When it comes to vodka, Grey Goose is as good as it gets. And in terms of branding, the iconic liquor brand has earned its place on the “top shelf.” Recently, St. Louis photographer Ashley Gieseking photographed their summer 2015 campaign, both in studio and on-location. If these images don’t make you want to take a vacation, kick back and have a cocktail, I don’t know what will.
Ashley has been working with the creative agency for a few years now, focusing on Grey Goose and a few other liquor brands. Both of the shoots for this campaign (one on a rooftop, which you see above and one in studio, below) required a natural lighting vibe, which meshes with Ashley’s aesthetic. Preproduction for the on location shoot included everything from casting five models over the age of 25 (which is required for most liquor brands), finding a rooftop with a skyline that wasn’t too “Miami.” It was Ashley’s first time shooting on a rooftop, which made for a windy set. Even so, the biggest challenge was waiting for the light and convincing the client that they needed to wait for the sun to “do its thing.”
It’s almost like a game of chicken, running the clock down and knowing you’ll really only have a good 20 minutes to get the shot. Luckily they trusted us and were very pleased once we hit that magic hour.
The studio shoot, on the other hand, had a different, unique set of challenges. Ashley had to work with her team to style unique vignettes for each of the six cocktails. They achieved that by moving the set around the studio to slightly alter the ambient backdrop. They also brought in lots of props and surfaces to change things up a bit.
Ashley says that initially the images were slated for point of sale and digital use, but one of the rooftop images ended up being utilized for a print advertising campaign, and the outtakes have also appeared on social media. As far as how Ashley enjoys her Grey Goose?
Straight up. It’s just that good.
Check out more of Ashley’s work on her website, agieseking.com.