44beyond's Blog

Is that a bear???

44beyond — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:49:07 +0000

No… 44 does not have a bear running around the studio… It’s actually an 11-week old newfoundland pup, and his name is Jack.

Jeff’s family brought home this not-so-little guy a few weeks ago and has already put on about 35 lbs! Last weekend Jeff brought Jack up to the studio to take photos of him while he is still able to fit in a person’s arms… (kind of.) It wasn’t easy; Jack was certainly running the show Saturday and he knew it. If Jack wasn’t crawling all over Jeff while he was on the ground trying to get photos of him, Jack would be exploring all the new sights and smells of the tall grass behind the studio! It only became an issue when Jack found all the prickers along the banks of the pond.. then the fun had to be cut short just a bit.

KICKOFF 2011

44beyond — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:18:09 +0000

44 inc. has been working very close with The Green Bay Packers as of late! Nearly every member of the 44 team was present last Thursday to help launch the 2011 NFL season kickoff! Brenda was in the air for over two hours capturing aerial photos; her stomach was still turning after the weekend from her crazy pilot!

Shaun, Cindy and Jeff were all over Lambeau from down by the bands shooting video. The crowd was absolutely electric! Jeff had our GoPro Hero Cam on the end of the boom-mic pole to get some really interesting looking angles from high above the crowd, while Shaun shot from the shoulder with his Sony 35mm NXCam. You would be amazed at how fast you can move through a crowd by just holding a camera above your head.

There was thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder all having a good time! Everyone was just having fun and wanted to be on camera! At one point the crowd had completely surrounded Cindy, Jeff, and Shaun all screaming GO PACK GO! The feeling of having that many people around with so much energy was absolutely thrilling, and made you feel almost a bit claustrophobic!

During kickoff, Shaun and Jeff were on the roof of the North endzone capturing still images of the flag/go-pack-go stunts as well as a little bit of video!

After the day was done our crew pulled an all-nighter to cut together an amazing promo video for the Green Bay Packers. To see some of the photos and the video of the days events, scroll down!

44 inc. in 3D!

44beyond — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:27:10 +0000

Jeff Vehrs has opened up a door to the big world of 3D animation for 44 inc! Using 3D software to create set extensions for Brenda’s photography, Jeff is literally blowing the roof off in some cases!

This is a roomset for KI furniture that Jeff was able to build virtually, and blend into the original photo by Brenda.

Creating visually striking renderings was the goal for this next project. Dubbed the “NeoConvoy,” this is a specialized trailer graphic that was created completely in 3D software. This trailer was showcased at NeoCon in Chicago, Illinois where KI went on to win Best Showroom!

The graphic creates a cool optical illusion when looking at the profile of the trailer; It's as if you can see directly into the trailer to see the chairs!

Tork Performance rumbles into Homestead!

44beyond — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 19:05:41 +0000

Sean Caisse and the Tork Performance crew had the pits buzzing with excitement and Brenda and Shaun were there to capture it all. The garage area was filled with the smell of fuel and the shouts of crew chiefs and crew members tweeking the race-car one final time. Brenda has shot at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway and several other locations for motorsports, but Nascar was a whole new monster. “.. AND IT WAS A BLAST!” Tork Performance and SCA tissue were great hosts and looked amazing on camera. Regardless if you’re a Nascar fan or not, there really isn’t anything that can quite compare to the feeling of being trackside in sunny Miami, Florida. (Especially when friends and family back in Wisconsin are fighting the cold.)

Shaun and Jeff spent many hours working on the SCA Tork Performance videos, and are proud to present the final product to all of you! Enjoy!

Throwbacks!

44beyond — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:57:23 +0000

Brenda and Shaun donned the usual red vests all photographers and videographers must wear on Lambeau field during game time; but the Green Bay Packers had new jerseys. Or rather, some old jerseys!

Yesterday was Throwback Jersey Night in Title-town. Brenda and Shaun were asked to tough it out through the freezing temperatures to get shots of the players in their authentic uniforms. (Shaun and Brenda both are still trying to unthaw…) They’d both tell you the experience was well worth it though and they’d both do it again in a heartbeat.

Being a long-time Green Bay Packers fan, Shaun had to really contain himself when Greg Jennings caught a touchdown pass less then 5 feet from him! He said it was one of his biggest highlights from the game.

Brenda described her day at Lambeau field as,”Exciting! Just to be out with the team she’s loved for years was amazing. Of course she felt a bit nervous because she had a lot of work to do taking stills of all the players. At times she said the cold got to her, but the honor she felt being out there on Lambeau Field was absolutely amazing. She loves working with the Green Bay Packers and cannot wait to get back out there!

Take a look at some of the photos Brenda and Shaun took, and stop by www.packersproshop.com to check out the game-worn uniforms from Sunday’s game available for sale!

This isn't your high school's football team!

Driver trying to break the tackle

Greg Jennings going airborne!

Image by Mike Roemer

Don’t squat on your spurs!

44beyond — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:01:48 +0000

Shaun’s back from his week long hike in Cody, Wyoming with some extraordinary photos! The wildlife was never more than a few minutes from the road, but more often then not… the wildlife was no more then a few YARDS from the road!

Wyoming really is more than wind and flat prairies like many of us may think. Take one look at these wonderful pictures of landscapes and wilderness and you’ll be packing your bags for Wyoming as well!

"That's close enough cowboy..."

Burning up the western sky

This guy got a little bit grumpy when Shaun showed up with his camera!

Playing with the field mice

Just one of the thousands of beautiful mountain streams.

This place truely is a "wild blue yonder."

'Bout time to head home...

44inc. MOVES to the GROOVE!

44beyond — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:20:36 +0000

Last night Extreme Home Makeover: Home Edition aired on ABC featuring the Arboleda family of Neenah, WI. 44 inc. had the opportunity to shoot some behind the scenes during the construction of the Arboleda’s new home.

It was amazing to see a whole community come together to bring joy to a family in need. Each crew member at the build gave it their all and the energy around the site was buzzing 24/7!

It felt great to volunteer for the project!

Rallying the troops for the big build!

Watch your fingers!

Getting plastered with the crew.

The sky is the limit on this build!

All night long

Shaun wants to be your videographer for LIFE!

44beyond — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:44:22 +0000

Shaun and Jeff we’re on location at Auto Haus on Velp Avenue last week shooting a new commercial spot for Bradley Berndt. We lucked out and got all of the shooting done just before the rain swept over Green Bay. You can expect to see the new commercial airing soon on WBAY Channel 2 sometime in the next several weeks.

Check out Bradley’s dealership at www.autohausonvelp.com

Shaun Pitts (left) and Bradley Berndt (right)

Shaun Pitts of 44 inc.

Fergie

44beyond — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:16:12 +0000

Hello Everyone. It has been awhile since we have had a chance to chat, but we have been so swamped here at the studio. Since our business has been BOOMING, we had to go out and hire some more help! We have two new fresh faces walking around the studio. First, is Jeff who has more than a fierce talent in Illustration. Next up, is Shaun filing the shoes of two people with his duo skills in video producing and photography skills. I would love to give away all the dirt on our new best kept secrets, but that is for another day.

Another addition to our 44 family is Fergie, a labradoodle with a calm and quiet demure. It is funny, not only how much excitement a dog can cause, but also how much of a distraction as well. There has been a little less work done at the studio today because of her debut performance at 1001 Scheuring Road.

The story of : When I lost my 17-year-old chocolate lab Coco it was really hard. Knowing you are going to lose my loved dog didn’t help, and I knew I needed to find another companion. I didn’t take this lightly, and knew I had to set out to find a perfect replacement for my beloved lab. After all the research I had my heart set on a labradoodle, and got put on a waiting list. I was the 8th person on the waiting list, and they only take down payments on the first seven. It isn’t easy to sit and wait for the unexpected, but all I could do was wait. Low and behold, there were 11 puppies born, so I got to pick one of them. I am just settling in with my newly, potty trained pup and hoping to skip the terrible two’s all together. So next time you come to visit us at 44 Beyond expect not only our friendly faces, but Fergie’s too. Fergie will be the official mascot of 44 Beyond.

Turks and Caicos!

44beyond — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:22:59 +0000

Hi all!

Brenda and I are back from our yearly adventure! This years destination was the beautiful islands of Turks and Caicos. The waters there were truely the most aqua we’ve ever seen. As far as the adventure, well, this trip was pretty mild compared to our last years trip to Roatan, Honduras. It didn’t rain for 5 days straight, the roads were actually driveable, the food was great, we could look out to this fantastic ocean at anytime, and NO BUGS!!! It was wonderfully relaxing. So now we’re ready for an exciting new year at the studio-refreshed and ready! Here are a few shots I took- check out the 44beyondfood blog to see what Brenda shot.