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Boca Terry, a Florida-based bathrobe company, had been doing things the same way for a long time. They felt their brand was stalling out as a wholesale company that uses pictures that look like stock imagery. They wanted a fresh set of images to promote their products and to connect with customers.
That’s where South Carolina-based photographer Kate Benson came in. Already having a good relationship with the marketing firm working with the robe manufacturer, Kate was recommended for the job.
Excited by Kate’s energetic photography and fresh ideas, Boca included her in the planning phase of the shoot.
They needed images that didn’t look like stock photos from spas, and I was excited to help them.
But that’s when things got complicated. Boca Terry made the decision to stop working with the marketing agency but continued with Kate. This put her in a tricky situation. Kate wanted to give credit to the agency for putting her in touch with the client, but she still needed to respect Boca’s decision.
Knowing open communication is crucial in these circumstances, Kate personally discussed the matter with the CEO of Boca to fully understand their decision. She then spoke with the folks at the agency to reconcile what had happened and help keep the peace. In the end, Kate felt it was okay to stay with the project because there were no hard feelings.
When something like that happens, I try to be very fair to the creatives who got me involved, so I took care to thank the creative agency appropriately for their recommendation.
Once this was smoothed over and the shoot days came, the Boca Terry CEO oversaw the beginning of the first day. Satisfied his brand was in good hands, he took off, leaving Kate and the team to handle the shoot for the remaining days.
I loved getting the freedom to be really creative. The client’s team on set stood back and let me dive in and explore… They fully trusted me, which is part of the reason I decided to stay on the project. I felt that with that amount of confidence we could create something great.
Instead of being posed and stiff like the brand’s previous promotional images, Kate wanted to infuse the pictures with a much-needed shot of energy and playfulness. Part of her approach was to let the models move on their own with only light direction rather than trying to micro-manage each movement. So instead of trying to bend the subject to her will, she embraced the collaborative give-and-take nature of portraiture.
To make sure she covered all her bases, Kate decided to capture two types of images: those that adhered to Boca’s previous “safer” branding, and those more fun and energetic pictures that would shake things up.
Boca loved what Kate created and ended up using the pictures that most closely aligned with their previous branding. Because the new images Kate produced were going to be used alongside some of Boca’s old photography, this made the most sense.
In the end, Kate was pleased. She was happy Boca was able to rebuild their website and catalog featuring her images. The range of pictures she was able to offer gave them a wide selection and fulfilled their need for flexibility.
See more of Kate’s work on her website.
Further Reading
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