Viiv

Los Angeles based photographer Maggie West will create a series of vividly colored sensual images for two new Viiv Healthcare campaigns, Dovato and Cabenuva. Known for her striking use of light and color, West will bring each brand’s distinct palette to life, using vivid pinks and deep blues for Dovato and soft blue and amber tones for Cabenuva. The imagery will evoke a sense of stylish fantasy grounded in real world emotion, capturing the human connection, confidence, and vibrancy at the heart of both campaigns.

Giddy Up

For the first Dovato concept, West will reimagine the classic cowboy archetype through her signature use of vivid color and sensual lighting. Two men will be shown riding together on a single horse, their bodies naturally intertwined in a moment that feels both cinematic and intimate. 

West will use rich cyan blue and pink magenta light to sculpt their forms, creating deep shadows and radiant highlights that capture the emotional and physical closeness of the scene. Behind them, she will create a radiant gradient environment that shifts from magenta to deep cyan, echoing Dovato’s bold color identity.  Designed with a digital audience in mind, the image will immediately capture attention as people scroll through dating apps, standing out for its warmth, confidence, and vibrant sensuality. The final images will feel powerful, inclusive, and stylishly surreal, a celebration of intimacy, pride, and confidence that reflects the strength and vibrancy of the Dovato brand.

Alley

For the next Dovato concept, West will transform a simple alleyway embrace into a striking, cinematic moment. Two men will be captured mid-hug, their bodies illuminated by vivid pink and blue light that highlights the natural texture of skin and movement. 

The lighting design will be carefully composed to echo Dovato’s hot pink brand identity. The finished imagery will command attention across digital platforms, immediately drawing the viewer in with its bold color story and evocative sense of warmth, intimacy, and pride.

Production Notes

If the production location does not provide the perfect alley setting, Hype Productions will enhance the scene using smoke and controlled lighting to create an atmosphere that feels both cinematic and mysterious. By softening the background with haze, the environment can shift fluidly between interpretations, allowing it to feel like an alley, a private corner of a club, or an abstract space glowing with color and energy. This flexibility allows West to focus on the emotional intimacy of the moment during a quick moving shoot day.

Steamy Shower

For the shower scene, West will create an intimate yet visually striking composition that celebrates the subject’s passion and intimacy. Two men will be shown standing close together under a soft stream of water, their bodies partially obscured by mist as one places his hand gently on the other’s chest. 

West will use rich pink and blue lighting to accentuate the sheen of water on skin, allowing the color to reflect and refract through droplets to create a sense of movement and emotion. The scene will feel both passionate and elegant, capturing a moment of closeness that is deeply human while maintaining the polished visual style of the Dovato campaign.

Portrait Shots

For these scenes, West will use her mastery of color and light to create portraits that feel both sensual and emotionally grounded. Two men embrace closely, their bodies illuminated by vivid cyan blue and pink magenta light that moves across their skin in soft gradients. West will capture two versions of the setup, one featuring the men in leather for a bold, stylized look and another in simple tank tops for a softer, more approachable tone.

In addition to the wide embrace, she will shoot a tighter composition of the men’s faces, their mouths close together and just about to kiss, creating a moment of heightened intimacy that feels both romantic and cinematic. Each image will balance physical closeness with emotional depth, transforming simple gestures into expressions of confidence and desire.

West is uniquely qualified to capture the tenderness and intensity of these scenes because of her acclaimed art book KISS, a photographic series that explored human connection through the simple yet powerful act of kissing. In that project, West photographed over thirty real couples, friends, and collaborators, each illuminated in her signature colored lighting. 

Publications praised the work for its bold use of color and its ability to reveal genuine emotion within stylized compositions. Through KISS, West demonstrated her ability to direct subjects with sensitivity and trust, creating an environment where people felt free to express authentic intimacy while maintaining a visually striking, elevated aesthetic.

Intimacy At Home

For this series of intimate nighttime scenes for the Cabenuva campaign, West will use carefully designed set pieces to create environments that feel both relatable and cinematic. Each setting, whether a bedroom, a fireside carpet, or a private corner illuminated by soft light, will be built in studio to give West full control over the lighting and mood. She will use Cabenuva’s signature blue and amber color palette to create a warm, sensual atmosphere that feels grounded in reality. 

In one scene, a man lies facedown on a deep red carpet as soft amber light grazes his back, the camera positioned overhead to capture the sculptural form of his body in contrast with cool slate blue shadows. The lighting will move with a gentle pulse, giving the impression of quiet breath and warmth, while the textures of carpet, skin, and fabric add emotional depth. The goal is to make the viewer feel as though they have stepped into an intimate, lived-in moment that remains refined and visually cohesive.

Other scenes will draw on similarly tactile compositions, pairing realism with West’s signature use of color and tone. Two men sitting close in front of a glowing fireplace will be framed to highlight the details such as the ribbed fabric of their socks, the sheen of their skin, and the flicker of light on the carpet, while keeping the overall scene natural and emotionally grounded. 

In another setup, a burly man reclines on slate gray bedding, one wrist cuffed to the headboard with soft pink cuffs, the lighting mixing Cabenuva’s blue and amber hues to evoke intimacy and warmth without harshness. Across all scenes, West will use layered lighting, texture, and composition to build intimate moments that feel real but beautifully stylized, merging emotional authenticity with visual sophistication.

Because this campaign is for an HIV medication, the focus will remain on emotion, light, and connection rather than individual identity. The models’ faces will not be shown, allowing the imagery to feel universal and inclusive while maintaining a sense of privacy and respect. 

Notes on Production

All of the Cabenuva set pieces, including the rug, bed, and mock fireplace, will be built within the same studio room to ensure an efficient and seamless shoot. This setup will allow West and her team to move quickly between scenes while maintaining consistent lighting and atmosphere. By arranging the sets within a single space, the production can easily adjust props, lighting angles, and camera placement without major resets, ensuring the blue and amber tones remain cohesive throughout. This approach allows for maximum creative flexibility while keeping the schedule streamlined and production time minimal.

Parked

For the next Cabenuva scene, Maggie West will capture two men sitting close together in a car at night, their foreheads gently touching in a quiet moment of connection. The windows will be lightly fogged to diffuse the light and create a sense of intimacy, as if the viewer is catching a glimpse of something private and real. 

West will use a mix of slate gray, deep blue, and soft amber lighting to create rich contrast and atmosphere, letting the glow of simulated streetlights reflect off the glass. The result will feel cinematic and emotionally charged, with the lighting sculpting the men’s silhouettes to highlight tenderness and warmth within the moody, nighttime setting.

Notes on Production

To enhance the atmosphere and maintain visual focus, the production team will use smoke behind the car to obscure any unwanted background elements. The haze will diffuse the lighting and add depth, giving the scene a mysterious, cinematic quality. This technique will create the illusion of a secluded location, allowing the blue and amber tones to blend softly through the smoke and reinforcing the sense of intimacy and privacy at the heart of the shot.

Bar Scene

For the following Cabenuva scene, West will capture two men sitting close together in a dimly lit bar, their connection expressed through subtle gestures and glowing light. Warm amber pendant lamps will wash over their skin, creating a golden radiance that contrasts beautifully with the cool slate blue shadows around them.  The lighting will define their forms while leaving just enough darkness to suggest privacy and depth, evoking the warmth of shared closeness within the quiet energy of a late-night bar.

Take Charge Today

For the following Cabenuva scenes, Maggie West will create a sequence of intimate, cinematic moments that blend everyday gestures with refined visual storytelling. 

The first image will focus on a man’s torso as he scrolls on his phone, the glow from the screen mixing with West’s signature slate blue and amber lighting to create a layered, moody composition. The shot will feel quiet and private, emphasizing the curve of light across skin and fabric while keeping the atmosphere grounded and realistic. 

The following shots will explore more sensual and tactile moments through tight framing and bold color. One captures the closeness of two men as one leans in to whisper, their skin illuminated in a glowing mix of orange and cyan that brings out both warmth and tension. 

Another shows a man gently biting an orange popsicle, the neon light reflecting off melting syrup as it drips down his wrist, turning a playful act into something vivid and cinematic. Across these scenes, West will focus on texture, temperature, and emotion, using color and composition to evoke a sense of intimacy that feels both modern and authentic.

West is uniquely qualified to create this series of intimate, visually bold images because of her extensive experience shooting commercial campaigns that combine sensuality, color, and atmosphere. Over the past decade, she has developed a signature approach to lighting and tone that merges fine art precision with commercial polish. 

In addition to her commercial projects, West has photographed numerous queer beauty editorials that celebrate intimacy, self-expression, and identity through light and color. Her work consistently captures authenticity without sacrificing visual sophistication, making her particularly suited to a campaign that requires both emotional honesty and aesthetic strength.

About Maggie West

Maggie West is an acclaimed Los Angeles based photographer recognized for her bold use of color and light in both fine art and commercial work. Her striking portrait style has been commissioned by major corporations including Netflix and Google, as well as featured in campaigns and editorial projects around the world. Known for her ability to blend cinematic lighting with emotional depth, West has photographed a wide range of public figures and celebrities, bringing the same sense of intimacy, sophistication, and visual storytelling to every subject she captures.

West was commissioned by Netflix to create the central artwork for the company’s Hollywood campus, a large-scale gel-lit portrait that embodies her signature use of vivid color and sculptural lighting. The piece serves as a focal point within the space, celebrating creativity, diversity, and self-expression through her distinctive visual language.

The Los Angeles based artist has been commissioned to photograph a wide range of celebrated figures across sports, music, and culture. Her portfolio includes powerful campaign portraits of basketball star LeBron James, dynamic imagery of Olympic athletes for Speedo, and promotional photographs for acclaimed musician and queer icon Sam Smith.

West partnered with Google on a large-scale portrait project celebrating women in technology, where she photographed 100 of the company’s top female employees. The resulting images were transformed into a vibrant art installation that highlighted the individuality and strength of each subject while uniting them through the artist’s signature use of bold color and light.

In each project, the artist brings her signature blend of vibrant lighting, emotional depth, and refined composition, creating portraits that feel both timeless and modern while capturing the individuality and strength of each subject.

West’s work has been featured in publications such as Out, Nylon, and Vice, where her art books and large-scale portrait installations have been praised for their bold use of color, innovative gel lighting, and ability to blend emotional intimacy with visual experimentation. Her portraits consistently feature a diverse group of models, including queer and trans individuals as well as people of many different ethnic backgrounds. 

Through her distinctive lighting style and thoughtful direction, West creates imagery that captures both the beauty and complexity of human connection. For the Viiv Healthcare campaigns for Dovato and Cabenuva, she brings this same sensitivity and visual mastery, using vivid color, emotion, and texture to craft scenes that feel cinematic yet authentic, polished yet deeply personal. Her approach transforms each image into a celebration of intimacy and strength, aligning perfectly with the spirit and message of both brands.

Thanks for Reading!

Maggie@maggiewest.co

Phil.quist@caa.com