Jason Schmidt and his wife Cory Jacobs, of Cottage 8 Films, have used their sons daily euphonium practice to add a rhythm to their days. Listen along and see if you recognize these renditions of famous jingles and tunes. Jason Schmidt and his wife Cory Jacobs, of Cottage 8 Films, have used their sons daily euphonium practice to add a rhythm to their days. Listen along and see if you recognize these renditions of famous jingles and tunes.

Joe Pugliese’s latest personal project evolved, like many of them do, out of a need to fill a gap between shoots. Far Away, So Close captures Pugliese’s friends from a safe distance in a series of black and white portraits. It also touches upon the universal changes we are all experiencing in the way we live. For him, it “doesn’t feel good to not take pictures” and focusing on a new project was important to establishing a new rhythm. Pugliese also chose his particular focus because he felt much of the work on social media was devoid of humans, featuring empty streets, etc. He wanted to create work that he felt was missing from the larger conversation. By focusing on human connection he aimed to quell his own, and hopefully others, anxiety. Those featured in the shoot were attracted to the sheer novelty of the concept and open to getting a bit of fresh air. The organic nature of the final shots result from the fact that Pugliese couldn’t get up close to direct. His current methods of working weren’t always viable for a shoot of this type and it pushed him to adapt. Challenges included shooting with a sport lens, to capture images from a distance, that not only magnifies the subjects but also vibrations. After shooting, Pugliese waited about a week before sharing on social media because he didn’t want his work to encourage others to go outside. However, upon sharing he was overwhelmed by the response of those inspired and uplifted by his work. People loved the work for the same reason he needed to shoot it — the undeniable humaneness of the images at a time when much of visual culture was taking people out of imagery.

Wolfgang Zac creates new portrait series from afar during social distancing due to the current Covid-19 crisis. “We’re still free to do what we’ve always done, we just have to forge new ways.” --Wolfgang Zac At the heart of this project is creating with the resources you do have. Wolfgang tapped some of his favorite models and shot them remotely, using FaceTime and Skype. Styling was done remotely and lighting rigs were created using what was on hand. The images speak for themselves and touch on the duality of isolation and togetherness. Consistently unconventional, Wolfgang continues to challenge himself creatively. Never surrender, Wolfie.

For his latest collaboration with Lenovo Romain Laurent captures stills and cinemagraphs with a fantastical edge. Romain lends his expertise at making the impossible look possible. The goal of this, and previous, collaborations is to create visual effects in camera as opposed to layering them on afterwards. For example, the bubble in that shot was actually a real bubble created by a giant bubble machine. 

Stephen Bliss' latest collaboration with Undone on a series of Monopoly themed watches is going to make you want to pass go and collect your cash. After connecting with Stephen via Instagram, the client tasked him with reimagining the classic monopoly character Uncle Pennybags with a gangster twist. Stephen brought his signature style of illustration to the project and even drew a sexy girlfriend, covered in tattoos, for Uncle Pennybags. His work is also on the back of the watch, where he spliced together vintage monopoly scenes, from the past eighty years, to create humorously fresh scenes. 

Recently, we caught up with Dave Homer about his last project for Door Dash. It was a big one, literally. The final mural was twelve stories high on Sunset Boulevard to be exact. Dave hails from Australia and starts every morning at the beach, surfing. Check out the video below with some BTS footage of his life. Once he's back home he begins to sketch for whatever project he's working on. Below you'll see the journey of Dave's work: from creative brief, to a spark of an idea, a few concepts and then finally a larger than life mural. v