A modern brand needs more than product photos — it needs a story.

When Wayne Huthmaker set out to launch his new men’s jewelry line, Quinn Henry, he already had beautiful macro images of the chunky silver rings, bracelets, and necklaces. But he knew that close-ups alone wouldn’t sell the lifestyle, identity, and rugged masculinity he designed the brand for.

He needed real people, in real environments, doing the kinds of things his customers love, and he needed imagery that would carry a website and social media launch.

That’s where the collaboration with commercial videographer Mike Henderson and me, a commercial photographer, began.

“Mike did a very busy two day photo shoot for our new men’s jewelry brand in the Lakes Basin area around Graeagle, CA,” Huthmaker wrote on my Google business page. “We needed someone who was comfortable in the outdoors and moved quickly from scene to scene. We picked the right guy! He made our amateur models feel at ease and teased out some fantastic shots to launch our brand. Will definitely being calling on Mike for more shoots in the months ahead. Highly recommend!”

The Challenge: Build a Visual Identity That Speaks to Real, Rugged Men

Quinn’s vision wasn’t subtle:

• Outdoorsmen
• Golfers
• Hikers
• Fishermen
• Lake-day adventurers
• Mountain bikers
• Guys who live in the mountains!

The brand needed images that felt authentic, not overly posed or studio-perfect.

He could create clean, detailed product photography himself. What he needed was the human connection, the lifestyle context that transforms jewelry from an object into an identity. He wanted customers to think:

“I can see myself wearing that.”

The Strategy: Lifestyle Photography in the Wild

To make the brand feel like an extension of the outdoors, we shot on location in Graeagle, California, (a part of the larger Sierra Nevada and Tahoe region) a place with the natural texture and personality the brand needed.

We worked with younger male models (non-professional friends and family, including the real Quinn Henry) who embodied the aesthetic:

• Active
• Rugged
• Outdoorsy
• Confident, but not staged

Each scene was built around real activities:

• Golfing under tall pines
• Hiking along rocky trails of Salmon Lake
• Fishing at the lake
• Cliff diving
• Working on a vintage 4Runner
• Dockside and shoreline scenes
• Playing chess at the end of a long day

This wasn’t a “stand here and pose” shoot. It was a two-days-in-the-life adventure, where the jewelry naturally blended into highly visual, aspirational environments. Wayne picked out a series of fantastic locations nearby and helped us setup scenes for each look.

Planning your own lifestyle or brand launch shoot? Let’s talk through your vision.

Creative Decisions That Defined the Brand

1. Real textures, real movement

Wind, water, rock, sunlight — everything was allowed to behave naturally. No artificial polish. Just honest atmosphere.

2. Wide environmental shots

The landscapes did half the storytelling. Big, cinematic frames told viewers where this jewelry belongs.

3. Close, candid lifestyle moments

Hands gripping backpack straps, chopping wood, building a fire, adjusting a necklace, resting on a golf club — unforced, believable, usable across every marketing channel.

4. A consistent color story

Earth tones, deep greens, and natural light created cohesion across the entire shoot — ideal for a website that needed visual unity.

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The Results: A Brand Identity That Finally Matches the Vision

The imagery became the backbone of Quinn Henry’s entire brand launch.

Project Deliverables

• 2 days of on-location lifestyle photography
• Full resolution and web resolution of 150 photos
• Hero images for site launch
• Pre-cropped for square product galleries plus variations

✔ A website filled with lifestyle-driven visual storytelling

Every page now shows men using the jewelry in ways customers can relate to.

✔ Consistent, modern branding from top to bottom

The photos’ color grading fit the overall color scheme and style of the brand, allowing the site to feel tailored, premium, and cohesive.

✔ A library of evergreen content

Quinn now has photos for:

• Website hero images
• Product pages
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Ads
• Lookbooks

✔ A brand narrative that differentiates him from generic jewelry brands

Most jewelry sites rely heavily on macro product shots. Quinn can now showcase lifestyle and identity, giving his brand a clear competitive edge.

Final Takeaway

This project wasn’t about photographing jewelry — it was about defining who the brand is for and creating a lifestyle customers want to step into.

If you’re launching a brand or reworking your identity, I can help you build a visual story that resonates with your ideal audience and fills your website with authentic, high-impact images.

Let’s make your brand look like it already belongs in the world.