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…)
The development of the Stanford camera
September 14, 2009
Scientists Marc Levoy and Andrew Adams have recently revealed that they have been working to create a camera that could result in major changes in the world of digital photography. The Stanford camera is the piece of equipment they have created and it is an open-source camera, meaning this camera has been made so that programmers will have the opportunity to add their very own software to it. This enables them to teach the camera to be able to carry out tasks that would not otherwise be possible.
Creative photographers will no longer have to base the (more…)
National Media Museum exhibition in Leeds
July 15, 2009
If you are looking for an entertaining yet informative day out, the National Media Museum in Leeds could be a great choice. Entrance to the museum is free and inside you will be able to explore the world of photography amongst others including television, film, internet and radio.
One photography exhibition currently on display at the museum is ‘In England’, created by the photographer Don McCullin.
McCullin was born in London in 1935 and is a highly respected commercial photographer (more…)
The history of Leeds through commercial photography
June 26, 2009
If you live in Leeds or Yorkshire, or even if you are just visiting the city, you still have a chance to catch a unique photography exhibition being held at Leeds City Museum. The exhibition is titled ‘A Lasting Moment’ and features the work of French photographer Marc Riboud.
Marc Riboud was sent to the city of Leeds in 1954 to take a selection of photographs of the city. These photographs were to be displayed in Picture Post, a magazine of the time that (more…)
A Brief History of Commercial Photography
June 17, 2009
Modern photography is generally considered to have begun in the 1820s. It was during this time that the first permanent photographs were taken and interest in the subject began to spark. The first permanent image is thought to have been created by Joseph Nicephore Niepce in 1825. His images were produced on a polished pewter plate covered with bitumen of Judea, which is a petroleum derivative. However, despite the development of photography in this time, photographs were not often used for commercial purposes and the commercial photographer had not yet been born. Occasionally, advertising images would be used on trade cards or in a catalogue but this didn’t happen very often as the potential for this kind of marketing had not been recognised.
It was in the Twentieth century that people became more aware of commercial photography and what it had to offer. Improvements in technology began to mean that photographs could be reproduced quickly and also be of a higher quality. During the years before the First World War, any photographs used to advertise a product were generally designed to inform people of the benefits of the product only. Basically, they would provide a short lecture on why this item should be purchased and that was all the information that was given.
However, shortly after this people began to notice how important and effective the element of suggestion could be in this type of advertising. They found that photographs could help make products or services appear more desirable. A more subtle and suggestive approach was then taken towards commercial photography and by 1930, around 80% of illustrated advertisements were using photographs instead of illustrated drawings. This was compared to only 15% of illustrated advertisements using photographs in 1920. Things really began to take off for commercial photography during this time and the roles of art directors, copywriters and psychologists were all created so they could contribute and play their part in the quickly developing area of commercial photography.
Using photography in marketing campaigns has continued and progressed throughout the years branching in to new directions and embracing new technological developments such as interactive video for web and 360 photography. Commercial photography is regarded by any business as a vital part of advertising. Companies in major cities in the UK such as Leeds, are regularly employing commercial photographers to help them market their products and services efficiently and successfully.
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