Behind the Shoot

THE CHALLENGE — Project Open Hand needed portraits to support their marketing and fundraising work — images of the clients, volunteers, and staff behind the mission, treated with the same dignity the organization brings to its own work.

THE PLAN — Several location scouting trips to their San Francisco facility to find interesting locations to shoot. The goal was to shoot environmental portraits, use strobe lighting and leverage a backdrop to give the images more flare, aiming for a clean, professional portrait look while still letting hints of the real environment show through — adjusting on the fly without slowing anyone down.

THE RESULT — A different set of problems than a typical brand shoot — real subjects on their own schedule, not models on a call sheet, no crew to set up or break down. Just a few minutes with each subject before moving to the next location. The instinct to adjust fast without disrupting anyone has carried over into how every shoot gets approached since. And a library of images that worked across fundraising, gala presentations, social media and newsletters.