Advertising/Promotional
This type of photography is taking photos to promote a product to make the ideal consumers of that product want to have that because of the photo or photos of that product. The more awareness marketers create of these enticing images the more people become interested in wanting that product. We see these photos everywhere and this has become more common because of the digital age, these photos can reach us in our homes on our screens. Outside we see these on buses and bus stops, windows of shops that offer these products, billboards even the packaged product may have images of the ideal product that is inside.
It helps sell products and makes a brand more legitimate in popularity when people start wearing it or accepting it. It good for the economy, making people compelled to buy a product and also competition because you have to try you’re best to make your product seem like the best product compared to the alternatives.
And here in lies the rub. The most effective marketing for a product for example most fast food chains give the most ideal looking version of that product. Most every photo that we see for a marketing campaign around a product or brand is not only taken by professionals that use studio lighting to get the best picture but also photo shopped with to make it look ‘perfect’ or add in backgrounds and visual effects to have it support the end product. Sometimes the background can overshadow the product or seems like it’s not necessarily advertising a product but happens to feature one.
This type of photography is taking photos to promote a product to make the ideal consumers of that product want to have that because of the photo or photos of that product. The more awareness marketers create of these enticing images the more people become interested in wanting that product. We see these photos everywhere and this has become more common because of the digital age, these photos can reach us in our homes on our screens. Outside we see these on buses and bus stops, windows of shops that offer these products, billboards even the packaged product may have images of the ideal product that is inside.
It helps sell products and makes a brand more legitimate in popularity when people start wearing it or accepting it. It good for the economy, making people compelled to buy a product and also competition because you have to try you’re best to make your product seem like the best product compared to the alternatives.
And here in lies the rub. The most effective marketing for a product for example most fast food chains give the most ideal looking version of that product. Most every photo that we see for a marketing campaign around a product or brand is not only taken by professionals that use studio lighting to get the best picture but also photo shopped with to make it look ‘perfect’ or add in backgrounds and visual effects to have it support the end product. Sometimes the background can overshadow the product or seems like it’s not necessarily advertising a product but happens to feature one.
Here are two examples of advertising photography to sell a product. The one on the left was taken by Jonathan Knowles used as a poster and advertised online to promote this new product by Robinsons and another Image, Gatorade G2, taken by Tim Tadder and edited to look like a basketball court is surrounding him and even following him. This image would probably be found in online, or a bus ad.
Both the Robinsons drink and the person in both images were probably taken in well-lit studios to get that shot. We see form the Robinsons drink that it is very believable that it was taken in the backdrop that it is placed. Whereas the Gatorade image is a little less subtle but because of the light we see hitting his face and trousers but done intentionally because we want the person to be highlighted. The person is probably a celebrity figure most likely a basketball player because of the basketball court association. For those that recognise him, might be interested in seeing what he is holding which is the advertised product. So the product stays a step behind because they are more interested being associated with this person like a stamp of approval and being an athlete it signifies to people that they can drink this to feel fit advertising ‘low calorie hydration’ and ‘stay hydrated’. The background photo was probably taken at a high aperture to capture all that draw distance that we can clearly see a car. The other product highlights its squeezing the flavour into water which looks quite appealing from the straight pouring which then dissolves this probably done in a higher shutter speed and high ISO to capture this so vividly in motion. The background becomes more real because it is out of focus, which in turn highlights the product.
Both the Robinsons drink and the person in both images were probably taken in well-lit studios to get that shot. We see form the Robinsons drink that it is very believable that it was taken in the backdrop that it is placed. Whereas the Gatorade image is a little less subtle but because of the light we see hitting his face and trousers but done intentionally because we want the person to be highlighted. The person is probably a celebrity figure most likely a basketball player because of the basketball court association. For those that recognise him, might be interested in seeing what he is holding which is the advertised product. So the product stays a step behind because they are more interested being associated with this person like a stamp of approval and being an athlete it signifies to people that they can drink this to feel fit advertising ‘low calorie hydration’ and ‘stay hydrated’. The background photo was probably taken at a high aperture to capture all that draw distance that we can clearly see a car. The other product highlights its squeezing the flavour into water which looks quite appealing from the straight pouring which then dissolves this probably done in a higher shutter speed and high ISO to capture this so vividly in motion. The background becomes more real because it is out of focus, which in turn highlights the product.
Photojournalism/Documentary
Photojournalism is photography linked with journalism. They are mostly unedited photographs used for news and any visual broadcasting publication. They are often a sign of evidence related to the subject of an article or piece of news to better visual the story in question. Though they don’t have to be evidence but just be associated with the subject matter.
Found on traditional newspapers as well as their online news counterparts. Television and often reused and spread through blogs and social media but mostly during that the time the story associated with the pictures has just broken. Though these images can be brought back to life through Documentaries about the subject and factual TV programme or even when another story brakes that is related to the previous story.
From these photos that show disasters, war crisis, tragedies, political changes in power and law etc. and because more people read these every day we become more aware together thus more people want to change and improve the status quo. Nilüfer Demir was the photographer that took the picture of the drowned Syrian boy on the beaches of Turkey. If it wasn’t for this picture then it could’ve taken government leaders longer to acknowledge the crisis in Syria. The picture was chilling it rallied many news publications to publish the image and question our leaders why they have chosen to just watch. This is one of the effects that and picture can have for journalism.
But photojournalism can also depict triumph as well like the photo of Muhammad Ali towering over Sonny Liston, one of Ali’s most famous photos in the ring, taken by Neil Leifer at ringside. Capturing this could’ve possibly been sheer luck but that didn’t stop people from seeing the might of the most beloved heavyweight champion of the world. This image, because of its history and the impactful emotion in Ali’s expression, stands the test of time and is used often when praising the great athlete. The cameras they would’ve used back then were film cameras with less camera functions than the digital ones we have today. The ISO feature is not interchangeable and every camera had a locked setting of ISO meaning a locked level of light that was able to fall into the picture.
Richard Drew was the one to take the famous “Falling Man” photo during 9/11 of the man the jumped from the burning building. The image used a high aperture to get a much greater depth of field and was probably taken at the highest shutter speed available on his camera. The man was falling from such a tall building that capturing this very vividly from a probably a distant location shows skill of camera work and has then on gone to display the hopelessness of the people that lived that reality.
Many photojournalists now though aren’t just simple photographers looking for that one great picture but go to places of particular interest that have a story worth hearing. Compiling the most eye-catching and interesting photos they can get to have evidence of a fully-fledged story like a detective or police force try to compile evidence to indict and imprison a criminal. They try their best to not only tell the story but also know it’s easier to relate to images to better visualise the situation.
Photojournalism is photography linked with journalism. They are mostly unedited photographs used for news and any visual broadcasting publication. They are often a sign of evidence related to the subject of an article or piece of news to better visual the story in question. Though they don’t have to be evidence but just be associated with the subject matter.
Found on traditional newspapers as well as their online news counterparts. Television and often reused and spread through blogs and social media but mostly during that the time the story associated with the pictures has just broken. Though these images can be brought back to life through Documentaries about the subject and factual TV programme or even when another story brakes that is related to the previous story.
From these photos that show disasters, war crisis, tragedies, political changes in power and law etc. and because more people read these every day we become more aware together thus more people want to change and improve the status quo. Nilüfer Demir was the photographer that took the picture of the drowned Syrian boy on the beaches of Turkey. If it wasn’t for this picture then it could’ve taken government leaders longer to acknowledge the crisis in Syria. The picture was chilling it rallied many news publications to publish the image and question our leaders why they have chosen to just watch. This is one of the effects that and picture can have for journalism.
But photojournalism can also depict triumph as well like the photo of Muhammad Ali towering over Sonny Liston, one of Ali’s most famous photos in the ring, taken by Neil Leifer at ringside. Capturing this could’ve possibly been sheer luck but that didn’t stop people from seeing the might of the most beloved heavyweight champion of the world. This image, because of its history and the impactful emotion in Ali’s expression, stands the test of time and is used often when praising the great athlete. The cameras they would’ve used back then were film cameras with less camera functions than the digital ones we have today. The ISO feature is not interchangeable and every camera had a locked setting of ISO meaning a locked level of light that was able to fall into the picture.
Richard Drew was the one to take the famous “Falling Man” photo during 9/11 of the man the jumped from the burning building. The image used a high aperture to get a much greater depth of field and was probably taken at the highest shutter speed available on his camera. The man was falling from such a tall building that capturing this very vividly from a probably a distant location shows skill of camera work and has then on gone to display the hopelessness of the people that lived that reality.
Many photojournalists now though aren’t just simple photographers looking for that one great picture but go to places of particular interest that have a story worth hearing. Compiling the most eye-catching and interesting photos they can get to have evidence of a fully-fledged story like a detective or police force try to compile evidence to indict and imprison a criminal. They try their best to not only tell the story but also know it’s easier to relate to images to better visualise the situation.
Fashion
Fashion photography commonly conceived as just advertising clothing items but now become its own form of art with the exotic outfits and the models that wear them being shot in so many interesting ways not to display the outfits but to show beautiful expressions and gestures that contrast with the colours and mood of their dress. Displaying magazines dedicated to fashion.
Fashion photographs are also some of the most set-up and edited photos that promote a certain type of image for both sexes, mainly women, and attractiveness and desire of each other because these images of women were what men and women came to accept as the ideal woman. It sells magazines and gets people’s attention, which is strongly related to the male’s gaze theory of seeing women as sexy or imposing or vulnerable. People, either men or women, want to see these images because the genre is so vague that the images can be anything that includes a character wearing interesting clothes. Sometimes the clothes can contradict the background or expression that is displayed like this one taken by Steven Meisel of a woman in a dress suit that contradict the other officers and looks particularly uncomfortable yet her expression quite expressionless. Part of a series of photographs called ‘State of Emergency’.
Taken to display his eye for fashion and image. The image it’s self, like most Fashion photos are, are carefully set-up with lights and done in studios (though this one was on location) to have the best look even using other accessories like other models, guns, bullet shells as a gimmick to contradict the woman and the background. The lighting is clearly set-up which can be seen on the left and brightens the women’s right side of her face and darkens her left to create subtle shadows and puts her in focus.
The second, by Patrick Demarchelier, image shows too characters walking on a path with the male character wearing a very playful suits with flowers that are seen easily over the maroon shade of suit. The characters are superimposed onto the background setting whcig can be seen because the lighting of the characters are too bright because the sun is behind them which would create a slight silouette. The photos were taken in a studio which is the same situation as the Gatorade advertisement. This also having the same camera set-up as the landscape was taken with a high aperture with perfect daylight.
Fashion photography commonly conceived as just advertising clothing items but now become its own form of art with the exotic outfits and the models that wear them being shot in so many interesting ways not to display the outfits but to show beautiful expressions and gestures that contrast with the colours and mood of their dress. Displaying magazines dedicated to fashion.
Fashion photographs are also some of the most set-up and edited photos that promote a certain type of image for both sexes, mainly women, and attractiveness and desire of each other because these images of women were what men and women came to accept as the ideal woman. It sells magazines and gets people’s attention, which is strongly related to the male’s gaze theory of seeing women as sexy or imposing or vulnerable. People, either men or women, want to see these images because the genre is so vague that the images can be anything that includes a character wearing interesting clothes. Sometimes the clothes can contradict the background or expression that is displayed like this one taken by Steven Meisel of a woman in a dress suit that contradict the other officers and looks particularly uncomfortable yet her expression quite expressionless. Part of a series of photographs called ‘State of Emergency’.
Taken to display his eye for fashion and image. The image it’s self, like most Fashion photos are, are carefully set-up with lights and done in studios (though this one was on location) to have the best look even using other accessories like other models, guns, bullet shells as a gimmick to contradict the woman and the background. The lighting is clearly set-up which can be seen on the left and brightens the women’s right side of her face and darkens her left to create subtle shadows and puts her in focus.
The second, by Patrick Demarchelier, image shows too characters walking on a path with the male character wearing a very playful suits with flowers that are seen easily over the maroon shade of suit. The characters are superimposed onto the background setting whcig can be seen because the lighting of the characters are too bright because the sun is behind them which would create a slight silouette. The photos were taken in a studio which is the same situation as the Gatorade advertisement. This also having the same camera set-up as the landscape was taken with a high aperture with perfect daylight.
Portrait
Portraits are arguably the most interesting photos a person could take because; no matter the expressions, when we see a person’s face in such high resolution its unexplainably interesting. They are used everywhere: art, advertising, journalism, Identification etc. When we see an image of a face with extremely bright colours in the face, details in the contours, sometimes even gestures and body language, clothing or make-up can just unconsciously make a person look in that direction. Looking at close-ups of women on the windows of clothing stores will get a people looking. The most interesting portraits come from ones that travel to take photos of people because they can tell such interesting stories. Things we want to know but only goes as far as the face and context of the background.
Modern portraits aren’t simplified to just a character looking into the lens but has been given more freedom in the meaning because it really only need to feature a character as the main focus of the photo. Steve McCurry took the image of the boy using a high slightly higher ISO to let in more light as we see the boy’s face is brightened and eyes are very vivid in colour. His expression looks very innocent, honest and most of all worry because he doesn’t look directly at the camera but almost to the photographer. The background is out of focus showing a low aperture; and highlights the boy because he is extremely defines against the background. The out of focus man behind him also seems quite interesting as one would assume he has some type of relationship with the boy.
The one of the young lady, taken by Eric Lafforgue, is similar in story as well but considering the motion of hair and the amount of people in the background this was taken at a higher shutter speed to catch her as a still image probably not expecting to be taken a picture of. Neither taken in studios or well-lit areas but on location in foreign lands so it’s easy to imagine they have both probably taken 100s of photos on these locations to find what they find to be the most interesting photos about the people that live there.
Portraits are arguably the most interesting photos a person could take because; no matter the expressions, when we see a person’s face in such high resolution its unexplainably interesting. They are used everywhere: art, advertising, journalism, Identification etc. When we see an image of a face with extremely bright colours in the face, details in the contours, sometimes even gestures and body language, clothing or make-up can just unconsciously make a person look in that direction. Looking at close-ups of women on the windows of clothing stores will get a people looking. The most interesting portraits come from ones that travel to take photos of people because they can tell such interesting stories. Things we want to know but only goes as far as the face and context of the background.
Modern portraits aren’t simplified to just a character looking into the lens but has been given more freedom in the meaning because it really only need to feature a character as the main focus of the photo. Steve McCurry took the image of the boy using a high slightly higher ISO to let in more light as we see the boy’s face is brightened and eyes are very vivid in colour. His expression looks very innocent, honest and most of all worry because he doesn’t look directly at the camera but almost to the photographer. The background is out of focus showing a low aperture; and highlights the boy because he is extremely defines against the background. The out of focus man behind him also seems quite interesting as one would assume he has some type of relationship with the boy.
The one of the young lady, taken by Eric Lafforgue, is similar in story as well but considering the motion of hair and the amount of people in the background this was taken at a higher shutter speed to catch her as a still image probably not expecting to be taken a picture of. Neither taken in studios or well-lit areas but on location in foreign lands so it’s easy to imagine they have both probably taken 100s of photos on these locations to find what they find to be the most interesting photos about the people that live there.
Architectural
Architectural photography is the photography of buildings or some type of structure. They can be either aesthetically pleasing in the way that the photo has been taken or perfectly represent the structure for public representation of what that structure looks like. Since the 1950s Architectural photography has now become an art form though architectural photos have been taken since cameras were invented have changed more and more into an art form the more building structures were changed from tradition into becoming their own art pieces that you can walk around in.
Interior and exterior photos are even their own sub-genre of photography as sometimes the same building may have too different personalities on the outside compared to the inside. Exterior photos often can look better because of daylight and surrounding landscape. Even the night can have its own benefits if adjacent street light can give the surrounding structure enough light or if the light from inside the building emits out wards through large windows and skylights. Interior lights are not always ideal unless they are particularly interesting so photographers sometimes use supplemental light, higher ISO or, because the buildings are always still, post-process editing to balance lighting. Fortunately most every case of architectural photography doesn’t require the need of a fast shutter speed and the structures never move or change so a photographer can take 100s of pictures of a building at every possible angle.
The image below, taken by Tim Rawle, doesn’t show the entire building but a very interesting angle from the side of the building. The two metal roof bends to fit the picture to make it seem very full and perfect and the glass on the left reaches the edge of the image. The colours are extremely bright due to the brightness of the light though ISO could’ve been changed to allow more light and fit very well because it sets this cliché happy morning mood because of the greenness of the trees and grass contrasting with the silver and red. Though the photographer did play with the aperture as the trees in the background are very defined and clear.
The black and white interior was taken by Ezra Stoller and its most notable feature is that everything is in focus with all their details done with a high aperture as well as the lights that hit the seats and are better defined in the black and white. The use of black and white was probably to associate the place of a theatre to classical plays and music which has only been documented in black and white images.
Architectural photography is the photography of buildings or some type of structure. They can be either aesthetically pleasing in the way that the photo has been taken or perfectly represent the structure for public representation of what that structure looks like. Since the 1950s Architectural photography has now become an art form though architectural photos have been taken since cameras were invented have changed more and more into an art form the more building structures were changed from tradition into becoming their own art pieces that you can walk around in.
Interior and exterior photos are even their own sub-genre of photography as sometimes the same building may have too different personalities on the outside compared to the inside. Exterior photos often can look better because of daylight and surrounding landscape. Even the night can have its own benefits if adjacent street light can give the surrounding structure enough light or if the light from inside the building emits out wards through large windows and skylights. Interior lights are not always ideal unless they are particularly interesting so photographers sometimes use supplemental light, higher ISO or, because the buildings are always still, post-process editing to balance lighting. Fortunately most every case of architectural photography doesn’t require the need of a fast shutter speed and the structures never move or change so a photographer can take 100s of pictures of a building at every possible angle.
The image below, taken by Tim Rawle, doesn’t show the entire building but a very interesting angle from the side of the building. The two metal roof bends to fit the picture to make it seem very full and perfect and the glass on the left reaches the edge of the image. The colours are extremely bright due to the brightness of the light though ISO could’ve been changed to allow more light and fit very well because it sets this cliché happy morning mood because of the greenness of the trees and grass contrasting with the silver and red. Though the photographer did play with the aperture as the trees in the background are very defined and clear.
The black and white interior was taken by Ezra Stoller and its most notable feature is that everything is in focus with all their details done with a high aperture as well as the lights that hit the seats and are better defined in the black and white. The use of black and white was probably to associate the place of a theatre to classical plays and music which has only been documented in black and white images.