On October 3 and 4, 2026, Nth Degree brought a Volvo activation to a mall in Santa Clara, California: two days of test drives in the new all-electric EX60, the XC90 and a few other models, up to five cars per visitor, plus an exhibit booth inside the mall where you could sit in the EX60 without leaving the shopping center. I photographed both days for Nth Degree and their client, Volvo.
Going beyond the brief
The brief was the activation and the booth. I added two things. I brought the drone and shot aerials of the mall with the fleet and the activation below. And I arranged rolling shots of the EX60, car to car, dragging the shutter so the road and the trees blur while the car stays sharp. What the client got is a set that looks like it came from a proper ad shoot, except every person in it is a real visitor doing a real thing, nothing was staged, and none of it is AI.
The booth
The exhibit inside the mall was a clean white box with the EX60 in the middle and “Freedom to move. Electric.” on the wall. Shot from the upper level it reads as a diagram of the whole activation: the car, the people walking up to it, the doors open. Shot from the floor it is a product photo with the brand team in it.
The test drives
The pictures the client will use most are the ones from inside the cars: hands on the wheel, a father and son in the driver seat, a couple heading out. Those are the frames that sell the experience, because nobody in them is performing for a camera.
Booking activation and brand photography
I photograph brand activations, product launches and experiential events across the Bay Area and in convention cities nationwide, for agencies and for brands directly, with FAA Part 107 aerials and automotive rolling shots when the job calls for them. See commercial and advertising photography production, product launch photography and drone and aerial photography, or get in touch for a quote.