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.