Answers from F-Stoppers

While reading multiple articles on F-Stoppers.com I came across many interesting opinions on what commercial photography really is. There are those who believe it to be as simple as shooting images for commercial use and others who use it to tell compelling visual stories in order to sell products.

I always believed it to be the latter. The broad umbrella of commercial work extends past simple images and reaches into a realm of storytelling in order to place people and products in a real life setting in which consumers could possibly place themselves within.

In one of the articles, the author speaks about the power that photography has in the world of advertising because of its wide range of applications. Commercials are a great way to reach an audience about a product but they are very expensive to make and can only be accessed on certain platforms. Images can be seen almost anywhere which makes the creation of them much more applicable. Billboards, signs and posters can be seen really anywhere you go and photography is obviously the main sources of these images.

This is why the world of commercial photography is so lucrative. The need for educated and talented photographers is astounding because there is always the opportunity for continuous work. With the constant advances in technology, more and more people are getting access to cameras and applications such as Photoshop. However, commercial works stays one of the leading areas in photography where true professionals are the most hired due to experience in either marketing or advertising and the true eye they have for it.

One of the biggest things that sets the amateurs apart from professionals in the understanding of the equipment and the way photographers compose their shots. You can tell when someone has years of experience under their belts due to the way they know how to light and compose a shot. They know exactly how to light the subject, capture the main aspects of the product and make sure it looks the best in its end product.

I will be watching some lighting and composition tutorials by Joe McNally to see what he says about these ideas.