Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Making It Massive in Professional Advertising Photography

By Shawn Smith


Are you raring to build a name in professional advertising photography? If you have been earning raves for making irresistibly compelling shots, you're likely one hell of a story teller. Link up with an advertising hotshot in one of those top advertising agencies. A profitable collaboration can create magic.

He designs an idea for a print ad. There is a product to sell and a famous celebrity to sell it. Your marketing man does a comprehensive scenario and briefs the model of the storyline. She's perfected her act and she's ready for the shot. Now, it's the photographer's time to shine brightly. Compose that picture in your consciousness. Take 1. She emotes and elicits a smile of sheer satisfaction. Not quite convincing though. Take 2. This time, in one fleeting moment, the facial demeanor flashes with the emotion of perfect satisfaction as she holds the product in awe. Cut.

How to capture that one perfect moment in just one click and immortalize the emotion of that event in print is one tough task in timing to execute. You have to be in synch with your intuition. It is like knowing when to kick a ball towards the goal right at the tick of a fortunate second.

Your eye for the right angles is one enormous advantage. Your experience in correct lighting, distance, background and technical settings of the camera are variables that you have learned to handle. Because of this, you are quite sure that professional advertising photography can be terribly demanding. As the photographer, you're a perfectionist with the tallest order. 99% perfection just won't do for your perfect professional standards.

What are your objectives when you shoot a print ad? The print ad should be well placed to convince new buyers and keep the loyalty of current users. How?

Recall value: Can the aroused attention from the reader go on longer than a passing glance? Has there been an extra pause of appreciation? Did the image become a visible feast for the consumers eyes? In short, is the shopper ready to recall the name and the advantages of the product?

Convincing message: Has the ad prompted, persuaded and inspired buyers to think well of the product and get it at the earliest opportune time?

Truth in advertising: To win the confidence and trust of customers in the product that's advertised, the photograph must be truthful in every respect; and the ad must be sincere in what it claims the product is or can do.

When you can tell a story with a still picture and influence buyers to respond with a positive afterthought, then you're bound for the big league. Professional photography is a gold mine for creative people like you.




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