Allied Maker is looking for a self-directed visual lead who operates at the intersection of art direction and photography, capable of owning and executing the full visual language of the brand. This is not a task-based photography role. This person is expected to independently identify what needs to be shot, why it matters, and how it fits into a larger system of product storytelling, sales enablement, and brand expression.
They act as a translation layer between leadership vision and tangible output: taking high-level direction and running with it, while contributing their own references, ideas, and perspective that push the brand forward.
Key Responsibilities
Authorship & Visual Direction
- Own the visual language of the brand across product, campaign, lifestyle, and sales imagery
- Identify gaps across collections, campaigns, and sales needs; build structured plans without waiting for direction
- Translate leadership vision into shootable concepts, mood, and execution plans
- Contribute references, ideas, and creative proposals; engage critically
Production & Technical Execution
- Plan and execute studio and on-location photography for product releases, campaigns, and sales content
- Direct lighting, composition, styling, and environment to achieve a refined, restrained aesthetic
- Handle end-to-end production: pre-production, set building/scouting, capture, retouching, and delivery
- Balance quality with throughput; maintain consistency without bottlenecking production
Systems, Standards & Scalability
- Establish repeatable standards for lighting, composition, angles, environments, and file organization
- Document visual standards so internal and external partners can produce on-brand work
- Build systems that scale across a growing catalog
Visual Library & Downstream Enablement
- Build and maintain a structured visual asset library for sales, marketing, and product teams
- Own naming conventions, taxonomy, metadata, and version control
- Ensure imagery supports all downstream uses (web, trade, print, sales, specifier tools)
- Partner with sales to ensure imagery answers client and specifier needs
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Design Direction on campaigns and storytelling
- Work with Product Design to capture fixtures accurately and intentionally
- Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to anticipate upcoming needs
- Coordinate external collaborators (stylists, agencies, freelancers)
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in product photography and art direction
- Portfolio demonstrating authorship and a consistent visual point of view
- Strong technical control of lighting (studio and on-location)
- Advanced retouching and workflow across Capture One, Lightroom, and Photoshop
- Experience building scalable systems (standards, templates, asset libraries)
- Strong visual taste aligned with a luxury brand aesthetic
- Ability to balance quality and speed without bottlenecking
- Strong communication and ability to articulate creative intent
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in lighting, interiors, architecture, or luxury product photography
- Experience shooting installed fixtures in real environments
- Video or motion content experience
- Experience managing a DAM system
- Experience working cross-functionally in a manufacturing or design environment
- Familiarity with specifier audiences and their visual needs
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary: $115,000 – $150,000 annually (based on experience)
- Discretionary bonus
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- PTO, holidays, parental leave
- Employer-paid life and disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Safety shoe and eyewear allowance
- Employee discount on Allied Maker products
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
- Hybrid: Glen Cove studio + on-location shoots
- Studio, showroom, and active production environments
- Requires handling lighting equipment and fragile fixtures
- Occasional lifting up to 40 lbs
- Travel for on-location production
About Allied Maker
Allied Maker is an American design and manufacturing studio creating luxury-crafted lighting fixtures. Based in New York, each piece is made to order by a dedicated team of craftspeople, with a focus on authentic materials, refined form, and enduring quality.
The studio operates at the intersection of design, engineering, and manufacturing. Ryden Rizzo leads product design and form. Lanette Rizzo leads design direction, production, and client strategy. Together, they set a standard where design integrity, engineering, and performance are inseparable.
Allied Maker is widely specified by leading architects and designers and continues to expand its capabilities while maintaining a singular focus: deliver artisan-crafted, highly engineered, sophisticated yet simple lighting design solutions.
