Director of Photography — Affordable Luxury Group, New York, NY

In-House Creative Lead

Photography, Retouching & Content Production

We are an established luxury fashion accessories company based in New York City seeking an experienced In-House Creative to produce and oversee high-quality visual content across handbags, small leather goods, and accessories.

This role combines hands-on product photography, styling, retouching, and digital content production with creative direction and oversight of external agency partners. The ideal candidate brings strong technical photography skills, a refined creative eye, and the ability to independently evaluate, direct, and maintain a cohesive brand aesthetic across e-commerce, marketing, and digital platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Product Knowledge & Styling

• Develop a strong understanding of product construction, materials, colors, and brand presentation standards.

• Independently prepare, shape, position, and style products according to established e-commerce guidelines.

• Select appropriate inserts, fillers, props, and supporting materials to achieve the correct product structure and presentation.

• Identify and correct wrinkles, dents, styling inconsistencies, and other imperfections before and during photography.

• Apply sound visual judgment when styling new products without requiring step-by-step direction.

Creative Direction & External Agency Collaboration

• Serve as the primary creative liaison between the internal team and external agency partners, ensuring all content aligns with the brand's identity, aesthetic, and marketing objectives.

• Review creative concepts and provide informed feedback on brand alignment, visual direction, and product relevance.

• Collaborate on pre-production planning, including model selection, wardrobe, styling, product assortments, and shot lists.

• Lead creative feedback throughout photo and video post-production, providing both detailed technical revisions and broader direction on color, mood, pacing, and overall aesthetic.

• Review and approve final assets for brand consistency, quality, and accuracy before delivery.

• Manage the receipt, organization, and integration of approved assets into the company's internal digital asset management system.

Photography, Lighting & Studio Management

• Produce sharp, properly exposed, color-accurate product and lifestyle imagery using professional studio equipment.

• Operate Canon cameras, Profoto lighting, and CaptureOne for tethered shooting.

• Understand how different materials, finishes, and colors respond to lighting, including reflective surfaces and metallics.

• Maintain consistency in lighting, angles, perspective, framing, scale, shadows, and product presentation across styles and colorways.

• Execute photography according to established style guides, shot lists, creative briefs, and visual references.

• Ensure all required views, close-ups, details, and variations are captured before completing each setup.

• Build, adjust, and break down photography sets while maintaining an organized, functional studio and troubleshooting equipment as needed.

Retouching, AI & Post-Production

• Retouch imagery to meet brand standards while preserving accurate product shape, color, texture, materials, and details.

• Perform both standard corrections and advanced compositing, including wrinkle removal, reshaping, color and material changes, and combining elements from multiple images.

• Confidently integrate AI tools such as Adobe Firefly, Generative Fill, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Runway into daily post-production workflows.

• Exercise strong judgment in selecting the most efficient editing approach, using AI to streamline production without compromising image quality or accuracy.

• Coordinate with external and offshore retouching vendors as needed.

• Review final imagery for quality, accuracy, consistency, and completeness before delivery.

Workflow & Asset Management

• Manage multiple product categories and assignments while meeting production deadlines.

• Organize, name, save, and deliver image assets according to established file structures, formats, and workflow requirements.

• Communicate effectively with internal teams and external creative partners to ensure timely delivery of production-ready assets.

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience in commercial product photography and professional retouching, preferably within fashion accessories, handbags, or e-commerce.

• Experience collaborating with external creative teams, providing actionable art direction and post-production feedback, and managing projects from concept through final asset delivery.

• Proficiency with Canon cameras, Profoto lighting, Capture One, and Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop.

• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted image editing and generative tools.

• Strong understanding of studio lighting, product styling, color accuracy, and advanced image manipulation.

• Excellent visual judgment, attention to detail, organization, communication, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work independently, interpret creative direction, manage competing priorities, and consistently deliver high-quality work.

• Portfolio demonstrating professional product photography, lighting, styling, and retouching capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with DaVinci Resolve, CapCut, video editing, and digital content production.

• Experience coordinating with external retouching or post-production vendors.

Company Description:

Founded in late 2014, Affordable Luxury Group is a leading handbag company, home to a portfolio of beloved and admired brands: 𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗘 and American Leather Co.

Affordable Luxury Group prioritizes responsible & ethical sourcing, using environmentally friendly materials and processes. Our brands are proud members of the Leather Working Group, which ensures that the materials being sourced meet the highest environmental standards.

With hard work comes recognition; in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2024 the Company landed on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies.

This role is Hybrid and requires 3 days in the office (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), based conveniently in Midtown near the Empire State Building.

What We Offer

• Health, dental, and vision benefits

• Paid parental leave

• 401(k)

• A strong team culture that fosters ongoing growth opportunities

• A stable, growing family-owned company that looks after its employees