by Alex Brown | Mar 22, 2017
The importance of brand attitude in high end fashion photography
We all have our own personalities. Some of us may be quirky, some of us may be more mainstream. When it comes to a brand, it has a personality too. But what exactly is a brand personality? Millward Brown describes a brand personality as “the way a brand expresses and represents itself.”
People don’t react to brands as people, but do, it appears, react to brands in a consistent, measurable way, call it the Brand Five. -Whit.li
The Brand Five that Whit.li has developed includes sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. This brand five are some of the most common examples of how consumers perceive a brand’s personality.
When a new brand is being created, or a brand is being redefined, brand personality traits are the basis and guiding direction of the brand. Anything communicated, whether it be to the consumer or an employee, should identify and correlate with the defined brand personality.
It’s our job to make sure that all of our communications are consistent with the following brand personality traits. Our brand personality traits describe how we want our customers to perceive our company define a brand from the beginning. – Walmart Brand Guidelines
How can something intangible, like brand personality, be manifested through branding? One way is through photography.
When it comes to luxury fashion brands, Gucci is one of the most prominent and popular brands.
2015 was a major year for Gucci as it completely switched it’s creative direction, under the direction of Alessandro Michele.
Fashionista.com has described the new creative direction as having a “mysterious vibe that that leads consumers to wonder about the story behind them.”
The 2015 ad campaign featured a prominent use of wind, symbolic of the change of creative direction.
All of these photographs are in homage to the 2015 Gucci campaign. They feature the current brand placement of the logo with the creative direction of the 2015 campaign.
To see more high end fashion campaigns visit this website.
by Alex Brown | Mar 22, 2017
How adding two simple things can take a women’s fashion photoshoot to the next level.
This post is one in a series in what I like to call Fashion Focus. I love color. Always will. Whenever I can incorporate color into a photoshoot, I jump all over the opportunity. Recently I bought a 47″ octobox light modifier for my speedlights. It’s been a great purchase and I absolutely love it! However, I wanted to see fi there was a way to create a color gel for the modifier itself. And sure enough, there is.
Go to your local Michael’s or craft store and find rolls of colored cellophane. Buy whatever color you like and at your next fashion photoshoot, tape it over the octobox, as if it were your soft box cover. On this shoot we had pink cellophane covering the octobox on the right, with a strobe light and a yellow filter to her left.
When working with color, the hardest thing to master is what I call color spill. In this photo, my model Noelle turned enough just so that the pink gel only lit her hair.
Another cool thing that you can do to make shooting with color even cooler is use bubbles! In order to get a lot of bubbles, consider buying a bubble machine on Amazon or at your local store.
Take a look at Nordstrom’s 2017 Spring Campaign, the inspiration behind this shoot.
by Alex Brown | Mar 22, 2017
Why good chemistry is important between models for fashion photography.
This post is one in a series in what I like to call Fashion Focus. With fashion photography, there’s a very slim chance that your models you need will have real chemistry between them. As a photographer, we make photographs come to life, create interest in interactions, and emulate emotion. When shooting a scene that involves two people in an intimate setting or relationship, you have to make it believable.
Take a look at this photograph. This fashion photoshoot was inspired by the 1920s, also known as the roaring 20s. While I did direct my models, Ana and Josh, to pose this way, you can still notice how there isn’t any chemistry or a spark of connection between the two.
Compare the photo of Josh and Ana to this one of Brianna and Josh Miller. Isn’t this just already better?! When shooting couples or groups for fashion photography, it’s vital that you create the connection and chemistry between the models. I think the reason why the chemistry is more believable is because of how relaxed both of the models are. I love how Josh is leaning into Brianna and he has that love smize going on.
Here’s some more pictures of Josh and Brianna.
Take a look at some of the sample images from Lindsay Adler’s course on how to photograph couples.
by Alex Brown | Mar 22, 2017
Highlighting the two main styles when it comes to men in fashion photography.
This post is one in a series in what I like to call Fashion Focus. Typically when you think of fashion photography, you might think it’s a woman’s sport. Well, you’d be wrong! Men in fashion photography are just as popular as women are! On a recent fashion shoot workshop, I was able to photograph a variety of models with a variety of styles.
When it comes to men’s fashion photography, I would say there are at least two distinct styles: European and western. When I mean western, I don’t mean saloon shootouts, but more American.
EUROPEAN-INSPIRED MEN’S FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
I took these two pictures of my model, Etienne. Although he is from Canada, Etienne’s fashion photography shoot is a perfect example of a more european style. First off, the lighting is a lot more dramatic, the color and toning is more muted and stripped, in addition to the fashion itself being more European in style. Overall, the look and feel is dreamy and creamy.
Brands that come to mind that focus on this style include Calvin Klein, Zara, and H&M.
WESTERN-INSPIRED MEN’S FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY
When it comes to western-inspired men’s fashion photography, the look and feel is more lived in, realistic and authentic. Instead of focusing on color toning and dramatic lighting, there is more focus put on the location and the attitude.
Brands that come to mind that focus on this style include American Eagle, Hollister, Abercrombie, and Old Navy.
Since european-inspired men’s fashion photography is more prominent, take a look at this great article by FStoppers where fashion photographer Chris Davis gives tips on how to pose male models.
by Alex Brown | Mar 22, 2017
Discover how small accessories can make a big pop in fashion photography.
This post is one of a series in what I like to call Fashion Focus. When it comes to the world of fashion photography, small details are just as important as the overall shot. On this recent fashion photoshoot, I was able to get some great images showcasing how you can take small items, such as jewelry, and make them a focal point in your photograph. Here are four tips on how any photographer can take any accessory and sell it with the shutter.
Step 1: Find an accessory.
I actually chose to start shooting these rings spontaneously as I was shooting my model Mckenna Wilson. I noticed how she kept looking down at her hands and then I saw the multiple rings on her fingers! In photography, it’s always a good idea to look for design elements, such as complementary colors, which help create drama and mood.
Step 2: Get Closer.
In this case since I was shooting rings, I needed to get closer. When shooting accessories for fashion photography, it’s always a good idea to get a number of shots at various focal lengths.
Step 3: Eyes off-camera.
In order to get this shot, I got candid and relaxed with my model. As she was just doing her thing, I was able to get some great candid shots. Since I want the focus to be her rings – the fashion accessory – I had her look off camera, that way we focus on the rings and not her eyes.
Step 4: Eyes on-camera.
Lastly, make sure that you get a photograph with the model looking at the camera. Not only do you create a connection between the photograph and the viewer, you humanize and provide a connection with emotion. Furthermore, make sure that your fashion accessory is still in focus and is a major focal point.
For more fashion accessories photography, check out Paul Nelson’s website.
by Alex Brown | Mar 18, 2017
Creating an entire magazine ad from start to finish: Creative Direction, Photography, and Design
This is my last post about the photography workshop I went on back in February. The whole purpose of this shoot was to conceptualize, direct, photograph, edit and design an advertisement for a company or product using what we had at the cabin.
I wanted a product that was both natural and fit well with the environment, but also that would be authentic. We had some various objects to choose from, but in the end, I chose to use these old vintage Kodak cameras. The reason why I chose to use this as my product is because I thought I would be able to incorporate one of Kodak’s newer cameras and have the campaign be, “The Comeback Camera.”
In October 2016, Kodak rebranded incorporating elements of it’s logo from 1971 and 1987. Check out more about this rebrand on one of my favorite blogs, Brand New from Under Consideration.
When I started to work on getting this advertisement ready, I went to Kodak’s website. I explored around a little, especially focusing on the camera section, however I didn’t find any really innovative or compelling cameras that would fit the creative direction of my campaign. However, I did discover the Kodak Ektra.
Now, you might be thinking Kodak is paying me to write all of this, but they aren’t. This post and this work is completely apart of my educational assignment for my COMM316 class. But, I do have to sell the Ektra for a minute here.
First off, the Ektra is a promising smartphone that was designed around it’s camera. As a photographer, I could really care less about megapixels when it comes to a phone camera (it’s important… don’t get me wrong) but the thing that is truly the most amazing about the Ektra is it’s 2.0 ultra low light sensor. While it isn’t as low as the iPhone 7, it’s pretty amazing for a smartphone camera. Plus, even though it’s not as important to me as it might be to others, this camera has 21 megapixels! It’s truly amazing!
With this image, I wanted to showcase the fact that Kodak cameras are still be using today. Furthermore, all the models and photographers are obviously modern day people who would be the perfect target audience for the Ektra. I also like the warmth in the yellow-toning as it helps give the photo an aged look.
I wanted to keep the design simple while also following the look and style of what Kodak is currently doing.
Image Attribution: Camera Image, Kodak Logo
