I photographed Bank of America’s small business campaign for Starcom across Los Angeles, a six-day shoot alongside a film crew from the production company Interrogate.
Starcom is a repeat client, and this Bank of America campaign, a six-day shoot, is one of my favorite projects we’ve made together. We told a story about small business owners through the places that make Southern California feel like itself. We shot at Magnolia Bakery, in surf shops in Venice Beach and out on the sand at Malibu, with characters ranging from a nursery owner in his greenhouse to a denim designer with her fabric swatches. We also shot the iconic LA food truck scene, with a BBQ truck owner at a picnic table under string lights.
We shot alongside a film crew from the production company Interrogate, so the whole production moved like a film set. The goal was for each frame to feel like a real moment in someone’s day, so I directed the stills the way I would a short film, with my own film school and commercial directing background behind me. Each setting carried the story, whether it was the glow of a bakery counter, the surf wax and boards in a Venice shop or the light on Malibu beach in the late afternoon, and the people looked proud and completely at home in it.
I bank at Bank of America, so I get to see these photos in my own branch, and it brings me so much joy every time. There’s nothing quite like seeing your work on the wall of the place where you do your own banking.
I’m a lifestyle and commercial photographer based in Los Angeles and Asheville, and I travel anywhere the story is.
