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Commercial Photography

Product photography
Commercial photography often involves shooting against a white background, or a solid color that can later be removed by chroma-keying.
Studio in a box
Lightboxes such as this "studio in a box" are often used for product photography.

While a great deal of photography takes place purely for fun, there is a decidedly commercial aspect to photography as well. We have all heard the old saw that a picture is worth a thousand words, and nowhere is this saying more true than in the world of advertising. Companies and their advertising agencies have spent many thousands of hours and countless dollars finding the images that sell their products, and the world of commercial advertising is alive and thriving.

There are a number of important factors to consider when it comes to commercial photography. The aim of a commercial photograph goes far beyond conveying an image. In order to be successful as an advertising venue, the commercial photograph must convey real feeling and evoke an emotional response. While some advertising relies purely on the intellect, for the most part advertisers are aiming for the emotions of their customers. Photographs that can convey that type of emotion are rare, and very valuable.

Commercial photographers strive for pictures that have an immediate impact as well as an emotional response. After all, consumers these days are bombarded with advertising day and night – on the television, on the radio, on the internet and even on their shopping carts and cell phones. As a result many consumers have simply learned to tune these messages out, and it can be quite difficult for advertisers to find messages that resonate with their potential customers.

Commercial photography and the power of images continue to play an important role in this new age, and commercial photos are finding their way into all sorts of unconventional spaces. From traditional banner ads and pop-ups to flyers on the sides of buildings, commercial photography is everywhere, and the smart companies know how to make use of this growing market.

Many of the most successful advertising campaigns make use of a special branch of photography known as large format photography. These special images are created using equipment designed specifically for the task, and they are typified by their size as well as their impact. Large format photographs can be enlarged nearly without limit, and these are the photos seen adorning storefronts and other public spaces. Many companies have used these large format photographs to grab the attention of increasingly jaded customers, and their popularity is likely to grow in the future.

No matter what the product being sold, many companies have found that bright vibrant colors help to move more products of the shelves. Consumers have a naturally strong reaction to these bright and cheerful images, and companies selling everything from perfume and clothing to cars and boats have used the power of color to push their products.

We live in an increasingly jaded and advertising-saturated world. In order to compete successfully companies must constantly adapt to changing conditions and changing tastes on the part of their customers. The best companies use a wide variety of marketing techniques, from traditional newspaper and magazine ads to viral marketing over the internet, but there will always be a place for commercial photography. The power of the picture is hard to deny, and commercial photographers are continuously searching for those images that resonate with their clients and their customers.