Grocery stores need photos too. This is what I learned on a fantastically fun shoot in late April for Cramer Krasselt-Milwaukee of their client's concept grocery store Metro Market. And it was a really cool grocery store to boot. The traditional ho hum grocery aisles were kept cleverly out of sight on the second floor (where you could still find your rows upon rows of shredded wheat and bran o's) while the ground floor was constructed in a way that mimics a European market, butcher department next to a dedicated spice bazaar next to a fully functional bakery next to a place that served oysters etc.
But the grocery store itself was only half of the story. This was a four day extravaganza with a sixty image shot list, a second shooter, two hotel rooms, lots of delicious food, and four four a.m. call times in a row. We had to be aware of the stores functionality, essentially, grocery stores are busy after eleven a.m. so we needed to be wrapped each day before then. So we got up early, and we worked fast, and we got some really cool images shot over a hectic four days with multiple art directors on site, a few CK higher ups dropping by periodically, a load of helpful, slightly obtrusive Milwaukee shoppers, one Milwaukee shopper who was incredibly unhelpful, grocery store employees and a sun that wouldn't help me fill in ambient light for the first three hours of each day's shooting.
But we got it done. And I developed the Chris Bradley Photography catch phrase. I'm not proud to admit that after finishing a shot on this shoot, I would shake my pretend gun hands in the sky and say 'pow pow pow'. I don't know where this comes from, and I have since discontinued its use, but at the moment, it felt right. I blame this on low blood sugar. Despite shooting in a grocery store, I'm not sure I ate enough while shooting, and as a result I now receive friendly reminders via text from my girlfriend that I should remember to eat when I'm shooting. So this is yet another positive off shoot of a really fun shoot that yielded great images, happy clients, a pretty decent chunk of change, and a chance to explore Milwaukee after getting off work at eleven a.m. for four days in a row.
