Brand and Business Photography for a Kentucky Paddle Company
A good business will refresh their visual marketing collateral at least every two years, especially as their target clientele grows and shifts, or to meet the demands of their existing customer base. One such business that I’ve done photography for a few times is the Endless Summer Paddle Company, and this past July I once again spent the day capturing stills for this brand.
The client was a great help in organizing a large group of volunteers who were excited and ready to go paddle on the Ohio River in Louisville right at sunrise, so we were able to get some great light for images around the marina and looking back at the city. I bring up the excited volunteers because working with talent is a skill that you don’t learn about in school or while apprenticing, yet it’s vital for these kinds of shoots. Trying to capture authentic smiles and energy is not always easy, but made more so when you’re working with awesome folks who genuinely enjoy what they’re doing. Thankfully, our paddlers on this morning were full of enthusiasm!
We took the first few hours of light to focus on paddling images, starting with some staged group images on ground, getting “new paddlers” situated on their boards, and paddling out of the marina. From there, I changed my position and directed the group to paddle back a forth in a few different directions, looking for interesting light angles and thoughtful frame compositions.
Next, we moved up to the cafe that is ran by the same brand, just a stone’s throw away. The client wanted photos that captured the vibe of hanging outside with a coffee while also showing what the size of the space was like. Most of the patio area was in the shade which made this a bit more difficult to get the ‘warm sunny vibe’ we were going for, so I focused more on framing and shot a little wider to make sure I showed off the scale of the area.
