Overview
Role: Co-Founder & Technical Director
Timeline: 2024 – Present
Partnership: With Winnie Ledu
Disciplines: AI Technology, Photography, Retouching
Co-Founded Chronos Studio: Where AI Meets Photography Mastery
In 2024, Winnie Ledu and I co-founded Chronos Studio to address a major challenge in luxury branding: the high cost and complexity of premium product photography. Traditional shoots involve studios, crews, and equipment that can exceed $5,000 per day and take weeks to deliver results. We wanted to rethink this process for modern brands seeking speed and creativity without sacrificing quality.
As Technical Director, I built a proprietary workflow blending AI with professional photography and high-end retouching expertise. This approach doesn’t replace craftsmanship—it enhances it. By combining my eight years in luxury spirits with advanced AI tools, we produce studio-quality visuals in 48–72 hours at 80% lower cost, offering endless creative variations. The result is a refined balance between artistry and innovation, empowering brands to create visually striking content with unmatched efficiency.
/ THE VISION
Solving an Industry Problem
Traditional product photography has become unsustainable. Extensive coordination—studios, equipment, crews, locations—drives costs beyond $5,000 per day. Timelines stretch weeks. For brands needing multiple variations or seasonal content, this model simply doesn’t work.
Winnie and I saw an opportunity to reimagine the entire process. My expertise in luxury spirits, AI technology, photography, and complex retouching, combined with Winnie’s exceptional creative direction, positioned us uniquely to build something transformative.
Our Approach
As Technical Director, I architected our complete workflow: photography, sophisticated retouching, AI enhancement, and multi-platform optimization. The technology doesn’t replace craft—it amplifies it. Every image reflects years of understanding how glass refracts light, how premium packaging should be positioned, how luxury brands present themselves.
We offer two approaches: transforming clients’ existing photography into premium lifestyle imagery with 48-72 hour turnaround, or conducting complete in-studio productions where we handle everything from concept to final delivery. Both leverage the same sophisticated AI-enhanced workflow I’ve refined specifically for luxury visualization.
What Sets Us Apart
Chronos isn’t just about technology—it’s the fusion of innovation with deep expertise. My background in spirits branding informs every creative decision. Winnie’s mastery of premium packaging ensures impeccable execution. Together, we’ve created a studio that thinks strategically, executes like craftsmen, and delivers with modern speed.
PREMIUM RESULTS, REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH
0%
COST REDUCTION
0H
DELIVERY
0%
STUDIO QUALITY
/ THE INNOVATION
Professional Expertise Enhanced by AI
Chronos Studio’s approach combines traditional photographic mastery with proprietary AI technology. This isn’t about generating generic AI images—it’s about leveraging AI as a powerful tool in experienced hands that understand lighting, composition, color theory, and brand positioning.
My role involves architecting the complete workflow: initial photography, complex retouching, AI enhancement, and optimization across all formats. Every visual passes through rigorous quality control, ensuring it meets luxury brand standards. The technology enables unlimited variations, environmental experiments, and multi-platform adaptation—all while maintaining perfect brand consistency.
Two Flexible Approaches
Option 1: Transform Existing Photography
Clients send high-resolution product images, and we transform them into sophisticated lifestyle photography. This offers remarkable speed (48-72 hour first drafts) and cost efficiency—perfect for large catalogs needing seasonal updates or channel variations. I personally oversee creative direction and technical execution, applying meticulous retouching standards honed over eight years.
Option 2: Complete In-Studio Production
For maximum creative control, we conduct professional photoshoots in our studio. This delivers original photography with perfect lighting, custom detail shots, and technical precision—then enhanced through our AI workflow for unlimited possibilities. My photography expertise and spirits industry knowledge ensure authentic premium quality: understanding how glass reflects light, how liquid moves, how packaging conveys luxury.
The Technical Edge
Our workflow integrates AI tools I’ve configured specifically for luxury visualization: proprietary enhancement algorithms, smart composition technology, automated multi-platform optimization. But human expertise guides every stage. I personally review color accuracy (industry-calibrated), validate brand consistency, and ensure every detail looks authentic and premium.
The result: 80% cost reduction versus traditional shoots, 48-72 hour turnaround, complete creative freedom for variations impossible with conventional photography. Studio-quality imagery enhanced by cutting-edge technology, guided by professionals who’ve perfected their craft in luxury branding.
CASE STUDIES
Hibiki Japanese Harmony by Suntory
The Challenge
Hibiki represents Japanese whisky craftsmanship at its finest. The challenge: creating imagery that honored Japanese aesthetic principles—harmony, simplicity, precision—while showcasing premium positioning and the spirit’s warm, complex character.
Our Approach
I developed a visual narrative centered on natural light, architectural elements, and traditional Japanese design. Each composition emphasizes the bottle’s geometric precision and whisky’s amber depths through sophisticated lighting that evokes contemplation and refinement. Backgrounds reference traditional interiors—wood lattices, bonsai, minimalist staging—creating context without overwhelming the product.
Technical execution demanded meticulous detail: capturing light through faceted glass, maintaining perfect color fidelity for amber liquid, creating authentic shadows and reflections. I handled complex retouching personally, ensuring every highlight and label detail maintained absolute sharpness and premium quality.
The Result
Images that feel timeless and contemporary, honoring Suntory’s heritage while presenting Hibiki for modern luxury consumers. The visuals work seamlessly across channels: large-format print to social media, maintaining sophisticated presence and meticulous craft.
Strange Nature Gin from New Zealand
The Challenge
Strange Nature represents innovative fusion of New Zealand winemaking and contemporary gin craft. The brand needed imagery capturing experimental spirit and mysterious character while establishing premium positioning. The distinctive emerald bottle and copper accents required lighting that enhanced these unique elements.
Our Approach
I created a visual narrative emphasizing dual nature: mysterious yet sophisticated, traditional yet innovative. The color palette centers on deep emerald greens contrasted with warm copper and black, creating drama and intrigue. Dramatic lighting—often single-source—creates shadow play and emphasizes the bottle’s ribbed texture.
Cocktail shots showcase versatility while maintaining brand mystique: crisp, fresh presentations feeling upscale and carefully crafted. I personally retouched every element—condensation on glassware, fresh herb garnishes, reflections in liquid—ensuring photographic authenticity enhanced by AI precision.
The Result
A complete visual ecosystem positioning Strange Nature as premium, innovative spirit with strong shelf presence and sophisticated personality. The imagery bridges traditional gin heritage with contemporary craft culture, appealing to discerning consumers seeking unique experiences.
Rémy Martin XO
The Challenge
Rémy Martin XO is an icon in premium cognac. The challenge: creating imagery worthy of this prestigious spirit—visuals conveying luxury, tradition, refinement, and contemplative pleasure. The decanter-style bottle and crystalline stopper required lighting showcasing craftsmanship and premium quality.
Our Approach
I developed a visual narrative centered on timeless elegance and refined luxury. Settings evoke classic gentleman’s study aesthetics: rich leather, aged wood, vintage books, warm lamplight. Every composition emphasizes the ritual of exceptional cognac—the pour, the swirl, the moment of appreciation. Color palette focuses on warm ambers, deep browns, golden highlights reinforcing the cognac’s rich character.
Technical execution required exceptional attention to liquid dynamics and glass refraction. I meticulously retouched every element: light through amber cognac, reflections in crystalline facets, subtle condensation, authentic leather patina. AI enhancement enabled lighting and atmosphere variations while maintaining photographic authenticity.
The Result
Imagery honoring Rémy Martin’s heritage while feeling contemporary and aspirational. These visuals work across premium touchpoints—high-end print to digital luxury platforms—consistently conveying refinement, quality, and timeless sophistication.
/ ADDITIONAL WORK
Via Carota Craft Cocktails
Complete visual narrative for bottled cocktail collection—from Classic Negroni to Espresso Martini—capturing Manhattan’s golden hour warmth and sophisticated cocktail culture.
/ ADDITIONAL WORK
Premium Spirits Portfolio
Explorations in luxury whisky, gin, vodka, and liqueur photography, each demonstrating versatility in style while maintaining consistent premium quality and strategic positioning.
/ ADDITIONAL WORK
Beauty & Lifestyle
Expanding our expertise beyond spirits into cosmetics, watches, and luxury accessories—proving our AI-enhanced workflow adapts seamlessly across premium product categories.
Building Chronos from the Ground Up
/ The brand
Beyond the photography service itself, we designed Chronos Studio’s complete brand identity—creating a visual system that reflects our fusion of traditional craft and cutting-edge innovation.
The Logo & Identity
The Chronos wordmark balances elegant serif typography with modern refinement, positioning us as sophisticated yet forward-thinking. The visual identity emphasizes precision, quality, and innovation—core values that inform everything we create for clients.
Brand Language
We developed a cohesive visual language across all touchpoints: color palette emphasizing premium blacks and golds, typography systems for clarity and elegance, and photography style that showcases our capabilities while maintaining sophistication.
/ The website
Crafting the Digital Experience
We designed and developed Chronos Studio’s complete website at chronos.studio—creating an immersive digital experience that demonstrates our capabilities while educating potential clients about our innovative approach.
Design Philosophy
The website mirrors our service: sophisticated, modern, and meticulously crafted. Dark, elegant aesthetic with strategic use of white space allows our portfolio work to command attention. Smooth animations and interactions reflect the premium quality we deliver.
Technical Execution
Built with performance and user experience as priorities. The site showcases our work through full-screen imagery, explains our process clearly, and guides visitors seamlessly from discovery to consultation. Responsive design ensures flawless experience across all devices.
Strategic Content
Every section serves a purpose: demonstrating capabilities, building trust through case studies, explaining our unique value proposition, and making it effortless for prospects to begin a conversation.
AI Technology · Photography · Retouching · Brand Identity · Web Design & Development · Business Development ·
