Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Field with Hemlock Hat Co.

Every shoot day usually starts the same way for me.

I like getting to set early, but before that, I almost always stop at a coffee shop to grab a coffee and ease into the day. It’s been part of my routine for years. It gives me a chance to wake up, look over the creative, and mentally prepare for what’s ahead.

For this shoot, I headed up to Encinitas to photograph Hemlock Hat Co.’s upcoming 2027 collection.

The location was a beautiful ranch with a ton of character. Open fields, horses, rustic textures, and plenty of great spots to shoot. As soon as I arrived, I walked the property to get a feel for the light and start thinking about where we could photograph throughout the day.

The crew arrived shortly after 8:15 a.m. and began unloading gear and getting everything set up. Lauren and the Hemlock team had already done a walkthrough a few days earlier, but I wasn’t able to make it since I was on another shoot.

Once the models started arriving and getting ready, that was my cue to pull out the camera and fire up Capture One. Shooting tethered is a huge part of my workflow because it allows the client to review images in real time and make sure we’re all on the same page from the start.

We kicked off the day photographing Hemlock’s new cowboy hat collection. One cool thing about this shoot is that we were creating images for their 2027 catalog, so most of the hats we photographed won’t be released until next year.

As the day went on, the marine layer burned off, the sun came out, and Encinitas gave us one of those perfect Southern California days.