1

Photography Applications

Jonah Adshead

Advertising/PromotionalPhotography is a very effective way of promoting products or

companies and is used to advertise these to potential buyers. It is seen on bill-boards, posters, inside papers and magazines and on the internet. The main focus in advertising and promotional photographs is always the product in question, for example a car, lighter or alcoholic drink.

Wide lenses are often used to get the whole product in the frame, this can also allow a background to be seen, putting the product in its natural setting or in other interesting situations that may make the product stand out to the audience. For focusing on small details of a product or shooting smaller things such as the Zippo lighter a long lens can be used, this allows a much closer zoomed in image to be taken with greater detail.

Advertising and promotional photography is heavily controlled, often with all aspects of the photograph being set up and planned. This allows the perfect image of the product that the company has in mind to be portrayed in print.

Lots of artificial light is usually used in advertising and promotional photography to allow the photographer to light the product up exactly as they want. Correctly placed lights can illuminate the product in a way that makes it look perfect, aesthetic and very attractive to an audience.

One photographer who specialises on advertising and promotional photography is Jonathan Knowles. He is a London based photographer who has won countless awards and has featured in the “200 best advertising photographers” for the past 8 years in a row. His unique graphic style is widely recognised in the advertising world and Knowles’ photographs have been featured in the last four volumes of “100 best in photography”.

Joost vanderbug

Text reads; “served in…questionable joints since 1866”. This gives the drink a cool edgy feel and links to the image where you can see two people skinny dipping.

Backdrop looks as though it could be a Texas creek or something similar, this has positive connotations and works well as the drink was first made in Texas.

The bottle is the only thing in perfect focus and the image blurs the further back it goes. This means it has been taken with a high aperture setting something that is common in advertisements as it makes the bottle the centre of attention.

It looks as though the contrast may have been increased in post production or a slight sepia effect may have been used. This deepens the colours slightly and brings the browns out more giving the image a rustic, vintage appearance. This choice would makes sense as they are using the fact that the drink being served “since 1866” as a selling point and so making the image look older would stress this point.

The blurred background ensures that the bottle is the main focus of the image. There is minimal text and this all ensures that the viewer sees the bottle first and it will be the thing they remember most.

FashionFashion photography is often used in much the same way as

advertising and promotional, but to promote a specific clothing lone or label. They often use very stylised and interesting photography to make their clothing and brand look very desirable and of the moment.

Clearly, the clothing is always the main focus of the image, but sometimes this is less obvious. Many photographers take on a style where they photograph constructed and staged photographs designed to look very interesting. Their aim is to set a certain mood or tell a story while also showing off the clothing subtly. This method may use wide lenses to allow multiple models to be in shot and the surroundings to also be included, creating visually exciting images.

More arty, minimalistic shots are sometimes also used with a close up of small details of a product. These often include a detail on the piece of clothing including the label logo and can also include another interesting aspect such as a heavily tattooed hand holding a cigarette. A long angle lens can be used to capture this detailed, up close shots.

Shoots are often highly controlled and take place in a studio with lots of artificial light. This allows the subject to very easily be manipulated, models often continuously having make-up re-done and costumes adjusted throughout shoots. Lighting is controlled to give the desired look and illuminate the subject in a certain way to make the photographs come out perfectly.

One London based fashion photographer is Tyrone Lebon, who was born 1982. He got his first commission age 19 shooting for i-D magazine and has since shot for Stussy, Dr. Martins, Nike and Casely Hayford.

Here the face has been covered with a white block of colour in post production. This is a technique that is often seen in fashion photography although it may be done in a variety of ways. The idea is that if the face has been blocked out then the viewer concentrated on the clothes the model is wearing rather than them, almost like using a mannequin.

The clothes that the model is wearing will have been chosen carefully as they are the thing that a viewer will make a decision on the brand from. They look cool and the pose the model is doing holding up a peace sign is also. This representation of the model as a “cool” person will often make a reader believe that if they wear these clothes they will become better increasing their chances of buying them.

The way the shadow reflects the image is nice and makes a visually striking pose. It is important that this image sticks in the viewers mind so that they remember and want to buy clothes from this shop.

The Stussy logo and a tagline are included quite small in the bottom corner. This has been done intentionally to ensure that the most attention is placed on the clothing,

The model is in the background of the image but still in perfect focus. This means that it has been taken with quite a low aperture setting to ensure everything is focussed. This technique is often used to allow the model to be further away from the camera and completing a movement like walking or running to give the images a more fluid, candid appearance.

The model is holding a dollar sign. This sign is often used to stand for the brand Stussy and this dropping in of hints and things that remind the viewer of the brand is something seen frequently in fashion and in fact all promotional photography.

PhotojournalismPhotojournalism is a form of journalism that uses visual images to

tell a particular story. It is widely used to accompany articles in newspapers, magazines, blogs and other web pages. The main aim of these images is to tell a story and put across a point, they can anchor the text they accompany and really change the perceived meaning of a text or the view of a reader on a certain issue. Because of this photojournalism is a very important and powerful media form

Photojournalism is almost exclusively concerned with observational shots. A photojournalist will go somewhere of interest that they feel needs reporting such as a warzone or award ceremony and observe, taking photos of events as they happen. This is good as it gives a true representation of what is happening and people can see the true scene.

Because photojournalism is observational, often only natural light can be used. This means that photojournalists must make the most of what light is on offer Sometimes a flash gun is used but there are some photojournalists such as war photographers who would rather not make an impact on the environment and just observe, a flash may make them too noticeable and so is not used very often. The paparazzi use them very often, this is to ensure they get enough light on the celebrities they are trying to photograph.

A range of different lenses are used in photojournalism, if a photojournalist is quite close to the action, they will use a wide lens that will allow them to include the whole scene. Some shots that are required to be taken from a distance when the photojournalist cannot get close, for example sports games, a long lens will be used. This allows a zoomed close up shot top be taken so that important details can be seen from a distance.

Eddie Adams (1933-1969) was an American photographer who took some famous portraits of celebrities and politicians and took photos covering 13 wars. His work won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 and his photos are still well renowned today with some of his most famous from the Vietnam war.

This candid photograph captures the very intimate and touching moment where a sailor returns from war. The photographer will not have had time to set up for this so will have had to think fast and take a photograph quickly.

Capturing real life, real time events is what photojournalism is about but it takes skill to be able to do this. The photographer will have had to act quickly to capture the moment and frame the couple perfectly.

The way the uninhibited sailor has swept the girl backwards and is holding her in the embrace allows the viewer to be able to see it is real. This kind of thing is very hard to fake and I believe this is one of the reasons this photograph is so famous along with the historical significance of it.

PortraiturePortraiture is a form of photography widely used and it caters for a

number of different needs. Families sometimes pay for them to be done for display in the home, they are often used for promotion or advertising by celebrities and politicians and are even required by the royal family for their official family portrait. You see portraiture in peoples homes, in high street photographers, magazines, papers and on the internet so it is a hugely popular form of photography.

Portraiture is largely controlled with shoots usually taking place in a studio. This allows the photographer to control many aspects one of them being the lighting. Artificial light can be used so the subjects can have the perfect amount of light and the photographs have the desired look.

Sometimes environmental photography is used and this involves the subject being photographed in a less staged, more natural environment. This method is often shot with only natural lighting. Photojournalists also often only use natural light if they decide to take a portrait of an individual or group they meet while they are reporting, this type of shoot will also likely be done in a natural setting such as the persons house.

Wide lenses are used often for portrait photography. This is because portraits are usually taken at quite a close distance to the subject and this suits a wide lens. It also allows the whole scene to be captured in good detail.

Terry Richardson is an American portrait photographer who was born August 14th 1965. He has shot for many high profile companies such as Marc Jacobs, Supreme and Yves Saint Laurent and for magazines including Vice, Vogue and Vanity Fair as well as portraits for some very famous people including America’s current President Barack Obama.

You can see that this photograph has been taken in a studio as there is a white backdrop, the models are posing and the lighting is perfect. This allows the photographer to make the models look exactly as he/she wishes and to capture the images desired.

The people being photographed here are visually striking. They are identical twins and this is something that people always find interesting. Portraiture photographers often shoot strange looking people as this allows them to get more interesting images.

As with the fashion photography the outfits the models are wearing would have been carefully chosen. The twins are wearing matching Hawaiian shirts that are incredibly bright and eye catching. They often both have sets of gold grillz and this just adds to the strange look of the image.

As I mentioned before every non-twin finds twins quite fascinating, especially identical ones. Every mother loves to dress their twins up in the same outfit but this is usually grown out of. Having these two models in the same outfit adds to the surreal appearance of the photograph and creates more questions in the viewers mind.

Professional photography equipment would have been used to take this photograph such as light rigging, a high quality camera and light meters.

The whole image is in focus meaning a high aperture will have been used. This photograph is quite close up so a wide lens will have been used to get all of the subject in shot.

High StreetHigh street photography is when a person employs a large

franchise such as Venture to take photographs for you. They can involve a few different types of photography such as wedding and portrait photography. In recent years with the rise of digital technology that is available to the public and high rent prices for shops, the high street studio industry has struggled and the number of studios is on the decline.

Photographs taken by these photographing companies are usually seen in the houses of the customers featured in the photographs or their friends and family. The photos are more of personal and sentimental value than for promotional or advertising gain.

The studios are set up with lots of artificial lights often using different colour lights to set a certain mood or to fit with the colour scheme of the clients house. Photography taking place outside the studio can either make use of the ambient light or of things such as flash guns to get the desired look.

Because of size restrictions in the studio wide lenses are usually used, this allows the whole scene to be captured close up with a good degree of detail. Long lenses may be used on occasion for example if a photographer is employed to shoot a wedding but is quite far away from the alter and can’t get close up.

Venture is an example of a high street photography studio. They pioneer a high quality look and take slick, professional looking images for display in the family home.

This photograph has been taken in a studio. It is close up so a wide angle lens will have been used to ensure all of the subject is in frame.

A high aperture will have been used to ensure that the subject is in very clear focus. The lighting is artificial in the photograph as it has been taken in the studio and this is illuminating the girls face well so that she can be seen perfectly.

This photograph is set up in a studio and the girl is posing with her finger on her chin. These poses will probably be prompted by the photographer who will be trying to get the best poses out of the subjects so that the images are more likely to be bought. This pose adds character to the photograph and makes the girl look even cuter.

The monochrome effect that will have probably been added in post production works well in this photograph. Because of the artificial light there is a lot of contrast between her light skin and dark eyes and hair making the black and white filter very effective.

Studio Work

Studio work is any photography that takes place within a controlled studio environment. This covers a huge range of photography styles from advertising and promotional, to fashion and portraiture. Because of this you can see studio work photography everywhere.

Depending on the style of photography that is taking place in the studio photographers will use a number of different techniques and specific equipment that fits that application.

You can see that this image is studio work because of the white backdrop and artificial lighting. Light rigging and other such studio equipment will have been used in order for the photographer to create the perfect environment for the image they wish to take. This will allow for crisp, professional looking images that can then be used for advertisements, high profile fashion events etc.

The model is stood clearly posing for the image looking straight down the lens. She will have probably been instructed to strike this pose by the photographer.

This image is visually striking with Cara Delevingne, a model we are used to seeing on the red carpet in designer dresses just wearing a hooded top. The image may be kept in this simplistic state with the white backdrop, or it could be taken into post production and edited. The advantage of the bare white background is that it makes it very easy to cut the model out and put them onto any backdrop you wish.

ArchitecturalArchitectural photography is the shooting of architectural structures.

It can be done artistically for aesthetic pleasure or for practical needs such as surveying. You may see architectural photographs in estate agents, their magazines or websites as well as other photographers books, websites or galleries if they have done some architectural photography.

Photographers use a wide range of different equipment and are often skilled in specialised techniques and other equipment such as tilt shift lenses. They can use both wide and long lenses depending on the look they are aiming for or how close they are to the structure or detail they want to photograph. Photos concerned with the exterior of a structure usually use ambient light, but some photographs concentrating on architectural details within the structure may have lost of artificial light to deliver the desired look on a photograph.

Timothy McGurr AKA 13thWitness born in New York is a photographer who specialises in inner city street photography often focusing on the architectural structures he comes across. He has run projects with Nike and Nitro, a Hip-Hop group from Japan who are legends in the underground scene.

This image has been taken for aesthetic reasons and is not for surveying or something of that nature.

It shows the symmetry of the city with the buildings and lamp post almost lining up perfectly.

The way the photographer has shot the photograph looking directly skywards shows the cityscape in a way that many people will not have seen it before. This is a difficult thing to capture with buildings that many people probably see every day on their way to work and I believe it is incredibly effective.The buildings are in relatively

sharp focus all the way up so the photograph has been taken on a low aperture setting. I think that he image has also been cropped down to get the square canvas. This adds to the symmetrical appearance and works very well for this photograph.

MedicalMedical photography is mainly used to document the things

that take place in the medical world. It is also sometimes used to display the condition and appearance of wards and surgery rooms for example, to give patients an idea of what they should expect. You see medical photography in medical books, medical websites such as the NHS website and in leaflets, posters and information booklets for patients. Some artists use medical style photography featuring body parts or skulls etc.. for their exhibition, this adopts the style of medical photography but is not technically medical photography.

Lots of specialist photo imaging techniques and equipment are used in medical photography such as thermal imaging, endoscopy and x-ray imaging. This means that this type of photography is often very expensive, the most common form of equipment used in this application is just a digital camera. Photographers will use a digital camera sometimes with a flash to take photographs of patients around the hospital and during surgery, as well as photographing bodies in the post mortem room if this is required.

On the right side of the image you can see a plastic instrument that the photographer has used to hold the subject’s lip back in order to photograph their teeth.

The photograph is very close and a macro lens or setting may have been used in order to get the detail and crisp focus in the image.

The image clearly shows all of the teeth and I guess that it is for some dental record or something. The main focus of the image is the teeth and that is all, the photograph has been taken to document the teeth and it has done just that.

I think a flash has been used to ensure the image is properly illuminated and all the teeth can be seen clearly inside the mouth.

IllustrationIllustration photography is often used alongside newspaper articles

or other texts to give the reader more information. Images can be cleverly used to shape the readers opinion on a subject, a technique often used in newspapers. The images vary hugely from photojournalistic images you may see in a newspaper or magazine to detailed step-by-step images to give instruction in a book or manual.

Equipment and techniques vary hugely depending on the nature of the text the illustration photograph is to accompany. Some photos may feature a war scene like the one on the front cover of “The Second World War In The West”, this photojournalistic image will probably of been captured with a wide lens camera and without the use of a flash. Other images in other styles will use the equipment of their application.

Photographers will be commissioned to photograph by a newspaper, magazine of book publishers to take photographs on a certain subject be it birds of prey for a book on them, or documenting a riot for an article the following day.

Here the twins have been cut out and stuck onto the book meaning that all focus is on them rather than anything that may have been in the background of the original.

A the top of the image is the book author, title and all relevant information allowing the viewer to see what it is.

The image shows the twins together, one behind the other. It was a well known fact that the Kray’s always had each others back and the two of them together posed a very intimidating threat. This image depicts this perfectly and will have been carefully chosen for the books cover for this reason.

Fine Art

Fine art photography can cover a large number of different styles of photography and many techniques, because of this a solid definition is hard to find. It is used a lot but is a quite vague term but has the general idea that the artist has tried to convey something more than just a realistic image of the subject. This form of photography can feature anything and images can be colour or black and white. Fine art is often seen in art and photography books, websites or magazines and art galleries. Fine art is often made for no other reason than to be appreciated as an art form and be aesthetically pleasing to a viewer so in this way stands in contrast to other photography types such as documentary or commercial. Fine art photography can be likened to paintings as it is done to express the artist’s perceptions and emotions and share them with the viewer.

Because this type of photography covers such a large range of styles the equipment and techniques depend largely on the type of image being captured. The photographer will use equipment suitable for the type of image they wish to take. They may use props and different lenses to make the image look the way they wish and they may edit heavily in post production, it all depends on what they are hoping to achieve.

This man covered in what appear to be Russian prison tattoos is a stark contrast to the cello he is posing with. This contrast makes the viewer wonder about the background of the man and what is going on.

The man is staring blankly into the distance. This raises more questions within the viewers mind at what this man has been through and what he is thinking about.

This man who is covered in tattoos would make an interesting image on his own, especially with the stigma and connotations surrounding the Russian prison tattoos he has. The way he has been dressed, the pose he is in and the props around him make the image much more strange and interesting.

I believe that the image is set up and the man has been instructed to sit in this way. It is however subtle and the way he is staring at nothing gives the viewer the impression he may have been found like this.

This image will have been taken with a wide aperture as the foreground to the background is all in focus. I also believe the image will have been taken with a wide angle lens to get all of the subject in the image.

Documentary

Documentary photography refers to a form of photography that is used to record significant and historical events as well as every day life. Usually it is covered by professional photojournalists or other such reporters who will attempt to create a truthful image that records accurately what has really happened. These photographs are usually candid and most often pictures of people or wildlife, because of the candid nature of documentary photographs amateurs can often capture brilliant documentary photographs because they were in the right place at the right time.

Documentary photographs can be taken of anything as long it is non-fiction and of some significance. There is no right or wrong equipment to capture it and as the photos are often of events as they happen they are captured on anything from the highest quality professional cameras all the way down to camera phones.

This image shows the talent that some photojournalists have enabling them to take incredible images of events quickly before they are over.

This candid photograph of a man riding his elephant over a body of water is incredibly interesting and alien to a western viewer. One of the reasons documentary photography is so popular is because it shows things that people have never seen before.

This image will have had to have been taken with a waterproof camera in order for it to be partially submerged capturing both the elephant under water and its rider above it.

The image is lit using only natural light as it is outside, but it is very bright and so all the colours are vibrant and the details defined.