Holistic Medicine Brand Photography for HRT University | Cincinnati, OH

Could you guess this is a medical brand?

That question was our challenge for Nico Misleh and the HRT University brand shoot—and honestly, the point of the whole thing. From the very beginning, Nico and Cherrel were super clear on what they didn’t want to look like. No cold, blue, overly clinical medical education imagery. No one-dimensional visuals that feel sterile or distant. That’s the norm in the HRT and medical education space, and it’s exactly what they’re trying to break away from.

So early on, we landed on “the art and science of medicine” as the banner for the shoot.

Nico’s work lives at the intersection of deep science, research, and holistic practice. He’s teaching complex material, guiding providers through hormone replacement therapy in a comprehensive, confidence-building way. That duality needed to be felt in the images. Grounded expertise, yes. But also warmth, curiosity, creativity, and approachability.

Visually, my inspiration kept pulling me back to old-school education. A time when professors taught from blackboards, students filled auditoriums, and libraries were places of actual work and discovery. Think Harvard or Oxford, but interpreted through a modern lens that aligned with their brand palette and values. Moody. Earthy. Dimensional. Masculine without being rigid. Academic without being stuffy.

The first location just south of Cincinnati, OH, that Cherrell had found gave us a blank slate to build that world from the ground up. The space itself already felt like an extension of the brand—an old schoolhouse with wooden fixtures, mounted classroom chairs, an auditorium-style setup, big windows, and seafoam green walls that played beautifully with their color palette. From there, we styled everything. Props were intentional. Sets were set up and torn down. We moved *so* many lights around to shape and reshape the space, creating depth and hierarchy.

The chalkboard became a conceptual stand-in for how Nico actually teaches—mirroring his whiteboard sessions, but translated into something more visual and symbolic. The auditorium let us mock him speaking from a stage, reinforcing his role as an educator and thought leader. Every choice was about setting a tone: authority and polish, paired with out-of-the-box thinking and creative freedom.

The second location shifted us into lifestyle. It’s another old schoolhouse, but this one turned Airbnb and has a super minimal, yet cozy aesthetic. Which was perfect for showing daily rhythms that support the work. Reading, writing, working, walking, making coffee. The moments you’d actually find Nico and the team in, day to day. The lighting followed suit—keeping continuity with the first half of the day —but this time the goal was to show morning-like light, as it’s often more contemplative and reflective of slow rhythms.

And honestly, the entire day was a boat-load of fun. I don’t think the energy ever dipped on set. For one, the team was hands-down totally amazing.

And then there’s always a moment where all the planning, the Zoom calls, the research, and the gut instincts all converge in reality. The chalkboard sequence with that dimensional light definitely was that for all of us, but really, the whole day carried that feeling. Giddy. Fun. One of those shoots where you can feel in your bones that what you talked about is actually happening IRL.

This image library now supports a new website, a comprehensive HRT course, and a podcast launch (go check it in the wild, it’s pretty fun)—all while visually reframing what medical education can look like when it’s allowed to be thoughtful, human, and creatively led.

And it results in some pretty stellar photos like these.

Oh, and to give credit where it’s due: