In Philadelphia:
Finish Line’s Content Manager and Creative Strategist, Brandon Edler, recently got in touch with Philadelphia-based photographer Aaron Ricketts to develop a shoot for the Adidas Swift Run. The goal was to capture images to be shared on Finish Line’s social media channels.
I’ve been working with Finish Line for almost a year now and I feel like each project I’ve worked on with them gets better than the last. I believe this is because I’m constantly trying to improve myself with my photography and push the limits of what I can do.
For this project, Aaron was granted complete control over the concept, styling, location scouting, and casting. With the hopes of achieving a desert/wasteland look, finding the perfect location was the biggest struggle, especially being in center city Philadelphia. Luckily, a good friend of Aaron’s, Drake Masters, told him about a location in Gibbsboro, NJ that turned out to be perfect.
A 30-minute hike through the woods opens up to a gravel pit that formed the “desert” Aaron was looking for. Despite the fact that it had rained the day before and some of the sand was wet, this location turned out to be perfect to showcase the shoes (although they took many breaks to clean them off between takes).
The best part had to be when I was shooting and this guy on a dirt bike came out of nowhere and rode up the side of a cliff with his bike. He came around again and eventually I asked him if he could help me out and knock up some sand while the models stood in the middle of the circle he was making. Turned out to be a nice bonus for the images I captured.
The reaction to the images has been very positive, and Aaron has seen a great response on Twitter. He was also able to capture some motion on this shoot and is currently working on a video clip to accompany the images.
See more of Aaron at aaronricketts.com!
In England:
With the aim of shooting a rugged English cliffside at sunset, Falmouth-based photographer Olivia Bossert organized a self-assigned fashion shoot.
One of my favorite things to do is gather a team of people, head off to a great location during golden hour, and just see what happens. I’ll move my model to different spots and just shoot. It’s a very natural, simple process, but one which always comes out with great results.
For this particular shoot, Olivia started building her team by casting the model, Chloe Bromley. This project turned out to be Chloe’s first ever photo shoot, and Olivia loved working with a fresh face. Once Chloe was scouted, Olivia brought on her makeup and hair stylist, Ione Kutz to come up with a great look.
As this was a collaboration, I always want to be sure that everyone involved feels like they get to try something new, or create something great for their portfolios.
Olivia had recently met Just Noise, a videography duo, and invited them to join in on the shoot and film a small clip. Once everyone was on board, they set a date and planned the shoot.
On location, everyone worked together to get their creative juices flowing and put together a great production. It was a windy day, and they frequently took breaks to warm up and regroup, but overall, they enjoyed the flexibility to organize the shoot however they wanted. These turned out to be Olivia’s favorite recent images, and she’s looking forward to working with this team again in the future.
See more of Olivia at oliviabossert.com!
In Minnesota:
Minneapolis-based photographer Sara Rubinstein was searching new ways to give her portfolio more exposure on social media when she decided to develop a personal project entitled Ranch.
Sara’s goal was to allow herself to get creative with these images, and break away from the constraints that can sometimes accompany commissioned shoots. Since she doesn’t share client-based work on her social media accounts, this would also be great publicity for her.
With a manual focus rangefinder camera, Sara challenged herself to slow down, not worry about the results, and take one image at a time. This proved to be necessary since shooting manual focus with fast-moving horses is quite a challenge!
Horses are unpredictable, I had to be quick. I love the backlight, the sound of hooves pounding as horses run through. It’s unbelievable, to be in their presence.
Sara loved the creative freedom she experienced on this project and is thrilled with how the images have turned out. This project has already helped her get some agriculture and editorial assignments.
See more of Sara at rubinsteinphoto.com and check out our other members on our Find Photographers page!