"The colors were supposed to be gold and red, but, instead, we got grey and blue.”

When Asics came to Shaun Fenn via barrettSF with the launch of their newest high-end shoe campaign, the creative vision was clear. In addition to in-studio images, the team would spend two days photographing talented athletes in the golden, sunny hills of Los Angeles. “There would be a real focus on the gait of the runner— we wanted to show the advanced heel-to-toe support of the new sole, by photographing moments of movement and high intensity, in a warm, natural environment.

But things don’t always go as planned. Instead of blue skies and warm light, the crew arrived on set to a torrential downpour with 20 mph winds and 40 degree temps. “We tried to shoot, but eventually had to call it.” 

Although the second day came with slightly less meteorological mayhem, Shaun and his team were still facing a full day of weather-related obstacles. “In a lot of cases, we weren’t able to use any lighting, we had to adjust on our feet and make it a natural shoot.”

After adding in a third day of shooting, Fenn and crew were able to finish things off strong— though still a bit rained on. “We stuck with the existing plan and were determined to make it work. Everyone maintained a really positive attitude on set and did a great job at letting things roll off as they came.” 

Having shot for Asics for 5 years through various agencies, Shaun’s precise understanding of the brand, as well as his ability to execute a successful visual campaign despite unforeseen challenges along the way, resulted in another job well done. Photos from Shaun’s previous Asics work below and on his website.