A Beginner’s Introduction to Commercial Photography

What is commercial photography?

There can be various definitions of what constitutes as ‘’commercial photography ‘’ as the spectrum of commercial photography is rather large. But in a nutshell, commercial photography can be defined/described as any photography which aims to promote a product or a service to its targeted audience and help in generation of sales by galvanizing initial curiosity and consumer intrigue. In a way commercial photography attempts to spread consumer awareness, or educate consumers about a specific product or service. Commercial photography is often associated with advertisements, sales pitches, sales brochures, corporate leaflets etc. Below we shall attempt further elucidation of the aims and objectives of commercial photography.

• Generation of Sales: Here there are two categories viz- Product photography and advertising photography. Product photography generally showcases the utility of a product,it includes a lot of technical details which are displayed and explained one by one. Advertising photography aims to highlight the social status associated with a certain product, emphasize on its brand value, and showcase its universal appeal.

• Promotion of a Service: Here commercial photography underlines and highlights the utility of a particular service- and how it can be a solution to the problems faced by the targeted consumers. Here Industrial photography is more in practice than studio photography, as it educates the consumer about its various aspects, and tries to highlight alluring details and attributes

• Food Photographs for Restaurants & Catering Services: Menus need crisp, fresh looking photographs of food that act as visual appetizers. Clear, crisp, digitally enhanced photos of edibles, makes them look delectable and tantalizing and appeals to the gastronomical sensibilities of the consumers.

• Fashion Photography: Probably the best known category of commercial photography. These involve showcasing clothes, shoes, lingerie, bags and other kinds of everyday apparel. Cosmetics can also be the subject of a fashion photo shoot. Fashion photography involves models, and is usually conducted in a studio, although outdoor shoots (if the nature of the product being endorsed demands so) is not uncommon. Generally the brand value and social appeal of the products are highlighted.

There are different types of commercial photography. Below we shall try to categorize them one by one:

• Celebrity Photography : Commercial photography does not only promote a product or a service/business, but also an individual. Celebrity photography is a feature of tabloids, and magazines. Flattering attributes of the subject are emphasized.

• Advertisement Photography : Such type of photography are used in print ads, online ads, billboards, etc. Often an ad agency and in house corporate design team are involved.

• Automobile Photography : Both the aesthetic beauty, brand value as well as the utilities of the vehicle are depicted.

• Fashion Photography : Different sorts of apparel and fashion accessories and their brand value are highlighted

• Food & Beverage Photography : A kind of visual appetizer.

• Aerial : Aerial or bird’s eye view photography of real estate buildings and corporate high-rises.

Tips For Commercial Photography:

1. Use of good quality stock images with a sharply focused subject and out of focus background is a must.
2. A For Angles: Experimenting with angles can create make even the most mundane product appear dramatic and intriguing. 
3. Quoted price will depend on the intended use of the images : If the images are to be used for nation wide advertisement rather than regionally, you get to quote a higher price.
    
4. Use of state of art equipment, such as tripods and soft focus lens ( for close up shots are a must. 
5. Editing: This includes censoring and digital enhancement to make the final product look polished, elegant and marketable.