Everyone knows that beauty is more than skin deep. It can’t be captured, contained or boxed in. It comes in a wide variety of forms and to an extent, is in the eye of the beholder.
So how the heck do you photograph it successfully?
That, dear reader, comes down to the relationship, and that principle is clear as day in this commercial photoset for Ale O, a sustainable boutique clothing brand here in Portland, Oregon.
We brought together two talented models, Rachel and Michael, to show off some of Ale O’s unique gender neutral items. Both these people are handsome on their own, to be sure, but the art of conveying their beauty with compelling energy, the type that captures imaginations and sticks with hearts, that came down to the rapport.
We made these photos together both inside Ale O’s shop in downtown Portland but also on the roof of a nearby building. This added not just sparkling ‘city at nighttime’ ambiance but a palpable sense of adventure.
While making photos, I asked the models about where they’d grown up, their artistic dreams, what they liked to do on the weekends. Treating people well and regarding them as human beings, not just human mannequins, is not just a more pleasant way to work. The regard you show people shows up in the resulting photographs.
A compelling commercial photoset like this is a credit to the collective talent on display — the models themselves, makeup and hair stylists, the clothier we’re showcasing — but what really stands out to me is the moment we shared, on an autumn night in 2023, feeling beautiful together.
When you create that kind of experience for each other, the media shines.
Commercial Photography that More than Skin Deep ✨
