{"id":869455,"date":"2026-10-03T14:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T14:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/869455\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T14:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T14:32:16","slug":"for-one-photography-duo-challenge-means-creativity-so-they-built-an-entire-set-in-the-back-of-a-pickup-truck-and-started-driving-it-7000-miles-across-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/869455\/","title":{"rendered":"For one photography duo, \u201cchallenge\u201d means \u201ccreativity.\u201d So they built an entire set in the back of a pickup truck \u2013 and started driving it 7,000 miles across America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photography duo and viral creators Jada and David are accustomed to building their own worlds \u2013 after all, they once built 100 different photography sets in 100 days. But the duo\u2019s latest challenge blends a warped, imaginary world with the American landscape.<\/p>\n

Using a set that fits entirely into the back of a small truck, the couple is traveling over 7,000 miles across a dozen US states to capture a series of warped, whimsical photographs that blend an imaginary world \u2013 with America as the backdrop.<\/p>\n

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Jada and David Parrish \u2013 better known simply as Jada and David<\/a> (@jadanaddavid<\/a>) \u2013 are an award-winning husband-and-wife team known for their photos featuring custom sets, bold designs and dramatic colors.<\/p>\n

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The couple is in the process of moving across the country from Virginia to California \u2013 but when all their plans for moving began to fall apart, the photographers decided to turn what should be a four-day trip into a thirty-plus-day, cross-country creative trek.<\/p>\n

The trip mixes the couple\u2019s usual iconic sets and style with something entirely different: using America as the backdrop.<\/p>\n

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I chatted with the couple around 3,000 miles into their journey while in South Dakota about the creative project \u2013 and the challenge of building and shooting with a moving set.<\/p>\n

A project created from unraveled plans<\/p>\n

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\"Behind-the-scenes
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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

The duo explained that the idea for taking their studio sets outdoors has been lingering since completing a 100-set challenge, but the opportunity never felt right.<\/p>\n

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While planning a cross-country move, though, their initial plans began falling apart. When they realized they would need to drive, in order to take their dog from their old home to the new, the idea came off the back burner.<\/p>\n

When the couple pitched the idea and ended up with sponsorship support from Adorama<\/a> for camera gear and OWC<\/a> for hard drives, that was the confirmation the couple needed that the idea was an adventure worth sharing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was overwhelmed with the concept of moving \u2013 I made a bigger concept for myself. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m moving\u2026 I think I distracted myself,\u201d said David.<\/p>\n

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Embarking on a creative cross-country trek at the same time as moving has added to the challenge of determining what to pack, all while a custom-made plywood set fills up the entire back of the couple\u2019s Toyota Tacoma.<\/p>\n

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After the couple\u2019s moving plans fell apart and shifted to a month-long photography drive, the entire project needed to be planned in less than two months. That started with building a custom set that fits into the back of a truck.<\/p>\n

Jada and David wanted to build a set that could be photographed in more than one way.<\/p>\n

The set\u2019s layers look almost like a wormhole when shot from inside the truck out the back window \u2013 often with the dog in David\u2019s lap as he shoots. Shooting from the top of the truck, meanwhile, it looks more like a colorful staircase.<\/p>\n

To be able to shoot through the set, the tailgate had to come off the truck \u2013 but also needed to make the move to California, so David took the tailgate off first, stashed it in the truck bed, and built the plywood set around it.<\/p>\n

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\"Behind-the-scenes
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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

Building took around eight full days. While wood is the duo\u2019s usual choice for sets, the concept added to the challenge, requiring a set that was also aerodynamic and a route that met the set\u2019s eight-foot clearance.<\/p>\n

In order to keep the lighting setup similar across the different locations, the team fixed a wall-mounted light rack to the top of the trop cab, positioning a Flashpoint Xplor 300 Pro<\/a> and Xplor 600<\/a> provided by Adorama on the top of the truck.<\/p>\n

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\"Behind-the-scenes
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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

A softbox is built into the sides of the set using corrugated plastic sheets in order to create soft light inside the wormhole-like set.<\/p>\n

A warped world combining the imagined with the real world<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

The series takes what the couple is known for \u2013 bold, unique sets \u2013 but changes the background to different iconic American landscapes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe initial concept is that this character is bouncing between locations, coming out of this forced perspective portal into these landscapes; she\u2019s not sure where she is, she\u2019s looking for something,\u201d Jada explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe initial idea is to keep the framing exactly the same and build on that repetition to tell the story, but as we\u2019ve been going to these different locations, the framing has been changing up a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mixing an imaginary world with the real world has introduced new challenges to solve. Backing up the truck to line the set up with the background landscape has proven to be more challenging than expected, often taking several attempts.<\/p>\n

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\"Behind-the-scenes
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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

To exaggerate the whimsical, warped look that the geometric, wormhole set is going for, the go-to lens on the shoot is the Canon RF 10-20mm f\/4 IS L STM<\/a>, often shot at 10mm, mounted on the Canon EOS R5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A 24-105mm zoom<\/a> and the GoPro Mission 1 Pro<\/a> also made the camera bag in the limited space for the trip to shoot behind-the-scenes video.<\/p>\n

The shoot locations also had to be planned around scenic, iconic American landscapes \u2013 that didn\u2019t have fences or guardrails in the way.<\/p>\n

The route was planned with a mix of input from social media fans and using Google Gemini<\/a> to help find locations with an unobstructed view in places the couple is seeing for the first time.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

While AI played a role in planning, the photography is done entirely in-camera. \u201cI think with everything, two things can exist. AI can be scary and bad, but also helpful, so we need to find the middle ground, like making the map,\u201d David said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe visuals that I create, it\u2019s all in-camera; that\u2019s what we create, that\u2019s our art. If someone uses AI with their art, it\u2019s like the difference between watercolor and oil paint. I don\u2019t want to judge anyone using AI, but for me and my art, it\u2019s about trying to create the effect in camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

Intentionally creating problems to solve<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

The set must be in each shot, Jada and David said, even when shooting without it would be the easier option. While intentionally making something more challenging may seem unusual, putting specific limitations on a project often sparks creative problem-solving, the couple says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy putting parameters on myself because then it creates problems that I have to solve, which gives me new tools to use in the future on projects,\u201d David said. \u201cHaving strict parameters really helps me to do that\u2026 you use tools in different ways than you would ever expect to.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Behind-the-scenes
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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lines that you put yourself in force you to be more creative within those parameters,\u201d Jada added. \u201cWe end up having more ideas than we would have had without those parameters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to building their own sets for creative studio work, Jada and David worked as wedding photographers \u2013 an era of their career that involved making existing locations work, rather than creating their own worlds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something magical about having 100% control over the environment that you are creating,\u201d David said. \u201cStart small with a chair that you like from the thrift store on a paper background and grow from there. Create these worlds that only exist in your imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of different ways to build sets,\u201d Jada said. \u201cDavid uses plywood; it\u2019s a medium that he\u2019s always been familiar with, and it works for us. But it doesn\u2019t have to be plywood; you can use fabrics\u2026 even cardboard and plastic. You don\u2019t have to have a woodworking background.\u201d<\/p>\n

While much of Jada and David\u2019s work is client-centered builds, the trek across America serves as a reminder of the importance of personal creative projects.<\/p>\n

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\"Behind-the-scenes
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(Image credit: Jada and David)<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing creative projects just because you are curious about something is a really important practice for photographers,\u201d Jada said. \u201cIt gives you a reason to try something new, push boundaries, and challenge yourself in different ways, and then take that personal project and bring it back into your profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you do a personal project, you never really know why you are doing it; you are just curious. But in following that curiosity, you end up discovering a really interesting skill set that adds to the whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

I spoke with Jada and David a bit before the halfway point in their 30+ day journey. Follow the creative All About the Journey project through the couple\u2019s website<\/a> and social media<\/a> as it unfolds.<\/p>\n

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Gear used from Jada and David’s All About the Journey<\/p>\n

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