Commercial and Advertising Photography Production
Creative development, casting, locations and permits, crew and lighting, on-set direction, retouching and delivery to spec, in the San Francisco Bay Area and on location, licensed for the use you actually need.
Send us the briefHow a production is estimated
Photographed for Google, Amazon, Meta and Salesforce · published in The New York Times, TIME and The Wall Street Journal
Production, not just a shoot day
A campaign is built before the camera comes out.
Josh Edelson Photography produces the whole thing: creative development with your art director or in-house team, casting and talent, location scouting and permits, crew and lighting, styling, on-set direction, retouching and delivery to spec. You get a producer’s process with a photojournalist’s instinct for the frame that actually looks real.
Product and vehicle in environment
The car on the road, the aircraft over the skyline, the machine in the field, the device in the hand. Location productions with the crew, permits and aerial work handled in-house, so the shot on the mood board is the shot on the drive.
- FAA Part 107 aerial and drone photography, including airspace authorizations
- Location scouting, permits and site logistics
- Single-day or multi-day, anywhere the brief requires
Real people, directed so it does not look directed
Brand and lifestyle campaigns with real employees, real workplaces, real streets. Corporate and recruiting campaigns shot as one production for the annual report, the careers page and the investor deck. Executive imagery that reads as a portrait, not a headshot.
Selected production work
Advertising and agency work for clients including Collier Simon and Gabb Wireless; brand and executive imagery for Lucid Motors; a workplace campaign on the factory floor for Machina Labs; a multi-year documentary project for Visa; and corporate campaigns for Google, Amazon, Meta and Salesforce.
How a production is estimated
Commercial work is not priced by the day. An estimate has three parts, and each one is spelled out.
Creative fee
The photographer’s fee for concept, direction and the shoot itself.
Usage license
Where the images run, for how long and in what media. A year of web and social is a different license from worldwide out-of-home in perpetuity, and the estimate says which one you are buying. Photographer retains copyright.
Production costs
Crew, talent, locations, permits, styling, equipment, retouching and travel, itemized so you can see exactly what the production needs.
Written estimate
Send the brief, the deliverables and the intended usage. Every production is scoped individually; there is no rate card for this work because no two campaigns need the same crew.
Frequently asked questions
Do you produce the whole campaign or just photograph it?
The whole campaign: creative development with your art director, casting, locations and permits, crew, styling, on-set direction, retouching and delivery to spec. Clients who bring their own producer or agency are welcome; we slot into that structure just as easily.
How is a commercial photography production priced?
In three visible parts: a creative fee, a usage license that names the media, territory and term, and itemized production costs for crew, talent, locations, permits, equipment, retouching and travel. Every production is estimated from the brief; there is no day-rate card for campaign work.
What is a usage license and why does it change the price?
It is the right to run the images in specific media, for a specific time, in a specific territory. A year of web and social costs less than perpetual worldwide advertising because the images are worth more in the second case. The estimate states the license plainly, and the photographer retains copyright.
Can you shoot on location outside the Bay Area?
Yes. Productions travel wherever the brief requires, single-day or multi-day, and when needed, travel is billed at cost.
Do you provide models, stylists and an art director?
Talent, styling and crew are sourced and coordinated as part of the production. Most clients bring their own art director or creative lead; when they do not, Josh directs on set against the approved brief and mood board.
Can you do aerial or drone work as part of a campaign?
Yes. FAA Part 107 certified aerial photography is handled in-house, including airspace authorizations where required.
Have a brief?
Send it over for a written estimate with every line visible. See also commercial photography in San Francisco, workplace and lifestyle photography and multi-photographer event production.