notes from the studio.
Thoughts on creative direction, visual strategy, brand storytelling, and building better shoots from the inside out.
Scent Without Smell: The Challenge of Photographing Fragrance
Fragrance photography is one of the hardest categories to get right, and one of the easiest to mess up. If you want your visuals to feel like the scent, not just show the bottle, here’s how to do it with intention.
The Art of Creative Pre-Production: Why My Best Shoots Start Weeks Before the Camera Turns On
The best shoots I’ve done? They started weeks before the camera turned on. This post breaks down why pre-production is the most overlooked (and most critical) phase of any successful project.
Creative Direction Isn’t Optional: Why “Whatever You Think” Rarely Works
“Whatever you think” is not a creative brief. If you want visuals that reflect your brand (not mine), here’s what needs to happen before we ever shoot.