Marcus Hale — The Ledger

Marcus
Hale

Fourteen years behind the lens, from assistant gigs to directing national campaigns. Now I run the studio I always wished clients had.

Get in touch Book a call Résumé

I learned this craft from the darkroom up.

I started as a studio assistant at a commercial house in Rochester, New York. Then a decade shooting and directing campaigns for the brands that rewired how products get seen (Meridian Agency, Framehouse, Northlight) across the Northeast, the West Coast, and nationally.

Today I'm the founder and lead photographer of Helios Studio. I built the practice myself — editorial, commercial, and brand work — turning ten-plus years of set experience into a full-service creative studio, with craft and client trust in the process from the first frame.

Now booking 2026

Founder / Lead Photographer

Helios Studio · Los Angeles, CA · 2026 - Present

Founded a full-service commercial photography studio: brand campaigns, product, editorial, and campaign production for independent and mid-market labels.
Personally directed and shot flagship work across fashion, lifestyle, and consumer goods for national rollouts.
Built an end-to-end production pipeline: creative treatment, casting, lighting design, post, and delivery on tight brand calendars.
Client care from day one: usage rights, shot lists, and archive management handled in-house with clear paperwork.

2023

Client Development Director

Northlight Collective · Los Angeles, CA · 2023 - Present

Spearheaded new brand acquisition, driving a measurable increase in studio revenue through targeted outreach and creative networking.
Improved retention with personalized creative service; raised average project count per client with multi-season retainers.
Generated leads through agency partnerships, portfolio events, and digital marketing, converting north of 60%.

Booked +45% 2020

Regional Creative Director

Framehouse · West Coast & National · 2020 - 2023

Scaled a top-performing creative team and campaign pipeline in under nine months with full production strategies.
Led new brand units onto Framehouse production systems, lifting on-time delivery and client conversion 10%.
Built consultative creative training for junior shooters: 15% increase in retained clients.
Routinely exceeded booking targets with 40% fewer crew resources.

1,000 / mo 2017

Lead Commercial Photographer

Meridian Agency · NY & LA · 2017 - 2020

Scaled client roster from 0 to 150 active brands in two years.
Opened five new market verticals with consistent month-over-month booking growth.
Ranked top three agency-wide across shoots, acquisition, and retention; represented the studio at PDN and PhotoPlus.
Highest revenue per day on set; mentored three assistants into lead photographer roles, turnover under 10%.

2016

Junior Commercial Photographer

Meridian Agency · NY & MA · 2016 - 2017

Led the first junior shooter past 100 delivered images in a single campaign month, consistently ranking first in the Northeast pod.
Built two product-photography verticals from scratch, producing the most active client base in the Northeast.

2013

Second Shooter / Photo Assistant

Northlight Productions · Rochester, NY & Boston, MA · 2013 - 2016

On-set support and secondary coverage across two commercial markets.

2012

Studio Assistant

Eastman House Studio · Rochester, NY · 2012 - 2013

Where it started: the darkroom of a working commercial studio.

Helios: the campaign, in one studio.

A full-service commercial photography practice for independent brands. One studio where the brief, the set, the shoot, the edit, and the deliverables finally live together, instead of across six freelancers that don't talk.

In production

What I bring to the set.

Creative leadership

Building and scaling high-performing crews · consultative, story-first methodology · booking performance on lean teams · mentorship with low turnover

Client development

Vertical launches from 0 to 150 brands · full production-cycle execution · strategic agency partnerships · lead generation converting 60%+

Craft & technique

Natural and studio lighting · medium format and digital · color direction and retouch supervision · product, fashion, and lifestyle

Production & directing

Shot lists and treatments · casting, styling, and art direction · schedule and budget control · multi-day campaign logistics

Rights & delivery

Usage licensing and model releases · secure file handling · archive organization · print and digital deliverables

Strategy & operations

Creative vision and studio planning · data-informed pitching · financial acumen from an assistant foundation · negotiation, closing, change management

B.F.A. Photography & Imaging

Rochester Institute of Technology