When I think about a commercial collaboration, my first question is what we could make together. What is the product, service or idea? How does it connect with my own work? And what could I show in a way I can stand behind?
As Jeyshoots, I create photography, video and content. In a collaboration, these are not separate things to me. My experience as a photographer can be as important as the finished film or product image. I want to find something within the product or business that I genuinely have something to say about.
A personal perspective makes a collaboration interesting
A business knows its own product. I bring a way of seeing it as a user, photographer and storyteller. If a product belongs in my work, I can show it within that process: where it helps, how I use it and what I make with it.
That does not mean putting every product into the same cinematic introduction. Sometimes the interesting starting point is a user experience, sometimes a visual story and sometimes a practical workflow. The format follows what we want to communicate and who it is for.
Kiko: making the product part of my own content
In my collaboration around the Kiko Original mini camera, the starting point was introducing the product on Instagram before its launch. The content showed unboxing, first reactions and using the camera in everyday life.
What interests me in this kind of collaboration is how a product finds its place in my own work. Alongside its features, there is an experience: what it feels like to use and what I can create with it. Videos and an image carousel offered different perspectives on the product within the same collection.
Brightin Star: the lens and the images made with it
My Brightin Star collaboration introduced the AF 85MM Portrait Prime through portrait photography. The work included video, portraits made with the lens and material showing the product itself.
When I work with the product myself, the content can combine experience with visual examples. A product photograph shows what a lens looks like. A portrait taken with it says something different. Together, they open up more than one perspective.
Reblum: software within a photographer's workflow
The two videos I made with Reblum explore portrait finishing and an autumn cinematic portrait look. Here, the starting point was software and its use in a photographer's work rather than a physical product.
This kind of content also lets me explain my thinking: what I want to preserve in an image, what I want to refine and which look feels right to me. The software gains context through what I do with it.
Rajala: turning production experience into written content, too
My work with Rajala shows how the same hands-on experience can be explored through video, photographs and writing. During Point of Origin, I used a PolarPro Chroma filter in Croatia. This led to product photography and content creation, as well as an article on Rajala's blog about managing light and a cinematic look.
I have now written three articles for Rajala's blog. Alongside the filter story, they cover a camera comparison and my experience using a rented Nikkor Z 70–200mm f/2.8 VR S lens for summer sports and live music productions. The original articles are in Finnish:
- Achieving a cinematic look in challenging light
- Canon R6 V vs Nikon ZR: comparing compact cinema cameras
- When speed and atmosphere matter: how a rented lens saved my summer productions
What interests me is that the experience does not have to end with one post. A photograph can show the result, a video can reveal the process and an article can explain the decisions in more detail. I have brought the work together in the Rajala collaboration project. It also offers an example of editorial content production for a business's own channels.
What could we create for your business?
A collaboration might involve one carefully scoped video or a longer project. Possible elements include:
- A video based on my own experience, a product introduction or a look at my workflow.
- Photographs of a product and examples created using it.
- Behind-the-scenes material showing the creative process and product in use.
- Posts designed for particular channels and separately agreed versions.
- A longer collaboration showing a product or service in different situations.
These are not all automatically included in every project. We agree deliverables, publication and timing before production. Content delivered for the business's channels and content published on my own channels are also defined separately.
Value starts with how the content will be used
I would not promise the value of a collaboration based on view counts alone. First, we need an objective. Do we want to show how a product works, help a new audience understand it or produce material for the business's own marketing?
Once the objective is clear, we can agree how to assess the work. For content on my channels, we can review the available viewing, watch-time and interaction data. Results from the business's own channels and campaigns require their own tracking. Sales or a specific level of reach cannot be promised in advance.
Usage rights are part of that conversation. We agree where, for how long and in which ways the content can be used. If paid advertising or adapted versions are needed, it helps to raise those requirements during planning.
What kind of collaboration suits me?
A strong starting point is a connection between the business's work and my own interests. It gives me the chance to contribute more than an existing format. My work around photography, visual production and creative workflows shows this clearly, but an interesting idea can come from elsewhere, too.
If you are considering the difference between commissioning content and collaborating on posts for my channels, I explore that in Content production or a commercial collaboration? Here, I wanted to show what working specifically with me can look like.
Let's start with an idea
You can approach me with a planned campaign or tell me about a product that needs a personal perspective. Information about the objective, audience, required channels, timing and an initial budget helps us begin.
Explore commercial collaborations or tell me about your idea. Let's see whether we can find a shared thought worth making visible.
