WAYAWAYA: a founder shoot that became a campaign
Most commercial work does not arrive as a campaign brief. It arrives as a founder who needs a photograph of herself, and grows from there.
WAYAWAYA is the clearest example of that progression in our work. It started with portraits and became a library covering the brand, the people behind the product and the product in use, imagery that had to work across social media, the website, campaigns and e-commerce, which is exactly how the client describes it below.
What the work covered
Founder portraits. The images a small brand needs before it needs anything else: press, about pages, social, funding conversations.
The people who make it. Photographs of the makers at work, in their own environment, shot as portraits rather than as background texture.
The product in use. Worn and carried by real people in real settings, so the pieces read as things that belong to someone rather than objects on a sweep.
One consistent look across channels. The same visual language, framed and cropped so it works on a shop page, an Instagram grid and a campaign.
Why the order matters
A founder books portraits. Then realises the product needs shooting. Then realises the campaign needs a concept rather than a backdrop.
Planned as one job it costs less and it looks like one brand. Commissioned in three separate panics, it does not: three photographers, three lighting decisions, and a website where nothing quite matches.
The practical version of that advice: when you enquire, say what you think you need and what you suspect is coming next. It usually changes the shape of the quote in your favour, because one production day covering portraits and product is cheaper than two half-days three months apart.
What it looks like in practice
One planning conversation covering all of it. One visual language decided once: lighting, colour, how the product is handled, how much the founder appears alongside it. One shot list that treats the portraits, the people and the product as parts of the same job rather than three briefs that happen to share a client.
The result is a library that can be drawn on for a year rather than a folder that solves this week.
What the client said
“Incredible photography work brought our brand to life with captivating visuals for social media, our website, campaigns, and e-commerce.”
— Iris Nikolaisen, CEO, WAYAWAYA
Thinking about something similar?
If you are at the founder-portrait stage and can already see the product shoot coming, say so at the enquiry. See Commercial & Campaign for how those projects are scoped, or get in touch and describe where you are now.
