Pandora Times Square: Photographing a Flagship's New Interior in NYC
Some stores I get to know one campaign at a time. Pandora's Times Square location is one of them. I've photographed the exterior more than twenty times over the years, and nearly every visit there's a new wrap stretched across that glass facade. A new face, a new campaign, a new season. It's become a familiar rhythm. So when Pandora redesigned the interior and asked me to photograph the new space, I was honored to be the one they called.
A facade that never sits still
Shooting the Times Square exterior is its own kind of challenge. The building is huge, the glass runs several stories, and the campaign art changes constantly. Getting a clean frame in one of the busiest intersections on earth — with the light, the crowds, and the reflections all working against you — takes patience and the right time of day. Twenty-plus visits in, I've learned exactly where to stand and when to be there.
Stepping inside the redesign
The new interior is a completely different mood from the street. Warm coral walls, soft lighting, and gleaming display cases give the space an intimate, jewel-box feel, with the "Be Love NYC" theme running throughout; a welcome contrast to the noise and scale of Times Square just outside the door.
Photographing retail like this is all about the details. The cases have to glow without blowing out. The reflections in the glass need to work for the shot, not against it. Every screen and sign has to read clean. This is where tethered shooting earns its keep. The team could see each composition on a large screen in real time, and we fine-tuned the lighting and styling together as we went.
Why retail photography matters for a brand like this
A flagship store is a brand statement. The photographs of it carry that statement everywhere the store itself can't reach: the website, the press, social media, internal decks. For a name as recognizable as Pandora, the imagery has to feel as considered as the space. That's the fun of this work: matching the quality of the photography to the quality of the design.
It's always a thrill to add another chapter to a store I've watched change so many times from the sidewalk. This time, I got to tell the story from the inside.
See more of my retail and commercial work, and let's talk about your project if you've got a space worth photographing.
