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Photography Applications

Melissa Storey

Advertising and PromotionalAdvertising photography is an image which sells a product while promotional photography is to raise the profile of the product or person. They are similar but different in small ways.

The first two images are advertising photography. They have placed the product on the page so the audience knows what is being advertised. An image or style will be linked to the products, for example a slick, smart style is used on technological advertisements, especially for Apple. This is used because the people targeted for these products are smart themselves. On advertisement photography the logos or the name of the product are transferred onto the photograph and the use of post production is usually heavily used. It makes the product look modern and more appealing. The use of the camera lenses depends on the product. There is no specific lens need to make a advertisement or promotional photograph. If a model is used in the photograph they will be told how to pose to give off a certain effect. The product will later be placed in the photograph usually by post production. They use artificial light to create lighting in specific areas and to highlight main features, for example on the Miss Dior perfume advert the model has had artificial lighting placed around her to highlight her nude body, suggesting she doesn’t need to wear anything but the perfume to feel sophisticated and powerful. A lot of perfume advertisements use high key lighting to highlight the model and product.

Promotional photography is when a paid photographer goes to a live performance to photograph images of the band/artist on stage to create a profile for them. It is the use of photography to publicise and advertise a person or band. For example in the image of You Me At Six you can see the band playing live, doing what they are known to do best, which promotes their music. The way they are staged promotes the type of music too. All this comes from one image of the band.

An example of an advertising photographer is Jonathan Knowles who created the advertisement for Carling and Smirnoff.

High key artificial lighting has been used on the woman to highlight her nude body and structure. This is showing that she feels comfortable as long as she is wearing the Dolce and Gabbana perfume.

The photograph has clearly been studio set up and controlled. The model has been told how to pose and act. She has been placed in a certain position to look a certain way.

The name of the brand and the perfume bottle has been edited through post production over the top of the photograph to advertise the actual product and name.

Advertisement photography uses a heavy amount of post production to define her features and highlight her sexual pose. The creases in her skin have been smoothed out to make her look “perfect”.This is a common thing in adverts as the product or the person in the photograph looks perfect so people will buy the product.

The camera lens being used in this advertisement is a wide lens as it captures everything in the scene. It is a studio set up therefore the photographer can get in close personally instead of the use of long lens.

Advertising and Promotional

Fashion PhotographyThe main purpose of fashion photography is to sell clothes and promote fashion labels. Magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar are popular all around the world for their fashion photography. Melissa Rodwell, one of Harper’s Bazaar’s fashion photographers. She has also photographed for Ralph Lauren, Nike and Coca Cola. Her photography is often done outside, but with the use of artificial lighting a high quality image can be produced.

Fashion photography is very heavily controlled as the model is told where to stand, what to do with their arms and their whole body posture. They have their hair and make-up done to how the photographer and designer wants it done. Everything is controlled to give the best image towards the fashion.

A wide lens is used as it captures everything in the studio. A studio set up is good for fashion photograph so the photographer can get in close instead of using the long lens. The third image is a studio set up and this makes it easy to put a background behind the model.

Post production is a large part in fashion photography because fashion magazines want to inspire women from looking at these magazines therefore if a women is shown with no imperfections inside a magazine more women will want to be like that women and at least want to wear the same clothes. Fashion photography has a huge impact on women when placed in fashion magazines or used for billboards for fashion shops such as Topshop.

Some more fashion photographers are; Steven Meisel, who photographed every cover for Vogue Italia since 1988. Ellen Von Unwerth and Steven Klein who shot high-profile photographs clients such as Calvin Klein, D&G, Alexander McQueen and Nike.

Fashion Photography is heavily staged and controlled. It is usually done in a studio set up or, like this image, outside somewhere to illustrate the clothing line.This is the summer clothing line which is shown by the place she is in and the high key lighting. Even though they are shooting outside the use of artificial lighting is still used to select key features on the model.

Wide lenses are used in fashion photography because the photographers can walk and move with their camera to get a good position. Using a wide lens is so you can get the whole view on the fashion the model is wearing. The models are tall or shot to look taller so you can see more of their clothes.

The models are told where to stand, how to pose and how to show off the fashion. They have their hair and makeup pre prepared before the shoot, it is all very controlled, even before being in front of the camera.

Fashion magazines will use a heavy amount of post production on the photographs to make the models have the perfect body to advertises and sell the clothes. The faces will also be edited to look proportional and smooth. This makes women want to look like the model therefore the least they can do is go and buy the outfit the model is wearing.

Fashion Photography

Photojournalism Photojournalism photography is an image that contributes to what is in the news. This can be from wars and riots to celebrities. The photographs shows and contributes to the storyline. They are found with an article in newspapers, magazines and websites.

Both wide and long lenses can be used depending how far away from the action you are. In the middle picture it looks like it has been taken from a distance and a long view lens would be needed to capture this. The paparazzi style photographs will most probably use a long lens too, so they can hide and not be up close to the celebrity.

The lighting will most likely be natural light. They cannot carry extra lighting in war zones for example. The photographs are observant, what you see is happening, no staging. Because of this people believe the use of post production should not be aloud on photojournalism photography because it takes away the reality.

Ernest Cole was the first photographer to expose the conditions of life in South Africa under the apartheid regime. These images alerted people and photographers realised they could make a difference and inform the public with their images. A lot of photojournalism I have come across are mostly from war zones or poverty. It causes distress and help wanted.

''A woman in an HIV ward in Phnom Penh. She suffers not only from HIV, but from TB, a disease that kills thousands of HIV positive Cambodians every year.” -www.ngoinsider.com

This photograph has had high amounts of post production done to it so it highlights the ribs even more to make the image look more shocking. The black and white highlights poverty and illness. This image has not been posed for, it is an observed making it more dramatic towards the storyline.

A long lens has been used in this image to get close into the disturbing detail. It makes you look at the image for longer, and after examining the photograph you can see the horror which will reflex the news story. Some photojournalism photographs use wide lenses too to get the whole story in the one photograph.

Ambient lighting has been used as artificial lighting in areas such as war zones is too much, it also makes the photograph look dark like the topic too. The paparazzi style photography could use a flash light for more lighting on the celebrity.

Photojournalism

Portraiture PhotographyThis is the most common forms of photography, it focuses on the face and facial features of a person.

The constructionist approach is when the photographer constructs an idea around a person, for example a happy family or romantic couple. This is easy to perform in a studio area. All three of these photographs have been shot in a studio. You can tell this from the backgrounds.

A studio makes it easy to introduce artificial lighting. This is used a lot in portrait photography so it highlights facial features and makes the photograph look modern. Different lighting can cause shadow, like in the middle photograph, which can leave a mysterious effect to it.

A wide lens camera is usually used in portrait photography so all facial features can be seen in detail. The photographer can stand at a comfortable length to capture the look needed/wanted.

These three images are controlled in a studio set up. The model is told where to look in the camera to create the best portrait and different feelings within the image.

An example of a portraiture photographer is Peter Marfleet who takes family portraits. A more famous portraiture photographer is Edouard Boubat who took portraits for Marilyn Monroe and other models and actresses in a French style.

Portraiture photography and photojournalism contrast together in many ways, for example portraiture photography is mostly set up in a studio and controlled while photojournalism is observed and taken.

Huge artificial lights have been used in this portrait, they have been angled towards her face to brighten it up and it makes her face the centre of the attention in the image to create a portrait.

This photograph has also had the use of post production towards it as her skin is smooth with no creases or wrinkles, only laughter lines to show towards her happy personality. It has been sharpened and brightened to make the photograph focus more on certain areas and it also brightens her eyes and teeth. Then a final black and white filter has been used to make the photograph look more professional and high quality.

This was taken with a wide lens at a medium close up, you can tell this because all of her face, from her shoulders up, is in the shot. All portraits will do this because firstly

that is what a portrait is and secondly it shows her facial features in just enough detail.

Portrait photography is very controlled and this lady has been told where to look and how to sit and pose. This is because the photographer wants to get the right image for the person in front of the camera, and depending why they are having a portrait taken depends on how the model should be portrayed.

Portraiture Photography

High Street StudioLarge franchise and small businesses take photographs of key memorises in people’s lives. This includes new born photography, family and children portraits and wedding photography. A large franchise called Venture are popular for this sort of photography. They can also be hired for weddings too.

They are usually set up in a studio set up, they are very controlled and set up for a professional look. A white or black background behind families creates a simple background to focus on the happy family. It shows nothing but the smiles within the children and parents. A lot of families have high street photographs to put on the walls of their homes of their proud moments.

Big artificial lights are used with a flash to capture all of these moments. With the use of post production glare and red eye can be taken out to produce a high quality image. High street studio work uses a lot of post production to correct colours, to sharpen the image and to make it look more professional because a lot of people have their own access to their own camera to do this but a lot do not have the post production tools to make their photographs high in quality.

A wide lens is used so you can see all the features in the one photograph. The photographer has a comfortable amount of space to walk in and out to get different lengths of zoom within the room. Images are also cropped during the post production process.

When this kind of photography is hired for weddings the only thing that is different is that it is not in a studio but where their day is taking place, and the amount of artificial lighting is lowered. But the amount of post production used and the control in the image are still the same. They capture happy memories.

Another studio set up with a back drop and artificial lighting to highlight the wonderful mother and child moment here. It makes the image look brighter and happier and a lot more professional, because now a days most people will have access to their own camera so high street photographers need to be able to do something special with their talent so people will still choose to go to a high street photographer.

This is why a bit of post production comes into high street photography too. Although people will have their cameras to take a photograph they will not have a post production program like Photoshop. With the use of this they can do different things than the public making the photographs special and look a lot more professional.

Photographers of high street photography will use wide lenses as you get everything in the one frame which is what people want when they come to high street photographers. For example in this photograph both the mother and the child can be photographed in the same photograph due to a wider lens.

High street photography, like portrait photography, is controlled. The models are told where to look, sit and pose. Depending on the situation will depend how the photograph is portrayed. A lot of high street photographers make the happy family image very real by making everyone have huge smiles on their faces and sometimes even make them jump etc. You can see in this photograph the huge smiles from the happy family image.

High Street Studio

Architecture These photographs will include the structure and shapes of certain buildings for architects, consulting engineers, property developers, construction companies, hotels for their websites. Once they have been taken they are often put into a range of applications such as brochures, adverts, web sites and editorial features.

Different styles are used for engineers and surveyors compared to hoteliers therefore the use of postproduction may differ. For example hoteliers will photograph their hotel to be published on a website or on a brochure. They will want everything to look at its best, so by brightening the photograph up a bit and bringing out certain colours it will make their hotel stand out more and look to a higher standard than those who haven't done this.

A wide lens will be used to get all the detail and all of the architecture into the one photograph. Some photographers use different angels to make their photography of the building look interesting and unusual. It captures an audience and makes it look different to others. Just a simple low angle shot will create this unusual but interesting look to a building. Both the top and bottom photograph has done this. I personally like this way of looking at architecture.

Architecture photography is observational photography. Nothing is moved to look a certain way, the building has been found the way the photographer photographs it and it is their interpretation which makes the building look a certain way.

The images across are all using ambient lighting. A flash maybe used it if is taken in a dark place but usually no artificial lighting is taken with the photographer because the object is too large.

An example of an architecture photographer is Richard Vantielcke who is a French urban photographer. And Matt Livey who is a construction architectural photographer.

A wide lens, with a low angle has been used on this piece of photography, this gives off a unusual view towards the architecture. The angle of the photograph makes the architecture look larger and it could even be put into the fine art genre of photography too. Wide lenses are used to get the whole image in, and with this angle the photographer has managed to make it a large building into a specific amount of space.

You can see in this image that it has had some post production on it. The sky has been highlighted to look more mysterious. This happens a lot in landscape photography too. The lighting has been specifically highlighted to highlight the building even more, and with this amount of post production to the architecture it makes it look a lot prettier and appealing rather than just a church.

Nothing has been moved to look a certain way therefore this architecture photography is observed and taken for a brochure or website or for a sale. Architecture photography is very observational and a creative eye is needed to pursue.

The architecture already has light shone upwards to elongate the building and its structure. The timing of the day has been considered so these artificial lights can seen in the photograph which does make the photograph.

Architecture photography can be used for many purposes but can tie in with fine art photography depending on the post production work done to it. This photograph I would consider as fine art due to the post production and the angle the photograph was taken.

Architecture

Illustration Illustration photography is when photographs are placed alongside words to give the reader more information. This can be inside articles or instructions or on front covers.

Depending on what image you are taking depends on if the photograph is observational or controlled. For example the top two examples are both observational due to wildlife, it is usually impossible to control an animal (although that’s what the first image is trying to do). This also indicates that no artificial lighting will have been used because of the wildlife and this kind of lighting usually does not work or will scared them away. The post production on the first image has heavily been used to make the cat sit on top of the dog and to make the dog have a huge smile. While the other image has only been sharpened to make the birds stand out.

The wedding article (third example), is a controlled image, just like high street photography, they have been told where to look and how to pose for the photograph. Depending on what the photograph is being used for and where it is being placed depends on if the photograph is being controlled or not, if it needs artificial lighting and how much post production it being used and even the lens.

The lens used for the Birds Photography front cover will be a long lens due to the aperture and the length the photographer would have been standing when the photograph was taken. The other examples will have used wide lenses to get all of the detail in one frame.

An example of a illustration photographer is Guy Edwardes who takes photographs of birds and published them in 100 ways to take better nature and wildlife photographs.

This is a instruction piece involving photographs of different stages of the hair. This will be found in a girls hair and make up gossip magazine.

The photographs have all been posed for therefore these images are controlled. Again depending on the situation of a illustration photograph will depend if it is controlled or observational.

The photographs describe in a illustration term what the caption underneath is describing. It is a studio set up and the lens used is a wide lens to get everything in one frame. It is like portrait photograph, from shoulders up, focusing on the face and hair.

Because this will be printed into a girls magazine the use of post production has been used a lot, like from the fashion photography. This is so women inspire to Megan and will try her hair do. Her skin has been smoothed out, there is no hair in the wrong place and everything is placed well. This is due to post production.

An artificial light will have been used in the studio to direct to attention to the models face and hair and to make her stand out. It also give her the cover girl glowing look.

Illustration

Medical Photography Medical photographs are used for reports on a case or they are placed in medical books to show doctors exactly what to look out for and what they can see. It can be classed as one of the most important types of photography as it serves a purpose and saves peoples lives if unusual surgeries or disorders are photographed and described.

They are observational photographs of what goes on in the operational theatre, what you see is what happening. There is sometimes some clean up to make the photographs less gruesome. And therefore no post production work comes out unless the image needs sharpening. This is so doctors and medical patients understand exactly what needs to be looked at without any alterations to the photograph.

No extra artificial lighting is used except for the lighting in the theatre studios. Theatres rarely have windows, to keep things private, so the lighting inside the room will include lots of different lamps shining on certain parts of the body, but these have not been brought in by the photographer.

Many medical photography work uses a long lens because they do not want to get in the way of the doctors. Another reason why they use long lenses is it gives more detail on one specific area. For example the second image down shows more detail in that one eye. It shows what instruments need to be used and how the patient must be. Wide lenses in medical photography are still used but it does depend on what you’re shooting and at what specific moment the photograph is being taken.

Medical photography also includes inside the body photography like Lennart Nilsson did. He took extreme closes ups inside the body showing things like a red blood cell close up. It also includes x-rays that are rays which show outlines of bones and teeth etc. inside your body to produce a photograph.

This photograph uses a long lens, it feels like you are in the room peaking through a gap to see this scene. It doesn’t show much gore or detail into where on the body this is taking place but you can see the people around, the classic blue doctors overalls and the interments being used all in a long lens photograph. The photograph has purposely been focused into a section using aperture, to show what is happening and blurred out the doctors behind. To me this photograph makes me feel as though I am in the theatre watching due to the camera lens.

Not a lot of post production has been done. The blur effect would have been taken with the camera due to a low aperture I expect the photograph to have been sharpened and

maybe brightened at the most.

A light has been used to focus into the area the doctors are cutting but this is not for a camera purpose, this is for the doctors therefore a natural ambient light will have been used and the image will be brightened during post production.

This is an observational photograph, the doctors have not been stopped and told where to pose or where to put their hands, this is during a live operation and all photographs would have been observational.

Medical Photography

Fine Art Photography Fine Art involves many different styles of photography, it is a very wide genre and many things may categorise under this as well as another genre of photography too. It can be from anything such as nudes to architecture to wildlife photography. Fine art is produced to be shown in books or in gallery's or for sales not for public advertisement.

Fine art photography is identified from other photography is the large amount of post production and creativity to them. Fine art photographers want their images to look as abstract as possible. For example the middle photograph of the dog, the costume will have been edited on and even the dog itself will be edited to look straight into the camera and look polished and clean.

Artificial lighting may be used depending where the photograph is being taken. If it is taken in a studio setting, like the bottom image, it will most likely have some artificial lighting but somewhere streetwise or if taking pictures of wildlife natural light will be used.

Depending on the photography depends on whether the image is observational or controlled and if a wide or long lens is needed. These three images all use a wide lens, to fit everything into the frame, but some fine at photography only likes to show part of the image to make the photograph look abstract. This is done a lot in urban photography.

An example of a fine art photographer is Germán Peraire is a young fine art photographer based in Barcelona, Spain.

Fine art is all about the abstract mind and although this could be classed as architecture, to me it is fine art photography due to the abstract angle and shapes. This has been done with a wide lens but on a high angle. The high angle has slightly distorted the staircase and looks to be in a fish bowl view. The lens it has been taken with guides you straight down the staircase.

This is an observational photograph, it has not been staged but found, observed and taken.

The post production done to the photograph has been a lot. You can see this

from the curves made from the staircase. I do not believe they were originally there but they were made during the post production stage. The photograph has a slight grey scale to it to make it look mysterious and dark to indicate where the stairs are going. Fine art gets your imagination wondering mainly why is it not always published in newspapers a lot unlike photojournalism.

An aliment light has been used from the huge window in the middle which brings a lot a natural light into the frame working well with the photographers work.

Fine Art Photography

Documentary Documentary photography involves a long term project, for example a war or a certain part of history which is captured day by day or month by month over a long period of time. Documentary photography gives the photographer the opportunity to show different layers of life and ways of living of their subjects. Instead of trying to tell a story with a single image, like photojournalism it is produced in multiple images to tell the story.

The photography is observational, there is no staging, what you see in the image is happening and no changes have been made. This gets to people with a heart felt story. It shows people what is actually going on somewhere else and how dangerous it is to be there.

Images may be subject to some post production but not to the extend amount of fashion or advertising photography. For example all of these images have been edited to a black and white filter which makes the image look even more upsetting and highlights the poor ways things are happening.

No artificial lighting is used in documentary photography as one it cannot be carried around and two it would distract from what is really going on.Both wide and long lenses can be used depending on the situation. It is likely the photographer will be stood a bit further back than what these images show.

Dorothea Lange was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist who captured the depression of the Farm Security Administration.

This is a famous piece of documentary work fromDorothea Lange who was an American documentary photographer who captured the depression of the Farm Security Administration. All her work has been observational, you can tell from the way the woman has no idea she has been photographed with her two young boys. This has not been staged which makes it more upsetting as this was actually happening to these people.

A wide lens zoomed in a lot has been used. You can tell it has been zoomed from the way the photographer would not have been this close to the family and not have been seen. With the use of a long lens the detail in the picture would have gone and not all the family would have been in the frame.

Post production would have consisted of sharpening the image and adding a black and white filter to show the sadness of the family even more.

Ambient lighting would have been the only lighting for this photographer as there is no way she could have carried around stage lights and the way the natural light hits the saddened faces highlights them well enough.

This was one of a series of photographs in this documentary and they are all portrayed the same.

Documentary

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• Should post-production be carried out on images and if so when?Too much post production can make people and a topic feel fake and photographers can add extra detail into photographs with the use of post production. I feel post production should not be used in situations such as documentaries and photojournalism because if things have been edited to look a certain way, the wrong interpretation of serious things may come of this. This has happened when bombs have exploded and more smoke, blood or sometimes more bombs have been edited in to make the enemy seem more dangerous making the consumer feel more for the victims. Advertisements and fashion photography use post production a lot. They use it to make the perfect image of something. In my personal opinion, post production should be used to make your image look the best quality and to adjust the lighting but some magazines and print papers take it too far with their models making the model look totally different to what they really look like.

This gives a lot of teens an pressure mostly coming from the post production of the models

in magazines. An example of post production is this picture to the side.

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• Is fashion photography less important than medical photography?Medical photography is very important in ways of showing doctors and patients the dangers and things to look out for. I wouldn’t necessarily say fashion photography is more important but it fits into the uses and gratification theory and lets people understand and promote their personality from the fashion in the magazines. But when talking about the impotents of photography due to what effects it has on people, medical photograph is more important mainly due to the way it is being used in the industry and how it can save peoples lives and teaches doctors what they need to use, how to use the tools for a certain operation and also shows the patient what to expect. Medical photograph is more informational when fashion photograph is for entertainment and to find a personality within. On the NHS website anyone with access can look and search about any symptom or illness they may want to know about and with the information will include videos, diagrams and sometimes photographs linking to the topic. This give the audience visual help and understanding. The picture to the side is aprint screen of the NHS website and the way it is set out and how photographers are needed in medical terms. Documentary photography is important to understand a difficult situation and eases peoples worries as they can see and understand due to medical photography.