Los Angeles-based photographer Aldo Chacon has created a contemporary reimagining of the legendary "Got Milk?" campaign to commemorate its 30th anniversary, capturing portraits of over 12,000 individuals across California. The ambitious project transforms the iconic advertising campaign into a living portrait of the state's diverse population, honoring the original's cultural legacy while introducing fresh perspectives for a new generation.

Since its debut in 1993, the "Got Milk?" campaign has established itself as one of the most recognizable advertising initiatives in American history. Created by advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the campaign was designed to promote milk consumption through memorable, playful, and culturally resonant imagery. The signature milk mustache portraits, photographed by renowned artists including Annie Leibovitz, featured celebrities, athletes, and everyday people with the campaign's distinctive visual element: a glass of milk and a creamy white mustache.

Over three decades, these portraits became more than just advertisements – they evolved into a hallmark of American pop culture and a powerful vehicle for storytelling. Each image captured personality, style, and emotion in a single frame, blending advertising, art, and cultural commentary. By its 30th anniversary, "Got Milk?" had firmly established itself as a meaningful canvas for contemporary artistic expression.

For the 2025 celebration, Chacon partnered with the "Got Milk?" campaign to create this milestone project. His goal was to honor the iconic legacy while introducing inclusivity and fresh perspectives to reach today's audiences. Over several months, Chacon and his dedicated team traveled across California in a specially retrofitted mobile photo studio, photographing more than 12,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities.

The project spanned from small towns to major cities throughout the state, seeking to capture the breadth of California's people and their unique stories. "This was truly a dream campaign to work on," Chacon explains. "One of the biggest draws for me as a photographer was the chance to contribute to such an iconic cultural moment. It really pushed me to think creatively about execution while honoring the original campaign and Annie's photographic work."

Chacon faced the significant challenge of balancing Annie Leibovitz's visual legacy while adapting it to a modern context. Leibovitz's work for the original "Got Milk?" campaign set an exceptionally high standard for portraiture, emphasizing clean composition, simple lighting, and capturing the unique character of each subject. The mobile studio concept required innovative problem-solving and technical expertise to maintain these quality standards.

The retrofitted bus had to function as a fully equipped photography studio, complete with professional lighting equipment, backdrop systems, and space for printed posters. Chacon worked with his talented team members Saul Barrera, Coy Gutierrez, and Ron Loepp to develop a setup that allowed for speed, consistency, and mobility across diverse locations. Using a Canon R5 camera with Profoto B1 lights, they created a system capable of producing high-quality results efficiently.

"We focused on keeping the lighting simple and flattering for everyone," Chacon explains. "I also embraced a wide-angle approach to highlight facial expressions and make the milk mustache an integral, playful element. On the large printed posters, those close-ups had incredible impact." Each backdrop was carefully tested for optimal lighting and print reproduction, with special attention paid to how subjects would be framed on the final 24×36-inch posters.

Beyond the technical aspects, the human element remained at the heart of the project. Chacon describes how each portrait session became an interactive experience, allowing participants to express themselves authentically and without judgment. "Everyone has something unique about them – the way they move, their style, their personality," he says. "We created a space where people could be themselves, whether that meant smiling, screaming, showing love, or just enjoying the moment. Everything was celebrated without judgment."

The project's scope emphasized the remarkable diversity of California's population. From bustling city streets to quiet rural landscapes, Chacon captured people of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. The result is a sprawling collective portrait that transcends traditional advertising, reflecting the state's rich culture, strong sense of community, and celebration of individuality. "Every single person was in awe when they received their poster," Chacon recalls. "It was a feeling of pure joy seeing their faces light up, and it reminded me of why portraiture is so powerful."

The project required meticulous planning to meet its unique logistical demands. Pre-lighting tests conducted inside the bus allowed Chacon to optimize his workflow for both speed and mobility. Custom tension rods and specialized light modifiers provided the flexibility needed across various locations, many without access to reliable power sources. This technical innovation ensured consistent quality while maintaining the project's ambitious timeline.

Chacon's personal photographic style, typically minimal and elegant, was thoughtfully adapted for this campaign to accommodate the wide-angle close-ups and retro aesthetic of the images. Careful consideration of color palettes, backdrop selection, and lighting ratios ensured the portraits honored Leibovitz's iconic aesthetic while allowing Chacon's own photographic voice to shine through. "Creatively, I wanted to stay true to the simplicity of the original campaign, but also make the portraits feel alive and contemporary," he explains. "It was about capturing the essence of each person, not just recreating a historic image."

For Chacon, the project's success extends far beyond its commercial objectives. The sheer scale of the undertaking – 12,000 portraits delivered as personalized printed posters – transformed the campaign into a culturally significant archive. By photographing real people rather than focusing solely on celebrities, the project created a living record of California's diversity and everyday life in 2025.

"When people started framing their posters at home, that's when it really hit me: we had created something that transcended advertising," Chacon reflects. "Stripped of the branding, it could stand as documentary portraiture, capturing the human stories behind a cultural icon." This transformation from commercial campaign to artistic documentation represents a unique achievement in contemporary photography.

The project successfully bridged generational gaps in its appeal and impact. While older audiences may have strong nostalgic connections to the original "Got Milk?" campaign, younger participants experienced the project as interactive and playful. By offering them the opportunity to appear in a culturally significant campaign, the project fostered engagement and introduced new viewers to the legacy of the original portraits. "My hope is that it resonates with them in a positive way," Chacon says. "It's a fresh, participatory experience that allows them to be part of an enduring cultural phenomenon."

The project has reaffirmed Chacon's dedication to portraiture and storytelling while highlighting the creative potential that emerges from working within constraints. From the limitations of mobile studios to restricted backdrop options, these challenges ultimately enhanced the authentic capture of human moments. "Going forward, I want to take on more art-driven projects centered on people," he says. "Projects that explore the human face in new and meaningful ways, while embracing spontaneity, improvisation, and connection with the subject."

Aldo Chacon's "Got Milk?" project demonstrates the enduring power of photography to connect people, preserve cultural memory, and celebrate diversity. By blending technical skill, creative vision, and human empathy, he has successfully transformed a commercial campaign into a comprehensive portrait of a community. The project proves that every face tells a unique story and every person has a valuable place in shaping our shared cultural legacy, ensuring the "Got Milk?" campaign continues to resonate with new generations while honoring its iconic past.