Photographer Research - Jonathan Knowles

Jonathan Knowles

Why I've chosen him

My reasons for choosing Jonathan Knowles as part of my photographer research is because his work is based around a lot of explosions with water and powder that are techniques I would like to develop from last year. Colour and pattern are both formal elements that are featured thoroughly in practically every Knowles photograph, and these formal elements are extremely important in advertising because colour is a vital feature for capturing someones attention, and pattern will most likely keep them interested in the photograph. Knowles uses creative techniques and photoshopped edits to form intriguing and refreshing pieces of photography. He is also part of my photographer research because his unique style has earned him award-winning advertising commissions worldwide. He has advertised a lot of beer brands which isn't something that I want to explore, however I do want to explore drinks, and the style he created the Bulmers piece in is a way I'd like to try out in my work. 

In this photograph, Jonathan Knowles has worked with Lowe Vietnam for its client Omo and created this campaign, the above image being one of the instalments. I like this photograph of Knowles for many reasons - one being that the creative element is strong. Having the beverage coming from the top of the frame and pouring down into the glass at the bottom, with a slight splash and added see through splash, is a technique that can immediately transform an average picture of a drink into a stylish and imaginative piece. The glass has condensation surfaced all around it, which conveys the beverage as being cool and refreshing. This is an attractive element of the photograph, along with the ice cubes seeping through the drink and coming through to the glass, because it makes the drink look inviting; especially if someone was to see this advertisement on the street during a hot summers day. The contrast of the drink against the white background is effective, as it allows the colour of the beverage to stand out - colour and pattern being the most apparent formal elements in this piece.   

Knowles worked on this piece for the brand Bulmers, which is the biggest selling British bottled cider brand in the UK. They released a new zesty blood orange flavour, that Knowles has visually presented in this advertisement. He captured the close up of an Orange and clearly increased the saturation of its outline, along with adding tints of dark red to emphasise the 'blood orange' flavour - as red has the connotation of blood. He then simply placed over the top, his cutout picture of the bottle and situated it in the centre of the sliced fruit. This overall image is an extremely attractive and successful piece of advertising photography because the colours are bold, along with tone in the orange slice to increase the realistic appearance of the fruit. There is pattern all around the fruit and it looks as though the Bulmers bottle is emerging from the centre, which represents how the drink has come from (been made) from the orange. By Knowles using white font for the "New Zesty Blood Orange" title, it stands out against the dark hot colours of the fruit. It is also all in capitals which adds a dramatic effect to the audience when they read it, as it almost appears as though it's shouting it out to you. 

This photograph is oozing with refreshing flavours. Having the composition be in the format of a portrait allows plenty of space for the can to sink into a deep section of tonic water. The water has rippled as the can hits the surface and curled around the top of the packaging, sprinkles of leftover liquid spritzing out the top of the water. There are slices of limes floating around in the water surrounding the can, along with chunky ice cubes, all with fizzy bubbles hugging them. Having added flavours and food/drink items in part of the frame with the can of drink conveys the items that could be added with the drink in order for the consumer to experience the best taste e.g. an added slice of lime in the drink and a few ice cubes to keep it cool. Having all of this against a white background adds to the refreshing appearance of the image, as white contrasts with the dark green can, rather then having it blend in with an all black background. The added words again at the bottom of the advertisement is a title that could tempt somebody into purchasing this drink as it says that it's "perfect for the evening", and also mentioning Schweppes Tonic water as being the drink mixed with the gin in this can - therefore advertising two of Schweppes products in just one advertisement. 

Contrasting with the other styles of Knowles work, this photograph is completely different. It still conforms to the theme of advertising, but instead looks at make up. Here in this image are a mixture of eye shadows, all blended together on the left in solid and powder form. To the right of the frame is a dust combination of the orange, purple and blue powders which blend together in a messy but artistic way. I like in this image that there are two sections of the frame which are dedicated to different subjects. The left is just the start of the make up crumbling and the right is the outcome of the eye shadows being crushed. Colour and pattern are strong formal elements in this photograph which stand out against the white background. The composition is effective and the contrast of colours look attractive when they are all grouped together. Overall, this beauty photograph is an appealing piece that is inspiring with all for the messy powder formations. 

How he has influenced me

After looking at Knowles extremely bright and colourful work in this post, I came up with many ideas to advertise products. I was certain that I'd be enhancing the bright and saturated colours of the products I shot, as this is always an element that intrigues a viewer. I looked at photographing drinks such as Innocent smoothies as I wanted to make the bottle stand out from the frame, similar to his Bulmers piece. I used three bottles for this shoot, and placed two in the distance to exaggerate the front one as emerging from the composition. This bottle is therefore the focal point of the piece, emphasised by the background bottles. The skittles piece is something that I wanted to create in order to have the frame bursting with colour, and no empty space. I thought this was the perfect confectionery to capture a highly saturated image. 

Summary

Overall, Jonathan Knowles is a mixed photographer who looks at more than one advertising concept. He doesn't just look at food, and he doesn't just look at make up. By exploring all this variety results in him being a very inspirational photographer of mine that I can find inspiration from with a range of subjects and products. Knowles also adds interesting and stylish artistic techniques to his images such as the splashes in the top image and the mixture of two pictures in the second image. I admire Knowles bright and bold approach to his work and it's visual appearance is always so slick and well thought out - none of his work is cluttered or messy, it's evidently professional. 

Photographer Research - Josh Caudwell

Josh Caudwell

Why I've chosen him

Josh Caudwell is a London based photographer who specialises in commercial photography and also looks at fine art. His work is unique and varied in comparison to some of my other photographers. The reason that I have chosen him to be part of my photographer research is because a lot of his work appeals to me, as I don't just want to look at food and drinks in this project. My topic is advertising, and advertising is what I want to do. Under this topic comes an endless list of subjects and products that could be advertised through photography, and many of Josh Caudwell's pieces are part of them; nail varnish, bags, peoples possessions and alcoholic drinks etc. There are surreal elements in many of Caudwell's pieces that inspire me for when it comes to capturing images for my project along with ordinary elements that are also inspiring. Caudwell explores a variety of formal elements in his photography and he doesn't just specify around one area. His versatile approach to his work is an attractive trait of Caudwell's that is visually evident in his photographs. 

This is an example of Caudwell's beauty photography which is just one of many themes that this man photographs. In this image, it is evident that the overall piece has been put together; not naturally shot. As it would be impossible for 5 nail varnish bottles to all balance on top of each other on their sides, with one elegant drip of the product seeping through the lidless packaging. This photoshopped technique has allowed a very creative and effective piece to be formed, as the image isn't messy - which it would have been if this was created naturally - instead it is attractive and oozing with femininity, which you would expect from beauty photography. The combination of pinks tones allow for them to appeal to a mixture of audiences, as one colour might not to appeal to someone but another colour might. This is a beautiful piece of commercial photography that has been composed well. The slight reflection beneath the bottom bottle is also an interesting touch made by Caudwell as this adds to the feminine appearance. There are minimal shadows featured in this photograph which reduces the harsh and bold look that nail varnish bottles shouldn't have. They are an elegant and glam beauty product which is reinforced by the bright lighting, with just enough contrast to keep the overall image at a balance. 

This is a more unique and different photograph of Caudwells. He has taken a few of these with the same style, but consisting of different props. This style of photography appears to be fashion themed mixed with a persons belongings. It conveys someones identity, and as a result advertises their taste in fashion and hobbies: filming/photographing. On the other hand, the above props could be products of a store, and this combination is what you can style the props with e.g. a brown belt with a brown faced watch and black frame glasses etc. The grey wooden bench beneath the objects was an interesting background to have these items on as it creates a rustic appearance, close to becoming slightly vintage. The props in this photo have been situated around each other in an artistic arrangement, therefore creating a successful composition. The formal elements line and shape are extremely apparent in this piece and it is these that make this photograph a successful outcome of his commercial work. 

This is yet another photograph of Caudwells that is different in it's own way. He has shot a lot of alcoholic drinks in his work that involve some form of splash. In this photograph movement is extremely apparent - this formal element stands out the most. It is an important part of the image because the only still life object is the orange on top of the breadboard. Having the remaining props captured in motion makes the overall photograph eye catching and interesting. There's a slice of lime and a slice of orange in the air along with the alcoholic beverage splashing out of the glass. Ice cubes have also joined the composition as this would also be part of the contents in the glass before it erupted. Trickles of the drink are featured near the orange slice to create a more natural appearance of the piece instead of having a splash of drink flying out the glass but appearing nowhere else in the frame. The two knives are also in the frame as these would have been the cutting knives used for slicing the fruits. All props and food items used in order to create this drink have been captured in one image, even if they haven't been elegantly presented. The surreal approach is successful in replacement of an ordinary shot because the overall pieces looks a lot more appealing. Caudwell's creative juices were definitely flowing in the creation of this photograph.

Another style of Caudwell's consists of this. He has photographed designer bags in a way that displays to the audience their 3D nature instead of a 2D version. He has pulled the strap out and extended it to its furthest in order for the audience to compare the size of the strap with the bag. Caudwell has also presented the designer tag so that the audience can see what style it is. The beautiful light grey colour of the bag has been  portrayed through a high key lighting set up as there is extremely minimal shadow casted over the bag. The cubes is a style that Caudwell has used in his other photographs of bags, as it adds to the creativity of the overall images. Having these variety of sized cubes act as accessories in the photograph adds to the creativity of the piece, which is something I see as vital when capturing advertising photography.

How he has influenced me

Caudwell inspired me to photograph some flattering and feminine products after looking at his work of the nail varnish bottles, personal belongings and handbag. The majority of the lighting used in Caudwell's work is high key, which illuminates the bright appearance of the subject he's photographing. I used two light boxes and a beam in the photographs of mine above to add a sparkle to the outer packaging of the perfumes, and a white background to allow the colours of the subject to emerge from the frame. Unfortunately, I was unable to create anything with the surrealistic movement except for the momiji doll and popcorn in shoot 6. Therefore, the 3rd photograph of Caudwell's in this post didn't inspire me as much as I'd have liked it too. I will be exploring more of the surreal technique in Unit 4.

Summary

To conclude, Josh Caudwell has captured many different styles of photographs, all with equal pros, and all oozing with creativity. His pieces always look well thought out and have a nice finish to them instead of appearing incomplete and lacking in imagination. Caudwells work attracted me because of just how versatile his photographs are. He doesn't specialise in anythng inparticular which I think is a benefit in advertising/commercial photography because it reduces the risk of becoming stuck with developing an idea. He explores a mixture of formal elements in his work which is also something that makes his work attractive, because it isn't repetitive, therefore every piece is refreshing to look at.

Photographer Research - Kimberly Davis

Kimberly Davis

Why I've chosen her

Kimberly Davis is a female photographer who I have chosen to look at and study in extra detail for many reasons; not only because of her food and drink theme. She doesn't individually just capture food based images, but she also specialises in interior and lifestyle photography which could be possible elements that I explore in my project. She likes to take photographs of "all things pretty"which is something that I can relate to on some level. I like to create images that look clean, slick and well thought out instead of dark, rustic and cluttered. I am definitely into all things bright and vibrant, and enjoy the photography technique high key lighting. Kimberly Davis has used this technique in an assortment of her photographs and her subjects are also food items that I was thinking about capturing when it comes to my shoots. Her work is exceptionally appealing because every item of food that she takes a photograph of looks edible through the screen, which is what food photographers should make their viewers want to do.

This pancake photograph is an example of what a lot of Davis' work looks like. She captures a variety of breakfast foods, exploring the continental treats that you'd find in places like Italy and France. She has created a plate of pancake towers, one clear and defined in the foreground and the other blurred and fuzzy in the background. Setting this composition out means that there is more for the audience to look at in the distance instead of having just 4 tiny pancakes in the frame. The more of this food there is, the extra indulgent it looks. The added syrup dripping from the top of the pancake down to the bottom in thick puddles looks extremely mouth watering and most certainly builds an appetite in the audience. A camera technique has been used in this image to exaggerate the subject. An intense blur has blocked out everything surrounding the front 4 pancakes allowing these to be more 'up in someone's face' instead of having equal definition on both pancake towers. One standing out more in the frame is a lot more dramatic and effective as an overall photograph. Also, the simplistic colours of beige and white compliment each other exceptionally well. There is no clutter in the frame, and the plate of food looks oddly clean for what it is; anything with syrup on could effect the graceful appearance it has the potential to have. 

This portrait photograph conveying a plate of cake slices looks extremely appetising. The slices create a 3D circle emerging from the plate into the viewers eye, which allows for the slices to look as though they have all come from the same one, even though five different cakes have been baked just to create the illusion of one. The toppings that I can make out from the image is cherries, truffle, chocolate, cream and perhaps ginger. These flavours are all extremely tasty but also very different. By having 5 different flavoured cakes presented in the frame as one illustrates a different flavour to a variety of different audiences. Through this technique, the image is able to grasp the attention of a mixed amount of people instead of just those who like chocolate cake for example. This technique could have been used for a certain brand that sells different flavoured cakes, advertising all five of them here in one image. Furthermore, there being an empty space in the circle formation adds a sense of enigma, as the audience may wonder what the sixth flavour of cake is. This could draw them into researching the brand or perhaps popping to the shop to find out. The image could have appeared a little extra natural if there were a few crumbs surrounding the cakes or on the place mat beneath the plate, just as an extra little touch.

The reason for me looking at this photograph is because it is different to Davis' other ones. This is more of an establishing shot, illustrating a whole setting with a mixture of food and drink all situated in different segments of the picnic blanket. Another reason as to why I like this photograph is because it has been captured through a birds eye view. I feel that having the camera look down on products mean that the viewers gets a better sense for the contents of a product instead of the  outer packaging. The picture is oozing with the theme of summer and warm weather. The vibrant multicoloured props and food in this picture are eye catching and have the connotation of positive emotions mixed with summer time fun. In this photograph is strawberry cheesecake, watermelon, cupcakes, ice cubes, chicken wings, sandwiches and cherries etc. These are all appetising foods that are eaten often around this season, therefore Davis' has successfully captured what Summer looks like through food; delicious and refreshing. I want to look at these positive colourful foods myself in my project, which is why looking at a lot of Davis' work means that I can get a feel for the type of foods I should and could create in my shoots. 

This last photograph of Davis' is a savoury dish in comparison to her sweet treats. The dish looks like it could be an appetiser or a starter for someone in an exquisite restaurant. The dish appears elegant and sophisticated, in comparison to what it could like if it was a plate of onion rings or garlic bread that are the usual starters for a lot of people. The amount of fresh colours in this dish is the main attraction in my opinion. The green tones and white vegetables are just screaming the word "healthy". Davis doesn't just capture foods for those who enjoy a high fat snack at times, but also for those who are perhaps on a diet or are eating clean. The eating clean theme is further emphasised by the bright white tablecloth that the plate is sat on, along with the white plate itself. White has the connotation of purity, so by Davis using this colour as the main theme could perhaps suggest to the audience how eating clean keeps your mental and physical well-being pure. I like the added pour of complimentary sauce in the top right hand corner of the frame. There is only a slight dribble of this liquid but it adds to the colours and delectable touch of the overall dish and photograph. 

How she has influenced me

Kimberly Davis influenced me with food photography. I wanted to create a set up like she did in her picnic picture. Hers was captured from a birds eye view, which is how I also shot my photograph. This way, I was able to photograph a set of ingredients without worrying about their proportions, because from a birds eye point of view you just need to situate the products in a way where they fill the frame rather than worrying about the products angles. I want to take more pictures similar to this one with more subjects in the frame and maybe hands and feet like Davis did. I also took an assortment of food photography in shoot 6 inspired by Davis with tasty treats that looked appealing, such as the cupcake one above.

Summary

Overall, Kimberly Davis' work is a visual scrumptious adventure. She really captures photographs of food that appear heavenly and inviting to the eye and to the tongue. Her savoury and sweet foods are the types of dishes that I'd like to cook up and photograph. She explores an effective amount of formal elements in her work which makes every single one eye-catching and visually pleasing. Davis' high key lighting technique is also something that I admire because of how bright and positive it makes her photographs look. This is something I want to explore, and Davis' has given me some of the inspiration that I need to do this successfully. 

Photographer Research - Richard Pullar

Richard Pullar

Why I've chosen him

Richard Pullar is a male photographer part of Morgan Lockyer Photographers based in London. He has worked on commercial and advertising briefs and created an endless amount of imaginative magazine pieces that appeal to me immensely and were the main selling point for me when I discovered him on the Internet. The reason that I want to study this photographer in more depth is because his work is a variety of edited images to bursting with colour styled photographs. Pullar has also worked with a lot of worldwide food companies such as McDonalds, Dominos, Pret A Manger and Innocent etc. which is another reason as to why I am looking at this mans work. The formal element featured mainly in Pullar's work is colour, which is my favourite out of all the ten. I want to explore interesting editing techniques along with applying some words/whacky slogans/illustrations to my photographs, which is what Pullard has done in some of his work; so by me researching his talent and skill I am able to understand and get a feel for the types of photographs I could capture and create, whilst being inspired by Pullar along the way.

This photograph has been captured with a birds eye view looking down upon the box of confectionery.  I  really like this photograph for an assortment of reasons. Firstly, the composition is effective having just the box of macaroons in line with the rest of the frame. There is no slant on the box or a mismatch of subjects; just simply a box of tasty treats which means that the audience are not distracted by anything else in the frame. The colours are a mixture of unusual tones, varying from a faint lime green to light mustard to pastel pink to hot pink to medium brown. These colours appear to look autumnal, which could be a relevant element in the photograph; perhaps suggesting and having the connotation of this food item being the perfect snack as the weather grows colder. In my opinion, the colours of the confectionery seem extremely vintage, and the tissue paper beneath them adds to the vintage style. Also, having the half eaten macaroon to the bottom left of the box could perhaps convey to the viewer that the treats were too good to just take a photo of; the photographer couldn't hold his tongue when it came to thinking about their taste.

These photographs of Pullar's are ones that were featured in magazines for the advertisement of Pret's fresh juices. I looked at photographs found in magazines because these often include features that I engage with the most - these are bright white backgrounds and photoshopped elements. I am always guaranteed stumbling across a photoshopped image when looking at advertisement pages in magazines, and this is the technique I enjoy using the most. Having a heart made out of the ingredients found in the bottle of healthiness is an extremely fascinating and interesting decision made by the photographer. The hearts convey that what the drink is made out of is extremely good for your health. This is reinforced by the actual physical appearance of the photographs. The hearts have been made out of the fruits and veg which has the connotation of your 5 a day being an extremely necessary day to day routine for somebody to get themselves into as it is beneficial for your physical and mental health. The slogans for these drinks are also important elements of the overall images because they both compliment each other. One advertises their packaging whilst also advertising the other, advertising how drinking your greens and your reds, or your reds and your greens, is significant; not just drinking one of them.  I want to experiment with typography in some of my photographs to create actual advertisements. 

Not only did I want to look at sweet treats and drinks through this photographer, but I also wanted to look at Pullar's savoury photography, because this food item can also be photographed in an attractive way, if done right. Pullar's savoury photography is most certainly captured beautifully, as he creates food that is photogenic. Above is an image of pizza, but they have been made singularly and cut into squares, instead of just simply photographing a large pizza in circle formation. By having this famous Saturday night takeaway cut into squares presents it as being a light snack, even if Pizza isn't wildly healthy for you, it most certainly looks like it is this image. The roasted veg on top of the dough sprinkled with herbs was an effective touch, because as soon as you add a slight handful of herbs onto a dish, it appears immediately transformed into something professional from something average. The composition in this photographs is inspiring because a plate of the food hasn't all been illustrated in the frame, instead it comes in from the right side, and then a tissue is placed next to it with a couple of the pizza slices on top. Surrounding this photograph's subject is a small segment of tomatoes, a small segments of lettuce, and a barely visible glass of an ingredient. The extra additives in the frame present the image as looking faultless, because they complete it.

Lastly, this photograph is another photoshopped one; which is of course one of the main reasons as to why I admire this image. The aesthetics of the photograph is extremely effective with the unusual cubes of oranges complimented by the slash of orange juice pouring around the frame. The image could at first be mistaken for there being cubed lemons in the frame, however the orange juice corrects the viewer's assumptions which is a clever feature made by Pullar. If someone is muddled by the subject of a photograph, something else in the frame should surely amend their confusion, and in this case it certainly does. The cubes of orange make this fruit look a lot more tasty than if the outer shell of the fruit was captured, because the juicy contents looks a lot more mouth watering, and this was definitely Pullar's intention. The reflection below the oranges is also an attractive touch because it adds to the enticing appearance of the fruits. Through the use of the orange juice pouring down in the frame in a surreal way, further illustrates Pullar's creative gene; his most attractive trait in my opinion. It is a very inspirational photograph because there are many different fruits that you could do this with, and maybe even mix some fruits together e.g. summer fruits.

How he has influenced me

 

When it comes to photographing fresh food products and making them look appealing, I took inspiration from Richard Pullar to use a white background and have the subject contrast with this colour, allowing the focal point to pop. I enhanced this technique by using selective colour in my print techniques post, emphasising the yellow colour in a more effective style against the black and white surroundings. Pullar's picture of the orange cubes and orange juice splash inspired me to do a shoot with people and their reaction to the sharp flavour of lemons, where the outcomes were extremely successful.

Summary

Overall, Richard Pullar is an extremely creative, imaginative and gifted photographer with an endless amount of ideas for advertising and commercial photography. His work is overflowing with relevant intentions and successful talent, all merged into one photograph to illustrate a colourful, vibrant, eye catching and striking outcome. He is one of my top favourites when it comes to my photographer research because his ideas for advertising photography are so in sync with my own. Many of his images include ideas that I had when it came to cooking up some photoshop technique ideas in order to capture a visual solution to advertising. In order for food and drink to sell, it has to prompt the viewer into wanting a taste - resulting in them being persuaded to buy a product through the simple nudge of a creative photograph. 

Research log

Andrew Scrivani

http://andrewscrivani.com/







Andrew Scrivani is a commercial photographer and director who has extensive experience in all three areas of food and lifestyle photography and videography, editorial, publishing and advertising. He is also an internationally recognised workshop instructor and columnist on the subject of food visuals. His work can be seen regularly in the New York Times. What I like the most about Scrivani's work is that it is all based around food, keeping this topic as the focal point of every image varying from starter dishes to dinners to desserts to drinks. This combination of photography provides many inspirational images for me and my topic, as I have found with this man's work a good variety of compositions I can use when photographing food myself in my project. His work is always so colourful, even if the colours aren't bright and vibrant, they are still apparent and create a vary attractive look to all of the food and drinks that he captures. It is very likely that Scrivani will be a photographer who I study in depth for my advertising project because he has truly inspired me in preparation for my upcoming shoots.

Jonathan Knowles

http://jknowles.co.uk

 

Jonathan Knowles is one of the leading photographers of his generation. He specialises in graphic still life, liquid and beauty, with which his unique photographic style has earned him award-winning advertising commissions worldwide; these include campaigns for many globally recognised brands, such as Guinness, Coca-Cola and Smirnoff (as shown above). He is also the creator of the famous O2 bubbles. His work is quite literally exploding with colour, and this is the most interesting formal element for me out of the ten when it comes to creating attractive and unique pieces that immediately catch someones eye. He also photographs people in his shoots along with other products such as beauty which means he is more vast in his practical work in comparison to me looking at just a food photographer. He is an extremely inspirational photographer for my project because Knowles has consistently been featured in the '200 Best Advertising Photographers in the World' books. He is also one of the top 10 all time award winners in the Graphis Annuals

Christina Otero

http://www.cristinaotero.com/

Christina Otero is a Spanish photographer and an artist who specialises in self portraits. She is only 19 and is the youngest artist in Spain who has ever exhibited individually in an art gallery, when she was 15. Her work varies between art and photography, exploring many formal elements such as colour, pattern, shape, form and texture. The top image is an example of her art, images that I thought about creating before I even found this artist. I wanted to create themes in my work e.g. have a model with a red lip, wearing a red top, with red nails and a red hair accessory holding a red piece of fruit (a strawberry) in front of her mouth. I wanted to do this with many other coloured fruits as well, so stumbling across Otero's work has been extra inspiration and provided me with more ideas and options that I would be able to explore through this type of creation. The bottom picture is a photograph of hers which is also inspirational, because it is filled with vibrant colours and this is the style of work I aspire to create in my advertising project. 

Richard Pullar

http://www.richardpullar.com

Richard Pullar is a photographer based in London who is part of Morgan Lockyer Photographers Agents. He has worked with many famous companies/brands over the years such as McDonalds, Dominos, Krusovice Beer, Pret A Manger and Innocent Smoothies etc. The top image is an example of the types of photographs that Pullar captures, varying from simple shots of sweets filled with lots of colour to creative Photoshopped pieces like the image below. Pullar has worked on many magazine advertisements which is one of the main reasons as to why I admire his work so much, because I aspire to create magazine quality pictures. He could perhaps be included in my photographer research in this project because his work is so relevant to mine and filled with advertising themes. 

Mary Helen Leonard

http://www.marymakesgood.com

Mary Helen Leonard is a Blogger who creates recipes for tasty food, remedies for people's faces and bodies created with natural food sources, along with Blogging about arts and crafts. She is a very creative woman bursting with imagination, and this definitely shows in her Blog and her work/photography. She created her own book called "The Natural Beauty Solution" with which she spoke about her beauty remedies made with natural food. Kimberly Davis was the photographer behind all of these ideas in the pictures featured in Leonard's book, and an example of these are above - the bottom two images. So her and Davis have worked together on this book, whilst the top image is just Leonard's when she is posting a Blog post on a recipe. I like the collage of two images in one like the top photograph

Kimberly Davis

www.kimberlydavisphotography.com

Kimberly Davis is a food, interiors and lifestyle photographer for editorial and commercial clients based in Austin, TX. With this woman I have looked at more of her food based work, because here I am able to find the most interesting and artistic style for food to be captured, as this is one of the main elements in my project that I am exploring. Kimberly takes beautiful pictures of food varying from close ups of just the food to establishing shots of the food in its kitchen surroundings. I like both of these styles in her work because the ones that include just food look the most simplistic and make it more straightforward when advertising certain products, whilst the establishing style shots create depth and more of a homely natural set up instead of one that has been man made. 

Christopher Boffoli

http://www.bigappetites.net

Scale juxtaposition - mixing tiny people with real world objects - is a technique that has been employed in the media for centuries (from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726) to Honey I Shrunk The Kids (1989) to the Pillsbury Doughboy) tapping into people's general fascination with miniature things. Christopher is routinely approached by advertising and marketing brands, both large and small, to design attention-getting images to support their products. He also works with magazine and book editors on custom images for a range of publications. The reason that I have included Christopher Boffoli in my research log is because his work has a very individual flavour to it in comparison to the other photographers in this post. I enjoyed mixing small people with big things last year in my "evidence" project, so to expand and develop that idea of mine this year would be enjoyable and interesting to see how I could introduce more Photoshop techniques.

Ashkan Honarvar

http://www.ashkanhonarvar.com

Ashkan Honarvar´s collages present the human body "at the center of microcosmic theatres of dichotomy in which irrationality permeates logic, serenity belies violence, and luxury secretes exploitation. Tragically vulnerable to injury yet resilient in its ability to heal, the body itself is a living paradox: its vitality can be beautiful; its deformation, grotesque." Because I have been looking at a lot of variety of food photography in this post, I found it extremely intriguing to perhaps look at portraits of people with elements of food in, and what a more perfect photographer to choose from than Ashkan Honarvar; who makes the tastiness of sweets, a positive food, have the appearance of a negative disturbing accident. The picture above on the left looks as though that side of the mans cheek has completely fallen off, leaving behind fresh flesh. It's a very grim appearance that can only truly be appreciated as a piece of photography when the audience notice the look-a-like cut is actually combined of just sweets. 

Michael Clinard

http://www.michaelclinard.com/quirky/

The son of an Ecuadorian mother and her Tennessee stud, Michael Clinard is a conceptual photographer from the era of 8-bit Nintendo and unsupervised bottle rocket wars. Clinard's offbeat and whimsically-infused photographic style is informed by degrees in art and art history and an interest in science, philosophy and theory. Michael tinkers and keeps sketchbooks in a home outside Seattle that he shares with his wife, three-year old daughter and a set of twins. His work is by far one of the most unique styles in this post that I find interesting and extremely intriguing. 

David Gilliver

http://www.davidgilliver.com/photography/

David Gilliver graduated from the Fine Art Photography course at the Glasgow School of Art in the year 2001, before moving to live on the beautiful Island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. His work has received some very welcome attention over the past few years and this has led to him becoming involved in some great projects. Gilliver's work has been used both in a fine art context as well as in the commercial space. The above images are examples of his macro photography in which he includes miniature characters surrounded by a larger space; for example he has used water coming out from an Evian bottle as a pond for people to boat on through the cap of the bottle. Many of his images are like the two above which are extremely engrossing and unique, making the audience wish that they were perhaps the size of the miniature characters featured in Gilliver's macro photography. His work is similar to Christopher Boffoli's, but in Gilliver's work you see more of the character in the image as the frame is a lot closer to the subject.

Tomaas

http://tomaas.com

Visionary image-maker Tomaas created cinematic, surreal, yet realistic fashion and beauty imagery. His edgy signature style is vibrant, dramatic and subtle. Tomaas' work exemplifies a unique photographic experience where subject matter, atmosphere and environment coalesce into a single narrative that reveals its own story. All details are equally essential in Tomaas' work. His precise vision illuminates a complete concept that creates a bold and indelible impression. Tomaas has lived in NYC for 18 years and is now based in Paris. His images have been and continue to be shown in an ever expanding number of international publications such as Vogue Italia, W Magazine, VS, Marie Claire, Qvest, Twill etc. His work has also been exhibited in several New York galleries. The reason that I've included this photographer in y research log is because his work is filled with colour and pattern and shape and character; the mixture of sweets with cutsie models is an attractive combination in Tomaas' work. The girly pink backdrop is also a common reoccurring element featured in his candy style photographs.

Henrik Bonnevier

http://henrikbonnevier.blogspot.co.uk

Henrik Bonnevier's rich still-life photography is spiced with originality. Whether cookware or other products, Henrik's photographs are always smart and perfected in detail, portraying nontraditional and delicate compositions. Henrik always creates a unique relationship with objects and products, emphasising their movement and dynamism. Henrik Bonnevier, born 1972, dreamt of a life as a skiing photographer in his twenties and later found himself creating the cover of Moby's biggest selling CD ever. His work consists of a lot of people's possessions which have been conveyed in the bottom image. There is no body involved with this image, instead just a face created with a sausage as the mouth and glasses representing their eyes.

Jeff Myers

http://henrikbonnevier.blogspot.co.uk

Jeff Myers has been in commercial photography since 1978. Based out of Houston, Texas, Jeff has learnt how to handle many different assignments, whether the assignment is in the Studio or on Location. He is comfortable in any environment, from oil rings, to corporate offices. With his photography appearing in numerous Annual Reports, Magazines (both Editorial and Advertising), Catalogues and Brochures, and having won numerous awards for his work, Jeff strives constantly to make the next shot his best. His work isn't just situated around food, but he also explores architecture, illustration and portraits. It is his food based work that I am looking at for inspiration and guidance with composition and editing, which I actually think isn't that creative in comparison to some of the food photographers in this post. His work appears quite dainty when it comes to food; he doesn't photograph an excess amount, instead he captures small slices e.g. this pie above. I like his feminine style when it comes to capturing sweet treats and the composition of his subject, and this is why his work caught my attention.  

Timothy Hogan

http://www.timothy-hogan.com/#!/index/C00004N4MIuXWLP4/G0000HdYG4uiQSto/I0000LQjYdzQXvlw

Timothy Hogan is an award-winning commercial photographer based in sunny, Los Angeles, California. Known for his lighting mastery and craftsman's approach to the creative process, Hogan works worldwide for an array of international luxury brands and advertising agencies in the beauty, fashion, beverage and design industries. These top clients repeatedly seek Timothy out for his dramatic imagery and collaborative, easygoing nature. Drawing support from the best producers, retouchers and studios in the business, Timothy's team forges long lasting relationships rooted in the ability to problem solve with clients based on a marketing background and years of experience. His work reminds me of Jonathan Knowles' work with the splashes added into the image through photoshop. 

Christophe Gilbert

http://www.pondly.com/2011/04/stunning-photography-by-christophe-gilbert/

Christophe Gilbert is a Belgian photographer from Bruxelles, specialized in visual art. Born in Brussels in 1962, Christophe Gilbert started by taking courses of photography to the Academy of Ixelles in the course of the evening during one year. The CCB Awards (Creative Club of Belgium), whose objective is to precede and promote the Belgian creativity, rewarded him in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005. Looking through his amazing portfolio of work, I'm left speechless by the way he can manipulate liquids like paint and water. Wonderfully witty as well as sexy and cool, Gilbert’s work rises above the rest with its distinct and clever style. His photography contains a large amount of nudity which could be inappropriate for some audiences, however I believe that he covers just the right amount of the ladies body parts to take the attention away from just the women's figures. I especially admire the bath photograph filled with melted chocolate as this relates to my food theme. Many of his photographs are similar to the two above in the way that they involve splashes/liquids that flow elegantly and look appealing instead of uncomfortable and gross like chocolate could look if it wasn't photographed/set up carefully.

Cathie King

http://www.cathiekingphotography.com

Cathie King specialises in creative portraits, travel, landscape, still life and commercial photography. The portraits that she photographs includes, but not limited, to families and pets corporate and environmental. Her commercial work includes, but not limited, to products, food, aerial and real estate. Her work is so vast and filled with exploratory ideas that I feel as though King is a very useful photographer for me to study because in my project I also want to look at food, as well as beauty, travel, still life and portraits. I like in her food photography that a lot of high key lighting is used, and there is always another creative element involved in her pieces such as the pattern/shape of the water in the top image and the reflection in the bottom image. Overall, I find King's work fascinating and very inspirational, encouraging me to study her as part of my photographer research. 

Josh Caudwell

http://www.joshcaudwell.com

Josh Caudwell is a photographer of commercial advertising imagery and of fine art photography. He is based in London, UK. He produces powerful work, blending creativity, passion and craftsmanship. Josh has enjoyed a strong affiliation with art and design from a very young age. In university he trained as a graphic designer, and subsequently as a photo retoucher, before latterly coming to photography. He has since honed his photography skills by working under internationally successful fashion photographer Ram Shergill and advertising photographer Atton Conrad. This multidisciplinary background has afforded Josh a uniquely diverse perspective and an understanding of image creation to its core. He varies from creating work with make up and food/drinks which I have displayed above. The make up photography that Caudwell captures is very colourful and creative against white backgrounds allowing the bold colour of the beauty products to be the focal point of these style of images.

Hannah Whitaker

http://hwhitaker.com/

Based in New York, Hannah Whitaker studied photography at Yale and the ICP-Bard Program. She started her commercial and editorial career shooting regularly for New York and W Magazines. She has then since expanded her client list and has had her work widely exhibited. Her work is vibrant and unique; but the one above is my most favourite photograph of hers. It links with my advertising project extremely because food and other elements (nail varnish) have been blended into one image. The mixture of colours in this piece have been used exceptionally well and the high key lighting technique allows for there to be no unattractive shadows featured in the photograph. The combination of orange and pink colours was a smart idea from Whitaker because these colours represent the tones in a fruit punch, which would then pair perfectly with the use of a hand holding the orange in a slight fist shape; visually illustrating a fruit punch. She may be included in my project as inspiration because I admire her work and find it extremely fascinating. 

Steve Kraitt

http://www.kraitt.com

"I always believe a good photograph is like a good joke. If you have to explain it, it just isn't that good" is something that Steve Kraitt said. I love this quote, and I love his work, and I find that Kraitt is a very artistic outgoing photographer who creates an endless amount of intriguing photographs with just the use of women's mouths. He is a fashion and beauty photographer based in London, England specialising in advertising, commercial, editorial and conceptual photography and hi-end digital retouching.The pictures of his that inspire me in my project are the ones that involve food e.g. the watermelon above and the candy burger. There are either pictures where the focal point is of an object in someones mouth, and it's just the lip outline that fills the frame, or there is more of the persons body involved in the frame with again, the use of an object with someones mouth. 

Sonia Rentsch

http://trendland.com/photography/

Sonia Rentsch has a very consistent surreal theme in her work, which is one of the main aspects that drew me towards her art directory talents. Her creations are all bursting with imagination and fascinating ideas that I have a real taste for when it comes to admiring photographs. As my project is based around advertising, I think that it is extremely important for a product to be photographed or Photoshopped in an extremely artistic way, which is exactly what Rentsch does with her pieces. The two pictures of hers that I have featured above are my favourite style of hers because it shows the main important parts that someone needs to see (the plate of food, a topping for it and a drink) in order to be attracted to purchasing something, or in this case, visiting a certain restaurant perhaps. The plain backgrounds allow for the subject of the pieces to be the focal point in all of her photographs. She may be a photographer that I include in my project simply because of her individuality when it comes to commercial photography.