A simple beer has never looked this good. Jonathan Knowles, the photographer who is awarded Gold in Poster Awards 2026 and turns everyday moments into visual magic, brings Carlsberg’s “Best Beers” to life with sunlit sips, sizzling barbecues, and perfectly poured pints. Hired by Fold7, he captures the warmth, glow, and joy of these familiar rituals with effortless style, making the ordinary feel golden and unforgettable.

By Jonathan Knowles

The Project

To celebrate life’s golden occasions, Carlsberg created a beautiful series of limited-edition glasses, each designed for the moments that matter most.

From sun-drenched afternoons to the sizzle of the barbecue, every glass became its own headline; iconic, simple, and effortlessly Carlsberg. The campaign set out to capture the optimism and warmth of these everyday celebrations through photography that felt spontaneous yet artfully composed.

It was about honouring those familiar social rituals where Carlsberg naturally belongs, and translating them into imagery that radiates a sense of golden joy.

The Process

My approach centred around authenticity and light. I wanted the beer itself to feel alive, glowing, refreshing, and full of character. Each shot was built around natural light and a carefully balanced palette of golds, greens, and warm skin tones to echo Carlsberg’s brand identity.

The challenge lay in creating something that looked effortless while being technically exact. The glasses were photographed in controlled conditions to capture the perfect level of condensation, clarity, and foam, before being integrated into environments that expressed their unique occasion. Using high-speed techniques, controlled reflections, and subtle layering, we were able to convey both the crisp realism of the product and the atmosphere of the moment.

Balancing client expectations meant ensuring every detail, from the typography on the glass to the tone of the background, worked harmoniously to feel premium, yet familiar and approachable.

The Impact

The resulting posters celebrate Carlsberg’s enduring promise: “Probably the best beer in the world.” For me, the joy of this project was how seamlessly craft and emotion came together; a reminder that simplicity, when executed with care and precision, can be deeply powerful.

It was all about the expressive potential of light and texture in storytelling; the fact that the most resonant images often come from elevating the everyday.

About the Photographer

Jonathan Knowles is an advertising photographer and filmmaker creating extraordinary imagery for the world’s most established brands. He specialises in still life, drinks, beauty and special effects.
For the last two decades, he has consistently featured in the 200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide books, with his image on the cover of the 2020 edition. He has been awarded in both moving image and stills by Graphis, D&AD, The Art Directors’ Club of New York, Communication Arts, The Association of Photographers, Campaign, New York Festivals, The Globals, Oneeyeland and others. In 2019 he won the Advertising Photographer of the Year award for a series of images shot for Dior, with a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In 2020 and 2021, he won the Advertising Film category of the same competition. Most recently, in 2025, he was named Advertising Photographer of the Year at the International Photography Awards.
Today, Jonathan neighbours the River Thames in his London studio, capturing still images and films that reach people across the globe. It was here that he created the iconic O2 bubbles, and brands such as Coca-Cola, Vodafone, Facebook, Nescafé, Chopard, Graff, Johnnie Walker, Glenfiddich, and many more have sought out Jonathan’s distinguished and timeless style.

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