Rather than asking us to photograph bottles or vineyards, Vinimark asked us to create a collection of photographic artworks inspired by the world of wine.
The brief was refreshingly open.
To look beyond the obvious and explore the textures, forms and materials that make wine what it is.
Vine leaves. Tendrils. Glass. Bubbles. Liquid. Light.
Details that are often overlooked when viewed at their natural scale.
Changing the scale
We approached the project as a series of abstract macro studies.
Working at that scale changes the way you see familiar things. The surface of a leaf becomes a landscape. Tiny imperfections become features. Light passing through glass or liquid becomes less about the object itself and more about colour, shape and texture.
The challenge was finding that point where the subject was still somehow connected to wine, but the photograph could stand on its own as an image.
Something recognisable, without necessarily being literal.
“The photos are next level and capture this special place, its integration with the landscape and its offering perfectly.”
Beyond the campaign
The final collection was designed to live beyond a single campaign — becoming part of Vinimark’s offices, presentations and broader visual language.
I really enjoyed that about the commission.
Commercial photography doesn’t always have to document a product or explain exactly what a company does.
Sometimes it can simply celebrate the world that surrounds it.
For us, that meant slowing down, looking closer and finding beauty in the details that would normally be passed by.
Sometimes changing the way we see something is simply a matter of changing the distance.
Project information
Client — Vinimark
Project — Photographic Art Collection
Photography — Charles Russell
Production — Visigrafi Studio
Location — South Africa