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Our Lay Flat Photography Project

Like any project, it all started with an idea. Ryan, CEO,Co-Owner and Head of Technology at Collective Mind Technologies came across Jim Golden’s photography on Instagram. He was inspired and thought it would be fun to create our own lay flat photo with our camera collection. We love collecting old technology and have several old Super 8 cameras, old photography cameras and of course our camera gear we use on current projects. We also collaborated with our team member, Jeff Meyer, who has an amazing collection of camera gear as well. Using the lay flat technique in the past for computer gear, this collection was a much larger endeavor. 

How We Made it Happen

We first gathered the crew to help with the project: myself, Lindsay, COO, Co-Owner and Head of Creative, Ryan, CEO,Co-Owner and Head of Technology at Collective Mind Technologies and Jeff Meyer, our expert video production team member. Once we had a date for the shoot on the books, we started to set up our studio to prepare for the shoot. Next, we gathered all of our tools. We laid out our white paper roll on the ground and secured it in place with tape. Then we created a DIY overhead camera set up using a ladder, monopod and lots of heavy duty tape. We lit the studio using one very large LED panel and 2 smaller LED panels. We tethered our camera to our iMac and we were able to screen share to our tv. 

This set up gave us the ability to see in real time what each shot looked like on a large screen right in front of us. We gathered all the gear – lots and lots of camera gear, hundreds of items. We had a few final photos in mind – one with all the cameras laid out in no particular order, another one with all cameras in order from old to new, and the last photo with a combination of camera gear and computers to represent all of our services at Collective Mind Technologies. 

We started with the photo with all of the camera gear in no particular order. We chose to use the RED camera as the center piece of this photo. Using the grid on the computer from Capture One (www.captureone.com), we made our major focus the RED camera to start. Then we began filling in the space with the other larger items, aligning each item as best as possible. We then began filling in empty spaces with smaller items, like memory cards, wireless mics, cables and tools. After swapping out items, adjusting placement and lots of little tweaks we all agreed we were ready for the final photo. This painstaking process was well worth the effort in the end. Capturing the lay flat images, each angle, placement, and contrasting object makes a huge difference to the outcome. 

We also decided to create as much content as possible while we had this extensive project set up. We removed each item one by one and took photos after each item was removed so we could create a stop motion animation video. This will be very fun to see the progression with items being added in and removed. 

Next, we decided to create a new photo, laying out the cameras from old to new. Once the paper was cleared from the stop motion animation video, we worked together to determine the oldest cameras and order them on the paper from old to new. It was a very similar process, finding just the right placement for each item. It was a bit like playing a game of tetris, finagling each camera or accessory to fit the perfect spot. Once all the white paper was filled with antique cameras and the latest and greatest gear, we made small adjustments to make sure everything was aligned. This final image was really cool to see, illustrating the evolution of cameras and technology — starting from their origins, changing in size and complexity over time.