AUG11

AUG11 started as an Atlanta hat brand with a vision. OG11 Hats had the product, they had the taste, but they needed a photographer to translate that into a visual identity that could compete with brands ten times their size. I've been their creative director from early on, and the work has spanned multiple collections, multiple locations, and a range of moods that most brands never attempt.

From gritty bunker sessions to sun-drenched lake shoots, from barbershop lifestyle content to clean product flatlays — every shoot had a different energy but the same mission: make the brand feel bigger than it is. Not through tricks or overproduction, but through consistency and intention.

The lifestyle approach was key. Early on, we made a decision: we're not shooting hats on mannequin heads or white seamless backgrounds. We're shooting people living in the product. The barbershop sessions captured that everyday confidence — a fresh cut, a fitted hat, the kind of effortless style that doesn't need a caption to explain itself.

The bunker shoot was probably the most ambitious. We found this industrial space with raw concrete walls, exposed pipes, and zero natural light. We lit the whole thing with practicals and a single key light. The mood was cinematic and heavy — a complete departure from the lake content, but it made sense for that specific collection. That's the advantage of a long-term creative relationship — you can take risks because you know the brand's DNA.

The product flatlay work was just as important. Clean, well-lit, detailed shots of the hats themselves — the stitching, the materials, the colorways. These are the images that close the sale when someone's on the fence. They complement the lifestyle content by answering the practical questions: what does it actually look like? How does the brim sit? What's the texture?

What I'm most proud of with AUG11 is the arc. You can look at their content from the first shoot to the latest and see a brand that grew up. The quality escalated, the ambition expanded, but the core identity never wavered. That's not something you get from hiring a different photographer every time. That's what happens when you invest in a creative partnership.

Building a brand from the ground up means showing up consistently. It means every shoot matters, even the small ones. It means the product flatlay gets the same attention as the cinematic hero shot. AUG11 understood that, and the work reflects it.