For this Dairy Queen campaign I shot every frame to the creative deck and then did all of the retouching. I handled the lighting, the digital tech, the shooting and the post production, with no assistant. I worked side by side with the graphic designer and the Dairy Queen social team while the rest of the crew worked in the TV studio. The set told four stories: a booth inside the restaurant, game day at home in front of the TV, a picnic on a soccer field, and a hand dipping a chicken strip on a bold red and orange set.
A Tight Turnaround on a Shared Set
We shared the room and the set with the TV production team, so there was a very tight window between the set being finished and getting out of the way for them. I lit and shot each story fast, checked every frame on the spot as my own digital tech, and planned what to solve in post. After the shoot I got every image ready for all of the channels.
What I Did in Post
After the shoot I handled all of the focus stacking, color grading and correction, compositing and retouching in Photoshop, then delivered the final files.
Raised the table in the restaurant scene so the meal sits higher and reads better in the frame.
Removed distracting shadows across the sets.
Color graded and corrected skin so the hand shots look natural next to the bright packaging.
Focus stacked the french fries so every fry is sharp from front to back.
Composited a soccer game onto the TV screen for the game day at home scene.
I went through more than eight rounds of edits with the designer and the social team to polish everything. Each round tightened the details, and I learned a lot about how a national brand reviews and approves images for every channel. Drag the sliders below to see the before and after.
Game Day at Home
I composited a soccer game onto the blank TV screen and cleaned up shadows so the meal on the coffee table stays the hero.
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Soccer Field Picnic
Color grading and correction brought the blue sky, green turf and brand reds into balance, and I polished the burger, fries and Blizzard cups.
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Chicken Strip Dip
I focus stacked the french fries so every fry is sharp, then color graded and corrected the skin on the hand model so it looks natural next to the bright red curtain and orange set.
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Restaurant Booth
In the booth scene I raised the table so the meal sits higher in the frame, removed shadows and tightened the crop around the food.
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Why It Matters for Your Brand
A shared set and a short window happen on a lot of campaign shoots. When one photographer can light, shoot, tech and retouch, the set moves fast and the brand still gets polished images for every channel. If you need a campaign shot to your creative deck and finished in post, I can help.
Need post production on your next campaign? Book a free call, or see more before and afters in my retouching blog.