This is going to be a thorough post about a shoot we did recently with Campbell-Ewald. I want to talk through the whole creative and tactical process of this cover shoot for USPS Delver Magazine.
The initial call from the art director was for an inside spread. It was going to be a HUGE shoot with 8 models, 9 different sets and a fantastic concept. While brainstorming on ways to create the images, I came up with a version of the concept to tie all the images together in a slightly different way than the original. Since the magazine had a very tight turnaround time, and I was on assignment in Minneapolis, we decided to turn down the initial shoot. (gasp!) HOWEVER, soon after discussing the fact that we would not have time to execute the original concept, I got a call from the art director. He mentioned my revised concept to his creative director. Turns out, they loved my new idea so much, the original cover was modified to fit my idea! BANG! Got a cover shoot! Since it was only one shot, we were able to produce it with short notice. Here are the steps to which we conceived, executed and delivered the final cover image...

I began by spending the day at the Field Museum of Natural History here in Chicago. (and was able to shoot some personal work for myself here, here, here, here and here)

This is my original sketch for the creatives to review. I always prefer to get sketches from clients instead of stock photo comps. Therefore, I thought I would practice what I preach.


Here are the notes from the creatives after talking through the details of "who" we are portraying in the concept. Talent, props, paint colors, wardrobe, layout, etc.

Here are the draft versions from my set builder. It was exciting to see the concept coming to life, even though it was still in its infancy stage as rough rendering.



Here is the style board with some of the elements that my stylist Sage was getting together as well as the final talent from the casting.

I purchased a stock photo to be printed as the background image for our display case.

And here is the final hero image. You can see the whole image on the front and back cover (TOTALLY WORTH THE READ) here. A BIG thank you goes out to the crew: Sage Reed (stylist), Morgan Blaul (hair & makeup), Crosstown Scenic (set build), Winston (the dog), Ed, Lettie, Jarell and Maia (talent from Stewart and Planet Earth Agency) and my assistant Mark D.

Also, during the shoot, the creative director was able to load up the Capture Pilot app. This app allowed him to sit back with an iPad and review a constant stream of images flow onto his screen through the studio's wireless network! It's CRAZY COOL technology available if you're using Capture One Pro 6 during tethered shooting.