"You better work!" I'm down with that RuPaul. Okay, enough hipster talk for me, but being amidst the dramatic setting of the 7th On Sixth Fashion shows on Chelsea Piers, I couldn't resist. I was the special guest of Dietmar Petutschnig, technical guru of Image Info Inc. (http://www.imageinfo.com), who gave me a private behind-the-scenes tour of this glam-machine on Nov. 6. Image Info was there as the exclusive digital imaging source for the entire show. Temporary offices held about 20 computers, high-end and color printers, scanners, boom boxes and pizza for three shifts worth of students all willing to have the opportunity to work and learn from the experience.
Image Info does all the digital image content from these shows for various Websites. With the flip of an ISDN switch, they send the images to a digital printer. They will burn CDroms of the various lines for clients (current and potential), produce "look books" and studio sheets from the runway shots.
The sponsors lounge was open and airy with high counters and metal swivel stools. Thick binders were on the counters filled with pictures (five or six of the same outfit shot from different angles) and handouts with recaps. Reporters could also browse two computers' databases of 20,000 images, request certain photos and send them directly to their picture desk around the world to be filed with their story. This function is cost effective for publications as they might not have to send photographers to these shows as well. Although Kodak had a lounge for traditional photographers, as they sponsored all high end print work.
The dimmer, cooler lounge sponsored by Moet & Chandon, with dark woods, big smoky mirrors, had a beautiful Golden Labrador hanging out with some fashion show coordinators. The runways branched off from here, and the aluminum stanchions lined against the wall betrayed the chaos that would soon ensue around 5 p.m. that day for the next show. Many were off-site -- even as far downtown as 55 Wall Street -- like the Issac Mizrahi show for example.
All the work Dietmar and Image Info have done on this major Fashion (and now digital) industry event is paying off. The first credit for a photo attributed to a Website occurred after last year's show in the L.A. Times. Next time you see a shot of the latest super tall skinny super model, look closer at the photo credit and you may too see "www.imageinfo.com" as the credit.
(Appeared originally in @The Scene in the @NY newsletter)
A chronicle of the people and events in technology, internet and media since 1997, mixed in with snapshots of musings and observations.
