Building a Photo Library

From a different point of view

By Katie Bandstra

October 25^th, 2020

It's Black and White

T-Mobile had been black and white photography highlighted by bright pops of magenta for a good 5 years. Then we decided to change. We wanted full color, less aggressive pictures -- think no kicking or punching or tearing up contracts. We were trying to expand into the early majority, the bulk of America and wanted to be more relatable. Great strategy born of research, but photoshoots are expensive and time consuming. Our entire library of images was obsolete. And we needed images for our localized campaigns across the country.

What if we could simplify photoshoots? What if you didn't need models?

Opening the Apeture

I challenged the agency to think about ways we could capture city specific, regional and agnostic photos on a shoestring budget. We believed that the reaction and engagement between loved ones is so much more authentic than the forced interactions of models. That beauty of friends laughing at an inside joke, a mother looking at her son and families truly enjoying themselves captured the spirit of being human. No models required.

Best Day in Your City

We reached out to employees in various cities across the country and created what we called, "The Best Day Ever". We looked for employees who not only were fantastic employees, but people who were both a magnet and a mirror. You were drawn to these people, they drew you in, but you stayed because they are a reflection of who we want to be as a company and as humans.

Across the U.S.

We traversed the country using SLRs and capturing surprise events and memories in the making. In the end we orchestrated 20 scrappy photoshoots and ended up with thousands of phots to replenish our library. All with pops of magenta, so it would work seamlessly with our advertising layouts.

So much more than a photo

The overwhelming response from all these groups of amazing people was gratitude. They couldn't believe the things we had in store for them. But the thing they were most thankful for was the memories made on those days with the people they loved most. To me, knowing we just documented something these people will cherish forever made it all worthwhile.