Perfume bottles are often the branding signature of a product line. Branded scents and cosmetics may be the most accessible products to a larger target customer base. One quick pass thru any cosmetic aisle in any retailer, and you will see how critical photography is…
The constraint was at once simple and complex: anything I wanted to do, as long as it contained a single red balloon. Freedom to be creative, with a single requirement. Sometimes that much leeway can make things more difficult, as narrowing down to something specific means…
Making espresso at home is a methodical ritual that I look forward to each morning. I’ve often noticed the lines and shine of the portafilter and planned these images in my mind. When I purchased a new portafilter, I kept it boxed in new condition…
Since I was a kid (more years ago than I prefer to say out loud), I’ve been a fan of pocket knives. My first was given to me by my father, and I still have it to this day. They are incredibly useful things, of course, but…
The assignment here was a concept image: portray ‘soft’ in a square format image layout with text overlay, for a point-of-sale display for a new cosmetic product with softness as a key feature. Sounds simple. In actual fact: Not. So. Much. Shooting to layout here…
This exercise was to shoot shoes, careful to show shape, texture, height of heel, and color. I had three very different pairs to select from, and I chose these very glossy shoes for the extra challenge that the shiny surfaces present. I used thick, shiny,…
The ‘pour shot’ is practically a rite of passage for every commercial photographer. I decided it was time. There are any number of ways to approach a pour shot, and most often they involve a colorful liquid. I wanted to test lighting and composition as…
The concept for this assignment was to mock up a cd cover for a classical quartet: the music is OP 11 by composer Samuel Barber. My first step was to listen to the piece to discover the mood and imagery it induced in me. I…
The P52 Assignment Brief: Still Life with Flower. A color, vertical (portrait) oriented still life image with ordinary objects, diffuse main light source, that must contain at least one flower, but the flower(s) must not be the subject of the image. The objects must be simple…
