Aurélien Bergot for Geneva Public Transportation

BY Wonderful Machine 23 June 2017

Earlier this year, Geneva-based photographer Aurélien Bergot was contacted by the branding agency, Base Design to create a new project for the Geneva Public Transport (TPG). They were looking to revitalize their images and wanted to use photography for their communications campaign. They knew Aurélien was perfect for the job because of his excellent lifestyle pictures and great reputation. For this project, they asked him to create fresh pictures with a natural style.

Aurélien Bergot's photograph for Geneva Public Transport featuring three people smiling at each other while sitting on a bus.

The goal of the project was to show people using and enjoying the transportation system with friends, family, or partners. The folks at Base Design wanted to show that TPG is for everyone and you can have fun during your ride. Obviously, people have their own preconceived notions of what riding on public transportation is like, but this campaign aimed to show the system in a positive light.

A tear sheet for Geneva Public Transportation by photographer Aurélien Bergot. The tear sheet features a photo of a white man in a navy blue suit pressing a button on a bus's door while looking at the camera.

The Plan

The project was organized into three different shoots: summer, winter, and a more general session showing activities on the TPG. Shooting during different seasons allowed Aurélien to capture images that gave a year-round perspective of the transportation system. The more general shoot activities around the TPG provided substance to the lifestyle aspect of the shoot. Altogether, these images were to flow seamlessly together, creating a new image library for the re-branding of the company.

Aurélien Bergot's photograph for Geneva Public Transport featuring two women smiling while walking alongside a bus.

For this shoot, Aurélien worked with Creative Directors Gerald Moulière and Anthony Franklin from Base Design in Geneva to preselect the talent and plan out the photography sessions. One of the main focuses for Aurélien was to make sure the talent conveyed the right emotions and substance.

I really wanted the pictures to have a natural and organic feeling, so I asked the talent to try and forget about my crew and embody their roles in a fun and open way.

Aurélien Bergot's photograph for Geneva Public Transport featuring a man giving a woman a piggy-back ride from a bus on the street.

Luckily for him, the talent did a fantastic job and portrayed their roles extremely well. The chemistry was so high between some of the talent that Aurélien surmised he might have a created a new couple that day. Being a people person, his favorite part of the project was a great atmosphere and positivity of his interactions with models and crew. Aurélien could not give enough credit to the talent and how they embodied their roles.

I felt we were all part of something great and exciting!

Aurélien Bergot's photograph for Geneva Public Transport featuring a man and woman in an intimate embrace on the sidewalk outside of a bus on the street.

The Challenges

Although the talent and crew worked out well, this project was not without its challenges. Shooting in public locations on the buses and trams proved to be difficult and unpredictable. Because Aurélien had to contend with other passengers and bus schedules, it was hard to control the environment as much as he would have liked. Aurélien and his team had to run all over the city trying to find the perfect pictures while working around actual commuters and seating fixtures.

At one point, I was separated from part of my team because they got on a bus that left unexpectedly while I was still on the street with the talent.

A tear sheet for Geneva Public Transportation by photographer Aurélien Bergot featuring a woman and a little girl holding hands on the sidewalk outside a bus. The woman smiles at the little girl, and the girl smiles at a man who smiles back at her. She is grabbing the hem of his t-shirt playfully.

After this mishap, Aurélien made sure to ask the company to get them a private bus for the subsequent shoots. As you can imagine, having his own bus in which to stage the pictures worked out much better for Aurélien and his crew.

Aurélien Bergot's photograph for Geneva Public Transport featuring two women sitting on a bus smiling at a smartphone that one of the woman is holding.

The Outcome

When all was said and done, the client was very pleased with Aurélien’s 25 images. Base Design thought he did an excellent job conveying the message they were looking to sell. Although there are no immediate plans, Aurélien looks forward to working with Base Design and TPG again in the near future.