Force
8 Photo Digital began life in 1991 as "Photography by Randy
Lagerway". Canadian born and raised Randolph Lagerway had
moved to Hong Kong after a two-year stay in Japan and was
keen to turn his life-long hobby of photography into a business.
In the early years he shot mainly executive portraits, special
events, and editorial features including magazine articles/covers
for various Hong Kong magazines including Asiaweek, Asian
Business, YZ, The Peak, Institutional Investor, Travel News
Asia, Electronic Business Asia, EDN Asia, Telecom Asia and
more.
Gradually the company expanded into corporate photography,
shooting pictures for company brochures, annual reports,
and press release photos. We had a knack for "people" pictures.
Discovery Bay International School invites us back year
after year to shoot student portraits because the parents
love how we capture the essence of their children on film.
Bonnie Jahnke -- our "child relations expert" -- helps create
memorable pictures of kids. Whenever women or children are
in front of the camera needing a calm, compassionate presence,
Bonnie will usually be involved.
Though we used Macintosh computers for accounting and other
administration since 1991, the first Macintosh computer
for graphic imaging arrived in 1994. Packing an impressive
33mHz processor, the new Quadra 650 boasted a whopping 40MB
of RAM and 500MB of hard disk! With this kit we embarked
into the digital domain.
We were doing impressive special-effects "in-camera"* but
the computer and trusty Photoshop software allowed us to
work magic. A special-effects niche opened up to us in the
Asian-based high-tech industry. Texas Instruments, Intel,
Motorola, O2 Micro and Fujitsu Microelectronics all commissioned
us to produce magazine covers, graphics and even full 2-page
magazine advertisements in trade publications. We have subsequently
upgraded gear many times, but the Quadra still troops on
as our administration computer!
The arrival of the internet allowed us to easily communicate
with clients around the world. We didn't meet Catherine
at Fujitsu in person until after we had been working together
by phone, fax and email for three years! Similar for O2
Micro in California. Now we routinely communicate and electronically
send our stock and assignment graphics to customers around
the globe.
Gradually we moved to provide services in the internet arena
not just to produce graphics, but to design websites and
help others do so. Our internet consultancy arm -- Rapid
Response -- helps companies excel online, articulate
their offering and create highly usable, successful websites.
Just for variety, we have recently added blimp-based exhibition
marketing and "surveillance" to our list of services.
And just to make SURE that no moss grows under our feet,
we operate the profitable e-commerce website Tradewind
Direct
----------------------------------------------------------
*
EDN Asia's "Oscilloscope" cover in 1994. Shooting with 3
studio lights and 2 slide projectors we exposed one frame
of film 6 different times to create one composite image.
Working late into the night at the Cahners Wanchai office
we created one of their most memorable magazine covers --
posted on editor Mike Markowitz's "Hall of Fame" for months.