What is the difference between COMMERCIAL and ADVERTISING photography?

(Advancing Your Photography, 2011)*

COMMERCIAL photography – IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PRODUCT

A commercial photographer's job is to photograph buildings, models, products and artifacts with the aim of promoting the work at hand. (Product Photo Canada, 2014)

(Framed Show, 2014)*

ADVERTISING photography – IT’S ALL ABOUT PROMOTION

It's not just about PROMOTING the product but the photographer is also in charge of selling concepts, ideas, and lifestyles.

Product Photo Canada, 2014)

* The videos above are two separate interviews with a commercial and advertising photography. Both of them gave helpful tips on how to improve these two different branches in photography.

The equipment used for advertising and commercial photography:

Semiotics are used in Advertising?

What are Semiotics?

Semiotics is the study of meaning-making, the study of sign processes and meaningful communication. is also explores the study of signs and symbols as a significant part of communications.

Is the art of persuation used in Advertising?

The following adverts were chosen because of their originality, creative concepts and the eye-opening messages which accompany each and every advert. The adverts are split into two section:

Car adverts

and

Other adverts

Car Advertisements

Credits: "Do Knot forget"

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy Brand Center, Düsseldorf, Germany

Creative Director: Bernd Grellmann

Art Director: Lars Ecker

Copywriter: Miriam Ravagni

Photographer: Lars Ecker

Client Service Director: Sven A. Crone

Persuasions used: Ethos and logos

"Do Knot forget Bluetooth comes with every new Ford model" (Ford, 2010). Safer on the road when driving because knots will be avoided and Bluetooth is taking over the Axe Cable and as indicated above the headphones which in this generation is used almost all the time. There is an interesting sequence created in this is ad which also, in a way, tells a story. Studio lighting set-up was definitely used to photograph the above. Not including too much text makes it easier for the viewers to understand.

Credits: Drive Friendly

Advertising School: Humber College, Toronto, Canada

Art Director: Iva Jericevic

Copywriter: Logan Broger

Persuasions used: Logos and Pathos

Here the signifiers are the car brand (i.e. FIAT) and its face design.

FIAT is promoting its car by drawing the customers’ attention to the front part of the car that is made to look like a face. No one likes seeing an angry face. In this advert FIAT is comparing the faces of twelve cars to the one of FIAT. The latter, unlike the other twelve, looks happy and pleasant. This makes it appealing to a customer who wants to “Drive friendly” (Fiat,2013) on the road. In addition to this signifier, the captions emphasize the positive message. Furthermore, the background is in a shade of blue. Blue is said to produce a calming effect and this colour is also believed to symbolize a lot of good qualities, including intelligence, loyalty and trust, so most probably that is the reason why FIAT decided to use this colour for the advert.

Credits: Key skyline

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Rome, Italy

Creative Director: Elisa Pazi

Art Director: Sara Ghidoni

Copywriter: Vittorio Zotti

Illustrator / Photographer: Stefano Bottesi

Persuasions used: Ethos and Pathos Logos

"The city is in your hands" (Ford, 2008)

This statement suggests that whoever owns this Ford key will not only have the car but also the city in the palm of their hand. This advert create a sense of power to consumer, urging them to buy the car. Simple is more and by not including too much text makes it easier for the viewers to understand. Studio photography was used to capture this photo.

Credits: Dreamer

Client: American Honda Motor Co.

Production Company: Roof Studio

Directors: Guto Terni, Sam Mason and Vinicius Costa

Executive Producer: Crystal Campbell

Producer: Ryan Mack

Director of Photography: Bill Pope

Persuasions used: Ethos and Logos

The slogan says it all "Direct from our imagination" (Honda, 2016)

Including one of the experts behind the Honda Dream car tells the consumers that they are in safe hands when buying this car. Not including too much text makes it easier for the viewers to understand.

Credits: Pollution

Advertising Agency: Contrapunto BBDO, Madrid, Spain
Chief Creative Officer: Antonio Montero
Executive Creative Directors: Carlos Jorge, Félix Del Valle
Art Director: Raúl López
Copywriter: Raúl López
Illustrators: Paco Marcos, Dani Rubio

Persuasions used: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

The more cars on the road the more pollution will be consumed in the air not unless it is a Smart car. The advertisement above suggests that with a 'regular' automotive, the exterior part of the advert will occur. On the other hand, when purchasing a Smart car,("Smart, the less polluting car of the world" (Smart, 2010)) green landscaping and fresh air will be provided. It's like they say, a picture is entitle to 1000 words. Including the environment in an advert will leave the buyers at ease knowing that they are making a clever choice hence Ethos is involved.

Credits: Think Small

Advertising Agency: DDB, Berlin, Germany

Chief Creative Officer: Amir Kassaei

Executive Creative Director: Stefan Schulte

Creative Director: Dennis May

Copywriter: Ricardo Wolff

Art Director: Gabriel Mattar

Graphic Designer: Marilyn Wolf

Account Manager: Silke Lagodny

Persuasions used: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

The negative space combined in the ad 'Think small' graphically speaking allows the viewer's eyes to immediately gaze at the small Volkswagen Beetle hence creating a strange atmosphere for this car. "Cars were fashion statements, testosterone boosters, muscles on wheels" (Johnson, 2017). This quote is intriguing because even though 'Lemon' and 'Thinking small' are two different adverts, both show a fashion statement and muscularity in its most simplest forms.

Other Advertisements

Credits: Wegasm

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy South, Atlanta, USA

Creative Director: Dave Galligos

Art Directors: Nick Costrides, Mark Sorensen, John Teter, Chris Bakay

Copywriter: John Spalding, Ashley Staker

Illustrator: Pete Petersen

Photographer: Heath Patterson

Retoucher: Chris Bodie

Persuasions used: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

The Wegasm adverts were taken both in a studio and on location, creating to creative concepts. If the Durex logo and products were not included at the bottom of the advert some people might not have understood what the advert had to offer. The title 'Wegasm', was a new word invented from the original work 'orgasm'. It is words like wegasm that attract people's attention and interest. In this case the footnote text included at the bottom is actually quite helpful and provides the viewer with further information.

Credits: Joystick

Advertising Agency: AlmapBBDO, Brazil

Chief Creative Officer: Marcello Serpa

Executive Creative Director: Luiz Sanches

Creative Directors: Bruno Prosperi, Renato Simões

Art Director: Ronaldo Fonseca

Photographer: Peu Campos

Art Buyer: Teresa Setti

Account Vice President: Fernanda Antonelli

Account Director: Ricardo Taunay

Account Supervisor: Italo Vetorazzo

Media: Flávio de Pauw, Fábio Cruz, Juliana Mello, Carolina Pimentel

Persuasion used: Pathos

The signifiers are the brand ‘Pedigree’, the Pedigree dog treat and the dog.

What do dogs crave for? A treat from their owners of course, and not just any kind of treat. A Pedigree treat will not only please the canine but it will also help the owner to control and pass on the right message to his pet. The treat can be used to reward good behaviour.

One can immediately notice the creative elements of this advert. The Pedigree treat is in the shape of a ‘gamepad’, and the way it is being held in the hands (the same way one holds a gamepad during play), as well as the position and posture of the dog, add up to the signified idea. This advert indicates that there is only one edible canine treat that can effectively control a dog. That is the Pedigree brand.

Credits: Burger

Advertising Agency: Paim, Porto Alegre, Brazil

Creative Director: Rodrigo Pinto

Art Directors: Vanessa Locks, José Pedro Bortolini, Matheus Mendes, Júlia Poloni

Copywriters: Márcio Blank, Cindy Schneider, Mariana Ferreira, Eduardo Pandolfo

Illustrator: Joel Nunes

Photographer: Raul Krebs

Lettering Design: Matheus Mendes

Digital Artist: Gariba

Production: Alex Souza

Persuasions used: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

The first two signifiers that are noticed in this advert are the baby and the burger covering the woman's right breast, as if the breast was replaced by a burger and the baby is eating the burger directly.

Another signifier is the written message used by the advertising agency in question which most probably was inspired by the well-known saying “You are what you eat”.

It is a fact that breast milk contains all the nutrients and vitamins that a baby needs during the first six months after being born and it protects the baby from disease. So, it is important that the mother eats the right food. A burger has low-nutritional values and that is why it is used in this advert, along with the caption “your child is what you eat” (Austrew, 2015), to make breast-feeding mothers aware of the link between the food that they eat and the food that they are feeding their babies through their breast milk. Combining the image with the text emphasizes the importance of this message. The text would not have been enough.

Credits: Brewed with love

Advertising Agency: Jung von Matt/Alster, Hamburg, Germany

Executive Creative Directors: Thimoteus Wagner, Jens Pfau, Tobias Grimm

Creative Directors: Alexander Norvilas, Tobias Burger

Junior Project Manager: Tasja Oldach

Art Director: Alexander Norvilas

Copywriters: Tobias Burger, David Wegener

Managing Director: Peter Stroeh

Account Director: Tobias Freundlieb

Junior Art Director: Maximilian Froeschner

Photographer: Ralph Hargarten

Persuasions used: Ethos and Pathos

A wonderful way to portray pure love is with an image of a pregnant mother gently holding her stomach.

This advert is presenting a man looking very pleased with his beer belly. The background is dark so that the focus of the viewer will be on the man’s abdomen. He is holding and looking at his stomach just like a pregnant woman, with gentleness, and love. The heart-warming image and the caption “Brewed with love” (von Matt, 2016) are the ‘signifiers’. This was an excellent idea to promote the Bergedorfer beer. The thought that comes to mind is that the beer must be of high quality since it was made with love, and this message is the ‘signified’ part of the advert.

Credits: Are you beach body ready? / Every body is beach body ready

Advertising Agency: Protein World, London

A comparison between the original (Are you beach body ready?) and the renewed advert (Every body is beach body ready)

Persuasions used: Ethos and Pathos

Both adverts have the same topic in mind; having the perfect beach body. The difference between is simple, the original is insulting every chubby/fat women and suggesting that in order to have this 'perfect body' (image above), a woman is be exactly like the model above, skinny and a size 2.

On the other hand, 'Every body is beach body ready' is considered to be a more respectable advert because this time a chubby and curvy model is presented hence clarifying that all women are always beach body ready, whether they're skinny or fat. Evey woman is beautiful just the way they are.

Persuasions used: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Credits: Got Milk?

Advertising Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners, USA

Persuasions used: Ethos and Logos

The first signifier in this advert is Superman, a well-known character with kids and adults alike. The main characteristic of this superhero is strength.

The second signifier is the text, especially “got milk?” Milk is a good source of calcium and it is needed to build and strengthen bones. Therefore, this advert is intended to promote the benefits of milk.

Superman is considered as an icon, especially to young boys. The ‘signified’ of this advert is the message that comes out of it – Superman is strong and muscular because he drinks milk. In fact, one can observe milk on top of his upper lip (another ‘signifier’) to show that he really drinks milk.

Recently, Superman’s three-coloured Krypton coat of arms (shown also in this advert) started to symbolise “hope”, so the author sees another ‘signified’ here - the hope that is brought to mothers whose kids refuse to drink milk.

Credits: Colosseum

Advertising Agency: JWT, Milan, Italy

Executive Creative Director: Pietro Maestri

Creative Director: Bruno Bertelli

Art Director: Chiara Carsaniga

Copywriter: Danilo Fragale

Illustrator / 3D: StudioRos

(Holdings, 2009)

Persuasions used: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

The statement 'History is made in Rome' (Holdings, 2009) connotates a sense of power and rule, and Heineken wants beer-lovers to experience the ‘power’ whilst drinking their beer.

The use of low-key lighting created a dramatic effect. The beer bottles were stacked in the shape of Rome's iconic artefact, the Colosseum, and the green, white and red colour scheme connotates Italianicity (since they are the three colours of the Italian flag). Connecting the product to the Roman Empire was a significant way to confirm that the Heineken beer is of good quality and historical, in other words distinguished.

Credit: Heinz ketchup

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Cairo, Egypt

Creative Director: Ahmed Hussein

Art Director: Mohamed Moftah

Graphic Designer: Neviene Ragab

Copywriter: Noura Yousry

Photographer: AO Studio - Ahmed Othman

3D Artist: AO Studio - Ebrahim Barakat

Retoucher: AO Studio - Ahmed Othman

(Holdings, 2013)

Persuasions used: Ethos and Pathos Logos

Heinz ketchup is known worldwide. Most of Heinz's advertisements feature the fruit that the ketchup is made of, i.e. the tomato. However, in this advert, instead of using the usual concept, Heinz decided to show how well its ketchup blends with chicken meat. Here a pair of chicken thighs is coated thickly with the ketchup. Most probably, the reason why chicken was chosen is because it is regularly eaten by a good number of people, so the advert would appeal to many. All the quantity used shows the goodness of the product and that, no matter how much is used, the taste of the chicken would not be spoiled.

The number 57 signifies the 57th anniversary of the Heinz Company, and therefore that is another good sign for the customers and those people looking at the advert because it confirms success, reliability and products of good quality.

To the author, the red colour not only represents the colour of the tomatoes, which is the main ingredient of the ketchup, but it also connotates the passion and hard work being put in the production of this product.

Credits: Back of seats

Advertising Agency: Advico Y&R, Zurich, Switzerland

Persuasions used: Pathos and Logos

The following slogan “victims are people like you and me” (Holdings, 2009) sends a chill up people's spins and yet the words being said are unfortunately so true. Physical abuse is done anywhere in the world but some of these victims are afraid of taking action. Even though the advert printed behind this bus seat is a bit graphic for certain people, is still considered a powerful eye-opener for the author. This location photography was used wisely because when people board the bus and see the same image above, they would be experiencing the same food for thought as though it were viewed as a photograph in hand.

Risk assessment and Health and Safety practices both on location and in the studio

(michael wayne plant, no date)

References:

Advancing Your Photography (2011) Commercial photography techniques: Tips by Joey Lawrence. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6OmOnHNE6o (Accessed: 22 February 2017)

Framed Show (2014) Framed show - Erik Almas - advertising photography. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnF_r03wiTM (Accessed: 22 February 2017)

Unknown (2007) Share a ‘Wegasm’ together with latest Durex print ads. Available at: http://creativeadsagency.blogspot.com.mt/2011/03/share-together-with-latest-durex-print.html (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Werbung, G. (2014) Pedigree Gamepad campaign by AlmapBBDO. Available at: http://www.gutewerbung.net/pedigree-gamepad-campaign-almapbbdo/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Johnson, J. (2017) The greatest print campaigns of all time: Volkswagen think small. Available at: https://designshack.net/articles/graphics/the-greatest-print-campaigns-of-all-time-volkswagen-think-small/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017)

Austrew, A. (2015) This Mom-Shaming Breastfeeding ad is making me really want A Cheeseburger. Available at: http://www.scarymommy.com/this-mom-shaming-breastfeeding-ad-is-making-me-really-want-a-cheeseburger/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

DIGITALREV (no date) Beer Maker Pokes Fun at the Pregnancy Photoshoot in ‘Brewed with Love’ Ad. Available at: http://www.digitalrev.com/article/beer-maker-pokes-fun-at-the-pregnancy-photoshoot-in-brewed-with-love-ad (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Kuhrt, J. (2015) Beach-body ready or not, the real winners are the advertising industry. Available at: https://resistanceandrenewal.net/2015/05/02/beach-body-ready-or-not-the-real-winners-are-the-advertising-industry/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Admin (2016) The rules of advertising - creative culture. Available at: http://creativecultureint.com/the-rules-of-advertising/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Miller, T. (2014) ‘Got milk’ ads retired after 20 years of milk moustaches. Available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/milk-ads-retired-20-years-milk-moustaches-article-1.1701064 (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Movieweb (2006) Check out the Superman returns ‘got milk?’ Ad. Available at: http://movieweb.com/check-out-the-superman-returns-got-milk-ad/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Charles (2013) Creative advertisements & communication. Available at: https://archon1899.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/creative-advertisements-communication/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Gianatasio, D. (2016) Ad of the day: Honda’s ‘dreamer’ is an acid-level romp inside an auto designer’s mind. Available at: http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ad-day-hondas-dreamer-acid-level-romp-inside-auto-designers-mind-168836/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Designer Daily (2012) How to convince your clients of the importance of white space. Available at: http://www.designer-daily.com/how-to-convince-your-clients-of-the-importance-of-white-space-22971 (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Kattan, O. (2012) The VW beetle story: A lesson in brand persona development - brand stories - new age brand building. Available at: http://www.brandstories.net/2012/11/03/vw-beetle-story-lesson-in-brand-persona-development/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

adRuby (2013) There are enough angry faces - print advertisements. Available at: http://adruby.com/print-ads/there-are-enough-angry-faces (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Barsby, A. (2014) 20 of the best car print ads. Available at: http://carhoots.com/top-10s/top-car-print-ads/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

CAR ADVERTISING (no date) Available at: http://www.aikakauslehdet.fi/content/Tutkimusraportit/Mainonnan%20vaikuttavuus/Aikakausmedia_CARS_2014.pdf (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

liang, danny (2014) Semiotics. Available at: http://adv91dannyliang.blogspot.com.mt/2014/02/semiotics.html (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

rebeccaneller (2014) Tag archives: Lecture 5. Available at: https://convergingideaskib207.wordpress.com/tag/lecture-5/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

Product Photo Canada (2014) The difference between advertising photography and commercial photography. Available at: https://productphotographycanada.wordpress.com/2014/11/11/the-difference-between-advertising-photography-and-commercial-photography/ (Accessed: 19 February 2017)

michael wayne plant (no date) Health and safety for photographers. Available at: http://www.michaelwayneplant.com/health-safety-photographers/ (Accessed: 22 February 2017)

Holdings, M. (2013) Chicken. Available at: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/heinz_chicken (Accessed: 22 February 2017)

AlchinPrivacy, L. (2017) Colors of Roman clothing. Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/roman-clothing/colors-of-roman-clothing.htm (Accessed: 22 February 2017)

Task 2

Working with your Tools

Advertising photography consists of various photographic topics some of which include still life and fashion. This branch of photography allows the photographer to attract attention and to also communicate the necessary information to the views. In this unit, the student must demonstrate the knowledge about the said subject and how to use the necessary equipment, tool and techniques.

Before going into further detail about camera accessories, first one needs to discuss the creative process a photographer must take to obtain high quality advertising and commercial photographs both in a studio and on location. The following is the ‘Ten Best Tips for Taking a Perfect Car Photo’ written by Máté Petrány:

Step 1: Do some research about the product

Before coming up with creative ideas one must look up the brand and the company (maker) to get familiar with what the client is expecting of you to produce. Research not only allows the photographer to gain further knowledge but also get inspired. In this case, the author had to look up about Continental Cars Ltd. and one of their products the Audi Q5. The author found it quite effective to produce a mood board with include images which express certain features and location ideas.

Step 2: Use a proper camera

Tools: DSLR

Camera Formats

According to Petrány, “A DSLR, or a mirrorless, or a very good compact, something that was designed to do one thing: shoot under the widest possible range of conditions”. Even though mobile phone cameras have developed over the year, nothing can be replaced by a DSLR camera because they have a better advantage with regards to settings and a wider sensor size hence producing better quality in images.

Photography is split into many branches such as advertising and commercial. One of the important factors to consider when handling any type of photography practice is the choice of camera and its sensor size. These sensors are divided in three types: cropped, full-frame and medium format sensors. The quality of an image should also be taken seriousness and therefore, a large sensor would be a wiser decision in this case.

Shooting strategies and lighting style are two other factors to keep in mind when choosing the appropriate camera system. If one is expecting to photograph using a primary source such natural or ambient light, an APS-C or full frame DSLR is the best option because this allows the photographer to increase the ISO setting. On the other hand, if strobe lights are included in the photo process, a micro 4/3 camera should be used instead to produce outstanding imagery.

When it comes to a medium format camera, the ISO should only be set at either the base setting (around 100) or under 400. Just like the previous camera, this also encourages the photographer to use strobe lights to enhance better quality to the image.

Lens

Many lenses can be used in this type of photography. The following are some examples:

Tools: Camera accessories

Tripods / lens hoods / filters / cable releases

These accessories can be used for both a studio environment and outdoors. Tripods, lens hoods, filters / backdrops / light stands / boom arms / acrylic sheeting / tracing papers / props and models and cable releases are the small helpers which make a big task less challenging for the photographer

Step 3: Rules of photography

and

Step 4: Think about the composition

Beginners and professionals must keep the basic photographic rules in mind when on the job that includes photo compositions. Rule of Thirds, balancing elements, leading lines, symmetry and patterns, viewpoint, background, depth, framing and cropping are the main factors to keep in mind when photographing. These techniques allow the photographer to create an eye-catching image.

Step 5: Don't take pictures in a parking lot

Unless the client insists of shooting their car in garage, avoid the idea immediately. The product should attract people not discourage them not to buy the car. Finding a suitable location or studio is vital because the buyer can easily get an idea on how the car looks like on the road.

Step 6: Get a tripod

When shooting a car in the open road or in a studio, the settings are modified in a way that just by holding the camera can cause camera shake and that is where a tripod comes in. A tripod allows the photographer to keep the camera steady and at any angle.

Step 7: Experiment with long exposure

and

Step 8: Panning to capture speed

What is the one way to show the speed and velocity of a car in motion besides seeing the wheels going around? Long exposure is a beautiful light technique which creates trails of light. These light trails can be created by using the bulb setting which can be found on the shutter speed setting.

Step 9: Study light

There are different studio lighting systems which can be combined to any photo shoot especially in a car lighting setup. Electronic and incandescent, gels, diffusers and reflectors, and Infra-red triggers are some of the different lighting systems that photography can provide.

When shooting on location, large lights and diffusion frames are needed to illuminate the car from a distance. These measures must be taken to consideration to fight back the harsh natural lighting that could ruin an image in the adverting business.

Tools: Lighting

Electronic and incandescent / gels / diffusers and reflectors / Infra-red triggers

‘It’s the lighting not the camera’ says team Arqspin ‘“What camera should I get?” is a question that we get asked a lot at Arqspin. It’s an important one, but the question you should be asking is this: “what photography lighting should I get?” Having the newest camera can make a big difference if you’re in a low light scenario or shooting objects in motion, but you won’t face these situations when taking product photography. If you have any modern DSLR, point-and-shoot, or even a smartphone, it’s likely that investing in lighting will improve your product photography more than investing in a new camera’. (Arqspin, n.d.).

Team Arqspin do make an interesting point in the above quote. Without suitable lighting equipment, our photographs would not be top-notch as can be seen from todays’ advertising and commercial photographs. The following are some examples of lighting systems and equipment:

Traditional lights: incandescent and fluorescent.

Gels:

Infrared triggers:

Step 10: Go the extra mile and try things

Experiment a lot in order to achieve results.

Tools: Techniques and Examples: Studio and on location photo shoots

Exposure and focusing / Use of Studio Lighting Systems / studio set-ups / Behind the scenes

Scott Kelby’s Studio car photo shoot

In this example, Scott Kelby reveals the studio behind the scene magic of the Mercedes car. One can learn a few tips to keep in mind when observing his work.

Use a black piece to hide any light reflections which could create unappealing light forms on the car,
Reflectors play a hugs part in a photo shoot and this can be hard for any photography,
Experimentation is vital,
Use a polariser, in this case a dark one, to hide and hotspots that the light might do to the car,
Use low and high angle shots,
Keep the aperture at around f/11-22. This setting creates a full focus image to bring out the necessary detail,
Wide, Zoom, macro and telephoto lenses are essential to use.

Equipment used:

Five overhead White Lightning strobes;
A huge silk diffuser;
A large soft box;
Large black bounce card;
Ropes and pulleys;
A single large strip-bank;
Camera polarizer (dark);
Sony A99 camera with a swivel-out LCD monitor

In another example, for those photographers like myself who don’t own that many equipment can follow in the footsteps of photographers Joachim Guanzon and Marden Blake. In their behind the scenes footage, they explain how they produced their final advertising image of the Audi A4 car. This is a long stage procedure but the results are just as good as photo shoot with many lighting equipment. After set photographing the car all the images taken were then uploaded on Photoshop, overlayed and edited.

‘The goal is to make it look as if you had 20+ lights, grids, flags and reflectors to shoot your project. There is nothing better than hearing someone ask how many lights were needed to create your shot and revealing that you used only one. The trick is by doing something that could realistically be done with enough equipment and lighting skill, with only one light.’ (Guanzon and Blake, 2011).

Reference:

Carlos, J. (2016). Shooting a campaign for Infiniti Europe. [online] Joaocarlosphoto.blogspot.com.mt. Available at: http://joaocarlosphoto.blogspot.com.mt/2016/08/shooting-campaign-for-infiniti-europe.html [Accessed 8 Apr. 2017]

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Arqspin, (n.d.). Product Photography Lighting - Everything you need to know. [online] Arqspin. Available at: https://arqspin.com/its-the-lighting-not-the-camera/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2017]

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Schneegans, M. (n.d.). A Guide to Buying Cheap Wireless Flash Triggers. [online] Improve Photography. Available at: http://improvephotography.com/1054/a-guide-to-buying-cheap-wireless-flash-triggers/ [Accessed 2 Apr. 2017]

Stevesdigicams, (n.d.). Essential Equipment for Product Photography - Steve's Digicams. [online] Steves-digicams.com. Available at: http://www.steves-digicams.com/knowledge-center/how-tos/becoming-a-professional-photographer/essential-equipment-for-product-photography.html#b [Accessed 8 Apr. 2017]

Lin, C. (2014). Essential Photography Equipment Checklist. [online] SLR Lounge. Available at: https://www.slrlounge.com/essential-photography-equipment-checklist/ [Accessed 8 Apr. 2017]

Petrány, M. (2013). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Jalopnik.com. Available at: http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-best-tips-for-taking-a-perfect-car-photo-1466653688 [Accessed 8 Apr. 2017]

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Test shots

Headlight / car logo / car switches

Health and safety precautions were taken to account whilst doing the photo shoot. Since the photo shoot was on location the photographer had to make sure the it her surrounding were safe and that the car was allowed in the selected area.

Task 3

Small advertising brochure

In this part of task my teammates and I had to create a small brochure which included all the 4 cars: Seat (Jelena Attard), Audi (me), Volkswagen (Jennie Scicluna)and Porsche (All).