A dog (and one eyed cats') life.

I couldn't help but blog about our life companions... where would we be without the company of our pets?

From the ever faithful German Shepherd dog, respected and admired throughout the world for its versatility, intelligence, and loyalty, to the one eyed (one toothed) wonder that regularly visits Oliver's house... Australian's really do love their pets.

As a nation of pet lovers, we share our homes with all sorts of cats and dogs, with half of all households owning a pet. It will come as no surprise to animal lovers that research shows that pets are good for our health.

Pets can play an important role in people's lives and they are often referred to as 'one of the family'. As well as providing a constant source of enjoyment, friendship and fun, many pets thrive in a family and household environment.

What's this got to do with our business? Well, apart from the commercial work, we love taking photos of our domestic friends :)

Disney's - The Lion King

Last week we were fortunate enough to be commissioned to shoot the spectacular Regent Theatre in Melbourne's Collins Street. Disney's award winning broadway musical, The Lion King, has been an incredible success.

Sadly, on June 4th it leaves our shores and will open the following month to Beijing. Ticket prices in China are said to be around $250!

For those of you who haven't seen the show, eBay have tickets for sale, and there are also a few being released daily (see the official Australian Lion King site).

We couldn't believe our luck when Marriner Theatre's asked we photograph the exterior of the theatre, print and frame a photo to be sent to Disney's head office in the USA!

Another year dawns...

It's been another year of highlights, with the expansion of our architecture and interior design work, to capturing the individual personalities of our beautiful wildlife... but most of all the milestone of airing our first DVD. We just want to say THANKS for your support!

To our family and friends, and clients alike, we'd all like to say thanks, without you it would not be possible.

The humble tap

It would seem that Oliver likes photographing taps! And have you ever seen a tap look so good as in these three shoots?

As interior designers and architects agonise about details, it seems photographers go to extrordinary lengths to highlight them... Who would have though the humble tap would become such a feature?

Visiting the home show in Melbourne last month, and watching thousands visit exhibition stands showcasing all sorts of kitchen and bathroom accessories, it would appear the humble tap has come of age!

Out of interest I researched a little more into the history of taps (yes - strange), and the Beijing Waterworks Group also have a mild interest, having established a museum which reviews the history of tap water since its beginning in 1908.

The official The Beijing Tap-water Museum writes, "The imperial families of the Forbidden City used to drink spring water carried from Mount Yuquanshan in western Beijing, while everyday folk had to use wells with bitter, salty, or sweet water (if they were lucky).

When Empress Dowager Cixi agreed to a proposal from officials to build a clean water supply system, many people had doubts, deeming it foreign and strange tasting, due to bleaching powder and chlorine. It was even dubbed "foreigners' soap water" because in winter it had a milky appearance when pumped out of the water tower." Hmmm...

To Stand Out, Stand Out!

Companies like Kimberly-Clark spend millions of dollars a year keeping people from calling tissues kleenexes.

Why is branding so important? People want their company to have an identity, one that's remembered, a name that stands for their product.

Here at BISON our identity and brand was quite controversial. It seemed everyone had an opinion.

People argued, "What has it got to do with photography? People won't make the connection." Other's were very supportive, "Great name, love it... easy to rememeber." And, "it's got grunt."

Either way, it's not generic. We (and you also) should not want a generic name as your brand.

Looking at these construction photo's recently taken in Melbourne, the Abigroup also want us to remember their name. It seems their choice of name is different, and fits in with the idea that you should never choose a name that describes something that everyone expects from the service.

Brands are alive - and everyone can use one.