Who We Are / What We Do
Mistrale is dedicated to producing creative high resolution digital images of people, events, products, and places, and to giving small businesses and individuals simple, cheap, effective and good-looking websites, brochures, posters, cards, and flyers that emphasize both substance and style. By concentrating on digital tools and techniques, we’re able to provide quality, immediacy, flexibility, and creativity. But most importantly, we give you an inexpensive way to get what you want, rather than what’s easiest for the photographer or designer.
Whatever your needs -- high-resolution TIFF files for brochures, JPEGs for websites, a new website (or a makeover for your existing site), a new brochure or magazine ad, high quality prints and transparencies for exhibitions or portfolios -- our services and prices are appropriate for small businesses and individuals. We're a small business too, and we understand the need to balance creativity and perfection with the reality of tight schedules and even tighter budgets. Get in touch so we can help you with your business!
"I've worked with [Mistrale's] Hamish Reid for 6 years, and I have hired him for virtually all my photography, video, and design needs. His attention to detail, depth of creativity, and his flexibility and versatility make him wonderfully easy to work with, and I'm always delighted with the finished product. In short he's the consummate professional, and I can unreservedly recommend him!"
-- Stephen Duffy, Owner, Splendid Productions, Oakland
Mistrale is based in Oakland, California, and was founded by Hamish Reid, a photographer and website designer in response to the difficulty he had in getting good high quality digital images for the client web sites and brochures he was designing. Mistrale has associations with local studios, video and sound production firms, props rentals, makeup artists, web hosting services, etc., and can recommend or arrange services with several local design studios and / or pre-print service houses for associated services on your behalf if needed.
A One Stop Solution
"Mistrale was very easy to work with. The final PR and interior images were perfect for our press release and website -- they reflected the style and spirit of our restaurant brilliantly. Just what we wanted!" -- Maurice Darwish, Owner, Mezze, Oakland.
Since we offer a wide range of services needed by typical PR or website projects -- photography, copywriting, layout, design, production, etc. -- we can act as a one-stop source for small businesses and individuals working on reduced budgets or with limited time. Working with a single business like Mistrale that can do all the aspects of a typical PR or website project has distinct advantages: not just the obvious cost benefits, but project management is also simpler, and you have the assurance of working with the same people you already know throughout the entire process.
For example, with one high-end interior design client we were able to take the results of a digital large-format interior design photography session we'd done earlier and use those images in a magazine ad we designed and produced, then use those images, plus new digital portrait images we shot in a short session later and copy from the ad, to update and makeover their website and brochure. All this was made much easier and less expensive by having a single client relationship throughout the process.
Style Matters!
We believe that creativity and style really do make a difference, and that everything -- even simple corporate PR images or news release photos -- benefits from a certain visual flair and style. But style doesn't have to be expensive -- with Mistrale it's a fundamental part of the process, not some add-on extra-cost item or happy accident. While we have our own distinctive approach and style, we work closely with you to identify or suggest suitable visual elements and styles that are appropriate to you and the end use of your images.
Our Aims
Whether a project involves a single person or an entire business, we constantly emphasize:
- Collaboration -- from initial planning to post-production and delivery, every successful project must be collaborative. A good photo shoot, magazine ad, or website is about you, not us, and if you're not comfortable or happy, it shows in the final images or product. So we work with you at all stages to ensure that you know what you're getting and that you're happy with the results. After all, we get most of our new business by word of mouth, and if you're not happy, we just don't get that new business....
- Immediacy -- by working directly and almost exclusively in digital, we can ensure two things:
- That you can see the full high quality (unedited) results of a particular shot, session, or design almost immediately, often within seconds of the image being taken or design produced. This means that if (for example) you're unsure whether a particular clothing style works well, or a particular backdrop is effective, we can try different shots and show you what works without needing to reshoot the session later; similarly with the various draft designs for
and,
- We eliminate hard copy or website publication delays by being able to quickly edit, package, and deliver digital images, brochures, websites, prints, etc., in most convenient formats and media.
- Flexibility -- although we offer a set of standard packages, we emphasize flexibility in everything we do. For example, with photography we offer choices in all aspects from location (studio vs. office vs. "environmental" -- we've even taken photos in a small Cessna upside down 8,000' over California...) and lighting (natural, artificial), through shooting and editing, to the final deliverables (prints vs. digital files, etc.). Because we're small, and we work almost exclusively in digital, this flexibility comes naturally.
- Style and Creativity -- once again, we're strong believers that creativity and style matter, and that everything -- even simple corporate PR brochure images or news release photos -- benefits from a certain visual flair and style. While we have our own distinctive approach and style, we work closely with you to identify or suggest suitable visual elements and styles that are appropriate to you and the end use of your images.
The Mistrale Process
"[Mistrale's] Hamish Reid understood from the beginning what was needed, and not only endured taking aerobatics photos in a small plane upside down 8,000' above California, but was also able to design and build a simple, inexpensive, but very effective website for me. The website's been a real success in attracting new students!" -- Ben Freelove, Certified Flying Instructor, Oakland CA.
Typically, when you work with Mistrale on a project, we first spec out the likely costs and logistics, and prepare you and / or your clients in detail. We help you decide what you really want (rather than what the typical photographer or designer wants) and what you want the images to say, where you want to take the photos (in a studio, in a corporate setting, on the beach, on stage, wherever works best), what sort of image sizes and formats are required (e.g. hi-res TIFFs vs. JPEGs, prints vs. CD-ROMs, etc.), and, finally, details like lighting, suitable clothing choices, makeup, etc.
When these details have been arranged to everyone's satisfaction, we do the actual photo shoot. This may be a simple one hour session at your workplace, or it may be a multi-day process involving a studio and external locations and many people. In each case, we are usually able to provide almost instant feedback and preliminary results for you to see immediately on one of our laptops. These are the actual real images, not small Polaroid prints or similar with little relationship to the final images.
Once the photo shoot is over, we quickly upload a set of lightly-edited draft screen-resolution versions of the images for client browsing in a password-protected client-specific area on our website. This gives clients the chance to choose favorite images and / or to offer suggestions for things like cropping, titling, etc. Further editing and selection is done at this time, and draft final images are made available to clients in the agreed media.
Once we get final draft agreement from the client, we do final edits and produce the images in the final media (which may be inkjet prints, or CD-ROM, or DVD, or web-based downloads, etc.).
Of course, actual client processes can vary greatly depending on the circumstances, but the above is fairly typical.
Contact Us!
To get in touch with Mistrale -- to find out what we offer in detail, or to ask about images on our site, etc. -- please use our contact page.