Proposal for Studio Session

I have chosen to photograph a variety of nail paints by the brand, Barry M. The main reason I have chosen to photograph a product rather than a portrait is because I want this brief to be a challenge.  I have photographed a lot of studio portraits before, so photographing a product will be something different, and will allow me to gain many more skills.

I have done some research into the promotional photography used by Barry M, and have come to the conclusion they tend to use white backgrounds to compliment the vibrant colours of the nail varnishes.

Both photographs have been sourced from the Barry M website. These photographs have been successful in complimenting and making the bright colours of the nail varnish stand out. In the top photograph, the use of sweets has made the nail varnishes look more feminine, which attracts the target audience. I prefer the use of setting for the bottom photograph rather than the top, as the slight reflection of the nail varnishes in the surface underneath the set up makes the photograph visually appealing.

Both photographs look like they have been lit by multiple lights, so that the lighting is evenly distributed, but still produces highlights on the bottles. The tops of the nail varnish bottles are highlighted white, which suggests a light over the top of the set. The sides of the bottles are also highlighted with a white glow, more so on left side, as I can see small shadows to the right. This suggests a main and slave light, that lights the bottle in an interesting way.

When researching into product photography of nail varnishes, I came to the conclusion that it would also be an idea to look at the photographic work of competitors and see how they try and capture their product. I found this photograph by the beauty company ‘Opi’ and recorded a lot of differences in how they present their products. This was part of a short video, showing the nail varnishes dropping from the applicator down to the bottom of the page. I think this looks good, as it shows the nail varnishes in a different light. The black background also have given me the idea of using a black, mirrored surface to take photographs of darker nail varnish colours, as I think this compliment the product fittingly.

I have also looked at the advertisements used on the high street to attract customers to buy their products. I saw this advert by Rimmel’s Lycra Pro Nail Polish, and saw the alternative way that advertisements would be used. The use of a model would be beneficial when advertising nail varnish, but could distract the viewer away from the nail varnishes themselves and towards the model. However, I like the simple product shots in the bottom right of the advertisement, as they emphasise the product and give the viewer some more information about how it will benefit them.

All the lighting techniques I have seen have seemingly used multiple lights to control shadows but also give depth to the shots. However, I think this would be a good opportunity to experiment with side and back lighting, to test how I can alter shadows and see if they present my product more professionally. Instead of photographing bright and vibrant nail varnishes, like Barry M themselves, I want to photograph darker shades. Photographing darker shades means I can take a more ‘grunge’ angle to this photo shoot, combining dark backgrounds with side lighting to create a rock effect.

To progress with my studio shoot, I will need a black background, two to three lights with diffusers and certain boxes and podiums that I can place my nail paints on. I will provide the nail paints and podiums myself.