio a lot.

What were some of your favorite places?
America is crazy; it’s so different everywhere you go. Colorado was incredible, it had pristine beauty.

In Georgia we stopped at this hotel that was being occupied by a roller disco party. They have roller disco parties all throughout America, and this was the biggest one of the year. They go out at 8pm to roller disco and don’t come back until the morning. That is pure love.

How did the athletes respond to being models when you’re photographing some of their body parts that have undergone a lot of stress?
Most of them were really into it. They have to do a lot of press, all these athletes. I made a point of trying to talk to each one of them about the project and having samples to show them of final retouched stuff so that they would see that it’s an artistic project.

Amy McNulty comments, “He went beyond our expectations by completely immersing himself into the project.  He really got to know his subjects.  He interviewed them extensively about their bodies before the shoots to make sure he got the best angles and shots.”

Did you find yourself forming a bond with the athletes?
A lot of these people only have 15 minutes and we’re trying to get them on board with the right lighting. Others like Cheryl Hayworth, an Olympic lifter, we ended up going to eat fried seafood with her and she invited us to go crabbing. The shot putter (Adam Nelson) was the coolest, most amazing guy. He made us laugh so hard and his wife and kid were so sweet. They were a real pleasure.

With so much traveling and a hectic schedule, you must have found yourself running into some minor challenges.
We shot the surfer (Laird Hamilton) in a house in Malibu. All of our grip gear didn’t arrive for that, so we had to clamp lights on palm trees in this little cabana bar that they had. We used a pull-up bar to hang the backdrop. It was hard because I’m so used to having all the gear I need. It was kind of almost freeing to do things all make-shift; it forces you to be more creative.

Jamie’s creativity is clearly evident in the final photographs of the athletes. The cracked heels, broken fingers, hard-earned calluses, and battle-worn scars are indicative of the intense training that the athletes put their bodies through in the quest for performance and strength. McNulty’s final thoughts on the project are that “…in the end, it hit a raw, honest yet beautiful look at the body which was just what we were hoping to capture.”

-Helen Shih

He’s captured designer shoes dipped in chocolate, chewed bubblegum in a platinum setting, and designer handbags emitting smoke. This time Jamie Chung keeps it simple with sharp, saturated images of cosmetics in the September issue of V Magazine.