Last winter, 10,000 feet above sea level and swinging from a chairlift, Andrew Maguire’s cell phone began to ring. This Breckenridge, Colo.-based adventure and outdoor photographer answered the call, without hesitation. Harsh winds and bad reception made understanding the caller nearly impossible, but what he did hear before the call dropped was that it was from Chaco Footwear. Anxious to reconnect, Andrew made it down to the lodge in record time and reached for his phone, only to find the battery dead.
Eventually, after some quick charging, Andrew made contact with the Chaco Footwear team and learned they were phoning about an assignment. Andrew had been itching to work with Chaco, as he felt their brands lined up quite nicely. The slogan for the outdoor footwear company is “Fit for Adventure”, a tag that can easily apply to Andrew’s photographic style. And, having recently set out on his own after leaving a cooperative, Andrew felt that collaborating with Chaco could be a big break for him—”a real game-changer.”
After a bit of back and forth, Andrew sat down with the Chaco team to discuss his capabilities in depth. He believes his eagerness and ambition helped earn the trust of the client just as much as his portfolio had. Shortly after this meeting, Andrew was called in to begin brainstorming for their Spring 2013 marketing campaign. Above all, they stressed to Andrew that he should become as familiar as possible with their brand and what it stands for; “Everyone felt this campaign really needed to capture a more accurate picture of what it means to be a Chaconian.”
Since the brand originated in Colorado around the rafting and kayak community, they decided this campaign needed to highlight the “wetter” aspects and natural elements of the typical Chaco lifestyle. Therefore, they picked Asheville, NC as their backdrop, a perfect spot since the city is “home of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a thriving historic downtown, half a dozen rivers and good beer.”
Chicago’s Ryan Partnership was handling creative on the project with direction from Angie Diederich, who joined Andrew and the rest of the team in Asheville. The schedule was nailed down to four days to cover heavy trail, water, light hiking and urban shots. They ended up in Dupont National Forest for day one, in a few of the same spots The Hunger Games was shot—a gorgeous location according to Andrew. There, they shot waterfall and shallow river shots, while trying to avoid copperhead bites (“the things you forget to account for in outdoor shoots!)”. Then it was on to Black Balsam for a day of rolling hills and green mountains. Day three was a full-on river day, filled with kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. The shoot ended on day four in downtown Asheville, which featured “lots of exposed brick, rusty machinery… and pitchers of craft beer.”
Reflecting on the shoot, Andrew says,
The number one goal was to capture real and authentic outdoor action. Some lifestyle work in the outdoor industry has started to look generic and forced. Our “models” for the shoot were sales reps for Chaco, who were all real outdoor enthusiasts and athletes—no strangers to long hikes or a full day paddle on the river. No forced looks or continuous direction needed. As a team, we were all super psyched on what we were able to capture in Asheville.
Returning home, Andrew got to work editing and retouching. Selects were printed and wrapped at the Chaco booth for an outdoor retailer show. The response to the imagery has been “extremely positive” and the rest of the photos have been launched across Chaco’s website, social media pages, mailers, in-store displays and advertising. The campaign was such a success, that Andrew was called back to work on their Fall 2013 campaign and is now in discussions about Spring 2014.
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