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You can usually find Aaron behind the camera – he’s in charge of snapping all photography assets Chef Works might need. That’s right – every single photo related to Chef Works, Aaron was the one who took it. That sounds like a pretty cool gig to us, so we decided to spend a day trailing this hot-shot trailblazer as he went about his day. And what we found is, while there’s plenty of cool perks – there’s also a lot of work that goes into building and maintaining the Chef Works brand!
1a.m.: I’ve been pouring over the photos from our last shoot – there’s over 1,500 in all, so I’ve been up most of the night trying to pair it down to at least 200. I look for shots that showcase the garment best, whether it be a shirt, apron, or jacket. Lighting and model expressions – we can fix those in post. Calling it a night, I’ve managed to eliminate a fair amount. I’ll review my selects to the rest of the marketing team in the morning and we’ll go from there.
9:00 a.m.: The marketing department is buzzing by the time I arrive, with Lara, our Art Director, taping location scouting shots up on the wall. We’re working on a special project with some of our Berkeley Aprons, and need to narrow down possible locations before we confirm our models or pull any product. With a department of fellow foodies, everyone chimes in to what their favorite restaurants are and where they think we should shoot – it’s awesome. Our Marketing VP Amanda suggests The Smoking Goat in San Diego – we add that to the list and then head out to scout some of these places in person.
12:15 p.m.: Back at my desk, we have another project we’re working on with the Product Development team. We’re shooting some new chef jackets, so I need to design a shot list based on their requirements. I figure out what lighting I’ll need, how we should stage the shots, and review the schedule for the day. I confer with the team to make sure everything’s set.
2:40 p.m.: Back to the Berkeley’s – I meet with Amanda and Lara for a planning session on what our creative should be for this campaign. What are we inspired by? What do we want to convey? The Berkeley’s are super cool – with their Snap-On ties and suspenders, so for me, it’s about how to capture the functionality, style, and usability in one photo.
3:00 pm.: Switching gears, I grab my headphones and work on editing our latest video for YouTube. I’m passionate about growing that channel for Chef Works, so I chat with Mai on our social media team on how best to drive traffic from Facebook and Twitter to our YouTube Channel..
5:00 p.m.: One of the crew picked up the U-Haul for me for tomorrow’s shoot – THANK YOU! I am eternally grateful for the awesome team that’s always ready to jump in and help out. I pack up our equipment and make sure we are 1,000% ready for what’s to come tomorrow.
6:00 a.m., the next day: Let the fun begin! We’ve got a 12-hour shoot today, and I’m currently in the middle of all the madness. Photoshoot are so fun, we’ve got team members from different Chef Works departments on site, models running around, food being served – it’s probably the best part of my job.
Alright I gotta go, these pictures don’t’ snap themselves!