Darklight

Who is Darklight anyway? A new year. Fresh energy. A re-introduction for friends old and new... 👋 Brands and creatives - we’re an art buying and creative production studio shaking things up from London to Amsterdam and beyond. With a global network of photographers and artists, we bring big ideas to life for your campaign and champion bold, fresh perspectives in visual culture. From crafting iconic campaigns to commissioning visionary image makers, we make visuals that hit differently, previously for: Nike, adidas, Virgin Atlantic, Moët Hennessy. 📸 Photographers: we’ve got you. Darklight Pro is where we share industry intel, no gatekeeping. Whether you're just starting out or are levelling up, we provide the advice, support, and insights you need to navigate the industry. If you're new here—welcome. If you already know us—buckle up 🖤⛓ Coffee? Catch up with our Founders Mimi Gray & Sarah Williams. #NextGenPhotographers #CreativeProduction #ArtBuying #Imagelicensing

Things got real at Real Talk 👄 Back in late November, our Founders, Sarah Williams and Mimi Gray, took the stage for an evening of raw, real-time advice tailored for commercial photographers with some of the industry's finest for Darklight's first 'Real Talk' event. Our incredible panel—Will Humphries – Entertainment Marketing Manager (previously worked with O2, McLaren, Snap, ASOS, Unilever), Amara Eno – Deputy Picture Editor at Financial Times’ HTSI Magazine and Anna Rose White – Senior Production Lead at On—broke things down and shared their straight-up thoughts on what makes them tick and what gives them the ick 🤢, as commissioners. We dove into big questions: –How does privilege shape commissioning? 👀 –When it comes to outreach, how much is too much🫠  –How is AI impacting commissioning and the industry? –How can photographers get noticed? Huge thanks to our speakers and over 120 of you Photographers who joined. We loved meeting you IRL🖤 To attend future Darklight events like this, sign up to our newsletter via the link in the comments to stay tuned. #Darklight #CommercialPhotographer #Commissioning

Announcing our full [epic] panel for this Thursdays event 💥 Come & hear what they have to say at Real Talk: On Getting Commissioned. Amara Eno - Picture Editor at HTSI, the Financial Times weekly luxury lifestyle magazine. Amara, regularly commissions photographers for shoots spanning portraiture, interiors, lifestyle and international travel features. Anna Rose White - Senior Producer at On with over 10 years’ experience of working in fashion and footwear. Anna has worked on productions of all sizes and budgets, from e-commerce to brand campaigns and everything in-between. Will Humphries - Entertainment Marketing Manager at a global streaming brand. Will is a brand and communications specialist. He's worked with leading brands such as O2, McLaren, Snap, ASOS, Unilever and has earned an impressive array of industry honours. Photographers - this is for you! Join us for a night of bold conversation and no-fluff insights on the world of commissioning. Peckham Levels This Thursday 28th November From 6.30pm Join the party, get your tickets 🎟️ Link in the comments 🪩 #DARKLIGHT #REALTALK #PHOTOGRAPHERS #ONCOMMISSIONING #ARTBUYER #FORPHOTOGRAPHERS

🚨 Photographers assemble - Thursday 28th November 🚨 Photographers: join us for ‘Real Talk - Getting Commissioned’ – an evening of unfiltered advice. Expect full transparency and no-fluff insights from a panel of top commissioners. We’ll be diving into: –What really happens behind the scenes when commissioning photographers –What are their icks? –What are their licks? 👅  –What do they really want to see in your portfolio? And what’s the secret to standing out in a crowded field? 📍 Peckham Levels, London 🗓️ Thurs 28th Nov, 18:30-23:00 🖤 Hosted by our very own Sarah Williams (Co-founder of Darklight and art-buying queen 💅🏻), this 40-minute discussion promises honest answers to your burning questions. 👀 Meet the Panel First up: Amara Eno, Deputy Picture Editor at HTSI (Financial Times’ luxury lifestyle mag), with a career spanning editorial photography, international travel features, and high-profile commissions for The New York Times and The Guardian. Stay tuned—more panellists to be revealed soon. Don’t miss this chance for unfiltered insight, the chance to ask those burning questions and make great connections. 🎟️ Ticket link in the comments #Darklight #Commercialphotography #Photographycommunity

Supporting photographers in refining their craft: Darklight x Photobook Cafe 📷🫶 Photobook Cafe is an important landmark in Shoreditch’s well-established cultural and creative landscape, offering a unique programme of events and exhibitions conceived to shine a light on emerging and leading image-makers. Honoured to bring our industry insights from working with brands like Nike, Virgin Atlantic, and Hennessy to Photobook Cafe, Darklight duo Sarah Williams (Founder and Art Buyer) and Gabby Vicente (Art Buyer) will be hosting 1-to-1 portfolio review sessions, sharing guidance and tips with the Cafe’s community on: 📅 Wed 20th Nov, Thurs 21st Nov, Wed 11th Dec, Thurs 12th Dec To the photographers attending: can't wait to see you all there 🖤 Are you a photographer looking to elevate your folio? To bag a session, check the link in comments. #Darklight #PhotoBookCafe #PhotographyCommunity #ArtBuying #LondonCreatives #PortfolioReview

Call out ✨📢 We’re looking for food & drink content creators with a strong eye for culture and lifestyle in their work. Must be based in Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil, or the USA. Is this you or someone you know? Drop us a message 💌 sarah@darklight-digital.com

Last week, we met 32 members of our Darklight Pro community over two days at the Photobook Cafe in Shoreditch to look at work and give our feedback. Here are our top 5 take aways 🤓 Sign up to our mailing list [link in comments] and get our full list of actionable insights straight to your inbox 💌 1] Personal branding matters. The folios that were most memorable had a clear design, logo, folio cover or website design that made them stand out from the others. 2] Be confident about your work. You created it, make sure you can talk about it. Your enthusiasm and passion will shine in your work and the way you communicate it. 3] Visual identity. Your work should scream 'you'. What is your style? Think about subject matter, composition, tones, grading and lighting. Keep that consistency throughout your work as much as possible 👻 4] Marketing. You can be the best photographer in the world, but if no-one sees it, it will never get you more work. Set time aside to just focus on marketing yourself. 5] Personal work. Commissioners want to see your passion, your style, your skill and your personality. Your folio should be mainly personal work with a sprinkling of commissions and brand names 🖤 Image of Chantel King's beautiful folio.

Our Co-Founder, Sarah Williams, gives us her first thoughts after two days of in person folio reviews over the past two days.

Portfolio Reviews x Darklight We’re gearing up for our portfolio review sessions next week at the Photo Book Cafe in London and are excited to be meeting a great lineup of incredible photographers ✨ We’ll be diving into their work, offering insights and helping them elevate their portfolios. It’s always inspiring to see such talent in person, and we can’t wait to get started. While all slots are fully booked, we’re already planning opportunities to meet more of you in the future. Watch this space for news next week. Stay tuned on our socials to see how the day unfolds—see you there! 🫶🏻 Eliza Bourner, Lesley Lau, Manos Chatzikonstantis, Ioana Marinca, Kristy Noble, Jonny Nolan, Haydon Perrior, Ben Gold, Lucy Ranson, Sarah Carpenter, Emily Scarlett Romain, Leon Foggitt, Rebecka Slatter, Doma Dovgialo, Andrew Rankin, Emily-Jayne Nolan

NEW WORK ALERT 🚨 For Zalando with Wieden + Kennedy shot by the brilliant Sophie Jones KINTZING 👏🏻 Link in comments ⛓️ This AW ’24 campaign celebrates the democratic, diverse and human facets of fashion by posing the question that unites us all, regardless of taste, age, location, gender, or background: WHAT DO I WEAR?! Produced and commissioned by Darklight, shot by Sophie Jones and featuring a famous line-up of faces including the legend WILLEM DAFOE 🖤, model and actress Brigitte Nielsen and TikTok creator Sabrina Bahsoon 💅🏻 we bring you…. the work ✨ #ArtBuying #Production #Photography #Commission