Art Direction at Photoshoots
Project Management / Creative Direction / Photography / Videos
I’ve planned and directed large scale video and photoshoots at Life Fitness.
Me at my very first solo photoshoot at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) to capture Hammer Strength equipment in an athletics setting
EKU photoshoot. Photographer: Steve McHugh. Photo courtesy: Life Fitness
Planning
Planning and organizing is the biggest part of a photoshoot. Once a goal is set, you have to make sure you find a place to shoot, select models and wardrobe that fit the brand, figure out what photographer is best for the job, finalize angles and shot list, book make-up artists and educate everyone on set on the brand that is being represented that day. All of this is added to a planning guide template (example here) that I developed when I first helped with a photoshoot as a junior designer.
Cybex R Series photoshoot. Photographer: Ross Dettman. Photo courtesy: Life Fitness
Leading
Some of my favorite photoshoots were those that I was able to direct on my own. I was able to creatively connect to the artists and models on set. Most importantly, it challenged me and helped showcase my organizational, leadership and time management skills. In many cases, we were able to complete the list of shots that were required which then gave us some creative freedom to explore different angles.
Product manager and I
Photographer, Ross and I
The Very First International Photoshoot
I was fortunate enough to be the creative lead on Life Fitness’ very first international photoshoot in London, UK. This photoshoot was a week long, with one day for setup, two days for photos and two days for videos. The shoot captured content for our new Hammer Strength Accessories. This was a huge collaborative effort between different departments from our Rosemont and UK office.
Monday, setup day
Final setup. Photographer: John Owen. Photo Courtesy: Life Fitness
Photographer: John Owen. Photo Courtesy: Life Fitness