Skull Dogs: Brotherhood Shoot
This photoshoot was a fun one.
While I was setting up this website, I reached the About Us page and realized the only images I had featuring both me and Jose were all selfies.
It made sense — it was just the two of us doing scouting work, and without a tripod or a third person, there wasn’t much chance to get any good two-shots. Still, it felt weird not having a proper photo of us together in the About section. I decided it warranted an official shoot.
I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant to do another post plastering our faces everywhere — especially when we hadn’t even done our first official client shoot yet — but ultimately, it felt more important to have the assets we needed. Besides, we figured the more sample work we had for the portfolio this early on, the better.
But again... it's just me and Jose right now. And I wanted something more involved than a self-timer setup on a tripod. So I asked a professional I trusted deeply to step in as our photographer: Mechelle Avey, my mom — and the lead photographer for Always Uttori.
I’m no stranger to having my photo taken, though it had been a while since I’d done a proper shoot — and this was my first real one with Jose. I was a little nervous, but mostly just excited. The funny thing is, I didn’t walk in with a strong concept this time. I knew we needed a solid two-shot. I knew the vibe: indie, rebel, edgy, sophisticated, cinematic. I had one pose in mind (inspired by a photo I’d taken of Jose at the Guthrie), but other than that, I left it up to trust — trust in myself, in Jose, and in Mechelle’s eye behind the lens.
Working with Mechelle was a lot of fun
Here I’m explaining what I want for this photo in the shoot
I knew Jose was excited, but I didn’t realize how hyped he really was until he asked me to run some errands with him one day. His original plans had fallen through due to the weather, and he decided to swing by the Mall of America. At first I thought we were just hanging out — but then I watched him walk into the Vans store and buy a brand new pair of shoes. He told me they were for the shoot and even showed me the outfit he’d already picked out. Needless to say, I was surprised... and touched. He’d gone all out. He even helped me look for something new, but between sizing issues and style mismatches, we didn’t land anything that felt right for me. That said, the gesture meant a lot.
Jose also found a new hat with the PR logo for Puerto Rico. Got it customized so he could rep his home and is identity
This time around, Mechelle picked the locations. She and the rest of my family had recently eaten at The Market at Malcolm Yards and Graze Food Hall by Travail and she recommended both as great backdrops. Spoiler: she was absolutely right.
The Market at Malcolm Yards was my favorite of the spots we visited on this shoot. We didn’t shoot much directly around the food hall itself, but instead went down to an old, heavily graffitied abandoned building nearby. The old ruins and colorful graffiti made for a striking grungy and rebellious vibe that was perfect for the Skull Dogs brand.
Graze, on the other hand, offered a more sophisticated counterbalance. From its scenic rooftop views of downtown Minneapolis to the moody under-bridge shadows, the location gave us a cinematic contrast to Malcolm Yards’ grit that really resonated with me and Jose.
Even though it had been a while, stepping back into a shoot felt easy. Familiar. And this time was different, having Jose there with me. Even while on the other side of the camera, he was chiming in with ideas, directing me with Mechelle, and leaning into the whole vibe. He was confident and engaged — more than I expected, honestly. And it really shows in the photos. He brought his full self to this.
There was a moment, I think, where we all worried about whether we’d “find” the right vibe. But then it just... happened. It came naturally. The locations gave us the backdrop, and all Jose and I had to do was be us. And that’s what came through in the final shots.
The shots we got weren’t just promotional photos. They’re not just for the website. They’re us. They capture our spark, our brotherhood, our dynamic. Our howl.
Some Behind the Scenes shots my dad took during the photoshoot
I’m incredibly proud of how they turned out. And I know Jose had a great time working with Mechelle — we both walked away feeling energized. She captured something we couldn’t have managed on our own: the story that lives in the space between us.
While we’re mostly focused on showcasing our clients, I won’t lie — I hope we do more shoots like this in the future. But that’s for another day.
For now: This is Skull Dogs.
This is us.
Keep howling,
~ Christian
My dad filmed this brief behind the scenes video. The area around the abandoned building was like a wind tunnel, this video really shows off what it was like a lot better than the still images do!
