Dungbeetle Creative

Beauty

2010-12-22T20:25:00.000-08:00

Beauty is all around us. It could be 3 steps outside your front door if you take the time to look.

Promotional Cards

2010-10-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

New promotional cards for the band Stephen Rey & The Slicks. Photography by Joanna Miriam.

Web & Myspace for Freddy & Francine

2010-09-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Dungbeetle recently re-branded a website and myspace page for Los Angeles indie artists Freddy & Francine to coincide with the release of their new album "The Forest and the Sea." Their previous sites were burdened with heavy flash integration, making viewing slow and sometimes difficult to navigate. New sites share a common palette and visual thread with information that is easy to find, quick links, and a clear focus on promoting the new record. New videos, songs, and upcoming show calendar are prominently featured.

Recent Snaps : Luna & Rachel

2010-08-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bootlegger's Club T-shirt

2010-08-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Re-inventing

2010-07-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged...but being too busy to update the site is not necessarily a bad thing! Soon I will be revising and revamping the Dungbeetle production portfolios as well as adding new pages to show recent web, branding, photography, video, and design projects. In the meantime, you can keep up with me on Facebook ...

Behind the Scenes: Michael Tiernan Video Shoot

2010-04-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Stills from a music video shoot with Jeff Wiant for Michael Tiernan's new song, "Write Me a Love Song." This was a whirlwind project with shooting done in one day and edited over the week. Request it on MTV...

This production was on a tight budget... along with plenty of input from the artist, Michael, Jeff and I worked as a team to direct, produce, cast, style, and edit!

Remembering Jazz

2010-04-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've always been inspired by the musicians captured by William Gottlieb and William Claxton. This image was shot yesterday with (of all things) an iphone...yet it reminds me of those great jazz photographers...many whom were musicians themselves. Something about being in the right place at the right time, a camaraderie and knowing just when the moment was real. There is something in the posture, attitude, style of the jazz musician that transcends time, even today.

CD cover shoot - Gonna Boogie Anyway!

2010-04-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

Last year I shot the cd cover for my friends, award-winning blues musicians Chris James and Patrick Rynn. This year I got the call again...and under an extremely tight deadline, managed to snap a few gems for their upcoming release, Gonna Boogie Anyway.

Film Photography Rocks My World

2010-02-23T13:07:00.001-08:00

Is digital killing the photographic art form? While it is a technologically astounding and often amazing tool, economical and environmental...it simply can't replace the "feel" of film...or the surprise, sometimes innovation, of images produced with film.

Photoshop experts will say you can reproduce it all now digitally. I disagree. You can't reproduce the magical surprise elements of film aged for a year in my bedroom window, simply because the film reacts differently every time. "Digital" distress will always be contrived and at the discretion of the technician. It's the human element involved...the light leaks, processing effects, mistakes, skill, and eye that make a photograph extraordinary - a piece of art.

I shoot with a digital camera. So does every photographer I work with. But when I want to have fun, I break out my 1951 Kodak Pony. 33mm. FUN. The viewer isn't the same as the lens, so framing is a bit experimental. So is focus. I love the freedom of scanning my own negatives and processing them. I love the warm, soft look, ethereal color and film grain.

Photos ©2010 Nena Anderson top photo: musician Gregory Page, lower photo: Rimrock Ranch Cabins

Great Show - Cool Gallery, ProjectxArt

2010-02-06T14:15:00.001-08:00

The "18shots" show consisted of 18 Art Brewer prints from the 2010 Electra Bicycle Campaign and personal point-and-shoot images. The opening event was a great success! The Electra Amsterdams, hand-painted by Acamonchi Art, Brandon Lomax, Blackass, and John Tagle, were auctioned at the end of the night to benefit Keep-A-Breast. Art Brewer mingled with the crowd and signed posters and books while videographer Jeff Wiant presented clips on a giant screen outside.

Thanks to everyone that made the show successful!!
Contributors: Titan Display (prints), Pizza Port Carlsbad (beer), Patrick Dennis (installation), and most of all ProjectxArt gallery for a beautiful space.

Opening Jan 23 - 18SHOTS - Art Brewer & Dungbeetle

2010-01-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

OPENING RECEPTION - JAN 23, 2010 - 6-10pm at: ProjectxArt

Join me this weekend in presenting works by Art Brewer and Dungbeetle*. A collection of images from 2010 Electra Bicycle Company's "Way to Roll" Campaign and selects from Art's personal point-and-shoot collection. *Produced and created by Dungbeetle and co-directed by Patrick Dennis.

Meet Art Brewer : book & poster signings.

Hand-painted Electra Amsterdam bikes to be auctioned for Keep-a-Breast.org Keep-a-Breast membership drive & merchandise on sale.

Videos by Jeff Wiant

Show runs Jan 23- 30 Project x Art 320 S. Cedros Ave. Solana Beach, CA

18SHOTS - Photography by Art Brewer

2009-12-18T10:26:00.001-08:00

Look for exhibits produced by Dungbeetle in 2010!

In this age of social media, mass communication and over-exposure, commercial photography with emotional impact and artistic quality is more powerful than ever. For this show, we bring that blend of art & commerce together in the work of world-renowned photographer, Art Brewer.

No photoshop trickery. Real images. Captured moments. Point and shoot images from Art's personal collection, as well as produced, commercial images from Electra Bicycle Company's 2009 & 2010 campaigns.

Opening Reception will feature:

• Auction for Keep-A-Breast.org of hand-painted Electra Bicycles by artists: Acamonchi Art, Blackass, Brandon Lomax, and more.
• Videos by Jeff Wiant
• Donation bar
• Music, Art, and Special Guests

Show runs January 23-30, 2010

Opening Reception

January 23, 2010
6-10pm

located at:
ProjectXart
320 S. Cedros Ave.
Solana Beach CA

The Accidental Photographer

2009-12-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

i like angles. if i can't the photographer to find it, i'm likely to be on the roof, scaling a wall, under a car or a balancing on a ledge to get the shot. i also don't like camera straps.

Get to the Point!

2009-10-13T00:41:00.000-07:00

I posess a complete distaste for over-built, visually chaotic and confusing to navigate websites. Recent consulting projects continue to bring them to my attention, and I wonder...how do they get that way? Brands trying to make sure they don't miss anything? Designers trying to prove themselves "designing" it, rather than communicating?

For myself, I'll admit, I have a tendency to "under-do" it. Meaning I cut back a lot because I don't want to have to maintain much. And I want my viewers to get what they need fast.

I spend so many hours on the computer. Too many. As a tool for art, photography, music, research and marketing, it's phenomenal. But at the same time, more than ever I want to get my information quickly, easily, and without having to wait. Or dig. And I want it on my phone. Is that too much to ask?

Vote for Photos at Billboard/PDN

2009-09-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hit up the Billboard/PDN "Musical Moments" contest and vote for Dungbeetle images by Nena Anderson. http://www.billboardphotocontest.com/bin/Rate?searchphotographer=Nena+Anderson&search=photographer#

Photos of:

Matt Resovich (Black Heart Procession, John Meeks, Roll Film) - Ray Suen (The Killers, Joanie Mendenhall) - Patrick Dennis (Truckee Brothers, Wirepony) - Shaney Jo Darden (KAB)

What Do You" DO"?

2009-08-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Photo of Gerardo Yepiz, Acamonchi Studio by Art Brewer for Electra Bicycle Company. Produced by Dungbeetle.

It's always difficult for me to define to people "what I do." My work, my art, my music, my ethics, they all speak for themselves. But as much as I balk at the question, I do understand the importance of it to grow my business and to help people better understand who I am.

I am a creator. Artist. Musician. Producer. Illustrator. Photographer. Designer. Inventor.

Every day my job description changes and I love it...I am so grateful that I can work on a professional level wherever my whim goes! Most recently my producing skills have been of little use to an economy which has forced productions to streamline. It has been great fun for me to sharpen up my skills and revisit former "free-agent" occupations as a makeup artist, director, set designer, casting agent, photographer, editor, and photographer's assistant.

Tomorrow I will finish up a cd package I photographed and am now designing for a band called SheBlondeSwede. Next weekend I will once again be a floral designer, working with the talented Adrianne Smith.

I used to worry about jumping around too much from job to job, project to project. But I have come to understand that it is the very thing that motivates and INSPIRES me. It challenges and, quite literally, FEEDS everything I do as a creative mind. It gives me ultimate perspective and patience in understanding process and the people involved. I look forward to every day because of it!

read more on this topic at Nena Anderson.

Midnight Photoshoot

2009-08-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

Midnight bicycle gang of 7. Balmy downtown San Diego summer night. 5 miles pedaling towards the pub. 1 daredevil stair trick. 2 turns through the Hyatt revolving door. 1 crash. 3 smiling girls.

Shot while riding my own bike, new photos for the newest bike line addition to the Electra Bicycle family are pure city pub crawl fun. Here's a preview shot. More about the challenges and triumphs of this kind of shoot in the next few days.

hello, summer color!

2009-07-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

The best thing about summer...sun. It brings out not only the tank-top hippies and neon green flip-flops, but also the juicy goodness of COLOR! From early morning soft-box glow to the glorious golden hour before sunset, there is something about that summertime light that makes everything just a little bit happy.

Dung Project PORTFOLIO is Live!

2009-07-02T12:37:00.001-07:00

Click the PROJECTS button in the header at the top of the page to see our new project gallery. It's just a small taste of some of the things we do...

July the Fourth

2009-07-02T12:30:00.001-07:00

Countenance of an Old Soul

2009-06-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Shooting kids is great. Real emotion. Sure, sometimes you get that fake, perma-grin teeth baring school portrait "say cheese" (where DID that come from?) smile, but if you can wait for the right moment, you can capture honesty. Happiness, anger, frustration, joy, sillyness...or the countenance of an old soul. photo by Dungbeetl, ©2007 Nena Anderson for Electra Bicycle Catalog 2008

City Bike

2009-06-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

Midnight ride down Broadway, NYC. Central Park to Ground Zero. Dodging taxis, pedestrians, traffic, rain, and shooting photos all the while riding my balloon Amsterdam.

Expansive Space

2009-06-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

During the Electra 2010 campaign shoot, I snapped a few "behind the scenes" polaroids. Something about that tranquil, expansive space and perfect light that makes me so happy! And a happy producer = a happy crew + a happy photographer (look closely, Art IS smiling in that shot) = incredible photography. And how gorgeous is our model, Emma Dennis?

Things Are Not As Bad As They Seem!

2009-06-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

The art studio of Jimmy C! Fiberglass, enamel paints, tikis and Ratfinks galore. This guy is the real thing - master of the lost arts of signpainting and handlettering, pinstriping, illustration and sculpture. http://www.kustomart.com

Click on the photo to read the Von Dutch note that is hanging on his studio wall...things are not as bad as they seem!