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Special effects sound sexy until you’re knee-deep in logistics, timelines, green stickers, and a product that technically isn’t finished. We recently found ourselves in exactly that space: three very different productions, all requiring more than what you can just put in front of a camera and call a day. Unfortunately this wasn’t about explosions or dragons. This was about compositing, planning, restraint, and making decisions that don’t ruin your budget or your sanity. Let’s

When the lifestyle giant responsible for that hipster backpack on every college campus (calling ourselves out) comes to you and says, “Hey, let’s do something cool on location,”  you clear your calendar. You prepare your soul for paperwork, scouting, and enough logistics to make a wedding planner weep. Fjällräven sent us a deck with potential concepts: something beachy or hiking-focused, something woodworking-adjacent, and something farmer/rancher-ish. Classic outdoors-meets-

None of our clients hate us personally. They just have someone above them who hates them .  Someone who’s questioning their competence, breathing down their neck about performance metrics, or demanding content faster than it can realistically be made. That pressure trickles down until it lands in our inbox, usually in the form of an email that starts with: “Hey, are you available for a shoot next week? We’re launching in two.” We love ambition. But unless we’re friends, this

In our last post we cracked open a $45,000 shoot budget and skimmed the surface but fans wanted receipts. They wanted the truth. So we’re back, pulling every line item into the daylight and showing you exactly how the money moves. Because here’s the deal: $45k might sound like a lot if you’re just starting out. For us it’s right in the middle. Enough room for creative breathing, enough margin to keep the lights on—but it moves fast once you put real crew, real talent, and rea

And why your friend can't do it for $500. We get asked this a lot—sometimes politely, sometimes with a little side-eye:  "Why does this shoot cost $45,000 when my buddy with a camera can do it for $500?" Our response? With love: go f*** yourself. We’re not having the same conversation. Here’s the reality: a $45k production isn’t just about pointing a camera at a product and hitting record. It’s a machine. It’s dozens of moving pieces, dozens of humans, and hundreds of details

Aka how we stopped banging our heads against the wall after thousands of hours on set. We’re back with more questions from our social team—today’s is one I love: “What are three ways a studio photographer can elevate their studio?” Let’s get into it. First off: just being in a studio already puts you ahead of the game. Most photographers (like, 80% or more ) are natural light only. And while yes, we’re all chasing that natural light, it can also be limiting. Once you start le

A very professional answer to a not-so-subtle prompt from our social team. Every few weeks our social media team sends me a list of questions they hope I’ll answer in a way that ends my career. This week’s winner: “What’s it like working on a six-figure production?” Here’s the professional version: It’s incredible. Here’s the honest one: It’s a circus. But the tent is bigger, the stakes are higher, and everyone’s wearing nicer shoes. From $300 Portrait Sessions to Monthly Six

How we lost $400k in a week and kept shooting anyway Here’s a fun one: imagine you’ve spent a decade building a production company that runs like a Swiss watch. You’ve got studios in L.A. and San Diego, systems dialed, a dream team of creatives, and a slate of brand clients that would make your former $300-a-day-wedding-shooter self weep with pride. Now imagine all of that gets side-swiped by a single line item in a trade policy meeting you weren’t invited to. That’s where we

If content feels like a bottleneck in your business, you're not alone. For today’s consumer brands, content is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s infrastructure. It fuels your paid ads, your organic reach, your website conversion, and your retention flows. But while the demand for content has exploded, most internal systems haven’t caught up. What used to be solved with a single video shoot now demands a tailored mix of visuals, formats, hooks, and storytelling—all moving fast, al

We’re back with our monthly newsletter to share everything we were up to in November. We were on set with the team at Burst and BrainMD, among others, AND we just signed a lease on a new studio in North Park (!!!). Stay tuned. We’re going out with a bang this year. FEATURED PROJECT On Set With Burst Oral Care We collaborated with the team at Burst for another exciting shoot, focusing on their Whitening Strips. The project featured two models and included a mix of photos and G

Everyone always talks about adding value, but what does that really mean ? How do you do that? What does it look like? Today, I’m breaking down what it means when someone says you should add value to your clients and three tried and true ways to do so. #1: Create an Organized Workflow (when/if the client doesn’t have one) One of our very large clients, SharkNinja (known for the best vacuums and blenders out there), is a huge company with thousands of employees that produce pr

We’ve always said that while productions can be demanding and intense, our team doesn’t have to be. One of our brand promises is that we’ll do great work and you’ll enjoy working with us. That has a lot to do with the team we’ve built over the years. Say hello to our new Meet the Team  series, where we’re sitting down with the people who make it happen to learn about their role at Hale, some of their favorite shoots, and what keeps their creativity flowing. Next up is Stan, o

Fjällräven, the iconic Swedish outdoor clothing and equipment brand, is known for its commitment to sustainability, functional design, and….the Kanken.  While they are a household name all across Europe, their brand recognition in the US was in the single digits when they approached us.  Being a legacy brand, it can be hard to shift directions in terms of content and marketing. They knew they wanted something different - to engage heavily in digital in-studio content (a huge

There’s nothing quite like seeing your work on a giant billboard in Times Square surrounded by thousands of people. Shoutout to our team for producing such an incredible campaign that over 200 million people will see. We’re grateful for our partnership with Fjällräven and are excited to see where our work shows up next. Click here  to check it out.

We’re back with our monthly newsletter to share everything we’ve been up to in October. This month, we were on set with some cute pups, shot a campaign with Stride Tutoring, and saw our work with Fjällräven  on the ultimate big screen. FEATURED PROJECT All Pets on Deck – On Set with Sport Pet  We had a full 2-day shoot with the Sport Pet Designs team shooting some new assets for four of their brands. Wrangling pets on set isn’t always easy, but thanks to our trusty pet agency

We’ve always said that while productions can be demanding and intense, our team doesn’t have to be. One of our brand promises is that we’ll do great work and you’ll enjoy working with us. That has a lot to do with the team we’ve built over the years. Say hello to our new Meet the Team  series, where we’re sitting down with the people who make it happen to learn about their role at Hale, some of their favorite shoots, and what keeps their creativity flowing. We’re kicking it o

From family photoshoots to large-scale campaigns with brands like Lululemon and Fjallraven, to weddings…I’ve done it all. With 10 years of content creation under my belt, here are three things I’d keep in mind when you’re starting out as a photographer.  #1: Have Clear Content Packages  When starting out in photography, it’s crucial to offer clear content packages that outline exactly what clients can expect from you. That way, you’re driving the conversation and laying out p

We’re back with our monthly newsletter to share everything we’ve been up to in September. We picked up a new client and shot another big campaign for Fjällräven . FEATURED PROJECT On Set with a New Client – Humann We’re excited to be working with the team at Humann, a brand that targets cardiovascular health via its beet supplements. This was a one-day shoot where we focused on photo and video content for social and general marketing purposes. We had lots of macro video shots

How We Met: We’ve been working with the team at SharkNinja since December 2023. In that time, we’ve shot over 50 digital ads and another 60 HTVs (How To Videos).  They are a huge brand with products living in millions of homes across the world. They are known for really smart designs that solve problems you didn’t know you had.  We first linked up with them when their head of creative production called Kirk out of the blue back in December 2022. They spoke for over an hour ab

We’re back with our second monthly newsletter where we share what we've been up to this month at the studio. Keep reading for some behind-the-scenes scoop and tips and tricks we've picked up along the way.  FEATURED PROJECT Fjällräven Back for Round Three: Parkas  We welcomed the Fjallraven team back on set for a new project, a multi-national campaign that celebrates the 50th anniversary of their tried and true Expedition Down Jacket. On day one, we took the jacket through al