Applications and Contexts

The purpose of advertising photography is to promote a product or service with a photo or image
and to sell it to the viewer.
Photography is used in advertising by publicising a product or service. By using photography the
photographer can control the environment, look, and how the image is perceived by the viewer.
Photographer use lighting, colour and Photoshop to create the ideal image for this product, they also
use techniques such as endorsements from someone famous and chose the right environment to do
the shoot, all to convey a specific message to the viewer that will ultimately convince a person to buy
their product or service.
In some advertisements, the product can be insinuated through other techniques rather that showing
the product itself. For example Chanel created a advertising campaign to promote one of their
products, coco mademoiselle. For this advertisement they used Keira knightly as a celebrity
endorsement for the perfume. The advertisement used warm, soft lighting, that matched the soft
colours that are used throughout the advert. Theses colours were used in the clothes and props and
were also used in the environment for the background of the buildings. These techniques that were
used in the TV advert were also used in the magazine adverts.
Photography has consistently been used in adverts. For example Chanel created am ad in 1957 that
used some of the same techniques as the Keira Knightly ad. For example the ad featured celebrity
endorsement by actress and model Suzy parker as she is portrayed as the perfect woman of the 50s.
Although the ads focused more on words, and the brand name rather than the photography. This is
because the practice of photography was not as advanced, and they had to rely on people rather than
colour.

Promotional photography is when celebrities, TV shows and brands create photos, so that they can
control the how the image looks and how they are portrayed to the public.
TV shows, celebrities and brands use promotional photography as a form of promoting themselves
and is similar to advertising photography. These images are taken for publicity purposes to be used
by newspapers, magazines and websites. Photographers are hired to portray a celebrity or brand in a
certain way that they decide, This way the companies can control how they are represented to the
public, and they can control a certain message or ideas which newspapers and magazines will find
have editorial value. Media companies also find these images valuable as these images are provided
to them without cost and means they do not need to commission photographers or phots to be taken.
In 2013 Buzzfeed and other publications and websites used unflattering photos of Beyonc. Because
of this Beyonc hired a professional photographer to cover her Mrs Carter. She then also banned
professional photographer from this show made sure than no credentials were given to any other
professional photographers from any publication in an attempt to control the images that were being
released to the public.
A more modern, popular form of promotional photography that is used is through social media. With
the rise of social media in the form of Instagram it is easier for artists and celebrities to promote
themselves and therefor their music. These images can be easily shared across the world at for free,
and means fans from all over the world can keep up with their lives, or how the stars portray them
through photography.

Fashion Photography is when photographers use photos to advertise or show a part of the fashion
industry, of which can be clothes, accessories or fashion brands.
These photos are then used similarly as in advertising photography. Fashion photography is used to
sell magazines, clothes and accessories as well as to promote brands and companies that do
business in the fashion industry to the public to increase sales. Fashion photography is also
commonly used for editorial use such as newspapers, blogs and magazines.
These photos are often produced within studio. This is so that the photographer can control the
environment such as lighting and background to make the product look its best. For example in
Louis Vuittons advertisement the background is plain and a similar colour to the models skin. This
photo draws the attention to the only bag rather than the background. The photo I also take in natural
even lighting. This is so that the detail of the bag can be seen by the viewer and as quality is
associated with the brand name.
Fashion Photography has improved across the decades although the techniques are similar. One
major difference is use the use of colour and quality. Both of these are used to within Louis Vuittons
advert. Yet in the fashion photograph on the right, you can see that just as today, models are used as a
selling as well as plain backgrounds. Although old cameras were unable to capture movement on
camera. Because of this the models are very static within the photo.

Portraiture photography is a area of photography that is very common. This is where the
purpose of the photo is to convey a message about a person through an image.
Most commonly portraiture photos are taken of people. This can be their face, body or a
part of them. Although portraiture can also be of objects and person belongings. Both of
these can be used to convey a message to the viewer about the nature, personality or
emotions about the subject. This message can be chosen by the subject, but is usually
chosen by the photographer.
Portrait photos can be taken on location, but are mostly taken within studios. This is so that
the photographer can control the environment, whether its lighting or background. By
using a studio the photographer can manipulate the person using different techniques to
convey a specific message.
For example the photo on the bottom right, is a famous portrait of Marilyn Monroe. This
photo was taken by a photographer called Eve Arnold, to show the difference between
her status as a model and how she is seen, by taking to photo in a general environment
such as the worn bathroom.

Photo-journalism is when photographers take photos of rare events as proof for news.
Photojournalism is used in newspapers, magazines and on television such as news as
well as websites. The subject of these photos include news, sport, and features.
Photojournalism is important for newspapers and magazines because it means that
the viewer can see a physical representation of the story or article that has been
written, therefore providing evidence and giving the reader a sense of trust and truth.
These photographs can influence the reader and can emphasize the newspaper's
editorial stance on the story.
For example the photo on the top right shows a one of the 100 people arrested in
Batton Rouge at the black lives matter protest. Due to the contents of the photo that
shows a young woman stood alone being arrested by two police officers. The woman
is considered venerable from her stance, position and clothes, and by the postures
and presentation of the men. This picture reinforced the cause of the protest and
because this photo was featured across the world on websites and newspapers it
caused controversy and outrage from the American public, and is considered
evidence of the inter-racial issues.
Photojournalist travel to dangerous and difficult situations to photograph these events,
often to people who do not want to be photographed. Photojournalist have strict
deadlines and work for agencies such as Magnum, Getty and Action Images.

Documentary photography is when the photographer documents every day life

through photography, that can be used to reveal information.
Documentary photography is similar to photo-journalism, except rather that
photographing unique circumstances, documentary photography focuses on the
normal aspects of everyday life. This is usually looked at in depth and over long
periods of time. The purpose of documentary photography is to show information to
the viewer about the communities, living conditions or the people they work with.
Because of this the photographer, and therefore their work quite often sympathetic to
its subject.
An Example of documentary photography is shown on the top right. This photo shows
a young girl who worked as a spinner in Whitnel Cotton Mill. Lewis Hine took these
photos for the National Child Labor Committee. His job was as an investigative
photographer, who took these photos to accompany his work on the subject or child
labor. He published many photo essays depicting working children at risk. This
subject was considered by many as normal and is why they are documentary
photography rather than photo-journalism. Hine took these photos to reveal the
severity of these working conditions through ragged and worn clothes as well as the
dirty skin as well as the idea of wasted youth that is apparent from the sorrowful and
sometimes angry faces of the children.

High-Street photography is when photography is used for commercial use, to

hire someone to capture high quality photos.
The purpose of high street photography is so that people can hire
photographers to take photos for a specific purpose, that they themselves may
not be able to do. High-street photographer gain most of their work capturing
individually, families and special moments artistically and skilfully. These are
things such as engagement pictures, family portraits, weddings and other
special events.
Although, high-street photographers will also do commercial work for small
businesses. These can be business such as estate agents and restaurants.
An example of high-street photography is shown on the bottom right. This
photograph is clearly taken for a wedding, from the way the photographer has
taken the photo. The photographer has positioned the people in a loving
stance, and from the clothes they are wearing it is clear to the viewer what the
purpose of the photograph is. The photographer has also used techniques such
as soft, orange, romantic lighting, to give the photograph a natural warmth. And
by foucing the camera on the couple, the background blurs into one colour
keeping the attention on the couple.

Studio photography is simply photography that is taken using or in a studio.

Photographer use a studio in photography because they can then control the in which they take the photo.
Using a studio they can control aspects such as lighting and background, meaning they can get the exact
result from the photograph. By manipulating and controlling the lighting it can be used to create a specific
mood or to convey certain emotions.
This all results in Studio photographs of high quality because of high production standards that the photo is
taken within the studio.
For example, Annie Liebovitz created a series of photos for Disney, with celebrities as film characters. One
piece of her work is shown bellow. By taking the photo within the studio it meant she could control the
background and the lighting to give the photo a mystical quality. In this photo, the background was used to
set the scene and tell the story of the character, where as other backgrounds are used draw attention to the
subject.

Architectural photography is photography that is taken with buildings and structures as the
subjects.
Architecture photography are photograph taken of buildings both inside and out. These photos
are rush ally taken for clients. These can be for editorial such as magazines and newspapers or
businesses such as construction companies and architects.
These photos are often formally composed and precisely lit. To do this some photographers use
specialist equipment such as such as cameras with rising fronts or tilt to achieve the exact result.
For example, the photograph at the top of the page shows a example of modern architectural
photography. Because of the developments in cameras and equipment, it has become easier to
capture images when its dark. By taking the photograph at dusk the photographer is able to
capture natural colours of the stonework and detail, but also able to artistic effect of the shadows
from the lights making the building glow.
This is very different to the photos that could be taken 50 years ago. The bottom photos show a film
photography taken by Berenice Abbot. Berenice Abbot was a architectural photographer around
the 1950s. Her work was influential to the development of architectural photography. So much so
she created her own equipment to create her photographs. Because of limited equipment's,
photographers found it hard to take photographs at night, and would never be able to gain the
same effects as in the modern day. Another major difference in the delevopment is the use of
colour in modern photography.

Medical photography is when photographers take

photos of medical conditions and illnesses.

Illustration photography is photography that is used

to show how things work.

The purpose of medical photography is take photos

of medical conditions and illnesses. These photos can
then be shared between doctor and clinicians to help
diagnose conditions. Because of this purpose the
photographs must accurate and precise. To make
sure the photos are as accurate as possible
techniques such as colour control are very important.
Another technique that is sometimes used is a ring
flash to help eliminate and shadows within the
image.

It is used to in media such as books, magazines and

websites. These photographs are then used to show
the viewer how things or objects work and how
they fit together. For example, illustration
photographs are used in instruction manuals.
Because of this, the photographs have to be clear
and precise so that the user can clearly and easily
understand what they need to look for or do.
For example, the photograph on the left is an example
of a magazine that uses illustration photography.
Auto trader is a magazine but could
also be considered a manual that
shows readers the best cars to buy
and how they work. That is why
photograph of the cars are used to
illustrate the product or vehicle that
the information is being given about
such as the car shown on the front
page.

The photo above is an example of a medical

condition. The photograph shows the unhealthy
development of the skin condition of a mole. By
taking the photo close up the quality of the
photograph is higher. This means that if the photo is
then used as documentation, or possible send to
another medical expert, they can gain a clear idea, or
view of the condition

Fine art photography is photography that is created for artistic purpose, to express a message to
people.
Fine art photography is self-motivated by the photographer and affected by idea, concepts and
emotion because of this Fine art photographers often have their own independent practice. Once the
photographs are taken the work they sell their work to galleries and individual clients. These photos
sometimes sell for very large sums of money this is because sometimes the photographs are made in
limited numbers.
An example of an artists who used photography or a photographic technique in their work is David
Hockey. David Hockey is an artist but could be considered a photographer as he used multiple
photographs, layered or collaged together to create a scene. An piece of his collection is shown
bellow.

Magazines work to long deadlines as they are usually printed once a month.
Because of this photographers have more time to produce their images. They are
a large number of niche magazines that are aimed at a specific market or group
of people. An example is Angling Times that are willing to accept a larger range
of work.
High- end magazines demand more work of a high technical quality and standard
as well as being highly creative. An example of a high-end magazine is Vogue.
Because Vogue is a fashion magazine and because of its status in the fashion
industry, the magazine uses photos of well know fashion icons on their cover to
see the magazine. This is evident in the photos on the right. Vogue also uses
fashion advertisements that are usually taken with high production values that
include high quality equipment such as cameras. These photos are designed
specifically for the magazine. Even the glossy paper is used to show the quality of
images and the product. Vogue also include photos that are taken on location
such as catwalks to accompany articles.

Advertising hoardings are used to sell or Advertise a product or

service to a large amount of people quickly. These hoarding are high in
cost, but because of their specific placements, can increase the market,
and therefore increasing accumulation. When photographing a subjects
for advertising hoardings, the quality of image must be considered. This
is because advertising hoardings must using very high quality images
as they could be enlarged to enormous sizes for things such as
billboards.
Another thing that must be considered is the is that the photo must be
able to be transferred between advertising medium. Companies use the
same photos so they can save money and so that the advertisements link
to each other. These advertising mediums can be different sizes and
different aspect ratios.
For example, The Harry Potter franchise is an example of a large
marketing campaign. Because of this they were able to pay for many
advertising hoardings. They use the same photograph throughout
advertisement so that the adverts are associated with the product. These
billboards are different shapes so the image must be manipulated to fit
the format, yet still use the same photographs.
These photograph are often used later for posters, cover art and other
non advertising mediums.

Photographs are used in a very large range within books. These photographs may be used
within a photographers monograph. A Monograph is a book of a photographers work
documented on paper. Because of this they include large numbers of images printed on high
quality paper.
For example Diane Arbus is a famous photographer who documented her work and used a
monograph to present it. By using a large sized book it meant she could enlarge her
photographs and because of the high level in printing it means the viewer can view the
photographs in higher detail.
Not many photographs are used in novels, although they may simply be needed as a cover
photo or at the end of the book there could be a photo of the author. Text Book use quite a few
photos, although these are quite often illustrative photos to explain a process to the viewer.

Newspapers are produced on very tight deadlines, but due to the increase in technology it
has become easier for photographers to keep to these deadlines as they can easily transfer
these images via the internet and computers.
The photographs that are taken for newspapers are taken by photojournalist. These photos
are then assessed by a picture editor before being finalized for layout. These choices are
crucial to determine the look of a newspaper, especially the front page.
This is because the photos when taken well, are eye catching especially since newspaper
are bland. Just like The Times, most newspaper use large photographs on their front that
will draw the attention viewer such as public figures and celebrities so that people are
more likely to purchase them. For example the Daily Mail used a photograph of celebrity
Amanda Holden on the front page although she had no connections to the article.
Another reason why newspapers use photographs other than drawing peoples attention is
because they provide proof on what is depicted within the story and can then emphasize
the newspaper's editorial stance on the story as well as reinforcing the the information
given within the article.
Although newspapers prefer high quality images, they also use low quality images if they
have necessary news value. An example of this is a screenshot of CCTV footage or
photographs from witnesses such as members of the public.

Photographs are used on nearly every webpage, from blogs to

shopping pages. Photos help draw the attention of the user as they can
be used to present information in an effective way. These features can
help make the content more entertaining and informative and keep the
user engaged. This keeps the user using the website which increases
profit. This is because websites receive money from advertisers, and
although not all websites carry advertisements, many do as it helps
generate revenue from site visits and clicks.
A main reason why websites use photos is because of search engine
optimism. This is when a webpage contains more pictures, it appears
higher in the result with search engines such as google. This is why
news websites such as Daily Mails website Mail Online use
photographs for every news article. As well as this they use
photograph to gain attention of the user and is more likely to be
viewed and is very similar to newspapers.

Galleries are use to show a large range in work in photography. The

prints they display are usually made to the highest standards in
quality and are often made using traditional techniques such as silver
gelatine. These types of prints are often referred to as exhibition
prints and require very high level of skill to create.
Galleries are an advantage for the photographer. This is because they
can promote their work and themselves to the public. This also gives
people to view original pieces of work and physical prints that they
cant see otherwise.
For example, William Eggleston is renound photographer who is
showing a exhibition in the National Portrait gallery. Because of this,
Egglestons work had been reviewed by newspapers such as
Evening Standard, Time Out and The Guardian. These
newspapers have promoted his work, which increases popularity and
also means the photographer is able to gain commission.

When creating photographs for individual clients, the work can vary.
These photos could be used for personal reasons or for business.
Most of the photos that were taken for clients were taken within
studios. These are high-street photos such as family portraits or a
client could simply need an identification photograph for things such
as passports or for a driving licence. But due to the increase in
technology, clients are in less of a need for photographers, as they can
capture high quality photographs themselves.
The main reason clients now use photographers is because of events.
Clients then hire a professional photographer the capture these
moments skilfully and artistically that could not be replicated by an
amateur photographer. Studios are now mainly used for portraits of
children, couples and family, although many have closed.
Photographers mainly find work form clients from events or another
purpose may be for a business such as their website or other
promotional material.

CD ROMS were used to share and store photographs before

the development of high-speed broadband.
They were sold to media companies especially newspaper at a
high price with stock photos burned onto them. CD ROMs
were an ideal for of storage as they could hold hundreds of
photos and could be distributed or shared to the newspapers.
Also because once images once burned on the CD ROM could
not be re-edited.
These photos were then used by papers to accompany their
articles or stories. By Purchasing the CD ROMS it meant that
the companies wouldn'tt need to hire photographer or photojournalists to take all their pictures. Instead they could used
the photographs that were supplied on the CD ROMs for these
articles, which could be later re-used.