The Visual Science Lab : How do they sell Nikon cameras in 2025? The answer is: By putting them in the hands of a half dozen or so "influencers" and dropping the "influencers" into a groovy pool area at a trendy, restored motel in South Austin. Complete with models and a lighting crew. Hey! Maybe you could do this too!!!

You've seen photographs here of the Austin Motel many times. I walk by there on one of my camera walks on the South Congress Ave. route. I've seen a lot of fun and strange stuff at the motel over the years but I hadn't seen the pool used as a location to make photographs to sell cameras.

At first I thought I'd stumbled into a shoot for some product or a promotion for the hotel itself. But something didn't look quite right. Instead of one "hot shot", super cool photographer the pool deck was littered by at least half a dozen tattooed, young photographers, supported by an additional crew of people who actually knew how to light stuff with electronic flashes, all hovering around a small selection of models in swim wear, all hoping they'd be the one to get the stellar shot of the day. And hoping it would be different from everyone else's highly individual shot.

Each photographer was outfitted with a brand spanking new Nikon Z5ii and a Nikon zoom lens. It was fun to watch but so, so different from any commercial advertising shoot I've been on in the last 40+ years. Gina from Nikon was gracious when I asked her what was happening. We chatted for a few minutes. She insisted that these photographers were so good that all their images would be amazingly different from one another.

I stood back and photobombed their chaotic set with my old, obsolete, Leica SL2 and then I walked on down the street in search of new mannequin photos. Here. Join the fun!!!