Woodland is a major name in India’s outdoorwear market. At the time of this campaign, its network included 450 stores across India, reaching millions of customers. I photographed this Woodland campaign in Portugal over two days with a large team, four models, and a collection built around an active holiday with friends. We photographed one day at a historic estate near Porto and another on the city’s streets. Here I share how we prepared the story, chose the locations, and kept the clothing, footwear, and accessories visible within each scene. I am now based in Miami, Florida. This Portuguese project remains part of my international portfolio and an example of the way I think about a brand campaign.
The project at a glance: Woodland, Portugal, Porto and a nearby estate, a spring-summer collection, two shooting days, and three male models with one female model. The locations and photographs below belong to this campaign.
The collection and the campaign brief
The shoot introduced Woodland’s spring-summer collection. The idea was to follow a group of friends spending their vacation exploring Portugal. We worked with three male models and one female model, and the photographs needed to tell small stories rather than simply show people wearing beautiful clothes. The client also wanted as many collection details as possible to remain visible, from the shoes to the sunglasses. That is why full-length photographs were such an important part of the series.
The 60-megapixel photographs gave the production team room to crop into selected images when the client wanted to show a detail. The original frame and its final use determined how far each crop could go.
Preparing the locations and the team
A shoot of this size begins long before the first photograph. More than 15 people were involved, including the production agency, stylists, makeup artists, assistants, the photographer and videographer, and the client’s team. Our preparation started with online meetings with Woodland’s creative agency and production team in India. Over several weeks, we discussed the story and the ideas in detail and took part in choosing models and locations.
Before the shoot, we also spent several days scouting together. We visited the locations and chose specific spots for specific pictures. That work gave the shooting days a clear structure: we knew what each place needed to contribute and which photographic ideas we wanted to make there. There was still room to respond to the moment, but the preparation kept the collection and the brief in view.
Day one at an estate near Porto
For the first day, the team chose a seventeenth-century estate near Porto, a quinta, as it is called in Portuguese. It had generous grounds, an old garden, and a swimming pool. Those surroundings gave us different scenes within the same holiday story. The models could feel like friends enjoying time together, while the clothes and accessories stayed part of what was happening in each frame.
Day two on Porto’s streets
On the second day, we moved to central Porto. The team had obtained a permit from the city council for this shoot. Working on busy streets during the tourist season was a challenge, and choosing the right position and angle mattered. Sometimes people who know a location ask me, “How did you make it look so quiet?” A careful frame can change how a place appears without changing where the photograph was made.
We were lucky with the sunshine that day, and the pictures had a vivid, lively feeling. For me, the viewer should believe in the moment: the friendship, the movement, and the way the clothes belong in the scene.
The result
Big shoots are like mini lives, shared by the whole team. For this campaign, more than 20,000 captures went to the production team in India. The client was very happy with the work. The finished campaign photographs appeared on billboards and in 450 Woodland stores across India. Seeing the work on the brand’s website and social channels was a proud moment, too. And our models had quite an audience in India!
What this project shows about planning a collection shoot
Three things were especially useful here. We knew which product views the client needed, had chosen the locations before the shooting days, and had a shared story to connect the photographs. Clear full-length images and collection details could sit alongside more expressive scenes because both belonged in the plan. A good brief does not remove creativity. It gives everyone a clearer place to begin.
Those principles also matter when we discuss a new brand shoot in Miami. The collection, locations, models, team, access, and final image use would be planned for the new project, rather than copied from this one. If you are preparing a collection, my guide to planning a brand photo shoot can help you think through what to send with your inquiry.
I hope you enjoyed this look behind the photographs. If you have a collection or a visual idea you would like to discuss, tell me about it. I am based in Miami and would love to hear what you are planning. We can begin with the story you want your brand to tell and the photographs you need to make it visible💛
Author: Julia Yatel
