Where AI meets the real world in high res
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This project started with a simple question, how do we create something that’s not feasible to shoot for real within budget?
The answer was a hybrid approach.
The landscapes were photographed first. I used my own landscape plates to build AI layouts, exploring perspective and scale, while the lighting direction was always driven by the photography. Once that held, the real landscape was brought back in during post. It simply looked better, more grounded, more believable, and it holds up in high resolution.
The car and talent were always photographed for real. Properly lit, properly placed, with full control and proper usage rights. That physical anchor is important, it gives the image weight and something real to hold onto.
The advantage is clarity. You can resolve the image before you shoot it. Lock in decisions early, reduce guesswork, and walk onto set knowing exactly what needs to be done. It takes pressure off the shoot and puts the thinking where it belongs, upfront.
There’s also efficiency in it. Not because it’s free, it isn’t, but because it cuts out unnecessary complexity and keeps the production focused on what actually matters.
AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not the final image. It sits within the process. Pushed where it helps, held back where reality matters. For me, it’s another post-production tool, used with intent and control.
In the end, it’s still about building something that feels real. Advertising for grown-ups.
A hybrid approach, in service of something that still feels real.
A hybrid approach, in service of something that still feels real.
A study in combining photography, landscape, and AI
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The idea was simple. Create these R.M. Williams pop-up stores in the Australian landscape in a way that feels unexpected, but still entirely believable.
I’m not a fan of fully AI-generated imagery. It often lacks weight, presence, believability. So the environments are built from my own landscape references, shaping something familiar and then reworking it.
The structures are developed through AI, step by step, with a very controlled hand guiding form, scale, and detail.
I don’t really believe in fully AI-generated imagery. That sense of weight and presence just isn’t there. So the product is always photographed for real. Proper light, real materials, something tangible that anchors the image.
AI sits within that process as a tool. A way to explore and construct, not to replace what needs to feel true.
There are real efficiencies in using AI, no question. But the idea that it’s free or takes five minutes is simply wrong. A lot of work goes into it. For me, it sits alongside retouching and CGI, just another post-production tool, used with intent.
Clear, considered, and built to hold.
An integrated piece built between real and AI
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An integrated piece built between real and AI.
The concept was developed in AI, shaped and directed in-house, then brought into the real world. Once it held, the watch came in and was photographed. Real light, real presence, treated with the precision it deserves.
The approach is simple. Something classic, something striking, without overcomplicating it.
AI was developed as part of the process, used where it adds value, then pulled back. Everything aligned into one language so it sits naturally with the photography.
One image. Clear, considered, with a sense of stillness and motion at the same time.
AI where it helps, photography where it matters.
AI where it helps, photography where it matters.
Photographed in Hong Kong, adapted for different markets
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This was a campaign we shot for Standard Chartered in Hong Kong, but also across multiple regions. Every setup had to work in different markets, so we shot each image multiple times with different talent. Same frame, same idea, just carefully adjusted so it felt right for each region.
Standard Chartered is an international bank. They focus on private banking, wealth management, and corporate banking, mainly across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A big part of what they do is helping individuals and businesses manage, grow, and move money globally. It’s quite a relationship-driven business, less about transactions, more about long-term financial strategy.
What I like about this one is the simplicity. It looks clean and straightforward, but there’s quite a lot behind it. We built a small set, used CGI for the background, and shot everything with a very controlled lighting setup. Everything designed to feel precise, but still natural.
That balance is always the tricky part. We wanted it refined, but not overworked. Polished and elegant but still real. It’s very easy to push it too far. I think we managed to hold it in the right place here.
In the end, these are big images, but built quite carefully. Nothing shouting, just everything sitting where it should. Clean, considered, and holding its space.
One of the best moments was seeing it take over Forbes Asia.
The campaign wrapped the entire issue, a proper cover wrap, hard to ignore, exactly where it should be.
That felt like a real sign it had landed.
Working across multiple film and stills campaigns sharpens that understanding and pushes the work further
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Over a period of time, I had the chance to work across a range of campaigns for Woolworths, including Christmas and Easter TVCs, alongside a broad set of stills. That continuity gave the work real depth. You start to understand not just the visual language, but how the brand speaks, how the creative thinks, and where the nuances sit.
The projects moved fluidly between different territories. Observational, human moments. Food that needed to feel immediate and real. And the build-out of stills libraries designed to carry consistency across a wide range of touchpoints. The aim was always the same. Keep it warm, keep it open, and keep it human. Avoid anything that feels overworked or overly constructed.
It’s a space where performance really matters. The difference between something that feels staged and something that feels lived-in is everything. At the same time, the images need to hold structure and clarity, especially when they scale across large campaigns.
We also built out a large stills library in the same tone, designed to hold consistency across everything.
I’ve always liked working across both film and stills on a project. It keeps the thinking aligned and the output tighter.
Working across multiple projects builds real understanding and benefits both sides. It’s not about loyalty for its own sake, better work comes with it.
Working across multiple projects builds real understanding and benefits both sides. It’s not about loyalty for its own sake, better work comes with it.