Creative, commercial photographers.

Commercial photography in advertising

February 28, 2011

The average print advertisement usually consists of a headline, strap line, the brand logo and contact details, and sometimes further copy about the product or service being promoted. However, another common feature of advertisements is the photography. Advertising is probably one of the most common forms of commercial photography. Look around Leeds and you’ll see plenty of examples of it. It is the role of the commercial photographer to make sure the advertisement’s imagery creates interest, intrigue and desire by potential customers to increase their intention to buy. In fact it’s probably the main element in the advertisement which they will remember the most.

There are various styles of photography used in advertising. Pack shot photography involves shooting high definition photos of a product on a plain background. This simple imagery style is favoured by supermarkets and department stores as it gives a much sharper focus to the product. Alternatively it can also be easily super imposed onto any type of background.

Lifestyle photography is also popular in advertisements because it’s used to depict real life people in real life situations such as playing sport in the park or swimming in the beach – advertising everything from clothes to fast food.

Room set photography is generally used by furniture and homewares retailers, to present their products in a true home setting. Whether it’s pack shot, lifestyle or room set photography, commercial photographers in Leeds are generally skilled across all these different styles, creating eye-catching advertising photography that helps boost a brand’s sales figures.

Filed under: Pack Shot Photography — written by David

Marketing your web video

February 26, 2011

Corporate web video for Leeds-based businesses is becoming more and more popular as a key marketing tool. However in order for the web video to be viewed by a wide audience, simply uploading it to the website and hoping it ranks high in the search engines is certainly a good start – but there’s more that can be done. Social media has well and truly arrived in the B2B world providing more channels in which to communicate with your target audience. Sharing your web videos this way is easy as all you need to do is (more…)

Filed under: Interactive / Video — written by David

360 photographers’ latest accessory

February 24, 2011

Budding 360 photographers in Yorkshire can now take their own stunning panoramic shots through a new motorised power panner just released in the UK. Known as the MDRP360, this new camera accessory enables the photographer to take 360 panoramic shots remotely from the camera. The camera is mounted on the MDRP360 and the user can then operate it remotely using wireless remote control including full rotation, tilt and panning. It also comes with an optional (more…)

Filed under: Commercial Photography — written by Jane

Catwalk videos putting you in the front row

February 22, 2011

Fashion is certainly in the air with London Fashion Week taking hold of the nation’s capital this week. However you don’t necessarily need to be in London and a fashion industry honcho or celebrity to get the best out of London Fashion Week, as thanks to web video, the latest trends can be streamed straight from the internet. Many of the leading fashion websites such as Marie Claire and Vogue TV offer catwalk videos on their website, so you can be in Leeds, and still be front row to the runway shows. Some web video producers have now even started filming in (more…)

Filed under: Catwalk Photography — written by Robert

Capturing seasonal transitions through creative photography

February 20, 2011

While there may be a few weeks to go until spring just yet, this time of year can still be a wonderful occasion to capture the early seasonal transitions through creative photography.

Look around the Yorkshire Dales, and you’re sure to see the first signs of daffodils as they start to poke their way out. Daffodils are certainly a welcome early spring sight with their vivid yellow petals on top of the long, gangly stems that greet you all around. Why not take some time to shoot the daffodil as it starts to blossom, so you can get a wonderful story board of its journey from a simple green stem to the fully bloomed flower. You can shoot once a day, or every few days to see this lovely transition, and either take the shot from the same position, or capture from different angles and varying stages of close up.

You don’t even have to be in the Yorkshire Dales, as daffodils can also thrive in more urban settings – even your own garden if you’re lucky enough to have one.

Another welcome spring sight is the first signs of the leaf buds on trees. Here you can progressively capture a tree as it comes back to life starting from the delicate green buds to the fully formed leaves.

Spring is no doubt one of the prettiest seasons to enjoy, but if you want to really test our your creative photography skills, whether in the Yorkshire Dales or Hampstead Heath, then start a little earlier and capture the winter-spring transition.

Filed under: Creative Photography — written by Robert

Food photography in blogs

February 18, 2011

A recent trend that has emerged in the cyber world is food blogging. Here foodies all over the world can share their gastronomic stories, recipes, tips as well as showcase some wonderful examples of food photography. For instance, Yorkshire foodies can check out the Yorkshire Dales Food Blog and drool over photos of delectable dishes that are sourced from local restaurants.

Another trend in food blogging is what is known as food porn. Food porn relates to the provocative often bordering on erotic visual display of food. The popularity of TV chef Nigella Lawson –known for the sensuous manner in which presents her programme, and the marketing of high calorie content food as being an indulgent treat, has seen the term food porn embed itself in our modern vernacular. This food porn craze has greatly influenced the food photography seen on various blogs. Images of beautifully shot food feature on these food porn blogs from colourful cup cakes, to exotic food dishes such as Chinese whole crispy flounder, which gets foodies admiring, chatting and sharing stories about their indulgent fetishes.
While it may sound a little lewd, it is usually all pretty innocent and allows food lovers to connect through their shared passion.

Food blogs can also be a great platform to promote local eateries and restaurants, especially if you are the one who runs the eatery or restaurant. Using high quality food photography in your blogs can do wonders for sales, so make sure you engage the services of a professional food photographer in Yorkshire. They can create stunning images of mouth-watering dishes which will have customers beating down the door.

Filed under: Food Photography — written by David

Surfing lifestyle photographer dies

February 16, 2011

Iconic surfing photographer LeRoy Grannis has died near Los Angeles aged 93. Grannis was famed for his Californian lifestyle photography, particularly surfing. Surfers from Yorkshire’s Scarborough to Hawaii’s Pipeline would all have seen Grannis’ images, and in fact he was often considered the ‘godfather’ of surf photography. His imagery accurately portrayed the lifestyle of Southern California during the 1960s and 70s. Journalist Steve Barilotti described Grannis in his 2006 book about the photographer as having ‘caught surfing at a critical juncture between cult and culture’. Grannis was ‘documenting surfing’s rapid evolution into an iconic lifestyle. His photos captured (more…)

Filed under: Creative Photography — written by Robert

Room set photography protecting the retailer’s brand

February 14, 2011

For a retailer of homewares or furniture to really sell itself and stand out from the competition, one area it certainly should not neglect is photography. Using commercial photography to promote its products is one of the strongest triggers for a customer to make that all important purchase. After all these pictures are one of the first things customers see and could mean the difference between a sale – and a lost opportunity. Remember that customers can interact with the brand in so many ways – from the web, through advertising, in direct mail to point of sale displays in the shop. The photography across this entire promotional mix should therefore be able to present the retailer as a provider of quality products.

The retailer would often present its products in a true home setting and will use room set photography to achieve this. For example, a three piece sofa set up in a living room. While it may seem that room set photography involves simply throwing a few cushions here and placing some indoor plants there, much care and consideration needs to be invested into styling and creating the perfect shot. A room set photographer in Yorkshire has both the creative vision and technical skills to achieve those perfect shots so that it catches the eye of a potential customer and presents the brand at its absolute best.

By using professionally-shot room set photography, retailers in Yorkshire can only reap the benefits of ensuring their brand integrity is protected and the sales start increasing.

Filed under: Commercial Photography — written by David

The success of ASOS through catwalk videos

February 12, 2011

When you think of online shopping, great fashions and some of the best catwalk videos around, then surely fashion website ASOS would spring to mind. This online retailer brings together high street brands alongside its own in-house collections to offer shoppers a huge selection of fashion to choose from. The website also offers interactive functionality through its catwalk videos. Online shoppers in Leeds and around the UK can watch web videos of models strut down the catwalk wearing the fashion item they’re interested in. This gives them a clearer idea of how the clothes hang and move on the body and helps them decide if they want to purchase the item.

The use of web video in the world of high fashion is also now taking off. If you check out the leading fashion magazine websites such as Vogue or Grazia, you will see plenty of web videos that have come straight from the catwalks of the latest designer shows, feature beauty demonstrations as well as interviews with key industry personalities. In fact Vogue even has its own web video site called Vogue TV which lets you keep up with all the latest developments in the ever-changing fashion world.

If you run a fashion business, it might be worth considering using web or catwalk video on your website. Professional web video producers in Leeds can work with you to produce stunning promotional videos so that potential customers can really see your fashion line in action. If it’s worked for ASOS it can certainly work for you.

Filed under: Catwalk Photography, Interactive / Video — written by David

Emerging commercial photographer talent on show in Yorkshire

February 10, 2011

An exhibition featuring up and coming commercial photographers from all corners of the globe is to be held in Yorkshire this spring. The Terry O’Neill Photography Awards, founded in 2007, celebrates the work of the emerging talent within the photography world and is considered one of the industry’s most coveted prizes. The exhibition features a selection of work by the ten nominated photographers and stretches across a wide spectrum of photography including documentary, fine art, and landscape.

First prize was given to Spanish photographer Sebastian Liste who captured the lives of homeless families living in an abandoned chocolate factory in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The Terry O’Neill Photography Awards is named after one of the UK’s most famous photographers. Terry O’Neill snapped some of the world’s biggest celebrities in the 1960s including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

O’Neill said of the award entrants:

“The calibre, composition and quality of the entrants exceeded my wildest expectations and makes me proud my name is associated with so much talent.

“It is always hard to choose winners when you have so many outstanding and varied entries. One common thread this year, however, seemed to suggest a more gritty approach, reflecting the hardship that many are facing in these difficult times.”

The prestigious judging panel was made up of leading figures in the photography and arts world including Greg Hobson – Curator of photography at the National Museum of Media and the Sunday Times Magazine’s director of Photography Jon Jones.

This wonderful exhibition of contemporary and creative photography will be housed in Yorkshire’s Nunnington Hall and runs from 19 February to 3 April 2011.

Filed under: Commercial Photography — written by David
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