Senior Studio Photographer

Slate Auto; Troy (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Slate Auto is seeking a Senior Studio Photographer to define and elevate the brand’s visual language across vehicle programs, e-commerce, and campaigns. You will lead lighting language, lensing, color treatment, and image standards from concept through retouch, partnering with creative and design teams.

You’ll direct studio image production, hero imagery, and 360°/rotational captures, while mentoring junior photographers and ensuring consistency with brand guides and DAM assets.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional studio photography experience, automotive/product/high-end commercial work.
• Demonstrated ability to develop a visual identity or look for a brand or campaign.
• Experience building a studio from the ground up, including equipment selection and workflow design.

Responsibilities

• Own visual development for studio/automotive photography and define lighting, lensing, color palette, and composition for the brand.
• Develop and maintain e-commerce image guides for vehicles and accessories, with shot lists and framing standards.
• Provide art direction on studio photography from concept to final retouch.
• Lead brand-level studio image production for hero imagery and campaigns.
• Direct visual guideline development for future vehicle programs and image standards.
• Mentor junior photographers and on-set crew; collaborate with Marketing and Production.

Skills

Studio photography

Visual identity development

Lighting design

Turntable photography

Tethered capture workflows

Asset management

Brand guidelines

Mentoring

Tools

Brandfolder

Photoshop

Lightroom

Capture One

Turntables and motion-control gear

Job description

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Slate Auto is seeking a Senior Studio Photographer to help define and elevate the visual language of our brand. This is a senior individual contributor role for a photographer who thinks like an art director, someone who can originate a distinct look and feel, codify it into guides and systems, and lead its execution across current and future vehicle programs. You’ll partner closely with creative and vehicle design teams to shape how Slate’s vehicles, products, and lifestyle content are seen across e-commerce, brand campaigns, and marketing.

WHAT YOU GET TO DO

• Own visual development for studio and automotive photography, establishing lighting language, lensing, color palette, composition style, and overall aesthetic direction for the brand
• Develop and maintain the e-commerce image guide for vehicles and accessories, defining shot lists, angles, framing standards, and consistency requirements for product-level imagery
• Provide art direction on all studio photography, ensuring every image reflects brand standards from concept through final retouch
• Direct brand-level studio image production, hero imagery, campaign stills, and studio content that defines Slate’s visual identity
• Lead visual guideline development for future vehicle programs, establishing photographic treatment and standards ahead of launch
• Develop lensing standards (focal lengths, perspective, distortion control) to ensure vehicles are represented accurately and consistently across all output
• Design and operate continuous and strobe lighting setups, including overhead lighting control systems, for automotive and product photography
• Operate and manage turntable systems for 360°/rotational vehicle and product capture
• Shoot tethered on set, managing live capture review and file organization in collaboration with retouching and other production teams
• Author and maintain the studio photography brand book, documenting lighting setups, lensing choices, color treatment, and shot recipes so looks can be replicated consistently by the wider team
• Manage and organize photo assets within the DAM platform, ensuring consistent tagging, versioning, and accessibility for the broader team
• Partner with the creative and design teams to develop new visual concepts, seasonal refreshes, and campaign-specific treatments
• Provide art direction and technical guidance to junior photographers, retouchers, and on-set crew
• Lead final image selection, retouching direction, and color grading to ensure brand and tonal consistency
• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Creative Production, and Creative Operations team to plan shoot logistics and vehicle staging.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM

• 15+ years of professional studio photography experience, with a strong portfolio in automotive, product, or high-end commercial work
• Demonstrated experience developing a visual identity or "look" for a brand, campaign, or product line, not just executing someone else’s direction
• Experience building a studio from the ground up, equipment selection, workflow design, and space setup, rather than only working within an existing one
• Expert command of both continuous and strobe lighting, including overhead lighting control systems, with the ability to design lighting from scratch to achieve a specific mood
• Hands‑on experience with turntable‑based photography for automotive or product work
• Proficient in tethered capture workflows and on‑set file management
• Working experience with DAM platforms (e.g., Brandfolder) for asset management and organization
• Experience building e-commerce image standards or guides for physical products, ideally automotive or vehicles/accessories
• Deep understanding of lensing and its effect on how a vehicle reads, able to set standards, not just follow them
• Experience authoring style guides, brand books, or documented photographic systems for a team or organization
• Experience developing visual standards ahead of a product launch, rather than only shooting post‑launch
• Advanced technical proficiency with professional camera systems (Canon, Sony, or Phase One preferred)
• Expert‑level retouching and color grading in Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Capture One
• Strong track record working within collaborative, cross‑functional teams, comfortable partnering with Creative, Marketing, and Production as a visual thought partner, not just an executor
• Experience mentoring or directing other photographers, retouchers, or on‑set crew
• Portfolio required, with emphasis on visual development (mood boards, lighting/lensing tests, final image) and any e-commerce or brand guide work
• Nice to Have Background in automotive turntables, rigs, or motion‑control camera systems
• Experience in a startup or fast‑scaling in‑house creative environment

WHY JOIN TEAM SLATE?

At Slate, we’re fueled by grit, determination, and attention to detail. The start‑up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, and is motivated by shared principles. Safety First Delight Customers One Team Relentless Improvement Fast, Frugal, and Scrappy Respectful Collaboration Positive Legacy WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Aff… (full EEO statement) ... Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].

About Us

At Slate, we’ve got one job: building a vehicle you’ll fall in love with, right here in the USA. We believe that car buyers—not car companies—should call the shots. We like looking at a road, not a screen. We don’t like paying for stuff we don’t need. We like picking out the stuff we do need. We think dings are badges, not blemishes. But we know not everyone likes what we like. So, we built you a Slate: you make it yours.