The owner of Bebe Le Strange reached out to me and she had a problem that a lot of clothing brands face: her product photos were fine, but they weren’t stopping anyone in their tracks. And she made it clear to me in our first call: "NO PLAIN ROLLER BACKDROP STUDIOS! WE ARE NOT MEANT TO BLEND IN WITH EVERYONE ELSE!"
My kind of brand... 🤩
She wanted her dream client to see herself in the clothes and immediately feel like that b(word). Bold, unapologetic, and impossible to scroll past. She was launching a collection and needed photos that told a story, grabbed attention, and had her dream clients thinking, “I need this in my life.”
Her request was clear: no neutral backgrounds, no boring poses. We needed drama, energy, and the kind of images that would make her customers stop scrolling and start drooling. So, we crafted a visual story around her entire collection. Here's a set of a few photos from a pair of her leopard-print pants.
We decided to work in a classic car with red interior. We chose an industrial environment as our location.
For my gear, I went with a choice I normally wouldn't go with for portraits traditional portraits: 16-35mm 2.8L III. For an exaggerated, larger than life look, I took lots of environmental portraits with this wide lens.
We placed our a local hairstylist and other client of mine (networking) as the model and got to work.
Here’s how the 16-35mm wide-angle lens, often avoided for portraiture due to distortion, actually enhances the composition and feel of these photos. Take what ever tips help you. Leave what ever tips you don't like:
1️⃣ Exaggerated Perspective:
The wide-angle lens creates a 3D effect by making the nearest elements (the foot in the annotated photo) appear larger and more prominent. This draws the viewer’s eye immediately to the front of the frame and sets the stage for the rest of the composition.
Why It Works: In this case, the foot leading the frame adds depth, pulling the viewer into the photo and making the subject feel larger-than-life. For a bold fashion brand, this sense of presence aligned perfectly with their message.
2️⃣ Environmental Context:
The wide field of view allows us to see not just the subject, but also the car interior, the exterior architecture, and the bold red and white color palette. These elements frame the subject and tell a story about the vibe of the brand (retro, bold, confident).
Why It Works: The environment isn’t just background—it actively contributes to the mood and style of the photo. The distortion emphasizes the lines of the car, guiding the eye to the subject while giving the image a movie-like quality.
3️⃣ Intentional Distortion Adds Drama:
Wide-angle lenses stretch the edges of the frame, making the car door and foot pop out dramatically. In this case, the distortion is controlled by keeping the subject centered along the grid line, ensuring her face and upper body remain flattering and undistorted.
Why It Works: The tension between the exaggerated edges and the stable center gives the photo a sense of pull without compromising the subject’s character.
4️⃣ Creative Technical Framing:
The car acts as a natural frame, with the open door and lines of the interior guiding the viewer’s attention to the subject.
The subject’s pose, with her hand on her hat and her body slightly turned, creates a confident but approachable stance, complementing the bold environment and brand.
Why It Works: Wide-angle lenses can make environments feel more immersive. Here, the subject feels both part of the scene and elevated within it.
Each shot was deliberate. We played with perspective, color, and movement to give her dream client exactly what they needed: a reason to imagine themselves in her clothes, living a fearless moment. We wanted to create a feeling, and a signal to a tribe.
This is what happens when branding photos aren’t just taken at some date and time and everyone just shows up. That's just getting a brand's money taken. 😂
Branding photos are crafted to solve a problem, meet a need, and captivate an audience. I highly recommend taking the steps to plan, step by step, all the little details of a photo session you are getting ready to do. Knowing everyone is on the same page, because the vision is laid out before the photo session takes place is the key to successful branding shoots.
Anyways… this was just a small selection of photos from one pair of pants. We photographed her entire collection. it was cool to see the end results live on their website, too!
Gear used
Camera: Canon 5D Mk IV
Lens: 16-35mm 2.8LIII
Natural Light
Edited in Lightroom Classic using JY Pop Signature Presets
