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CFA Institute · Case study
A global campaign. A personal point of view.
Working through MSQ, I photographed CFA Institute’s people in Chicago for a campaign that needed to fit a global visual direction.
My role · Solo photographer & on-set creative direction
01
One local shoot inside an international campaign
MSQ brought me into CFA Institute’s global brand campaign to photograph a finance professional in Chicago. Other photographers were covering subjects in other markets. My images needed to fit the same visual language, even though the location and production circumstances were different.
The brief was detailed: a 15-page reference covering lighting, framing, wardrobe, expression, and delivery. The booking arrived two days before the shoot. The task was to interpret that direction accurately, coordinate with the subject, and find enough visual variety within an office I had not previously visited.
02
Turning the brief into a workable session
I reviewed the references with the agency and client, then coordinated timing, wardrobe, and access directly with the subject and his team. That preparation allowed the limited time on site to focus on making photographs. Conference rooms, common areas, and the executive’s office became potential settings within the same building.
The required lighting was soft and natural-feeling, but it still needed control. I used a continuous light balanced with the existing environment to maintain the campaign’s look. Direction was equally important: the brief called for an engaged, unforced presence rather than formal posing or repeated direct-to-camera portraits.
03
Consistency carried through delivery
After the shoot, I selected from more than 200 captures, matched the color treatment to the campaign references, and completed subtle retouching and background cleanup. The final files were delivered that evening, giving the agency material it could review and use without a long post-production interval.
The portraits were approved for the international campaign. This assignment demonstrates a particular kind of creative collaboration: working inside an agency’s established concept, taking responsibility for the local production, and delivering images that belong alongside work made elsewhere. The samples are part of that coordinated campaign, rather than a separate visual direction of my own.