On Board at LUNAR Studios: Creative Direction for Image Makers

You can take a good photo. You can make a clean frame. You can shoot a nice video.

But turning that into a body of work that feels intentional, memorable and commercially useful is a different skill entirely.

That is where creative direction comes in.

For the second session in our Georges x Sony x Lunar Studios series, we’ll be looking at Creative Direction for Image Makers: how photographers, videographers and content creators can build stronger ideas, clearer briefs and more cohesive work before they ever pick up a camera.

This is not about making things look “cool” for the sake of it. It is about understanding the decisions behind an image: mood, concept, location, talent, styling, light, lens choice, reference, pacing and final delivery.

We’ll look at how stronger creative direction can help you build a better portfolio, communicate more clearly with clients and collaborators, and stop making work that feels random, disconnected or “almost there”. We're here to talk to people who have found there voice. Are you one of them?

This night is also a chance to connect with other photographers, videographers, creatives and industry guests at Lunar Studios, with time to catch up, ask questions and talk honestly about what it takes to build better work in the imaging industry.

What We’ll Unpack

This session is built for image makers who are already shooting, already building a body of work, or are hungry enough to start taking the process seriously.

We’ll unpack how creative direction actually shows up in the work: how a loose idea becomes a shoot, how a reference becomes a visual language, and how the strongest photographers and filmmakers make decisions before the camera comes out.

We’ll look at the difference between having taste and being able to execute it, how to build a stronger visual thread across a body of work, and how to make choices that serve the brief without flattening your own point of view.

We’ll also dig into the parts of image-making that often get skipped: how to interpret a vague client brief, how to bring collaborators into the same visual world, how to create consistency across stills and motion, and how to know what the image is actually trying to say before you start lighting, directing or shooting.

The goal is not to leave with a checklist.

It’s to leave with a sharper way of thinking about your work.

How the night runs

We’ll start with a short welcome and intro to the Georges x Sony x Lunar Studios series, then move into a panel-style conversation with our hosts and guest speakers.

The discussion will focus on how creative direction works in real life: how ideas are built, how references are used, how briefs are interpreted, and how photographers and videographers can make stronger decisions before and during a shoot.

After a short break and mingle, we’ll move into a practical live discussion or working example built around a simple creative brief. The goal is to show how an image direction comes together: what gets chosen, what gets removed, and how small creative decisions affect the final result.

This is not a technical gear night. It is a practical, industry-focused session about thinking more clearly, building better ideas and making work with stronger intent.

We’ll finish with an open Q&A, so bring your questions about portfolios, creative direction, references, client briefs, personal work, collaboration, taste, style, and how to make your images feel less random and more considered.

What to expect

This is a relaxed, community-focused evening at Lunar Studios.

There will be time to meet other creatives, catch up with colleagues, ask questions, and hear from people working across photography, video, content and the broader image-making industry.

Selected Sony gear will be available on the night, but the focus is not on a technical product demo. The focus is on the thinking behind the image and how better creative direction can help you make stronger work.

Meet the Panel

We're incredibly excited to be joined by three industry leaders who each bring a completely different perspective on creative direction, collaboration and commercial image-making.

Jonathan Key

Creative Director, Studio 3AM

Jonathan Key is the Creative Director at Studio 3AM, the creative agency behind campaigns and content for brands including Sony Australia. Working across branding, advertising and commercial campaigns, Jonathan helps shape the ideas that exist long before the camera comes out. He'll share how creative direction is developed, refined and communicated, and what separates great creative from simply good execution.

Ross Colebatch

Executive Producer, Photoplay Photograpyhy

As Executive Producer at Photoplay, Ross works alongside photographers, agencies and brands to bring commercial productions to life. With years of experience managing campaigns from concept through to delivery, he'll offer a behind-the-scenes look at production, collaboration and the practical realities of turning ambitious creative ideas into successful shoots.

Cybele Malinowski

Photographer, Director & Co-founder of Agender

Cybele Malinowski is one of Australia's most respected photographers, with work published by Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Wallpaper* and i-D, alongside campaigns for Dove, Greenpeace, eBay and the Sydney Opera House. As co-founder of Agender, she has also become a leading voice advocating for women and gender equality in the photography industry. Known for creating deeply human, emotionally honest imagery, Cybele will share how she develops ideas, finds her visual voice and creates work that is both commercially successful and unmistakably her own.