A Look Behind the Scenes of a Commercial Photo Shoot

Let’s go behind the scenes of a commercial photoshoot I did recently. This was a 5 day shoot at locations like small businesses in Indianapolis, homes in the city & the suburbs, and out on a family farm in Morocco, Indiana.

Thanks to Young & Laramore for bringing me on for this shoot. It was a fantastic week working with some very talented creatives!

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting
carmel commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting
indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting

Stand-Ins

A lot of behind the scenes photo opportunities feature crew acting as stand-ins as we set up and fine-tune the lighting.

indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting, woodshop

Collaborators Assemble

Here’s the team that made this possible…

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

The Agency

Indianapolis-based Young & Laramore lead the production.

carmel, indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Josh Gaal – Producer

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Allison Tylek – Senior Designer

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Trevor Williams – Executive Creative Director

carmel indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting, elinchrom

Paul Schreiber – Production Assistant

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Cate Robeson-Pickens – Production Assistant

Remain in Light

Shoutout to Nick of Savage Cat and his crew both for making sure we had great lighting and for being a regular in front of my lens during this shoot.

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, lighting

Nick Kartes – Gaffer

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, family farm, morocco indiana

Aaron Webster – Grip

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Dominic Espinoza – Grip

The Notorious D.I.T.

Thanks to the Digital Imaging Technician on set, Jose Perez, who’s always a willing model and a talented photographer in his own right.

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

They’ve Got the Look

Aesthetic Artist Agency provided hair, makeup and stylist to keep everyone looking sharp, fresh, and not shiny.

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

India Hall – Hair/Makeup

indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Wyn Sempsrott – Hair/Makeup

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Christian Arrieta-Roman – Stylist

It’s Me. Hi. I’m the Photog, It’s Me.

I’m nearly always photographer and rarely a subject, so it’s great to have a record of my existence. Thanks to Jose who took photos of me whenever he had a camera in hand.

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, zach dobson photography
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, zach dobson photography
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, zach dobson photography

Early Morning Art

Getting to a rural location at 6AM lead to an opportunity for some artsy black & white shots as the crew arrived.

early morning rural home fairland indiana
early morning rural home fairland indiana

D’Ya Like Dags?

We had many lovely pups on and around set, so here are my favorite dog photos.

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, dogs
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, dogs
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes, dogs

More Photos at Work

indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes
fairland indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes
indianapolis commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

That’s A Wrap

Looking forward to showing you results from this photoshoot soon!

indianapolis indiana commercial photoshoot, behind the scenes

Related Posts

To see more behind the scenes photos from a commercial photoshoot (this time on a film production), head to this blog post.

To learn more about how I approach a commercial photoshoot, check out this aptly titled YouTube video from a recent project…

Author: Zach Dobson

Zach Dobson is a documentary and commercial photographer based in Indianapolis. He holds a degree in journalism from Indiana University with a concentration in photography. Since starting his business in 2006, Zach has focused on documenting people’s lives and businesses in action. Zach’s client list includes the Indiana Pacers, Coca-Cola, the AARP, ZipCar, Indiana University, Visit Bloomington, Hamilton County Tourism, Land O’Lakes, RIOT LA Comedy Festival, Indianapolis Public Schools, Indiana High School Athletic Association. Zach is a Professional Member of the American Society of Media Photographers [ASMP]. He resides in Carmel, Ind. with his wife and business partner, Courtney, and their five children.

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