Work Diary - Shoot 8

Evaluation

For shoot 8, I wanted to explore photographing Innocent smoothies. I bought three bottles of this brand, all of different flavours, as I was going to be experimenting with bottles on their own and the bottles grouped together. I took many photographs during this session, where I used a tripod for the majority in order to capture still images instead of ones that ran the risk of having the subject blurred. There is a depth of field in a few of the photographs as well, as I experimented with composition. For this, I placed bottles in front and behind, along with ingredients of the bottles in front and behind. This allowed me to decide what worked best in the picture and what should have been the focal point. I didn't use just one background in this shoot as I have used a white background a lot in previous shoots, so wanted to switch it up this time by using a wooden table top and a black backdrop. I felt that the mixtures of colours worked exceptionally well as the black allowed the smoothies to stand out with their pops of colour. I feel I have employed this formal element effectively in this shoot as I have photographed bright products, which would stand out to an audience effectively. Below are two examples of photographs I shot from this session that I was pleased with.

For this picture of the grouped bottles, having the green as the foreground subject worked the best as this colour has the connotation of healthy eating, which is exactly what this brand sells. Therefore, having this one as the focal point of the frame meant that this way of eating is advertised, whereas if the pink or orange smoothies were in the foreground it could suggest to the audience it is just a tasty juice/smoothie instead of one with health benefits. I was overall pleased with the outcome here, as the backdrop and table top work well together, both being colours that compliment each other rather than ones that clash. These colours allow the smoothies to pop out from the frame and have their outline highlighted by the dark backdrop, making this a successful piece of advertising. Shape, colour and line are formal elements that stand out in this picture, all contributing to its appealing appearance.

This is a photograph that I took against a white backdrop. I used an infinity curve for this picture as I wanted the background of the subject to flow with the table cover of the subject. The white colour compliments the white label on the Innocent smoothie which gives this photograph a fresh feel. The smoothie itself is a fresh healthy drink along with the fruit in the pot next to it, which emphasises that fresh feel. In Photoshop, I selected the pot of fruit and bottle and inversed the selection, in order for it to select the background. I then increased the brightness so I was able to brighten the appearance of the photograph, which brings out the positive colours instead of allowing them to have a dim tinge to them. My intentions with this photograph was to advertise the fruits in these smoothies. This one includes strawberries and bananas, so I cut up these fruits and put them in a bowl next to the bottle of the product itself. Online, I then found a picture of an arrow which I simply added into the frame in order to advertise exactly the message I was trying to portray. If young children who see this advertisement struggle with their reading, then all they would have to do to know what fruits are in this smoothie is look at the pot next to bottle. I believe this is an effective method of advertising as it is child friendly. 

Progression

In order to progress from this shoot, I will be developing the theme of drinks. For a future shoot, I intend on capturing photographs of a hot chocolate with wafers and whipped cream featured in the composition, advertising additives that can be used with this hot beverage. I will also hopefully photograph a simple glass of milk with a stack of cookies by it's side, as this is a tasty snack to indulge in when you're peckish. Through this, I could advertise Cadbury's hot chocolate and Maryland cookies, perhaps adding the brand's logos to the frame of each image in my next shoot, as I haven't experimented with logos yet. 

Straight Images - Shoot 8

Contact Sheets - Shoot 8

Connecting Essay 5

My Photograph

This is one of the photographs I captured when I was in Rome this October. I went on this trip with the intention of photographing some images that portrayed the stunning ancient architecture of Rome. These types of photographs would look appropriate if in a magazine or a holiday brochure, advertising some locations in Rome and the type of beautiful scenery someone else could experience. I composed this photograph above well, by having the left side of the frame filled with a Rome dome (a very popular building found anywhere you go in Rome) and then had the trees fill the rest of the frame. I like this composition because the different heights of the buildings and trees work well together as a contrast. The mixture of colours in this piece are also effective elements. The beige Dome, the burnt orange tone to the buildings in the distance and the dark green trees all appear as vintage colours, which emphasise the history evident in the architecture. The light tinge of blue in the sky adds to the warmth of the image, instead of the whole sky appearing white and making the picture feel cold. There is a lot of pattern featured in the buildings which makes the city look extremely artistic, which is an element of the photograph which may influence a creative person interested in travelling to fly to Rome.

Online Photograph

This is an internet photograph of Rome, which has captured some beautiful attractions of this ancient city. The image has been captured from a high point of the city, with the camera angling down on the below surroundings and features in the distance. The building in the top left hand side of the frame is the Altare della Patria, with the two chariots on each podium clearly defined against the light orange sky. Although they are a very small feature of the picture, their silhouette outline is evident through being against a flat skyline. This is an effective use of colour and contrast. In the bottom segment of the composition, there are more defined buildings with their evident colour, tone, shape and pattern all complimenting each other. The colours are once again subtle and appear vintage, with the yellow and burnt orange and browns. This landscape of this particular area of Rome has captured some beautiful tourist destinations and overall stunning view. The tone of the piece is gentle as the sun is setting, which casts a warm layer over the photograph.

The Connection

When comparing the two of these images together, there are many connections evident in both pieces. My photograph has focused more on just one Dome and the lucky appearance of another building, whereas the internet photograph has focused on a large quantity of Rome's architecture. This enables more of the beauty to be apparent, however both photographs are successful for what they are portraying. In my photographs, the shape of the buildings and the trees have a clearer definition because they are against a plain sky. The internet photograph has employed this aswell, allowing the shape of the landscape and particularly the chariots to stand out. The detail in the domes are clear in both photographs, as there are two that are a main focal point of the internet image on the right side of the frame, and one that is a focal point on the left hand side of my image. Both photographs have an effective composition, and illustrate how the frame has been put to good use.

Contact Sheet - Shoot 6

Connecting Essay 4

My Photograph

This is a photograph I captured from a birds eye point of view, angled down towards the ingredients and smoothie sitting on a wooden table. I situated the ingredients and measuring utensils around the right side of the frame and added a sprinkle of cinnamon to finish it off. To the left of the frame is the smoothie itself, which is the outcome of all these ingredients mixed together. I composed this piece so that it would be a clear recipe of a healthy drink, rather than just listing ingredients for something for somebody else to create - it looks far more creative and interesting as a photograph with text. I added the text in the empty space of the frame at the top left rather than overlapping with the subjects in the image as this avoids any interruption to the composition. I'd managed to apply the text to this picture through a website called befunky.com where I selected the type writer tool, and as I typed the words a faint white highlight would form with the text. When taking the photograph, I used natural daytime lighting for this piece as I had no lights to use at home, however the subjects could possibly look brighter and more emphasised if I'd used some lights or reflectors for this photograph.

Online Photograph

This is a photograph from online which is a visual recipe, portraying the ingredients and the outcome of the ingredients mixed together. There are multiple dishes in this piece and multiple ingredients, even if you don't need all of what's in the frame. The white wooden boards create a vintage feel to this piece, along with the floral printed tea towel. These textures and patterns add an artistic feel to the photograph, which could be emphasised by the point of this picture, as cooking is an art. The tea towel also contributes to the homely feel of the photograph, which is an effective prop in the piece as cooking is a home comfort. There is one cooking pot of this Apple and Pear Cous Cous in the top left hand side of the frame, and then some portions of it put into two bowls in the top and bottom right hand side of the frame. In the left middles is two pots of dried fruits and some seeds that can be added to the dish for a diverse consistency of flavours/textures in the mouth. These have also then been sprinkled around the pots, which looks appealing rather than messy. The combination of colours in this image work well together, as they are subtle tones of brown, beige and cream with pops of colour such as the red and green of the fruits and seeds. 

The Connection

There are many connections shared between my photograph and the online photograph. Firstly, both images are visual recipes, rather than photographing an outcome from different angles and putting the recipe on a website or blog, we have both added the recipe to the composition of the picture. This is a more creative idea that works well in my opinion. Both photographs have a gentle tone of colours as they are subtle instead of highly saturated. The colour of the background that we both used is similar, and also the most appropriate colour for advertising healthy food and drink. White is too plain and black is too harsh. The ingredients in both photographs are spread out across the frame in order to fill it to its best potential. There are more in the internet image, as there is less of a zoom on the composition. I zoomed in a lot in my photograph as there were less ingredients I needed to portray in the frame in comparison to the online picture. The colour of the background allows the subjects in the photographs to contrast and stand out, whilst being colours that still compliment one another. There are more subjects in the online photograph, which is somewhere that I could have improved on by adding more glasses of the orange and banana smoothie in the frame. I could have also used more fruits - cut them up and kept some whole - to advertise how to make more of the smoothie instead of just 200ml.

Work Diary - Shoot 7

Evaluation

During today's shoot I wanted to look more at recipe photography and the layout you can create with certain ingredients. It went well, as I experimented with a variety of compositions in order to produce the most successful outcome. I took landscape photographs of the ingredients, portraits, and pictures from a birds eye view. My most successful outcome was definitely the birds eye view image, as this is how the majority of recipe photographs are captured. I also used the opacity edit in Photoshop during the editing process because I wanted the glass of orange juice to have a background related to the ingredients, which is lemon and limes. I placed the picture of the orange juice over the picture of the lemons and limes and decreased the opacity of the top layer. I also experimented with text during this shoot too, using the ingredients and the flavour of the smoothie as titles and information in part of the compositions. 

In this photograph, I wanted to use a wooden table with a white wall in the background because I felt that the appearance of wood would create the illusion of a chopping board, conforming to the food and drink theme. I sliced up a banana and stacked a few small piles of them to the left of the glass, followed by half an orange with segments of it cut to create an odd pattern. In front of the glass is cinnamon, which has been poured into a puddle and then dragged out to create yet another pattern. I wanted to make this photograph appear artistic whilst also informative. By presenting the ingredients that go into the smoothie being advertised it reduces the need for there to be any words below the image, just a photograph displaying the ingredients you need to make a tasty drink. It’s a creative way to create recipes, which I wanted to attempt. On the website BeFunky.com I added a banner at the top of the image and then inserted some text to act as the title of this drink – An “orange and banana smoothie”. I feel that this added banner is the finishing touch to this piece of advertising photography. I used a tripod for this picture as I wanted the framing to be angled correctly, and I used natural daylight which I enhanced on Photoshop by altering the levels and curves. I also reduced the level of saturation that this photo displayed as it was too bright; by making the colours more neutral means that the image is less harsh and more inviting. 

When capturing this photograph, I also used natural lighting from the sun coming through my windows. I also used a tripod, allowing me to correctly frame the image without needing to crop it during the editing process. I framed it so that the top half of the orange juice in a mason jar was visible, with a striped straw and lemon perched on the rim. These have the connotations of summer, as they are all sunny colours. Colour and pattern are two very effective formal elements in this photograph, along with shape, which are effective when overlaid with a landscape of lemon and limes. I overlapped two photographs together on Photoshop and reduced the opacity of the lemon and limes, allowing them to blend into the background and overall image. This technique of mixing two photographs together is something that I am happy to have experimented with, as I feel that it works extremely well. The lemon and limes compliment the fresh orange juice that’s been captured as it makes the drink in the image more appealing rather than having it be against just a simplistic white background. 

Progression

In order to progress from this shoot, I will most certainly be experimenting further with the image overlapping technique in my computer experiments. This was fun but also successful so it would be appropriate to develop it further. After experimenting with text over my photographs as well, I feel that it would be necessary to develop this idea some more in upcoming shoots as advertisements in magazines all featured some sort of text to inform the audience of what it is that’s being presented to them. 

Straight Images - Shoot 7

Contact sheets - Shoot 7

Connecting Essay 3

My Photograph

This is my photograph of a group of cupcakes that I captured. I employed the formal element pattern into this piece by placing the cupcakes in line from the back to the front of the frame rather than having them sprawled around in random positions. I mixed up the four flavours of these cupcakes to create a diverse appearance as I didn't want there to be two cakes of the same flavour next to each other. Mixing them up allows the colours to blend more effectively with each other and compliment one another. I could have used a more interesting background in order to make this piece look more complete and feel like a homely photograph that cupcakes should portray, as baking is a home comfort activity. The white backdrop however allows the confectionery to stand out with it's bold and bright colours. I used cakes that had tasty looking icing and snazzy cupcake cases because they are supposed to look appealing to the audience and entice them to purchase the product.

Online Photograph

This is an internet photograph of cupcakes that look cute and fluffy and most certainly sickly. The colours have been used well in this piece; pink and baby blue to spread a soft mood over the photograph. There are 5 cupcakes, all with fancy icing on top and an iced rose to make this confectionery appear flattering. They have been placed on a stylish dish with curved dents in the rim to match the floral shape of the icing. There is an intense blur over the background of this photograph and the back two cakes, which shows hints of pink and teal somewhere in the background, matching the colours in the foreground. I like this sense of connection because it makes the piece a lot more stronger as it's clearly been constructed with thought. The cakes look extremely tasty and inviting and if I was part of the target audience I would definitely want to buy these treats, from how they have been beautifully presented in the composition. 

The Connection

The connection between these two photographs is evident in what the subject is; cakes. Both photographs are advertising a cluster of treats, mine of different flavours and the online one of the same flavour. There is minimum depth of field in the online photograph as the very front cake is in focus whilst the two next to it and the two in the distance gradually become extra blurry the further the cakes go back. This is an effective element in the picture as it creates an even stronger blur on the background, allowing just a tinge of the teal and pink in the distance to be apparent. The cakes stand out with their bright pink icing, like the cakes in my photograph with some white icing and some pink cases. There is more of a mixture with colours in my photograph as not all of the cake toppings or cases are the same colour. Both images consist of cakes with fancy icing and toppings, emphasising their yummy taste, instead of being just plain cupcakes with one layer of messy icing for example. 

Work Diary - Shoot 6

Evaluation and Technique

During today's 6th shoot which I done at home, I have captured a variety of food and products to advertise. I wanted to explore more of my creative side through the technique surrealism, where I employed this into the photo of my Popcorn Momiji Doll. I also wanted to experiment more with perfume bottles as this was successful in my second shoot. I found that in this shoot I was extremely inspired by a mixture of different things, such as coming up with extra ideas for upcoming shoots through relating products to food e.g. my Momiji Doll and popcorn. I now want to link products/food related to my Momiji Dolls in more shoots such as my music Momiji Dolls. On Photoshop, in order to create the below photograph on the left, I had to experiment with different layers, effects and the quick selection tool. This refreshed my memory on some Photoshop tools which I will now be progressing onto my next shoot. 

I was extremely pleased with these two photographs from today's shoot. Momiji Dolls are a brand of collectable, hand-painted dolls inspired by Asian style and contemporary illustration. They each have a small space in their base to hide a secret message on a blank piece of folded card, making a fun and special gift for anybody. They are a unique collectable item which I wanted to capture, by employing what they represent into the picture; this one being popcorn. On the left, I took a photograph of the doll with it's tub, and then a few separate photographs of popcorn on its own. In Photoshop, I used the quick selection tool to outline the shape of each piece, and then dragged it onto the picture of the Momiji Doll. I repeated this process until I was happy with the amount of popcorn in the frame. I wanted to create the illusion of the popcorn exploding over the composition, and although it doesn't look like much of a powerful explosion, I was still pleased with the outcome. After creating my first surreal piece in this unit, I will most certainly be experiment more with this technique. On the right, I wanted to compose a complete picture from a different angle, which makes the doll appear around the same size as the tub she came from. I situated the popcorn around her figure to complete the appearance of the picture.

Drifting more away from the food topic, advertising is simply also about visually portraying products to an audience in order to increase the likeliness of them being sold to customers. In this picture, I have two emoji pillows in which I have presented on a chair, grouped together on the right side of the frame. This picture allows a customer to make out the size of the pillows by having them sat on a chair in the frame. I like the white background acting as a contrast to the pillows because this allows them to stand out and keeps the feel of the picture fresh. Emoji pillows are a humorous present to give to a friend or even to buy for yourself, and they are also of good value. I left the left side of the frame with space because I was intending to add text here to make the piece look more like an advertisement in a magazine or online as a web pop-up perhaps. I would inform the customers on where to buy these pillows and how much they cost. 

Progression

As part of my progression from this shoot, I will be exploring the technique surrealism even further in order to create appealing and imaginative pieces. I will perhaps experiment with different colour backgrounds instead of just a white one as I want to shoot Innocent smoothies next week and feel that a pink background would match a berry smoothie more effectively than a white background, same with an orange background matching an orange smoothie. I will do more with the surreal technique when I shoot some sweets and confectionery products.

Straight Images - Shoot 6

Mid-Project Evaluation

When I first started this project, I had the intention of focusing more so on just food photography. I wanted to experiment with a variety of food and drinks in my work, until I discovered some versatile advertising photographers. I found a man called David Gilliver, who photographs food products, but adds miniature people to the composition. I found this surreal movement to be extremely inspiring and something that I then wanted to employ into my work. I then found a photographer called Josh Caudwell. He photographed products such as bags and people's personal belongings along with nail polishes etc. His style is neat and precise, quite sophisticated, which is also something that I liked when carrying out my photographer research. After this I'd decided that I didn't want to just focus on food and drink, because advertising is so much more than that. I wanted to provide myself with a large window of opportunity in this project instead of a one way street down the food route alone. 

I have already explored different topics in advertising, starting from perfume bottles, developing onto locations, food, and drinks. I now want to develop onto books and reading, as this is a hobby of mine that I am passionate about and therefore want to explore in my project. I will be exploring the surreal movement more so with this topic as I feel as though it could work extremely effectively if done right. 

I have already learnt many Photoshop techniques so far in this project which I have enjoyed experimenting with, such as overlapping two photographs together, selective colour, multiple imagery, multiple exposure and the effect posterize. It has been fun experimenting with Photoshop, and is something that I want to continue exploring. I will be using the splatter tool at some point in this project as well as this was successful last year. In Shoot 1 of this project is where I experimented with gel lighting. This method added glow to a picture, which is effective in beauty photography. As beauty isn't a theme I've wanted to focus on in advertising, I haven't developed this gel technique with models, even though I did find it extremely successful. I did however develop this technique in Shoot 2, where I added pink and yellow gels to the lights that were shining down on perfume bottles - resulting in one of the most successful shoots so far.

The majority of my photographs have been captured whilst using a tripod, as this creates a still frame if I was to have a shaky hand. I will continue using a tripod for this reason. I have experimented with a few backgrounds so far, but not enough, so this is a goal I am setting for myself in future shoots. 

Overall, the first half of my project has been a successful one, with many experiments being carried out and lots of developments. In order to excel my skill in Photography, I will need to complete the recommended shoots, which is 10. As I am near to finishing the majority of the theory work, it is the practical I now need to work harder on. 

Connecting Essay 2

My Photograph

This is one of the photographs that I captured in Shoot 3 where I focused more of my work on the topic food and looked at sweet products in order to experiment with colour, as this is my favourite formal element. In my opinion, it is also the most important in advertising work because colour is something that draws a person into a certain image. I composed this piece so that the bottom half of the frame would be the Skittles packaging and the top half of the frame would be the contents of the packet. I lined them up in a pattern, another formal element, because this makes the piece appear more constructed instead of just carelessly thrown together. I lined them up in the order of their tone. For example, green matches best with yellow, which matches best with orange, which matches best with pink and so on. The skittles that are in further distance have a larger blur smudged over them in comparison to the ones situated in the middle of the frame which I find effective because it makes the focal point of the piece more evident. People's attention will mainly fall onto the word "Skittles" because it is the largest element of the photograph - a good technique used in advertising as the consumer needs to know what it is they're looking at. 

Online Photograph

This is an online photograph of The Jelly Bean Factory tub with its contents sprawled out in the top half of the frame. All of the focus is on the label of the packaging in order for this element to stand out in the frame. The combination of colours in this picture is appealing and engrosses the audience. A light has been used to shine down on the label to illuminate this section, allowing it to stand out even further. The square composition is effective in this piece because it means that only the main things needing to be advertised are conveyed; the jelly beans and the packaging. You technically don't need to see anymore of the sweets in the top half of the frame nor the bottom of the tub in the bottom half of the frame. Only the relevant elements have been captured, making it an effective outcome of the topic advertising.

The Connection

When looking at the both of these photographs, there are many similarities that stand out. Both photographs have been captured from a low angle looking across the packaging to the subject situated in the distance. Both photographs contain the packaging along with the product, with bold branding acting as the focal point in the bottom of the frame. More of the frame in my piece has however been used which makes the piece appear more complete in my opinion. I prefer the composition of my piece, having all of the frame filled with a subject, however I do like the exposed white table top underneath the Jelly Beans in the Internet photograph because this is a bright contrast. There is more evident light in the Jelly Bean photograph which makes the piece more attractive, along with the lack of bright colours. The skittles in my photograph are extremely saturated so it can be quite difficult to keep your eyes on it, despite the fact bright colours attract you to a piece in the first place.

Connecting Essay 1

My Photograph

This is my photograph that I took in my second shoot. I captured a couple of my favourite perfume bottles by composing them in the frame from different perspectives. I wanted to group the two bottles together because I feel that it makes the piece more successful as a whole. The perfume in the background is called Ghost Sweetheart, and the one in the front is One Direction's Our Moment. Both of these bottles have pink tones in them, Our Moment especially. They look extremely appealing because I have used light from the back to bounce off of the glass bottles and the glittery material in the front bottle. This light emphasises the shine on the bottles and allows them to sparkle, reinforcing their femininity. There is a shadow that comes from both bottles and grows closer to the lens rather than further away from it. This adds a sense of drama to the photograph which I find successful.

Online Photograph

This is the photograph that I found online, which is of two perfumes in bottles of the same style, but different sizes. The yellow tones in this photograph attract someones senses, as I would see this perfume as smelling similar to vanilla. Those who love this scent, would most likely be attracted to this photograph because of the impression it gives off. Their is a reflection beneath the bottles which suggests that the bottles were placed onto a laminated surface, a successful element indeed. There is a light source coming from the right side of the frame which casts shadows heading towards the left, and shadows on the left side of both bottles, more so the lid of the left one. Having the reflection and the tone/form evident in this piece contributes towards the successful appearance of this image, as these formal elements are strong and effective. The composition has also worked well as all of the focus is directed towards the bottles. The larger bottle could have been a larger focal point if the positioning of it was more in the foreground, however it pairs perfectly with the miniature version, making both products equals when it comes to the focal point of this photograph. 

The Connection

There are a large number of connections shared between my photograph and the online photograph, along with a mixture of differences. Firstly, both photographs feature two perfume bottles, however mine are from different brands whereas the online ones are of the same family. The bottles in my piece are positioned in different angles and different segments of the frame, whereas the online ones are side by side with the same angle. The colours in both photographs are different, mine appearing more fresh and appealing whilst the online one appears more warm and comforting. Despite the differences, there are evident formal elements in both photographs which make both pieces successful advertisements. There are shadows casted from both bottles due to one light source shining down on the subject with a beam, whether that be a light shadow or a dark one, it still makes both images more visually dramatic. Even though the bottles in my photograph are not of the same brand, they are still different sizes, just like the ones in the online photograph. This variation of sizes works well in the frame as there isn't too much filled up nor is there too much blank space. Overall, both photographs work as advertisements for perfume bottles and I believe my photograph is just as successful as the Internet photograph.