Do you gotta like it, to shoot it?

A true professional should be able to separate their personal bias from the need of his or her client and deliver the same quality product, right? A Lawyer for example may hate the person he represents and may even think they are guilty however, they have a duty to defend them to the best of their ability. A doctor must do the same. As a creative we
must tap into something on a deeper level. It is not quite as procedural. Sure we can record a decent image of that which our client wants us to but I’m talking about a much higher level of communication. Creating a visual that evokes a feeling or desire for said object. For the sake of discussion I’ll use food as the example. Many people don’t know that I shoot food. I love food so why not shoot it?

From a cookbook I did for the famous Rao's restaurant.


Formerly ZoneChefs home delivery, now ChefsDiet:



This brings up another interesting point - taste is very subjective. My ideal may not be yours or theirs. That’s where the professionalism comes in. I have a keen sense of what would appeal across the board (within reason). Am I going to get a vegetarian to eat meat? Of course not. Am I going to get the person who never much cared for oatmeal to maybe try it? …heck yes!


Of more importance than the relationship with the object is the relationship with the person for whom the work is being done. The commercial creative process is a partnership of sorts - people coming together with the goal of communicating something to someone for somebody. The best visual communication is derived from a place of purity. If the process is muddled with hidden agendas and power struggles, the final product will reflect that. Conversely, if you share a common goal, respect and support each other, and are open to exploration, chances are you will have a winner.

Do I love brake drums, processors or dental instruments?



Not really, but you wouldn’t know that from the final product. The people behind these projects were great to work with and it shows. Sometimes it’s not about what the object is but rather the object as a form, the surface texture or the contrast you can create through juxtaposition.

Smirnoff for JWT:

For Phillips razors:

It may be a visual pun, a hidden reference or just fun.

For Salem:


Reebok:

Wall Street Journal:


It would be impossible to be enamored with everything. As a professional creative communicator, it is my responsibility to find that which I can connect with on any given project.

Code Blue Jeans:

Then again, sometimes you just get lucky.