09/21/2026
THE PHOTO SHOOT.
Most of you know that our work usually begins with a mission, a cause, or an event. Last week, however, we had the opportunity to apply our storytelling approach to something a little different: a three-day fashion shoot in New York as part of a broader marketing campaign for a men’s apparel brand.
We started by mapping out six months of apparel-driven stories. Back to the gym. Cool-weather workouts. Lounge and work from home. Resort getaways. Spring color bursts. And swim.
Then came the planning: How would the images we were about to shoot work across website heroes, email, social media, and digital advertising? Where would copy need to sit? Where should the model be positioned to showcase both the clothes and the copy? If images appeared adjacent to one another in website sliders, how could we vary the angles so every shot didn’t look the same?
And, most important, how could every image feel connected to the same brand while introducing something new that would differentiate it from the competition?
So, we created AI renderings of the planned images.
We walked into the shoot giving the models, stylist, photographer, client, and production team a reference for each setup. Every setup was part of the larger story. Each gaze, expression, and position in the frame had a reason.
We brought the plan. The photographer brought the artistry. The models brought the personality, movement, expressions, and unexpected moments. Together, we turned those plans into photographs. (Okay, thousands of photographs!)
The renders became such a useful roadmap that both models, at different points during the shoot, joked: “Why do you even need me here?”
We did. Mark and Lance were both amazing. It’s incredible how a twist, turn, or flex can truly bring the clothes to life. We can’t thank these guys, and OJ at STATE Management, enough!
Three days, and each wrapped early. 53 looks. Multiple locations. Nearly 2,000 frames captured. 118 final selections. One detailed plan.
Maybe it wasn’t the traditional approach for a fashion shoot. But for us, the project had to start with the story.
We create what people remember.
The TAGS Group
Tell A Great Story.
STATE Artist Management Stacy Leistner CJ Christina Johnson
