Creative Ad
Pre-visualization to final product
The photos above are not mine, credit goes to the creative people on Pinterest.
As a artist, I now the importance of a sketch, journaling to record and developing ideas. I usually carry a few journals with me everywhere on top of my gear (my bags are so heavy!)
For this project I wanted to create a product shot that is commercial and very beautiful. I want to look at this photo and want to open a bottle of wine and relax. This winter in Ottawa has been pretty harsh and cold, I wanted to create a feeling of warmth, comfort and happiness.
It takes many steps to accomplish something like this: finding inspiration, planning, finding props, layout design, shooting, editing, printing. To find inspiration I look at what made me happy, I’ve been going thought a minimalist aesthetic phase, and I wanted to explore that aesthetic with this series. I look for thing all over my life that I enjoyed, When I am on the bus I journal and sketch, I look for reference on Pinterest (and of course I made a new board!) I found imagery that had beautiful colour scheme, composition, and lighting. Having a bank of images that had the look I wanted to create really help me to start my game plan for this shoot.
Next step; Drawing! I wanted to take what was in my brain and put it on paper. I made a simple doodle of what my general idea for this project will look like. Next I made a lighting schematic, this was my general idea of what I wanted to for this image. My goal was to make it light and airy. This image needed to be bright and happy! I wanted my beauty shot to be a beautiful story about prepping a cheeses tray and showcasing a gorgeous bottle of rose. I wanted to challenge myself to shoot some really reflective medal kitchen tools and some food.
For my product shot it is pretty simple, I wanted to light each kitchen utensil and tool on a white background. I wanted to cut each item out to ad to my layout. I was inspired by LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, they have gorgeous layouts, designs, and of course photography. If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend picking one up.
To shoot each individual item I had to light it to avoid reflections, and to have a evenly lit background to make the cut outs efficiently. When shooting a product shot you want to represent the product as accurately and beautifully as possible.
I made a layout with Photoshop so I can shoot with a overlay. Using this technique helps avoid reshooting. In this overlay I will be displaying the beauty shot across a two page spread. I feel like two page spreads have a lot of impact, and there is enough room for the eye to travel and take in the whole image. Being well prepared at the front end of a photoshoot can make or break the shoot. If you are a organized photographer the shoot will be a lot more efficient.
My favourite thing about photography isn’t the final product, it is the process of creating something. I really enjoy thinking about shoots, journaling, problem solving, learning, and having a good time with some really cool people.
For my final beauty shot, I created a set in a office. I put a table top (I found it in the garbage!) on the desk. I used a shallow depth of field to keep the wine bottle the main focus. I ended up changing my layout a bit. I would like to continue working on this concept, and maybe possibly making it a series. Who knows! We will see where this projects go.
Do you have any projects you are working on? What is your process? Let’s talk about it!
Have a fabulous day!