The Need As a fast-growing active footwear brand, TIEM needed a reliable flow of high-quality lifestyle photography to fuel both their website and marketing campaigns. For brands in this category, lifestyle imagery is not a “one-time” project but an ongoing requirement—new collections, seasonal campaigns, and digital promotions all demand a consistent supply of visuals that feel polished, on-brand, and aspirational. The Challenge Meeting that need consistently isn’t easy. Hiring well-known commercial photographers can deliver striking images, but their high cost and limited availability make them impractical for frequent shoots. Building an in-house setup often falls short—teams lack the necessary props, styling expertise, and refined aesthetic to create production-quality visuals. Working with local freelancers, meanwhile, is hit-or-miss. Some may be talented, but results vary widely, communication can be inconsistent, and outcomes often fail to match the brand’s expectations. For TIEM, this meant an ongoing struggle: how to balance cost, speed, and creative control while maintaining the visual standard their brand requires. The Solution TIEM turned to PENCIL ONE’s factory-inspired production model—a system designed to deliver professional photography at scale with the consistency of a production line. Unlike traditional agencies that charge high creative fees, PENCIL ONE flips the model: Clients define the creative vision by providing reference images. PENCIL ONE executes with precision, treating the references as creative templates. This approach allowed TIEM to retain full creative control—choosing how their shoes should be styled and presented—while PENCIL ONE ensured the execution was seamless, artistic, and technically sound. Every shot was built around TIEM’s footwear, highlighting both product detail and lifestyle appeal. The result: agency-level quality without agency-level overhead—produced quickly, predictably, and at a transparent price. The Result Speed: Projects are completed in as little as one week—allowing TIEM to keep pace with fast-changing marketing needs. Transparency: Pricing is clear from the start, based on per-photo complexity, starting from $78 per image. No hidden fees, no surprises. Confidence in Execution: Before shooting, TIEM's references are carefully reviewed, and PENCIL ONE provides an upfront quote aligned to expectations. This workflow created a smooth partnership: TIEM could focus on creative direction and brand storytelling, while PENCIL ONE became the reliable engine that turned ideas into polished, market-ready visuals. The final deliverables matched the reference concepts with precision, giving TIEM the confidence that every campaign would have the imagery it needed—on time, on budget, and on brand. Side-by-side comparisons of TIEM’s reference images and PENCIL ONE’s final delivered lifestyle photos highlight just how effectively the model works. Reference Image vs PENCIL ONE’s deliverable
