Dave Filler
Dave Filler can’t imagine working without his Scene Machine Virtual Backgrounds system. In the two years since he got it, it has become a very important component of his Kalispell, Montana studio operation. It has enabled him to greatly expand the scope and variety he is able to deliver to his clients - and they love the results.
Dave didn’t start out as a photographer. Initially, he was a geophysicist and traveled the world for oil companies taking pictures along the way.
Then he decided to slow down a bit, he chose Kalispell and opened a studio. Two years ago, Dave attended a Joseph and Louise Simone workshop at the Montana State Convention and saw what they were able to do with their Scene Machine.
Dave immediately decided that he had to have one for himself, so he purchased a system and the rest is history. Dave says, “I can’t imagine any photographer owning a system like this and not using it. Ordinary backgrounds are just not as flexible as this thing is. Now I am unlimited. I like to think of my studio as a fantasy land.”
His studio is located in a building immediately adjacent to his own home and includes several acres. The camera room was originally the garage and is only 12 feet wide. Therefore, without his Virtual Backgrounds system, he would be quite limited in what he could do. In the summer, he does a lot of outdoor portraits, but with his Scene Machine he can do so much more year round. “When I work outdoors, I have a very short season, I have the trees and rocks for backgrounds, just like every other photographer or amateur, but with the Scene Machine, I can do so much more and the customers love it.”
He often does not tell his clients exactly what he is doing in the studio. Instead, he likes to just work with them and then surprise them when they see the results on the monitor.
“I like to let the mom’s look in the camera - it’s so much fun to see their eyes get big and say, 'Wow where did that come from?’ and I tell them, ‘It’s magic!’” Dave likes to create as many of his own backgrounds as possible. He says, “When I go out and make a slide - I kind of pre-visualize it. I then keep the background slide until the right situation pops up.”
Dave uses a Contax camera with a Kodak Pro Back. He prefers to use either a fixed 80 or 140 mm lens. Many of the wall enlargements Dave sells were created using Virtual Backgrounds. He has also been winning a number of awards with his Virtual Backgrounds portraits.
In summary, Dave says, “You can do some of what I do with pained backgrounds and spend many extra dollars, but I can do things with Virtual Backgrounds that I just couldn’t do any other way. I love it!”
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