Leading advertising photographer Jonathan Knowles has created a new global drinks campaign for Budweiser to celebrate the brand’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The project centres on a universally recognised football moment – the instant after a goal is scored, when drinks are thrown skywards in celebration by thousands of football fans.

Although the concept was simple, executing it demanded the precision and technical control expected from a specialist liquid and drinks photographer. Working in collaboration with London design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie, Jonathan and team translated this emotional reaction into a precisely engineered visual, combining in-camera authenticity with high-speed photography.

High-Speed Photography – Freezing the Moment

As an accomplished drinks photographer, Jonathan knew that every element had to arrive in exactly the right position within the frame. To recreate the spontaneous eruption of celebration, Jonathan and his team built a fully practical rig. Each cup was physically launched using custom pistons, choreographed along a robotic timeline and timed to hundredths of a second. Balancing shutter speed, flash duration and motion timing, capturing energy without blur. The results feel chaotic and natural, yet remains completely controlled.

In Camera Liquid Photography – No CGI or AI

The campaign was produced across both motion and still imagery and shot entirely in camera. Using high-speed photography and sculpted lighting, Jonathan captured every splash, droplet and fragment of confetti in a single exposure, revealing Budweiser’s signature golden tones which were rendered with genuine texture and depth through real liquid dynamics rather than post-production simulation.

No CGI. No AI. No randomness. This approach reflects a craft-led philosophy of advertising photography built on physics, testing and precision.

Collaboration Behind the Budweiser Campaign

Huge thanks to the brilliant teams at AB InBev, Jones Knowles Ritchie, and to my own crew who, as ever, went above and beyond, both in the execution and the inevitable clean-up afterwards. The result demonstrates how an expert team of specialists in complex liquid and advertising photography combines engineering, timing and visual storytelling to transform a fleeting sporting reaction into a striking global advertising image.