Notable photographers are sharing their experience using the Google Pixel 11.
‘Culture in Focus’
According to a press release shared with AFROTECH™, Google Creator Labs photographers Dana Scruggs, Justin French, and Campbell Addy participated in an editorial fashion campaign titled “Culture in Focus,” offered through a partnership between Google and Complex.
The campaign covers 11 years of style trends influenced by Complex from 2016’s Aggro Merch to 2026’s Urban Adventurer. The photographers captured all images using the Google Pixel 11’s camera and pro features with additional support from third-party editing software for the final images. The phone also serves as Complex’s official company device.
“Upgrading our editorial team to the Pixel 11 is proof of that — a device that can keep up with one of the fastest-moving newsrooms in media, in real time,” Complex’s Brand Partnerships EVP Michael Tresvant said in another press release. “This partnership keeps evolving because it keeps delivering, and ‘Culture in Focus’ is some of the most exciting work it’s produced yet.”
AFROTECH™ discussed the campaign with Scruggs, French, and Addy via email and asked how the experience compares to using their traditional gear.
Dana Scruggs
Scruggs used the Google Pixel 11 to capture Henry Zankov’s New York Fashion Week collection and said it went “well beyond standard phone photography” in an Instagram post. She emphasized this was due to the phone’s pro controls, which let her “ramp up” the shutter speed and lock her ISO to freeze movement while maintaining high image resolution.
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“I could get closer to the clothes, catch moments between looks, and shoot from angles that would be awkward with a full camera rig,” she told AFROTECH™. “When I said it went well beyond standard photography, I meant the Google Pixel controls gave me real decisions to make about light and texture, so I was still shooting like a photographer the whole time. The freedom came from being lighter and quicker without giving up that control.”
Overall, Scruggs said that, for the “Culture in Focus” campaign, she wanted to center her portraits on the Aggro Merch, Rockstar, and Y2K trends, drawing on her unique perspective.
“If the image makes you remember why the trend mattered in the first place, that’s the goal,” she explained.
Justin French
Justin French shot retro photography in a studio setting using his phone, stepping away from his traditional setup, which includes Fujifilm GFX-series and Canon EOS R-series cameras. He noted that using a traditional camera typically requires nearly 20 additional items compared with the Google Pixel 11.
“I’m bringing close to 20 pieces of gear: bodies, lenses, cards, batteries, tethering equipment, laptop and all the backups for the backups,” French said. “With the Pixel 11, so much of that collapsed into one device, and the setup time dropped a lot. That meant more time actually shooting and working with the talent.”
He added, “For the retro look I was after, the results held up next to what I’d get from my usual setup, and a few frames surprised me in the best way. Being able to work across multiple eras in a single project was really gratifying. I also appreciated the ease at which I was able to achieve results with the Google Pixel 11.”
Campbell Addy
Campbell Addy viewed the Google Pixel 11 as a “good” challenge. Because the phone had a smaller sensor, he said it required more deliberation when working with light.
“…I spent more time shaping it on set. Composition felt freer because I could move around the space easily and try angles I might skip with heavier gear. Directing changed a little too, since the subjects weren’t staring down a big lens, and I found I could guide them more gently and get more natural movement,” he said.
A standout feature for him was the “Looks” filter, which made it easier to adjust the image’s appearance before taking a photo. Overall, he was impressed that the feature let him see how the final image would look directly on his phone, he told AFROTECH™.
The campaign was featured at ComplexCon’s 10th anniversary, held Oct. 3-4, in Los Angeles, which brought together 300 brands, global music artists, designers, creators, and restaurants, according to an event press release.
Additionally, select images are featured on a billboard near the LA Convention Center.
