Capturing life on the streets: Nokia’s Miami campaign through Candela’s lens

Mauricio Candela
Jan 9, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Aug 25

Introduction: Nokia returns to the spotlight

Once a household name in mobile technology, Nokia has been reemerging with a renewed identity—balancing nostalgia and innovation. To promote their newest mobile device, Nokia collaborated with Grey Mexico and photographer Mauricio Candela for a street photography campaign in Miami that focused on real moments, real people, and raw emotion.

This campaign was about more than showcasing a phone. It was about capturing connection, movement, and urban authenticity using Nokia’s camera technology—highlighting that some of life’s best moments happen unscripted.

Concept: Real life, captured in real time

The creative brief was simple but ambitious: capture authentic lifestyle moments in the heart of Miami. Candela’s directive was to tell a story through the lens of everyday experiences. Instead of hiring models or building elaborate sets, the shoot featured real people, engaged in spontaneous activities, and documented using the very product being promoted—the Nokia phone.

This created a campaign with dual authenticity: one that was grounded in genuine human behavior and also in the actual performance of the product itself.

The unexpected challenge: Rain

Miami is known for its beautiful light, but the day of the shoot brought something else—rain. Instead of postponing or rescheduling, Candela and the team made the call to embrace the weather.

“The rain actually gave the images a cinematic tone. Wet pavement, cloudy skies, reflections—sometimes the unexpected becomes the most powerful tool,” said Candela.

The weather added an extra layer of realism and mood, turning what could have been an inconvenience into a visual advantage.

Shoot breakdown: A day in Miami

Morning: Basketball and friendship

The day began in a local urban basketball court, where a group of friends gathered for a spontaneous game. No formal choreography, just real action, sweat, laughter, and candid photos taken mid-play.

Candela focused on motion blur, energy, and natural framing, capturing images that felt more like memory than marketing. The Nokia phones were used by the talent themselves, which allowed for POV content, selfies, and UGC-style moments.

Afternoon: City movement and portraiture

After the rain subsided, the team explored downtown Miami, documenting urban walking routes, crosswalks, side alleys, and architecture. These shots emphasized texture, perspective, and everyday motion, allowing the campaign to tap into streetwear, youth culture, and digital lifestyle aesthetics.

The juxtaposition of human subjects with the structural geometry of the city gave the images a rich compositional quality—part documentary, part design.

Evening: Concert under the clouds

As the sun went down, the crew moved to a small open-air concert setup. The lighting was natural and ambient, and the subjects were audience members enjoying the music, phones in hand, documenting the night.

This moment underscored Nokia’s role in capturing shared experiences. The resulting images reflected sound, connection, and emotion, even though it was still lightly raining—adding atmosphere and authenticity to every shot.

Production and creative team

This campaign was a true collaboration between talented creatives:

agency: grey mexico
client: nokia
photographer: mauricio candela
production company: the blur office (miami)
shoot location: miami, florida
deliverables: still photography, short videos, web layouts, bts, and digital campaign content

Visual direction: Raw, real, and relatable

Mauricio Candela’s signature approach was key to the success of this campaign. He favored natural light, urban realism, and imperfect beauty over commercial polish. This aligned perfectly with the brand’s goal to position the Nokia phone as a tool for spontaneous, unfiltered storytelling.

Rather than staging idealized moments, Candela captured:

Slightly blurred movement from city walks
Moody lighting due to overcast skies
Close-up shots with raindrops and texture
Dynamic group scenes full of laughter and conversation
Real people interacting with the phone organically

Campaign assets and media

The campaign produced a wide array of assets designed for multi-platform use:

Still photography

Hero shots for use in digital banners, out-of-home media, and social campaigns. These images had a streetwear edge with lifestyle softness.

Digital video

Quick edits and montages capturing the energy of the day: basketball, city motion, and live music. Designed to work in formats like Instagram stories, reels, and YouTube ads.

Behind the scenes (BTS)

Capturing the human side of the production—rain-soaked gear, real reactions, and unfiltered laughter. These BTS clips and stills brought transparency and relatability to the campaign rollout.

Final thoughts: When technology meets real life

This campaign was more than a brand collaboration. It was a celebration of everyday life, captured through the lens of a modern mobile device and the creative direction of a photographer who values authentic moments over manufactured ones.

The Nokia campaign in Miami is a testament to what happens when you let real stories, weather unpredictability, and human connection lead the way. And under the rain, in the streets of Miami, those stories were told—pixel by pixel, frame by frame, and moment by moment.