How do you cast five models for a desert shoot when the brand owner is on the other side of the planet?

Zoom, a lot of Zoom

The owner had already hired me once, for a yacht shoot with another of her labels, and came back for a new campaign with a shirt and polo brand. We reviewed reference videos together, then went through portfolio links until we had our five, three men and two women, before anybody packed a bag

I produced and directed the shoot, the stills and the video

Casting, crew, the location day and the edit, I own the production from the first call to the last file

Joshua Tree, hard light, big sky

The location is the whole point. Giant boulders, the Joshua trees, a sky so blue it looks fake

Here is the deal with the desert, the sun doesn't care about your schedule, so you plan the walks and the group shots for the hours you get, and you carry everything yourself over the rocks

A crew, not a catalog

The film goes back and forth, the five of them walking in together, jumping off the rocks, then each one alone on a boulder so every look gets its own moment

Why both? because a brand wants to feel like a group of friends you want to join, and the buyer still has to see each shirt

Then close-ups on what actually sells the garment, the collar, the placket, the contrast trim, the patch on the polo

A warm saturated grade on top, so the shirts pop against the rocks and the whole thing feels like a weekend you'd want to be on, not a catalog page. That's lifestyle, you're selling the weekend and the shirt rides home with it in the cart

The money turn

A desert day costs about the same whether you walk out with ten pictures or a whole season, so I shot the lifestyle photos and the video in the same trip

One drive, one day of models, two deliverables, for the website, the lookbook and social media

Producer on the camera

When I'm the producer and the one behind the lens, a wrong collar or a model squinting into the sun gets fixed right there through the viewfinder, no meeting, no waiting, the light doesn't wait either

See the photos from shoots like this in the Lookbook Lifestyle gallery and the Fashion Photographer gallery

Rocks, sky, five models, one long hot day

Length: 1 min 2 s · Producer & director: David Victory, VRSET video production, Los Angeles & Orange County

Key moments

  • 0:00 Joshua tree opening
  • 0:07 The cast walks in
  • 0:18 Portraits on the rocks
  • 0:28 Group jump
  • 0:38 Polo detail close-up
  • 0:49 Plaid shirt
  • 0:59 Logo finale

See the matching photography in the Lookbook Lifestyle gallery.

More videos

The full video library

Also on our YouTube channel.

Planning a video or a fashion shoot? Contact David Victory or call (310) 988-6575 in Los Angeles, (949) 873-4551 in Orange County. Free consultation and quote for first-time clients.