Same Product, Different People, Different Advertising Photography

By Jack Whites

Advertising photography is different for morning tea from that of a tea during the twilights. And the difference is expressed with the help of the different ways of advertising photography.
Lights, props, models, their expressions, the backdrop and various other things are used to create the difference. Here in this article, we will see how different ways of advertising photography can make a huge difference in advertising the same product to different kinds of customers and target audience. And the product we will use to clarify the point is tea leaves.
First of all, let us look at the two different kinds of target audience for advertising photography.
The first target audience is the average British ordinary married woman who may or may not be working. The other is a young dynamic office going unmarried young woman who is very busy throughout the day with not a moment to sit and relax. Both are woman, but they have different lifestyles.

Now let us take two situations where the same tea leaves are used by the two target audience.
In the first one, the married lady would like to have the tea early in the morning, before starting her day, or at the breakfast with her spouse. She would be more cool, quiet and composed and would like to enjoy the aroma, the flavor and the taste of the tea.

While in the second situation, a young lady is busy at the office and feels very tired and stressed after a whole day of assiduous work. She still has loads to take care of and she wants to relax a little bit with tea so that she can get charged up and ready to take them on.

The same advertisement would not work in both the situations. And for the difference in advertisements, first we have to take care of the advertising photography, which has to be different in both the cases.

About The Author: Jack White is a specialist in Advertising photography and other kinds of photography. He has worked in close coordination with many an expert commercial photographer of UK and other countries. In his works he is presenting some of his observation on the role of commercial photographer in advertising photography.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Whites

What is this Buzz Word "Documentary Style Wedding Photography?"

By Peter Phun

Long before the "photojournalistic style" became the catch-phrase in wedding photography today, newspaper photographers a.k.a. photojournalists have been crafting this approach in their daily work in covering news events with honesty and candor.

The most successful photojournalists have great anticipation which often comes from shooting on the streets, being observant, having good imagination, being vigilant and being ready to react.
So if that's the style of wedding pictures you are looking for, there is no one more uniquely qualified for that task than a photojournalist --- a photographer with a newspaper background.

In a crowded banquet full of guests, how does he pick out the most likely person who is going to be very besides the bride and bride's mother? And when he finds that person, how can he take the picture unobtrusively?

If he reads his subjects right, he would naturally move in or select the right lens and zoom in on his subject all the time watching the background and the lighting.

Whatever he decides he will have to work fast using whatever available light there is because the moment a flash goes off, the subjects will be aware of his presence and all spontaneity will be lost.

So the wedding photojournalist is always on the alert, looking for moments which are real and unrehearsed. His people skills are just as important because he needs to be outgoing and friendly so that he blends in with the guests.

While the guests are standing in line waiting for their food, he is watching the guests, picking out the gregarious and rowdy ones, ones who are drinking a lot and have a tendency to be the live of the party.

Sometimes those are the ones who will break out in impromptu songs.

Children at weddings are always great subjects since you can always count on them to be amusing and cute. Examples that come to mind: the ringboy who suddenly realizes he is shy when he sees the crowd before him or the flowergirl who collapses in mum's arms in exhaustion in the middle of the ceremony.

Peter Phun is an adjunct photography instructor at Riverside City College. He is a freelance photographer, web designer and stay at home dad.

He also photographs weddings and does on-location portraiture. He previously worked as a staff photographer for 18 years at The Press-Enterprise, Southern California's 4th largest daily newspaper.

Peter is the webmaster for the Mac user group in the Inland Empire. For more information about this Riverside based photographer, visit http://www.peterphun.com .

Read this article with accompanying photographs as it appears in his website http://www.peterphun.com/weddings/documentary_style.html

Group and Portrait Photography - How to Set Up Groups

By Bobby Jonnes

How to Set Up Groups
Arrive at the venue earlier than you need to be there and try to arrange your set along the following lines. You should already have enquired about the size of the group i.e. the number of individual members. For example a typical group at a Masonic Lodge would number approximately twenty-seven. Ideally a group of this size should be posed using two rows of chairs in the following manner.

Place a row of nine chairs in front, then place another row of nine chairs behind them with enough space between the two rows for a line of people to stand. The front row will sit on the chairs, the back row will stand on the chairs and the middle row will stand on the floor between the other two rows. The chairs at each side of centre should be angled slightly inward, so four chairs on left of the center chair in each row turned slightly in toward center and four chairs on right of center turned slightly in to center. This will give a nicer all round composition to the picture.

Well-composed and symmetrical looking pictures always sell more. People prefer them, even when they are not consciously aware why.

Check for Background Distractions
Now stand back and check through the lens, check for protruding or distracting background items. Be ruthless with this; clear the background of anything you suspect will look cluttered or intrusive. It is small checks like this that will improve the professionalism of your service. I have had to do some emergency work to omit fire extinguishers and fire exit signs from the background. You can often get round this by strategically placing people, or altering your angle of view.

Protocol Matters
Now check on protocol, for example certain people will sit at the front centre and certain others beside them. For example the pipe band drum major often likes to sit or stand in the centre. Get this part arranged first and then ask all others to place themselves on your prearranged chairs. The group members will know, but do remember to ask. I’ll now show you a way to save some valuable time, end up with a more marketable photograph, and lighten up the group ready for their shot! When you have arranged the group almost ready for the shot, ask each person to turn and inspect the one next to them for straight ties, dust on shoulder, squint badges and so on, have then preen each other and do your work for you.

This saves you the potential for embarrassment through asking someone to make what for them what may be quite personal adjustment. Much easier to get their friends to do the asking!

Final Checks
Now make the final small but important touches, check to make sure that someone who is really small has not ended up at the back and cannot be seen, sometimes you may want to give this direction at the beginning, I prefer to wait to see where people naturally gravitate to, because they often feel more comfortable in the photograph if they are standing in their spot of choice.

Consistency Sells
Aim for consistency. This tip will increase your sales. By this I mean check that all group members have their hands on laps in a similar fashion, check that they all have their feet in a similar stance and check that all jackets are either open on buttoned. Always remember this tip, composition, symmetry and consistency sell!

I hope this article will help you with setting up groups.

Bobby will help you improve your group, portrait and wedding photography. Bobby has been a photographer for over 25 years. He has an in depth knowledge of the subject, specialising in wedding photography. Access his site now for more information to help improve your group, portrait and wedding photography at http://www.photobiz4u.com