How did you get started in commercial photography?

I've been shooting food now for 20 years and had always worked with a small team of hand picked crew, very specific to the location and needs of the shoot and have never really considered that I was producing as well as shooting. Things really changed for me when I switched reps about 18 months ago. The kind of work I was being awarded really changed, the budgets changed, the expectations of my clients changed and the complexities of the shoots changed. I brought in Darren Brindley, an old friend from school who I knew was very detailed and I could trust with my life and have been working with him for about a year now.

Describe a production from last year you are really proud of.

I have shot 6 or 7 big budget shoots over the past year all in Chicago for some of the large agencies there, I'd have to say that my most memorable shoot was for McGarry Bowen for Kraft foods. It was my first shoot for MB and they hired me for 6 days. The shoot went very well and has led to 2 more with the agency as well as other Kraft markets in Canada. I think the one I'm most proud of is a footwear shoot for Mizuno. We produced 8 very 'lived in' and real scenarios for some new running shoes. It was the first time I've really shot anything major outside of food subjects and despite a lot of production, casting, scouting, weather delays etc the shoot went very well and have been told by the agency how much we exceeded their expectations. A very important point I'd like to add is that the talent who were both represented by TalentSoup were exceptional.

What are some of the big trends you see coming in the next 5-10 years in the production industry?

I think the clients wanting more for less has just about reached the point where we can't cut any more corners, and some of the bigger agencies are realizing this. I'm sure some of my success is attributable to me being (too) honest with my clients and spelling out clearly what is/isn't achievable depending on different budgets/shooting schedules. Obviously video will only get bigger and although it's something I touch on, it isn't my primary focus to shoot video alongside still's. I don't think it's that easy to pull off seamlessly and the couple of times I have shot this way I'm always thinking to myself what is the clients main objective here. It usually seems that I'm approached initially to shoot still's and in the course of meetings it becomes clear that video may be required as well.

What advice can you give to talent when they're on set?

To be on time, don't bring your family, don't immediately go for the craft service, don't talk too much and interfere with the crew's ability to do what I've hired them to do.

Unrelated to work, what are you passionate about?

In no particular order: Family, soccer, food, travel, different cultures, music, technology, tennis, running, beer etc.

Iain uses TalentSoup to shop for great talent. If you're a producer, and interested in our services, see our Producers section for more details. Are you a model, actor, or actress, or run a talent agency, and interested in working with great photographers like Iain? Check out our Talent and Agency sections and get in the Soup today.

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Published January, 2013.