Photo Journal 5

In my photograph, I hope to make a necklace look appealing. By using soft lighting and a short aperture length, the necklace looks desirable and more beautiful that it actually is. The lack of focus hides any blemishes on the necklace and adds mystery and glamour to the photograph.

The article Photography Changes how we Shop inspired me. An interesting point made was that over history, viewers have presumed photographs are more truthful that other visual media. However, today the medium is a shameless tool to sell, promote, and persuade the viewer. I was interested in whether photographs can be put into separate categories, truthful or less biased photographs and photographs used as a tool. I found that while my photograph is a straight depiction of a necklace, not manipulated by computer software, the way I took the photograph still manages to idealize the object. These types of photographs are everywhere. Even though it is now obvious to us that photographs are never really truthful and more often than not they are highly manipulated, it is easy to be seduced by them. In my photograph, the clasp on the necklace is broken but the viewer cannot see that because of the way I photographed it. The overall quality of the necklace is poor, but the lighting conceals it. As the article concludes, the author says many of us are drawn to shop as a result of our image driven world. While we are aware of the untruthfulness of photographs, they continue to be a powerful and persuasive tool. Often photographs are subtle in their attempt to sell something and so they catch the viewer by surprise.

Roxanne Bates

Photographing Products

For my photograph, I wanted to replicate the type of image that a company would use to advertise a product. I looked at images of products to get an idea of what companies wanted the viewer to focus on, and noticed that the products themselves are shown in clear light, and that they are presented with an unobstructed view.

I chose to recreate a cereal ad after taking photographs of various products. I chose cereal because the box photographed well and had vivid colors.

The most challenging part of taking my photograph was getting it to look professional. I read the article, “Photography Changes How we Shop,” and was reminded of the point the author makes concerning objects in photographs vs. the objects in reality. The author states that the objects in reality rarely appear like they do in the image. I understood this point more once I took my photograph, as the image made the cereal look much more appetizing than it does in reality. The cereal box stands out very clearly and the colors are bright. The color was made brighter by adding effects. I was reminded of how easy it is to make a product appear better than it does in reality.

Photojournal 5

I read Paco Underhill's essay "Photography Changes How we Shop".  I found the article interesting however it didn't present me with any new information. It is clear that we are often fooled into believing everything we see in photographs and as someone that takes photographs, I know that these photographs can be manipulated using various techniques and therefore can make us believe anything.  Like he states in his essay, "the presentation of goods has been a critical element of our commercial culture.... The creative drive has been focused on making good stuff look great."  I really tried to use this idea when creating my photograph.  I chose to photograph a bottle of wine, the name of the wine is "Relax".  I wanted to try and play on this name in how I presented the bottle to really make it look deserving of its name.  I first tried shooting pictures of the wine bottle by a water fountain because I felt like that gave a very tranquil feel.  However the images ended up look too artificial and not believable, I mean I guess who really sits by a little water fountain with a full unopened bottle of wine.  So I decided to try and make the photograph look more believable, but still relaxing by photographing it next to my bed.  I added a couple candles and a orchid next to the wine bottle to give it the full feeling of tranquility.  I felt like this image was successful in making the viewer believe that this wine would deliver complete relaxation, just as relaxing as the setting the bottle is in.  The article mentioned briefly about the man who sold vegetables and chose carefully where to place the vegetables and which went next to which based on color.  I think I incorporated this idea in my photograph by trying to stick with neutral colors that felt soothing, nothing too harsh.  Overall I'm satisfied with my image, it definitely makes me want to get into that bed and drink a glass of that wine with candles lit around me.  I think the only thing I would maybe do differently if I could do it again now that I think  about it, is wait until its dark outside so that the candle light is really amplified and their is more ambient lighting rather than bright daylight.

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.

Media Changes the Way We See Things

Paco Underhill discusses different ways to view media photography. He says there are many factors that go into making an image for the purpose of marketing. Some of the main factors that can go into advertising photographs are the colors, shadowing, contrast between the different objects in the photograph, and a dramatic element. I found it interesting when Underhill discussed the idea that as consumers we are drawn in by the “perfect” images companies display of their products. However, when we buy into the photograph and purchase the product consumers tend to feel fooled because the product tends to not be what the photograph was exemplifying. This typically happens in the food industry but can also happen in other industries as well.

My product for purchase is a 36 double stuffed Oreo. I placed emphasize on the color contrast between the red plate, the chocolate cookies, and the while cream filling. I attempted to make the Oreo look very appealing and exciting to a consumer. I would hope this excitement and appeal would lead people to purchase my product. I also chose a very simple image with minimal aspects so it could be turned into a poster or screen print as Underhill discussed, happens with many media photographs. The ability for the image to be blow up to larger scale would also create a different effect from the image. If this image were enlarged the stuffed cookie would seem more appealing to more consumers because its size would be emphasized. As Underhill describes, only with time will consumers come to understand the disconnect between media images and the actual product being consumed.

Photography Changes How We Shop

Advertising is one of the more interesting topics within photography, as the products being sold convey messages far beyond the simple products themselves. So often are companies selling a lifestyle, a desire, a persona, etc. rather than the product alone. I am reminded of a commercial for the Honda Civic in which a young, hip-looking man is shown driving his new Civic, describing the previous night in which he met an attractive girl. It's almost as though inherent in the advertisement is the assumption that if one were to buy this exact car, such a lifestyle would inadvertently come with it. The article Photography Changes How We Shop continues this discussion, particularly with the anecdote of the vegetable vendor and his methodology for the presentation of his products.
This Turkish vendor became the inspiration for my photojournal, as he swore by a presentation of contrasting colors, making certain vegetables stand out against each other, while positioning his cart in the sunlight so as to make the product seem more attractive. In taking the photo, the blue water of the pool became and easy aspect to contrast with the very deep and dark red of the wine. Just as well, the bottle holds a reddish tint, and has very vibrant notes of red on the label. These contrast very well with the turquoise of the pool. Off to the side of the glass there is a small glimmer of a bright red ray of light, demonstrating the sun going through the wine itself. Yet, my favorite nuance of the photo is the interesting bending of light within the glass itself, contrasting nicely between the red wine and the green grass.
I feel that this photo succeeded in presenting something in an appealing way, with the contrast of colors and the use of light. Just as well, I think that it conveys a certain ideal lifestyle that the consumer assumes is part of the product itself.

Photo-journal 5

Go to the Smithsonian Photography Initiative web site and click on the "Photography Changes What we Want" link. Choose a story that corresponds most closely with your photograph and compose your write-up of your photograph in response to the web essay. For example--Did you do something radically different? Is your photograph similar to or influenced by one of the essays? Did reading one of them change your ideas about how photographs can make people want something? Did your own experience of making this photograph change previous ideas?