02 · Campaigns
Stills and static ads for four concept brands
Four self-initiated campaigns, made with my own image engines and ad renderers. A product image is only worth using if the pack stays accurate and the look holds across the set, so most of the work is in the references, the prompt structure and the selection.
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Self-initiated conceptPip
Skincare with three deliberately different packs, built from label artwork to talent and ads.
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Self-initiated conceptLIDO cold brew
One can system across packshots, can-on-cap portraits, seaside lifestyle and seven ads.
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Self-initiated conceptNula earplugs
Matched angles in two skin-tone colourways, with a written method for adding new ones.
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Self-initiated conceptJACI SS26
One model and outfit held across seventeen street frames, from wide shots to macro.
One prompt, part by part
A real prompt from the Pip talent shoot, split into the parts I write every time. Each part answers a question a photographer would ask on set.
- Subject and referencesClose portrait of the exact braided model from ref 1 holding the exact yellow matte-plastic cleanser tube from ref 2
- Pose and product visibilityagainst her right cheek, soft fingertips clear of the front artwork; chin lifted, direct gaze, relaxed lips,
- Wardrobe and setorange ribbed top and powder-blue seamless from ref 3.
- RealismKeep real pores, peach fuzz, tonal variation, natural lip texture, baby hairs and braid flyaways; no smoothing or filter finish.
- Light: source, direction, ratioLarge softbox camera-left at 45°, white-card fill 1.5:1 and faint hair rim;
- Lens and focus100mm f/5.6, lashes and pack sharp,
- Film stockFuji Pro 400H,
- Photographer referenceDemarchelier classical beauty restraint.
Full prompt as sent
Close portrait of the exact braided model from ref 1 holding the exact yellow matte-plastic cleanser tube from ref 2 against her right cheek, soft fingertips clear of the front artwork; chin lifted, direct gaze, relaxed lips, orange ribbed top and powder-blue seamless from ref 3. Keep real pores, peach fuzz, tonal variation, natural lip texture, baby hairs and braid flyaways; no smoothing or filter finish. Large softbox camera-left at 45°, white-card fill 1.5:1 and faint hair rim; 100mm f/5.6, lashes and pack sharp, Fuji Pro 400H, Demarchelier classical beauty restraint.
Run pip-model-shoot-2k, version 3, scene 2. Gemini 3 Pro Image at 4K; the four-image run was recorded at $0.96.
Where the realism comes from
| Detail | From the run records |
|---|---|
| Lens and aperture | "35mm f/8, gesture and can sharp" (LIDO) · "85mm f/11, all three packs sharp" (Pip) · "100mm macro f/5.6" (JACI detail) · "24mm f/8" (JACI low angle) |
| Light direction and ratio | "Hard midday sun above-left 45°, no fill, 8:1" (LIDO) · "Soft overcast key camera-left, street bounce 3:1" (JACI) · "white-card fill 1.5:1" (Pip talent) |
| Film stock or grade | Ektachrome (Pip packshots, LIDO caps) · Kodachrome (LIDO mosaic) · Portra 400 (JACI) · Fuji Pro 400H (Pip talent) |
| Photographer reference | Bobby Doherty and Irving Penn (Pip packshots) · Mario Testino (LIDO) · David Sims (JACI) · Patrick Demarchelier (Pip talent) |
| Material and texture | "fine condensation clear of label" (LIDO) · "exact plaid weave, cuff button, fleece nap, stitching and crystal spacing" (JACI) · "Natural skin texture, clean short nails, relaxed grip" (Nula) |
In the rebuilt Content Studio Engine, a lint gate refuses prompts that leave out focal length, f-stop, light direction or light quality.
How products and people stay consistent
- Pip
Locked product references
One engine project per product, and exactly two references per scene: that product's label sheet and its own pack. The seed mark must be large in the reference, or the model redraws it as a water droplet.
- Content Studio Engine
Winners anchor, versions inherit
A picked scene 1 winner can anchor later scenes. A new version re-rolls only the scenes being fixed and inherits the rest.
- JACI SS26
One job per reference
"Ref 2 alone locks exact identity… Ref 3 locks fit; refs 4-7 lock construction." Each reference is named for what it controls, so the model has nothing to average.
- Nula
New angles, new colourways
A new angle uses the hero plate as its only reference. A new colourway starts from the already approved angle and changes colour only; asking for both at once snaps back to the hero pose.
- Pip
Targeted edit passes
The final blue trio came from a literal 4K edit of the approved ad. The prompt asked to keep every product pixel, remove only the background graphics, and spell the PRESS label exactly, adding "never write tune" to guard against a misreading.
- Pip
Selection from versions
Winners are chosen by hand with a reason: "Only front take with the seed mark as the pointed oval and WASH inside the citron band. Takes 1 and 2 rendered a water droplet and dropped the name out of the band."
From reference to finished ad
Pip
Label artwork 
Packshot 
Campaign image 
Finished ad
LIDO
Pack shot 
Campaign image 
Finished ad
Nula
Approved angle 
Colour change only 
Finished ad
JACI SS26
Approved frame 
Finished ad
Ads are composed in code over the approved stills; product images are placed, not regenerated.
Static ads
Thirty-four ads built from the approved stills. The static ads page covers the briefs, copy choices, layout rules and checks behind them.
Models and recorded costs
| Campaign | Images | Models | Runs | Recorded cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pip | Packshots, line-ups, talent | Gemini 3 Pro Image; GPT Image 2 for two edits | 28 | $13.51 |
| LIDO | Cans, caps, lifestyle, mosaic, macro | GPT Image 2 (1024 × 1536 masters); Gemini 3 Pro Image at 4K | 24 | $8.84 |
| Nula | Product set, fit, scale, sleep | Gemini 3 Pro Image at 2K and 4K | 39 | $9.03 |
| JACI SS26 | Seventeen street and detail frames | Gemini 3 Pro Image at 4K | 69 | $13.92 |
Costs are the estimates each run writes at listed prices, not invoices. Two Pip edits made with GPT Image 2 have no cost record.