I’ve talked a lot in the past about the importance of detail. Great professional corporate photography is, I’d argue, built upon a succession of small details. From researching your client’s brand all the way through to the final edit of the preferred images, it is the careful curation of each stage of the process that ultimately leads to the best results.

This blog post is a little different, however; this is about the value of speed!

I’m going to take you back a few years to an event I covered for a client called the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Staged in the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex, the festival is a red-letter date in the calendar of car enthusiasts and attracts around 100,000 spectators across each of its three days. Featuring historic and cutting-edge motor racing cars, it’s the perfect blend of heritage and high-octane thrills.

Ahead of the 2021 Festival, I was contacted by the marketing team at Eastman, a global speciality materials company. They told me that they were launching a new paint protection product at the event, centred around a large stand on site, and that they wanted to use that presence to create engaging, inspiring content for their social media channels.

As you can imagine, the opportunity to work for a renowned company at such an iconic motorsport event was something of a dream assignment. It was also one that I knew would require a very different and dynamic approach, particularly as Eastman had engaged the services of an influencer, TGE TV, to publicise the product.

So, what was my plan?

Well, first of all, I knew that I could not do this alone. If I was to achieve everything I’d promised – producing and editing high-quality video and photos for near-immediate use by the client – then I’d need expert assistance. That’s why I asked two of my team to join me for the two-day commission.

On Assignment At Goodwood Festival Of Speed - Behind The Scenes Photo Gallery

Secondly, we needed to keep things simple on the technology front to facilitate that crucial element of speed; I needed to be fully mobile. So, instead of heavy and large fixed video cameras, we went with iPhones. Half a generation ago, it would have been inconceivable to have used smartphones for high-end corporate work. But the technological advancement in our hand-held devices has been incredible, and with the right software and editing tools, it really is possible to shoot a movie from your pocket!

With the team and the tech in place, I was able to concentrate on the principal photography and videography, while my first assistant took supplementary photos and shot B-roll footage. My second assistant, meanwhile, worked from a ‘mobile picture desk’ (very apt, given the iPhones), where he was able to download and edit the images and video content. It meant that we were able to send high-quality, finessed footage direct to the client within minutes of us capturing it – perfect for the immediacy of social media.

This guerrilla style operation was a lot of fun, but that wasn’t to say that we were ‘winging it’ the entire time. At the heart of the commission was a five-minute promotional film for the product, and this required careful storyboarding so that I could guarantee that I had the right set-ups and shots.

My approach here was to avoid creating the kind of bland corporate marketing video we’ve seen so many times before. I wanted instead to capture some of the intoxicating atmosphere from the event itself – the howl of the engines, the curves of the cars, the sweep of the track – because I knew that would resonate deeply with the target audience. I then incorporated these action shots into the footage we obtained at Eastman’s stand – of its product and people.
The result, I think (and the client agreed!), was a film far removed from the archetypal, sterile corporate marketing video that we’ve all ignored before.
I’ll let you be the judge; watch the full-length video below.

You’ll also see some of the high-quality images that I supplied to Eastman after the event, which I took using my professional Nikon cameras.

I hope you enjoy them.

Product Launch Event Photo Gallery - A selection of high-quality photographs that I took for my client during their product launch at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed.

And Here's a selection of some of the Social Media Content I also created for my client during the Goodwood Festival Of Speed.

Need awesome photography or eye-catching video content creation for your social media channels at your next event or product launch get in touch.