Creative Direction & Content
A brand story shoot for Christopher Michael Wines, from concept and moodboard to the images in use, made with a two-person team.
At a glance
Role: Creative director, art director, photographer and model
Crew: Me and our marketing assistant
Brand: Christopher Michael Wines, Oregon nuance meets Washington muscle. Wines built to show up, not show off.
Locations: A rented Airbnb in Mosier, OR, inside and out · a lookout on the Oregon–Washington border
Ran on: Website, email, social, sales decks
The brief
Christopher Michael had a new brand story, Washington muscle, Oregon nuance, and none of its photos showed it. The shoot had to give the brand images that looked like the story: relaxed, grounded, a little rugged, and that worked across the website and social. We had two days, a small budget and a crew of two.
The plan
I built the moodboard and shot list. Two locations told the two halves of the story: a rented home for the warm, at-the-table side, and a lookout over the Columbia River Gorge for the landscape where Oregon and Washington meet. The shot list covered product, food and pairing, lifestyle and landscape, so one shoot could cover every channel.
On the day
I directed and modeled, which meant setting up each frame, then stepping into it. My assistant and I styled the food and table together, and I brought three wardrobe changes so one location could pass for several moments. It was fast and scrappy, and that's part of the point. A small team can still make a brand look considered when the planning is done up front.
The results
The images now anchor the Christopher Michael pages on the new site and run in email, social and sales decks.