The importance of shadows to the product photographer
April 30, 2010
Creating the right product image, where minimalism rather than clutter is currently fashionable, can produce singular shots, cleverly angled that get the shadows just right. It is the moody atmosphere of film noire that is recreated in a white hallway, where particular items are elongated by clever lighting and shadowing to create more depth and an ethereal quality to the photograph.
Modern furniture is, by its nature, very plain and shadow can soften the sharpness of the piece. Cleverly placed lighting creates the appearance of something far more complex, and time frame photography can also add interest. The predominance of black and white in an image can be interspersed with bits of colour, whether it’s the product that stands out in this way or something unrelated.
Certainly using shadows produces something up to the minute in design terms and the (more…)
The ‘look’ of the lifestyle photographer
April 27, 2010
What is it about roomset photography that gets our pulses racing? Most are certainly staged well, but is it the aspiration, the dream, something to wish for, if we won the lottery that is, that keeps us continually flicking through the pages of lifestyle magazines?
Any number of home magazines will provide us with any number of different lifestyle choices. Whether it is the thatched country cottage, the Georgian mansion, or the London town house, these magazines manage to cater for every taste. Also, the format is often the same. Many articles start with an overall picture of the featured house, then subsequent photographs take us through room by room to feast the eyes and the imagination.
Of course it is the roomsets and how they are staged that is all important. The owners of the properties, in conjunction with the roomset photographer, create the magic and the rest of us drool as the rooms take shape before our eyes. The narrative of the house (more…)
The mark of a good product photographer
April 24, 2010
When looking at magazines, we more or less take for granted the crisp quality of the many photographic images that fly out from the page. Whether it’s the sense of place that comes from the art of the roomset photographer, the broad expanse of a holiday landscape produced by the lifestyle photographer, or the stage set piece or still life of the studio photographer – each brings with them their own set of highly specialised skills.
A good photographer takes us to another place. Whether it’s a beautiful woman looking out of a plate glass window on a light studded landscape, the clean lines of white leather high spec seating systems, or a top of the range stainless steel kitchen with wonderful lighting effects – all these shots are designed to transport us to a better life, to another world full of possibilities. The good product photographer taps into that part of our psyche that wishes to own or possess, and is able to make the fantastical real and achievable.
The many types of product photography bring with them many different skills. The intentions of the landscape photographer will differ immeasurably from the studio photographer, yet a good flexible (more…)
Bringing the catwalk into your own home
April 21, 2010
Ever thought what it would be like to watch London Fashion Week in the comfort of your own home? Well, this is what your customers could experience when you produce a catwalk video or photo shoot to display your merchandise. How often have we heard complaints about ordering clothes through internet catalogues only to be disappointed when they arrive? The catwalk shows off clothes in their best light and the clothes are not only modelled, but the general flow of the clothes can be viewed via photographs or video as the model walks along the catwalk.
The secret of a good catwalk video or photo shoot is the photography of course and catwalk photographers know how to get the best out of the cameras they use. Some may use pocket wizards to get the angles they want. By placing the wizard at the end where the models turn and pose, a creative photographer can also capture the whole catwalk. Wizards will also trigger (more…)
The modern and varied settings of the family lifestyle photographer
April 18, 2010
Taking professional family photographs need no longer be a formal exercise, where family members all line up in their Sunday best in front of an artificial setting of floating clouds. Taking family photos these days is all about capturing the moment in a series of natural situations and settings, where subjects can all feel relaxed and at ease rather than straight jacketed and on show.
The modern family wants to present itself as a dynamic and forward thinking entity, not staid and boring – which many studio photos can imply. The photographic studio these days can be anywhere. Couples could be walking through the woods and children could be playing together on the beach. Wedding photos capture the mood of the event where people are themselves, not part of a line up where every crease matters and smiles are (more…)
How a good roomset photographer manages to set the tone
April 15, 2010
When creating a roomset becomes the subject of high art, the whole world of interior design moves up a hierarchical notch or two. Tom Calvocoressi, writing in the New Statesman, recently discussed his own experiences of installation artist Mike Nelson’s labyrinthine work entitled ‘The Deliverance and the Patience’ which took the viewer through a fairly ordinary door and into a succession of weird interconnected often windowless roomsets. Viewers became part of the experience itself as they wandered through from room to room.
Calvocoressi described the emptiness of the rooms, apart from the sets themselves, as creating a Marie Celeste-like sense of absence for the viewer, with the impression that someone had just left (more…)
What’s in a photograph?
April 12, 2010
For some people it may only be a pretty picture, for others it may be an attempt to encapsulate a cherished memory of a great day out with someone particularly close. It could also be an artistic construction, the end result of which has hidden meanings and great depth. Anybody can take photos, but taking photos creatively is all about adding value, creating an emotion like a sense of nostalgia or even on occasions, horror, when a newspaper photograph broadcasts a particular message to the world. (more…)
Iconic photograph or lucky snap?
April 9, 2010
A photographer, who took one of the most iconic tennis photographs of all time, has died of cancer last week at the age of 63. Martin Elliott took the photograph of his then girlfriend Fiona Butler on a Birmingham University tennis court in 1976. As she walked towards the net, she raised her tennis dress at the back to (more…)
Present your product with beautiful photographs
April 6, 2010
Commercial photography these days is not just about taking pictures. With advances in technology, presenting your product and brand in a professional and artistic way is all part of the commercial process required to target the consumer and sell the product. Whether using catalogue photography for more straightforward photographic description, representation and information or more creative photography required for room sets to sell food, fashion, and furniture, each intends to seduce the customer with the use of photography to embrace a certain lifestyle choice being presented. As such, it is the quality of the photography that says much about the product that is being presented and marketed. (more…)
Hi-tech digital food photography gets the customers in
April 3, 2010
Gone are the days of the fading images of the fast food burger. These days, according to an article in the Independent recently by Rhodri Marsden, tantalisingly realistic meals can be projected onto your table from a gismo above your head and your choice via an iPhone-like touch panel also projects the image onto the table then takes your order speeding direct to the kitchen. The diner is even able to select the design of digitalised tablecloth via the touch panel to complete the illusion. (more…)
Latest Photography Articles
- Food photography at Stony Stratford Feastival
- Food photography exhibition at Festival of Culture
- A new market for food photographers
- Food photography looking a little fishy
- Innovation Awards entice food photographers
- Drinks are on food photographers
- Useful tricks for successful food photography
- Food photography increases the appetite
- Pink Lady apples launch new food photography competition
- New York food photography exhibition attracts attention
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
