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From the Archives: On Set at Disney's Golden Oak Ranch

I’ve been going through my archives recently in an effort to get some of my older photographs and assignments organized more coherently. In the process of doing that, I came across a set of unit stills I photographed for Mercury Insurance in 2018, taken on set at the Disney Ranch in California during a multi-day filming of a series of commercials for the West Coast insurer.

The job popped up seemingly out of nowhere, and I remember being thrilled about receiving the commission. Having the chance to dive into some photojournalistic work — documenting behind-the-scenes moments on set at a renowned film set location — was a welcome change from the mostly commercial lifestyle work I was doing at the time, and the experience renewed my passion for documentary photography and visual storytelling. The images below are a handful of my favorite shots from the days I spent on set with the cast and crew that week.