Color Injection: Brett Hemmings’ Work for ASICS
Brett Hemmings is a photographer based in Sydney, Australia that specializes in sport and lifestyle photography. His latest work for ASICS, a shoe and activewear company, showcases the brand’s new line of “Color Injection Pack” sneakers ‘in action.’
Through a series of bold and colorful images of models running in their shoes and clothing, the stills, which include product and lifestyle imagery, capture the fleeting sense of adrenaline that comes from running while showcasing the product’s aerodynamic qualities.
Brett was commissioned by Chisel, a production agency that handles most of ASICS work locally in Australia and abroad. When this project came about, Brett had worked with both the agency and the client before, so they were familiar with the quality of his work, but it was his strong portfolio of sports and running-related photography that initially landed him the gig.
I have worked with the agency for a few years and have a great relationship with them. I’ve completed a few briefs for them, and the client knew my work from those.
Having previous experience shooting for ASICS was great, but having an extensive portfolio based around running was helpful too.
The images were shot on location in Newcastle, a coastal city in New South Wales, Australia. The production team scouted the area a few weeks before the shoot and found some great spots that would serve as the ideal backdrop of the running scenes, so they quickly went to work on securing the proper permits and scheduling.
The location was over two hours away from their base in Sydney, so they planned to travel and stay nearby during the 3-day shoot. Since it was all shot outdoors, the weather could be unpredictable, but they planned around it, hoping for the best.
Thankfully, we had great weather almost the entire shoot. It did get quite windy on one of the days, which made it difficult to keep the loose garments looking neat, but that was about as bad as it got.
Brett completed the shoot, then began retouching the images in post-production to ensure the garments and shoes looked perfect and adjusted them for color and lighting. The final images included various product close-ups and lifestyle photos that the brand used on their website and social media channels to promote the new line.
As with all running shoots, there is quite a bit of post involved. Removing distracting wrinkles and fixing shirts that were blowing in the wind is probably the most time-consuming part of the process. Each image took roughly 1-2 hours to edit.
While Brett has a considerable amount of experience working with activewear brands and managing the challenges of photographing quick movements, his key takeaway from this shoot was the importance of location scouting and planning ahead.
This shoot was made possible with an extensive location scout prior. Knowing exactly when and where we wanted to shoot each day made the entire process smooth and efficient.
Working with the Chisel team is great. They are a bunch of like-minded people who, while always working hard, still manage to make the shooting days fun. I think having that atmosphere on set shines through in the final result.
Credits:
Photographer: Brett Hemmings
Agency: Chisel Productions
Creative Director: Zak Kaczmarek
Executive Producer: Patrick Sidoti
Producer: Isabelle Seeto