Buck Studio Productions along with Buck Studio photographer Boone Rodriguez had the chance to work once again with the awesome guys at Parliament. A commercial photo shoot for client Capital One, we spent a week (two prep days, two shooting days, one wrap day) in sunny San Diego, CA. Creative Director Chris Erickson and Art Director Jono Stark met months prior to shooting to define scope of project, and to determine what could be achieved within their budget.
For this project, the ask was to execute 24 unique photos over two shooting days in three locations, with a mix of 20 talent. The client and agency creative teams had built a strong brief, and after two pre-production meetings (PPM) we had a thoughtful shoot schedule. Buck’s associate producer Emma Browne worked with the City of San Diego to acquire the needed permit to allow us to shoot in Balboa Park. Great thing about Balboa Park is that the permit required to photograph is free (permit is issued by the Parks Department at the City of San Diego, and took about 10 business days. Call Jessica @ 619-235-5918).
For production supplies, we went with San Diego Film & Equipment. This one-man production supply shop had everything we needed. They supplied us two new pop-up tents, folding tables, a gigantic cooler, 8ft ladder, 12x frame and silks, apple boxes, c-stands, combo stands, and lots of sand. Xavier helped us and was quick to respond to any last minute adjustments.
Catering was a challenge at first, as the San Diego market is dominated by made-to-order meals in food trucks. For production, that’s a no-go, as crew needs to be able to eat quickly and move on. Emma eventually discovered Creative Catering, and Katheryn Elias was very responsive to adjusted delivery times and locations. Food was great, delivery and pick-up were quick and on-time.
Our crew was mostly recommended by my long time friend and past photo mentor Quavondo. Q brought in Alex Wilson, assistant extraordinaire, Melissa Lynn Woodbury our excellent wardrobe stylist and her assist Lizeth Baltadano, and MUAH’s Grace Phillips and Lysette Castellanos. Local San Diego stylist Kylie Sigurdson helped us big by purchasing (and returning) all items on our prop list.
San Diego was an easy city to shoot in for us. We planned our locations to be close together in proximity, and this really paid off in terms of transportation times. No drive took longer than 15 minutes, and we were never sitting in traffic. We shot around Balboa Park and in some private homes (AirBnB + personal connections of Parliament’s) in the North Park and The College neighborhoods. We would definitely shoot here again!
Working with kids is a blast! Darren Utt, producer, Lysette Castellanos makeup artist, and local San Diego talent
Boone, Darren, and Quavando – the Dream Team
Setting up the mobile digi station
Setting up for “Dream Vacation” at First Location
Gotta make sure the crew have snacks!
Our amazing mobile wardrobe station – models could change inside the giant truck!
Boone Inside Last Location
Grilling some corn & burger patties for a shot at the first location
Pop Up tents are imperative for outdoor production
Beautiful sunny day in Balboa Park
Backyard camping for a Capital One photo shoot with Boone Rodriguez and Darren Utt
Crew acting silly
Boone drinking coffee at the digitech station
Hair and Makeup on-location requires tons of prep to make sure the station will be usable and efficient
Buck Studio Production 