St. Louis-based photographer Geoff Cardin recently completed another project for return client Propper International. Propper International is a leading manufacturer of quality tactical gear and apparel for military, law enforcement, fire, EMS, security, and corrections personnel. The company was founded in 1967 and has since then produced more than 120 million garments and outfitted more than 30 million personnel. Their primary focus is on providing reliable, performance-oriented gear for demanding environments. As part of a post-pandemic rebranding, the client needed new stills and videos for web, social media, and paid advertising.
Geoff has been working with Propper for over ten years. After a bit of a hiatus during COVID, he and the client reconnected through the designer he had worked with in the past. The designer filled Geoff in on what Propper was looking for in this project, and after a few meetings, they started to formulate a plan.
Having a long-term relationship with a client can be a good thing because you really get to know the brand and you build up trust. One of the interesting things about this project was that it wasn’t the kind of work that we had done in the past. It was very different from the in-studio product work we had done in the past for e-comm and the website. Over the past few years, I have shifted my focus to more lifestyle and on-location work with a big focus in the agricultural and industrial worlds. It was really cool to see how my new focus was aligned with what they wanted to do as well. I showed them my new work and they were on board! It goes back to the trust you have to build up with clients, that definitely helped with all of this. Also patience because none of this happens fast — it takes time.
Geoff first sat down with the client and discussed what Propper wanted to do with their rebrand and how his photos would best support that. Together, they gathered inspiration and created mood boards to make sure they were all on the same page. For the production, there were to be multiple locations and multiple days of shooting. There was a lot of preplanning that had to be done to keep the potential chaos under control. One of the first things that Geoff helped the client figure out was how much content they needed to create — stills, videos for the web, videos for social, and paid advertising.
If I tried to do all the shooting myself, I couldn’t have produced the quality of work they expected, and more importantly, what I wanted for myself. I love both photography and video, but I am a photographer first. I decided to hire two additional DPs for the productions. One was for all the horizontal video and the other was for all the vertical video. The verticle video DP was also a licensed drone pilot, so he handled both aspects of that for the shoots.
Geoff and the team worked collaboratively, supported by a digital tech who managed and organized all the different media. Additionally, Geoff had a PA on set to assist with overall management and provide general support. Since the client preferred vertical video due to its popularity on social media, Geoff decided against cropping horizontal footage. Instead, they intentionally created vertical videos from the start. This decision paid off, as the client was thrilled with the results.
I oversaw all of the creative for the production days and shot all of the photography. I then directed the video crew to make sure the look and feel were aligned with the photography I was creating. I also wanted to give them creative freedom. This was more of a collaboration of really talented people with the same goal than me telling them what to do.
The first production involved working with a tree service company, starting early in the morning to film the removal of a 100ft dead tree. They were on site for about four hours, trying to get the necessary footage before the changing light affected the quality. Luckily, the weather was favorable. After the location shoot, Geoff and the crew spent the rest of the day at the tree company’s shop, capturing additional scenes in the garage and yard to emphasize the workwear theme. It was a long day, from early morning to nearly sunset, but Geoff and the team managed to create excellent imagery, successfully proving the concept and ideas discussed in the pre-production meetings.
The second production took place in the Shawnee National Forest. Thanks to his connection with the location, Geoff and the crew had access to thousands of acres of stunning forest to showcase their products in natural settings. They hired two models, and Geoff brought the same team as before for this two-day shoot. The days were long, with late nights and early mornings, but the diverse locations within the forest provided perfect backdrops for various scenes. Some areas resembled mountain pine forests, while others were unique to Shawnee. By the end, the team had become a well-oiled machine, making it a successful shoot.
I like to keep the energy of all of my productions high! I’m naturally laid back and I like to keep things low-stress during my shoots. We stay focused and I know we have a job to do, but I like to keep things going at a good pace and leave room to be creative. I don’t know how you can do your best work when there is a bunch of unnecessary tension in productions. I feel really blessed that I get to do what I love for a living and let’s be honest, making photographs is FUN! I also feel that keeping this positive, fun energy is good for everyone in the production. Life is too short not to smile.
The biggest constraint on the production was time. Although Geoff and the crew had sufficient budgets, they had to balance production days, crew, talent, and locations. Geoff wished for a few more production days, but that would have meant sacrificing the quality of the crew. It’s always a balancing act, but Geoff and his team managed to work within the budget and meet the client’s goals. Flexibility and creativity are crucial, as each project has its own nuances that require adaptation.
After the shoot, Geoff had to organize all the imagery they created. Thankfully, his awesome DIT kept everything in order, which was a lifesaver. Geoff compiled galleries of the stills and sent them to the client for selection. Once the selections were made, Geoff handled all the post-production photography. The client needed specific videos created from the footage, so it was sent to Geoff’s editor for the deliverables. Geoff also collaborated with one of the DPs on the color grading.
I feel very fortunate to be able to do this project. I have shifted my focus the past few years on the work I want to be doing and this is right in line with that. Every job is going to teach you something and if it doesn’t, then you aren’t paying attention. I learned a lot and if anything these productions verified that I am moving in the right direction.
The biggest takeaway for Geoff from the project was the importance of listening. Allowing the client to share their vision and goals was critical. Once he understood the client’s needs, he could make suggestions to support their vision. This collaborative effort set the tone for the entire project.
Thinking outside the box and using my network of connections to bring this all to life was crucial. You can’t be reluctant to lean on connections you have outside of this job to make things happen. I wore a lot of different hats during this production and definitely found my limits a few times! I will also be adding more supporting roles to my crew moving forward to help with that side of things.
Geoff felt incredibly fortunate to do what he loves, work with talented creatives, and call it his job. The production was a much-needed confirmation that he was in the right place. This business can be physically, creatively, and mentally challenging, but moments like sitting around a fire at the end of a successful shoot with friends make it all worthwhile.
See more of Geoff’s work on his website.
Credits
Client: Propper International
Propper Creative Director: Braden Baumann
DP/Drone: Brian Verbarg
DP/Color: Bart Elfrink
DIT: Kevin Kersting
PA/Editor: Monica Cox
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