Tomato Wheels Lambrusco partnered with Happy Host to bring its chilled sparkling red to an intimate Friendsgiving dinner party. The images were for social media and needed to show the wine in its natural setting. The mood was warmth and community: good food, easy conversation, and friends gathered around one table.

I photographed and art directed the shoot, from the mood board and shot list through to the night itself. I also wrote Happy Host’s photography guidelines, so I already knew both brands well. That let me focus on how best to show Tomato Wheels at the table instead of working out the look on the day.

• Flash over ambient light, for a reason. The mood board called for something vibrant, social and high-energy, and I wanted the deep reds of the wine and the fall tablescape to stand out. There was a practical reason too. Tomato Wheels is a chilled sparkling red, and the bubbles and condensation on the bottle show how it’s meant to be enjoyed. Ambient light loses those details, and flash kept them crisp.

• Shooting both anyway. Each lighting style carries a different mood. The flash images became the heroes, fun and energetic, while the ambient frames captured the softer, candlelit side of the night. That gave the brands more range to work with.

• Choosing which way to face. The location was an open-concept studio apartment with the bedroom visible from one side. For eye-level shots, I stayed on one side of the room so a shelving unit became the backdrop. Overhead and close-up shots gave me more freedom to move.

The shoot ran on preparation so the night itself could stay relaxed:

• A shot list and mood board set days ahead, built on the Happy Host photography guidelines.

• Guests briefed in advance. Everyone knew they were part of a campaign, which made directing them easy without breaking the mood.

• Resets built into the night, like cleaning wine glasses partway through so they never looked smudged on camera.

• Technical prep. I spent time practising with my lighting gear and researched aperture settings ahead of time for both lenses, a 24–70mm and a 70–200mm, so I could switch between them quickly.

The shoot produced two complementary sets of images: energetic flash heroes that put the bottle front and centre, and softer ambient frames that captured the candlelit warmth of the evening. Together they show Tomato Wheels exactly as both brands wanted, as part of a real, joyful gathering.