When Margaret Lampert was tapped to shoot the ad campaign for Target’s Target One Billion initiative, we couldn’t have been more thrilled. Supporting education and literacy has long been one of Target’s primary goals, and with this initiative, the retailer pledged to donate up to two million books to kids in need and launch an innovative reading center to inspire kids across the country. Minneapolis-based advertising agency Olson developed the campaign to launch the initiative, a series of ads that were somewhat different from Target’s standard retail marketing. They wanted images that conveyed authenticity.

“Margaret had just been in Minneapolis and at Olson for a portfolio showing with Marianne and her Roadshow.  Shortly after the showing, the Olson creative team brought the Target project to me and I thought Margaret would be a great fit based on the initial concepts.  The creatives wanted the images to feel real and authentic and I think Margaret really captures that feel in her work,” said Mark Pakulski, Art Producer at Olson.

Mark goes on to say, “Margaret quickly became the forerunner for the shoot after the creatives saw her work and had a chance to do a creative call with her.” Art Producer Dave Lewis also adds, “The creative call with Margaret was great – she was calm, full of ideas and genuinely excited!”

To capture the thrill of that moment when a child becomes lost in their own experience, Margaret and her team took over an elementary school in New Jersey over a weekend. She shot a series of photographs that show kids fascinated and excited about learning, reading, art, and music.

“The entire project was designed to allow these moment to come to life in an authentic and organic fashion,” said Margaret. “The resulting images felt honest and real, a little window into a child’s process of learning and discovery.”

“There is nothing more wonderful than when someone recognizes a certain quality in my work and finds just the right application for the images. This project was just that in every way—a perfect fit,” said Margaret.

Many thanks to Mark, Dave and the Olson team for assigning Margaret such a tailor-made project, and a big thank you to Planet PrePro and Red Penny Casting for the production support.