From commercial advertising images to fantastic album covers, photographer Glen Wexler has never met an idea he couldn't reproduce with his arsenal of high-tech digital tools.

His portfolio could be housed in a Mack truck, with elephants in tutus dancing on the top. Inside, tuxedoed cows would parachute away from erupting volcanoes while winged men would soar gracefully above.

Jet skis would race against wasps. Neckties would spontaneously catch on fire, and kissing couples would suddenly be frozen solid, with icicles hanging from their faces. Heavy metal bands would...

Three Studio Photographers Share Their Solutions to Creative Quandaries

Even in the controlled environment of the studio, photographers face all manner of challenges in completing the assignments that clients and agencies dream up. The desired sets, subjects, props, angles, lighting and other effects require technical skill and creative versatility, as well as mental, and sometimes physical, ingenuity. Here, three successful studio photographers share the problem-solving methods behind some of their most compelling images, as selected by PhotoMedia staff.

Home life: Lives in the Hollywood hills of California with his wife, Tammy, and his two children: Jenna, 15, and Ian, 13.

Studio space: 2,000 square feet in Hollywood, used primarily for project administration, digital post-production and large-scale printing of fine-art work. "I've outgrown the studio so, on production days, we shoot at rented production facilities, bringing in sets that were built at a set shop," Wexler says.

Camera equipment: "To me, equipment is just a necessity. I don't dwell on that stuff," he says. "I typically shoot sets with a Sinar P2 4x5, and people or animals with a Hasseblad or Mamiya RZ. I often shoot landscapes that I use for backgrounds or fine art prints with a Mamiya 7. I prefer to shoot film for most of my work, but I have started to shoot with a Canon 1DS for situations where I need more immediate feedback, or when the extended depth of field of a 35mm format is required..."

Intrepid outdoor photographer Yvette Cardozo provides tips for those readers planning on lugging their cameras into sub-zero Arctic climes this winter

It was supposed to be the world’s best tripod for ultra-cold weather, made of some space-age, super-stable, shatterproof material. I bought the thing from a guy who had a reputation for taking lots of midwinter photos in ridiculous conditions.

The only problem was, it was utterly useless for me. The legs were controlled by rings and, at 30 below, I couldn’t feel the rings, much less turn them. I returned the tripod, eventually getting one with levers that I could trip with my knuckles when necessary — which all goes to prove that what works for me may not work for others...

Chris Rainier recently released his latest book, Ancient Marks, which documents traditional tribal tattooing around the globe. Images from the book were displayed this summer on the photo screen in New York City’s Times Square. Rainier’s portfolio also was included in the October 2004 issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine.

Rainier, who specializes in documenting indigenous cultures, is a codirector of the Culture Initiative and...

International Photography Awards recently announced the honorees and nominees for the 2004 Lucie Awards.

The ceremonies will be held Oct. 18 at the American Airlines Theatre in New York City. Special Tribute presentations will honor Helmut Newton and Francesco Scavullo. Gene Trindl and Henri Cartier-Bresson, recipients of Lucie Awards in 2003, will be remembered, and the winners of the IPA Photographer of the Year and Discovery awards also will be...

On the cover: “Balance,” from 1992, was one of the first images photographer Glen Wexler created using in-house digital imaging via the Macintosh Quadra 950 workstation. Today, with vastly more powerful equipment, Wexler is still creating otherworldly digital photographs that blur fantasy with reality.  

Cover photo: © Glen Wexler

The North American Nature Photography Association has announced its award recipients for 2005. Tui de Roy has been named the 2005 Outstanding Photographer of the Year, the association's highest accolade.

A Belgian native who moved to the Galapagos Islands at the age of two, Roy first showcased her work in Audubon magazine, and since has appeared in nature magazines in 25 countries. She also has published two books about...

Josef Scaylea, one of the Seattle Times’ most recognized photographers, died on July 20 of natural causes, at the age of 91.

The son of Italian immigrants, Scaylea was born Josef Scaglia on a Connecticut farm in 1913. He attended a photography school in New York, then put his newly-polished skills to work in corporate and trade publications. After serving as an army photographer in the Pacific during World War II, he settled in Seattle. He was hired by the Seattle Times and spent the next 35 years...

Jim Felt and Henry Ngan, owners of Studio 3, recently celebrated the 30th year of their photography business. The two high school friends founded the business in 1974. At its peak, they had studios in four cities, including Detroit and Greensboro, N.C. Since then, they have focused on operating studios in Seattle and Portland, Ore., with a staff of seven photographers.

The studio’s capabilities include film and digital, in-studio or on-location, with scouting, casting, styling and...