I read Paco Underhill’s article and focused on photography’s impact on consumerism. I took a picture of a box of Krispy Krème donuts using a camera phone. Afterwards I put the image onto iphoto and played with some filters until I came upon the one that produced the finish on this image. Finishing this image took me very little time and produced a very high quality and marketable image. This ties into Underhill’s point about technology playing a major role in the commercialism of photography. I was able to make a passable commercial image using only the basic software that came on my computer. This is interesting because I can remember the days when photo had to be developed and creating an appealing photo like this took extensive time and resources. What this photo represents is revolutionary because it levels the playing field when it comes to creating visually effective advertising. This is especially significant because every advertiser knows that a picture is worth a thousand words and the quality and effectiveness of the picture is the metaphorical difference between a high quality grad school dissertation and a high school research paper. This is significant because as Underhill states a large majority of products being advertised are discretionary and thus take a very pervasive argument.
This photo makes the kind of argument that persuades possible buyers to buy a donut. The reflective property off the donuts is one the aspects that really makes the donuts appealing because people associate that reflective property with the sweet taste of the donut. Another aspect is the aura the donuts seem to give off in the picture, it seems like they are almost calling to consumers.