Directing photography for Square, Caviar and Cash App

Directing photography for Square, Caviar and Cash App

Directing photography for Square, Caviar and Cash App

Directing photography for Square, Caviar and Cash App

We decided early on at Block (Square, Caviar and Cash App) that great photography would be crucial. We wanted iconic images you could read in seconds to tell the story of our products and build brand recognition.

Over five years, I led our entire approach to photography, built an internal team and personally art directed every shoot: studio and hardware work, editorial food stories for Caviar, and portraits for a global Square campaign and Square’s launch in Japan.

We decided early on at Block (Square, Caviar and Cash App) that great photography would be crucial. We wanted iconic images you could read in seconds to tell the story of our products and build brand recognition.

Over five years, I led our entire approach to photography, built an internal team and personally art directed every shoot: studio and hardware work, editorial food stories for Caviar, and portraits for a global Square campaign and Square’s launch in Japan.

We decided early on at Block (Square, Caviar and Cash App) that great photography would be crucial. We wanted iconic images you could read in seconds to tell the story of our products and build brand recognition.

Over five years, I led our entire approach to photography, built an internal team and personally art directed every shoot: studio and hardware work, editorial food stories for Caviar, and portraits for a global Square campaign and Square’s launch in Japan.

We decided early on at Block (Square, Caviar and Cash App) that great photography would be crucial. We wanted iconic images you could read in seconds to tell the story of our products and build brand recognition.

Over five years, I led our entire approach to photography, built an internal team and personally art directed every shoot: studio and hardware work, editorial food stories for Caviar, and portraits for a global Square campaign and Square’s launch in Japan.

Studio

Studio

Studio

Iconic images you could read in seconds, made to tell the story of Square, Caviar and Cash App and build brand recognition.

Iconic images you could read in seconds, made to tell the story of Square, Caviar and Cash App and build brand recognition.

Blue and red everyday objects arranged in a diamond pattern on a blue background, with a red chevron stamped in the center

Overhead view of a bakery counter with twists, pastries, a cinnamon roll, coffee, jam and bread in paper bags

Overhead view of a fish market counter with crabs, fish and oysters on ice and a salmon fillet on a scale

Overhead view of a marble dessert counter with iced cakes, chocolate cupcakes, candy and wrapped treats

iPhone showing a cafe listing in a Square app, resting on a wooden table beside matcha ice cream and a latte

Handmade ceramic vase with a glossy copper and brown glaze on a cream background

Close crop of a terracotta-colored ceramic teapot spout and handle on a cream background

Grid of six Japanese housewares on white: iron kettle, utensils, clay pot, ladle, blue cloths and a whisk broom

Grid of six cafe items on dark wood: pour-over coffee, matcha latte, chestnut dessert, matcha, latte art and green ice cream

Grid of six Japanese meals on black dishes with chopsticks, including bento, rice bowls and sushi

Detail of blue and red objects laid out in a V shape on blue, including an accordion, camera, watermelon and toy car

Editorial

Editorial

Editorial

For Caviar (now part of DoorDash), we captured family dinners, weekend get-togethers and late-night date nights at home in a way that felt grounded, real and beautiful, while making sure the food looked amazing.

For Caviar (now part of DoorDash), we captured family dinners, weekend get-togethers and late-night date nights at home in a way that felt grounded, real and beautiful, while making sure the food looked amazing.

Overhead view of a family dinner at a wooden table with pasta, roasted carrots, salads and drinks

Overhead view of a candlelit dinner with sliced flatbread on a board and two people eating pasta

A family sharing pasta and vegetables at a wooden table, a woman and a child smiling in natural light

Overhead view of a child holding a burger with sweet potato fries, a drink, crayons and a drawing on a white table

Burger with bacon, tomato and lettuce beside sweet potato fries on a wooden plate, with a pink drink and crayons

A boy in a striped shirt eating a burger at a bright kitchen counter, with a drink and crayons nearby

Overhead view of a casual party spread with grilled skewers, sliders, caprese skewers and drinks on a rustic table

Hardware

Hardware

Hardware

Product shoots that told the story of Square’s devices and built brand recognition.

Product shoots that told the story of Square’s devices and built brand recognition.

Exploded view of a white Square card reader showing its circuit board, casing and audio plug on black

A hand holding an iPhone showing a card in a wallet, tapping it on a white Square contactless reader

Square Register on black as a hand inserts a Visa card into the reader, with the total shown on screen

Black Square Register box with a carry handle, showing the line Everything you need in one point of sale

Top view of a white Square device with a card slot and a cable running up from it, on a white background

Two hands inserting a blue chip card into a white Square reader against a white background

A hand holding an iPhone showing a list of nearby cafes in an app, with a barista blurred in the background

Square Register web page with a hand signing on a phone with a card reader, above the line Now everyone can accept credit cards

White Square contactless and chip reader shown at an angle on a white background

A hand holding a credit card over a white Square reader on a light gray surface

Square Register on black as a hand holds a blue card at the card reader, with the customer display showing a total

A hand reaching toward the black Square Register display on its stand, shown against a black background

Portrait

Portrait

Portrait

For a global Square ad campaign, Square’s launch in Japan and a Caviar campaign, I directed shoots to capture portraits that sparked a sense of human connection, from locations, talent, wardrobe and styling to lighting, the shot list and final retouching.

For a global Square ad campaign, Square’s launch in Japan and a Caviar campaign, I directed shoots to capture portraits that sparked a sense of human connection, from locations, talent, wardrobe and styling to lighting, the shot list and final retouching.

Portrait of a smiling woman with short dark hair in a brown apron and pink top against a purple backdrop

Portrait of a woman holding a vintage camera in front of her face, wearing a flower headpiece, against pink

Portrait of a bearded man in a blue chambray shirt with a cream canvas backpack over his shoulder

Portrait of a man in black glasses, a tuxedo and a velvet bow tie with his arms crossed against a gray backdrop

Four portraits of smiling people in a grid, shot outdoors and in cafes for Square's launch in Japan

A smiling bearded man in a barbershop with the handwritten name Woody across the frame

Client

Block / Square / Caviar

Block / Square / Caviar

Block / Square / Caviar

Mediums

Photography

Photography

Photography

Roles

Creative Direction
Art Direction

Creative Direction
Art Direction

Creative Direction
Art Direction

Collaborators

Dwight Eschliman
Valerie Ranum
Alex Katz

Dwight Eschliman
Valerie Ranum
Alex Katz

Dwight Eschliman
Valerie Ranum
Alex Katz