Douglas Rose makes world-class, beautifully crafted leather bags and accessories.

We were asked to put together a one day location shoot and a one day studio shoot featuring their products - producing, shooting, and retouching a series of images to bring the brand to life. Working together with Douglas Rose himself and Creative Director Chris Cortez of the Cortez Groupe, the brief was to tell the brand story by capturing a lifetime of relationships over the course of a day with a father, son, and friends hanging out, playing golf, and enjoying each other’s company.

The locations were chosen, the crew assembled, and the talent readied – everything was in place for the day of the shoot – except the weather. While Douglas Rose’s products might well be timeless, shooting schedules are not – and we were faced with rain and clouds on the one day we had to shoot.

But barely missing a beat, Versatile founder and photographer Michael Dos Santos quickly built the weather into the story. Douglas Rose’s mission is to connect people – with their friends and places they travel to – and we used the conditions to add a new depth to the narrative, suggesting a sense of bonding and community, whatever the weather.

The result was a set of images that told a story that feels as authentic as the products – and which have come to represent the brand as a whole.

"The level of professionalism and detail Versatile Studios offer on their productions made the shoot feel seamlessly smooth. Michael Dos Santos' effortless style of shooting produced a timeless, yet contemporary look and feel for the brand, turning a rainy day into a series of inspiring, sincere moments that couldn’t have been staged if we tried."
- Christopher Cortez, Creative Director, Cortez Groupe