How photographer Maxime Ballesteros shot PUMA’s newest Suede marketing campaign

Whether we realise it or not, on daily basis we’re surrounded by pictures that require limitless hours of collective creativity. From posters on the tube and marketing campaign billboards to journal editorials and the pictures filling our feeds, each picture is the results of completely different artistic views coming collectively behind the scenes. The photographers, stylists, casting administrators, set designers and numerous others all depart their mark on the ultimate image, even when we hardly ever cease to consider it.

That sense of artistic collaboration is on the root of PUMA’s newest “Never Not Suede” marketing campaign. Split into three chapters, the mission follows a gaggle of pals as they settle into a brand new metropolis, construct connections and discover their footing inside unfamiliar scenes. While the story feels up to date, it additionally displays one thing that has at all times surrounded the Suede itself. Over the years, the silhouette has been reinvented by completely different generations, subcultures and cities.

First launched over 5 many years in the past, the Suede has been round lengthy sufficient to move by means of completely different scenes, types and generations with out actually feeling tied to 1 second or one crowd. “Never Not Suede” leans into that historical past, specializing in the folks and communities that proceed to make the shoe their very own. In honour of the marketing campaign launch and PUMA’s upcoming Suede drops, we’ll be spending the subsequent few months chatting with a number of the creatives behind the mission and exploring the completely different views they delivered to it. The first of these creatives is photographer Maxime Ballesteros.

Born and raised within the countryside of Lyon, France, Ballesteros first spent most of his adolescence taking photos. But, much like the characters within the ’Never Not Suede’ marketing campaign, it was not till he took a leap and moved to Germany that he opened himself as much as a brand new world that, in flip, started shaping his creativity. “I moved to Berlin as a young alt teenager,” he explains, from the set of the shoot in Athens. “New city, new friends, new everything. It was so awesome, the time of my life.” 

Coming up at a time earlier than Instagram grew to become the app we all know it as as we speak meant that for Ballesteros, there have been no tutorials on the right way to construct your world and model as a photographer. Instead, much like how the Suede’s cultural affect developed organically through the years, Ballesteros naturally absorbed the world round him and realized the whole lot he wanted by means of his curiosity on the job. “We see a picture on the street and think, ‘easy, I could do that’, but then when you’re on set, you have to deal with the whole thing. It’s a bigger process than we think, and I did not know about that.”

Now, since relocating to Paris after 13 years in Berlin, Ballesteros remains to be discovering new methods to supply inspiration within the day-to-day. “Because of photography, I place myself as an observer of the world,” he says. “I watch the new generation, what they are into and what they are doing.” Subtle moments on a road whereas he travels by means of Paris on his bicycle give him insights into completely different youth communities throughout skating, music, cinema and extra. 

With a images model that feels extra pure than staged, the vitality on set is one which makes a distinction in his work. In order to seize extra of these unstaged moments, befriending the group, crew and solid turns into a significant half in bringing a layer of authenticity to tales. “[It makes us] all feel comfortable being on either side of the camera, and I do not feel like I am stealing anything from anyone,” he explains, talking about constructing a rapport with the folks he works with. “We have this connection, and I constantly have an eye on what is going on, and I can be discreet and not disturb anyone.”

“I place myself as an observer of the world,” – Maxime Ballesteros

The first drop of the marketing campaign sees the discharge of the Suede Classic. Honouring the unique Suede, it highlights how, regardless of the ability of discovering new methods to reintroduce a product or message, the unique model will at all times be necessary. Throughout the couple of days of capturing, there’s a ardour on set that displays that very same vitality. Despite the whirlwind of a giant, fast-paced manufacturing, Ballesteros’ unique, real love for simply taking pictures nonetheless shines by means of. Even when it’s not his time to shoot a scene, he’s hardly ever seen with no digital camera. On a late-night shoot within the arcade, because the crew units the whole lot up, he walks round and casually snaps a second between a number of the fashions hanging out simply as he subtly passes by. 

For Ballesteros, his concept of being “never not suede” comes from trusting within the expertise and skill that acquired him within the room to start with. “They hired me because of my eye and my vision,” he says, explaining how he met a short whereas remaining true to his model and craft. “We sort of collaborate on what I see and what they need. They need the logos to be shot in a certain way because they need very specific things that make a campaign. But I’m still keeping my eye on things. We try to make a compromise, and we try to both be happy with the end result.”

As extra drops proceed this summer season, we will provide you with an extra behind-the-scenes have a look at what goes into bringing a marketing campaign to life. Head above to observe a video of Maxime in motion and keep tuned right here for extra.