Category: Communication Design

Branded content is a form of creating brand stories that have a non-product or non-service focussed storyline. The brand itself and the values are the focus of the message. 

In times where it’s more and more important as a brand to tell a unique story, the mainstream channels were to reach consumers are outdated. The audience, that is forced to watch tv commercials is about to decrease. Through the rise of on-demand streaming platforms, ad blockers, and blind watching, the ad itself is harder to bring to potential consumers. Branded content tries to turn the idea of classic commercials around. It transforms from something you had to watch into something you want to watch. It also comes in a new variety of mediums. Podcasts, video games, or in forms of getting involved with the consumer directly. Branded content tries to put the brand’s history in the foreground and communicate its values in a way that is appealing to the customer even beyond the product. Through this approach of creating content, brands can stay relevant, independently from the product or service they are selling. Especially for reaching young adults, branded content is interesting. They are the ones who consume less established media, like classic tv or radio, so brands need to adapt their forms of communication. A new generation of consumers is interested in how brands deal with social, racial, and environmental issues. Furthermore, the covid crises chanced the way we consume in a radical way and brands need to react on that to stay relevant. 

Link: www.shots.net/news/view/why-branded-content-is-the-future

The tabletop photography gives photographers the chance to hone their craft and develop their abilities and skills regardless of time, weather and lighting situation. Lights, backgrounds, props-in short, everything that defines an picture are under the control of the creator, who can design scenes that range from objective to realistic to elaborate. 

Tabletop photography basics

Whether there is the intention to take pictures for products, foundation exposures for composite images, or you just want to capture a culinary scene, shoe-mount flashes can take you quite far.  These flash units are small, light, and battery operated. Therefore you don’t have to worry about extension cords and power outlets. But more important is the fact that these types of flashes are widespread. A lot of photographers have these flashes as a part of the basic equipment.

There are only a few things that influence the exposure of a photo. The focal length of the lens determines the perspective, the aperture defines the depth of field, the focus determines what will appear sharp in the picture and the lighting is basically the mood of an image. The advantage working in a studio means the photographer is in the position of being able to control all these factors and there are countless variations for exposing a single subject. 

Sharpness and Blur

Furthermore to determining the depth of field, the aperture also defines the degree of blur. Blur and sharpness have an quite big influence on the the look and vibe of the photography. As a result they could make an objective impression or otherwise a romantic impression. Because all elements of the tabletop shoot are under the control of the photographer, there is no limit to affect the sharpness and blur by changing the aperture. There is also the possibility to adjust the composition of the picture or the relative distances among each of the elements of the image. This means, for example, that an element can be placed by intention, beyond the depth of field to give the impression of a greater space or to separate the elements of the image more clearly. 

The distance of the main subject from the background of an image and the positioning of the focus lines during an exposure are of the utmost importance. They help you to develop the sense of space in your pictures, or in other words lead the viewer to pay attention to important details.

Focal length

The choice of focal length also affects the effect of an exposure. A wide angle lens makes objects in the foreground appear larger and allows you to include a larger background. In contrast, a telephoto lens compresses a photo to make it appear more compact and also shows less background in relation to the main subject of the image. A standard lens, often a macro lens for tabletop photography, displays objects the same way the human eye sees them, so it is useful for product shots where you want an objective perspective.

The wider the opening, the smaller the depth of field at which the subject appears acceptably sharp.

Light

The most important design tool of a photographer is light or the ability to change the quality of light through shapes. Shaping light in this sense has two meanings: First, photographers can shape the light themselves to be flat, pointed, hard, soft, scattered, etc. Second, light shapers enable photographers to stylize their subjects by modulating the lighting to match their photographic ideas. This is the exact process – what we call photography – that enables us to create two-dimensional images of objects based solely on the interplay of light and shadow.

Design with a purpose

Last but not least, a photographer’s creative instinct and effective composition are essential factors for a successful image. This includes choosing the right background, taking appropriate props and establishing a visual style that matches the subject/object. The photographer needs to stay objective when creating product shots and knowing when it is appropriate to use the photography to tell an emotional story.

When working professionally, the intended purpose of a photo should always be the primary influence on the visual design. The elaborate staging of a screw with multi-colored lighting and strong focus could work very well for the cover of a product catalog, but the same image would not be suitable for conveying objective information. To do this, it is better to make a clear product shot in which all the details of the screw are presented neutrally.

This also applies to the world of amateur photography, of course. Whether you are creating a product collection or taking a picture for an invitation, you should always consider the context in which the photo will be used and the effect the picture is going to have on the Person who sees it.

Know technology by heart

Proper use of the required technology requires both knowledge of how it works and a certain amount of experience from its regular use. The combination of this knowledge and experience helps to use the devices in a targeted and intuitive manner.

Therefore it is a great idea to set up some assignments for yourself from time to time and practice creating multiple photographic variations of the same subject. Your subject can be an everyday object staged under different lighting conditions, or it can be a broader theme, e.g. B. Representations of glass or transparent objects or even abstract images of aroma, coolness, softness or the like. Compare the results of the images you have created and determine which techniques have produced the best results.

After all, it is always good to ask yourself the following questions before starting a shoot:

– Will my plan achieve the desired result?

– Will the background and props serve the message you want?

– Are the subject and the background properly lit?

– Is the viewer’s gaze drawn to the important details of the picture?

– Does the selected focal length, perspective and depth of field match the subject?

– Is the focus on the optimal shot?

Quelle:

https://fixthephoto.com/tabletop-photography.html

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00VB46CK6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?dchild=1&keywords=Tabletop+Photography+book&language=en_US&sr=8-1&linkCode=gs2&linkId=85d6c21259fd88d66db1bdb417f5376c&tag=expertphoto02-21&asin=B00VB46CK6&revisionId=4ce23c0c&format=1&depth=1

As recently mentioned in the entry about colours for digital and analog media there are two different color systems in use. While for digital applications the system is of additive nature (=the sum of colours will show a white display), the analog use of colours is of subtractive nature (=adding and mixing colours will end up in black colour).

Thus in print production it seemed impossible to represent the RGB color space that obviously contains a broader variety of colours than the CMYK, Pantone or any other subtractive colour system used for printing.

This fact has changed recently: referring to the article on Page magazine about Swiss screen printer Lorenz Boegli, there are special colours for screen print which are capable of representing the RGB colour space.

When Boegli used the Spectraval™ pearlescent pigments by Merck, he found out that the colours turn into a tertiary colour when overprinting them. Red on blue turned magenta, green on red turned yellow. His logic conclusion was that the sum of red, green and blue has to turn out white – and that’s just what happened.

However the revolutionary RGB-printing for now works only with screen printing and also only on black backgrounds. The reason for this is that the reflective power of the pigments only gets visible on black – on white paper the colours are more or less invisible.

Of course the RGB printing result is not exactly what would be emitted by screens – the pictures seem quite metallic and silverish. Additionally not only a lot of printing experience but also a suitable picture and the surface you print on has an effect on the result. But still it gets close and the system is the same, opening the addtive colour system to the analog world.

Full article: https://page-online.de/tools-technik/rgb-drucken/
More about Spectraval™ Colours: Merck Group

Die Darstellung von Lebensmitteln hat eine enorm lange Tradition in der Kunst und unserer Geschichte. Die Darstellung von Nahrungsmitteln hat schon immer eine wichtige Rolle gespielt: in Ägypten wurden z.B. Piktogramme von Pflanzen und Getreide und Lebensmitteln wie Brot in sehr reduzierter Form in Hieroglyphentafeln geschlagen. In der Renaissance waren die Darstellungen von Lebensmitteln im Vergleich dazu viel aufwendiger und naturalistischer gestaltet und dienten natürlich auch einem anderen Zweck. In dieser Zeit sind beispielsweise skurrile rätselhafte Porträts entstanden, in denen Gesichtszüge aus Obst, Gemüse und Blumen zusammengesetzt waren, wie in den Werken von Guiseppe Arcimboldo.

Doch die heutigen Darstellungen von Lebensmitteln gehen vor allem auf die Blütezeit der niederländischen Renaissance-Malerei zurück. Die großen, wunderschönen Stillleben dieser Zeit sind immer noch Vorbilder und Orientierungshilfen besonders in der modernen Food Photography, aber natürlich auch in der illustrativen Darstellung von Lebensmitteln. Noch heute gelten sehr ähnliche, aber in allem Fall vergleichbare, Prinzipien, Regeln und Überlegungen in der Komposition, dem Aufbau und der Gestaltung solcher Darstellungen.

Auch das zugrundeliegende Ziel ist dasselbe geblieben: In den Gemälden wurde jede Oberfläche sorgfältig gerendert, um die Illusion zu erzeugen, dass das Fest direkt vor dem Betrachter steht und ihm das Wasser im Mund zusammenläuft. Der hyperrealistische Stil der klassischen Stilleben hat das natürlich extrem gefördert und viele der damals entstandenen Gemälde wirken durch diese Detailgetreue eher wie ein Foto als eine Illustration.

Im Vergleich zu den hyperrealistischen Stilleben der Niederländischen Renaissance stehen z.B. die illustrativen Darstellungen von Lebensmitteln von Paul Cezanne. Für postimpressionistische Maler wie Cezanne war die Beobachtung aus dem Leben nur der Beginn eines weitgehend einfallsreichen Prozesses. Sie haben lebendige Farben und lebhafte Pinselstriche mehr geschätzt als den Hyperrealismus der Vergangenheit. 

In der Zeit der Pop Art wurde Essen zu einer sozialen Metapher. Die Gemälde von Wayne Thiebaud spiegelten eine Wandergesellschaft wieder, in der üppige Desserts für amerikanische Fülle und Wohlstand standen. Er malte Kuchen- und Tortenreihen in leuchtenden Pastellfarben, die an Werbung und Kinderspielzeug erinnerten. 

Insgesamt besteht in der zeitgenössischen Lebensmittelkunst eine gesunde Spannung zwischen Tradition und Bildersturm. Vor allem in der illustrativen Darstellung gibt es alles – von hyperrealistischen bis hin zu abstrakten Darstellungen von Lebensmitteln – hier ist jeder Zugang ok.

Angesichts dessen, dass hyperrealistische Gemälde und Illustrationen schon sehr nah an Fotografie rankommen, jedoch viel zeitaufwändiger sind und man nicht noch realistischer zeichnen kann, werden Darstellungen, die diese Qualitäten aufweisen sollen (Detailgetreue, Realitätsnähe, Darstellung der Wirklichkeit,…) oft mit Hilfe von Fotografie erzielt. 

Klassische Stillleben – natürlich auch eine Illustration — sind der Ausgangspunkt für beide Arten der Darstellung, wobei die illustrative Darstellung mit dem Aufkommen der Fotografie in den Hintergrund gerückt ist, aber als Kunstform nach wie vor Bestand hat. Illustration hat sich immer weiter entwickelt und verschiedene abstrakte, unrealistische und imaginative Ansätze hervorgebracht. Illustrative Lebensmitteldarstellungen haben zeitgenössisch betrachtet nicht unbedingt Anspruch auf Realität, sondern werden als Kunstform bzw. in Hinblick auf grafische Illustration als Teil von Design verstanden. Dieser Wahrheitsaspekt wird heute vor allem von Fotografie übernommen, die aufgrund des Mediums immer diesen hyperrealistischen Aspekt beibehält und in der Art des Stylings und der Komposition variieren kann, aber weniger Spielraum hat wenn es um die Darstellung von Nicht-Realem geht.

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Daraus ergibt sich aber, dass Food Photography heutzutage oft nur eine veranschaulichende Funktion zugesprochen wird und nicht als Kunstform verstanden wird. Im Allgemeinen werden Aktfotos schnell als Kunst bezeichnet, während Lebensmittelfotografie in der „Illustrationsfunktion“ zu stecken scheint. Jedoch hat die „natural beauty“ Bewegung der letzten Jahre der Disziplin der Lebensmittelfotografie und Lebensmittelkompositionen sehr viel Anerkennung verliehen. 

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Links:

www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/food-art-cultural-travel-180961648/

Generally speaking for photographers, still life photography or, among them, tabletop photography is a good medium for further practice and to improve the technical and artistic skills . The following blog post explains tips from photographers on how to set up and design a tabletop photography. Since the still life photography basically benefits from inanimate objects such as decoration, plants, food, etc., it is a very thoughtful and calm type of photography that is not based on spontaneity or random snapshots.

Table photography is a type of still life photography that can be described by the composition of the elements on a table surface. Here, the disciplines of food photography and product photography come together. Since mostly the objects of these types are also on a surface or a table surface.

As already mentioned, many photographers do not always use the medium of tabletop photography purely for commercial purposes, as it gives you the opportunity to try out a lot. Here you can look closely at the various light situations and what influences the texture and color of a substrate have. For example, you would see how well a light from the side comes from a weaker light source that brings out textures and materials. In addition, you have a great responsibility as a designer, because ultimately every aspect of the image can be influenced by the photographer.

Away from the sales or presentation idea, table photography does not always have to advertise a product or food. It can also create a pure mood picture or try to tell a story. Because the objects themselves also have a strong narrative character.

What do you need for table photography? As a specialist, you naturally benefit from professional and correspondingly expensive equipment. Nevertheless, no designer should be stopped by this, as you can create amazing photographs alone in a living room with basic equipment. Here you can orientate yourself on many creative DIY solutions.

Guide to the necessary equipment

– Any kind of camera. Of course, the quality and the possibilities of post-processing increase if you use a digital camera and not your own mobile phone. However, you shouldn’t be limited to trying table photography even if you don’t have a professional camera model.

– Different materials in different colors and shades to line the sub and background for the scene.

– Reflectors are essential to guide the light back into the scene and thus to highlight it. Here, too, there are simple alternative solutions if you don’t have a reflector.

– A stable surface, which also fits in the format, is the base level for table photography, which with this medium always plays a role as a presentation surface.

– Props are crucial in order to steer the mood of the table photography into a certain style. Here it is of course interesting if you rummage through the attic or look for treasures at flea markets

– Light set ups decide in which direction the photo will develop. A low key setup creates a completely different mood compared to a high key set up and must also be made depending on the choice of object.

Quellen:

https://expertphotography.com/complete-guide-still-life-table-top-photography/

https://www.enjoyyourcamera.com/Blickschule/Foto-Tutorials/Foto-Tutorial-Tabletop-Fotografie::14865.html

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabletop-Fotografie