Brand photography shoot with usual objections
Who: Usual Objections
What: Makers of bespoke swimwear and sportswear
Where: Dalston, east London
I recently had a branding shoot with London-based creative makers, Usual Objections. Their range of bespoke swim and sportswear is built around a desire to make the company as sustainable as possible.
I met Linda Souto Maior, one of the co-founders, who showed me around their micro-factory and shop space in Dalston, east London. Although it only launched in 2020, it's obvious this has become a thriving small manufacturing company.
Linda explained that they keep as much of the process as possible in-house. This ranges from designing and printing the materials – meaning they can offer one-off designs – through pattern making, cutting, and sewing. They even make their own labels and handwrite notes to go into the parcels.
I worked with two of their team, Katia and Ellie, documenting the process from start to finish – you can see many of those shots on their website and featured in blog posts.
“We loved your pictures and would gladly recommend you.”
All the orders are dispatched directly from the factory. The swimwear is packed with its trademark orange swim bag. The boxes are manufactured by the oldest box-making company in the UK, which is just a couple of miles from Usual Objections and decorated with artwork commissioned from a local artist, Jonny Voss.
Sourcing sustainably and locally isn't just greenwash for Linda and Rich; it's something everyone at Usual Objections is committed to. "We take this attitude from our products to our planet, our industry, our local community and the lives of our customers and our team."
Wherever possible, I like to round off a shoot by making environmental portraits of the team. Shooting at the end of the session allows everyone to relax and lose some of those nerves we all get from appearing in front of the camera. Buying something from a local maker is often an emotional decision; customers want to connect with the maker. Businesses that don't take advantage of that vital connection are missing a key part of the message.
If you'd like to discuss how a documentary branding shoot could help your creative business, please get in touch.
