This week with the recent launch of our new website, we have been analyzing our portfolios and discussing what makes the perfect image. This is such an illusive and personal concept that it can be near unattainable. At Vanity studios, we are always striving to create exactly what our clients ask for. After seven years of study and such a diversified clientele, we believe we know a little something about it and we’d like to share…
In 2016 NOTHING is more dominant in our world than pictures. Every day we scan our phones for Facebook, Twitter and the all-triumphant Instagram and let’s not forget Pinterest, an ever-growing site made up of millions of pictures that can be anything you could possibly conceive of!
If our addiction to our smartphones isn’t enough of a bombardment of images, we merely have to walk down the street to find ourselves surrounded by images on buses and banners, shop windows and bus stops. Everywhere we turn we see an image of something or someone, which has been purposely created to leave a lasting impression. And if we really think about it, isn’t that the purpose of pictures? Images really are adverts. What ever the subject may be, the more eye catching a striking the image, the more impact it will have on its viewer. If the person who views this photo then decides to ‘like’ or ‘share’ this image, whether intentional or not, this is a way of further advertising to others.Images can be created in a way that will provoke a thought or opinion in anyone. They are adverts and the strength of these images will determine how well it’s received.
When our clients book a photo shoot with us, we first take great care in establishing what the shoot is for or what the client would like to advertise. This is our first battle at the studio as people do not like to discuss how they want to come across in a photo. The very idea of advertising themselves creates awkwardness as they feel it could be perceived as arrogant in some way. As a nation we are extremely uncomfortable with displaying any signs of an out of control ego. Probably because we watch far too much TV! as addictive as it is to express our disgust over the reality TV ‘stars’, our disapproval of outright arrogance has left many of us afraid to show confidence in case it is portrayed in this way. In the U.S. confidence is promoted to children pretty much from birth! But as Brits, we are taught to be humble and the kids that appear otherwise probably learnt it from MTV! Society has led us in this direction and this is why we struggle to find the root of what people want to portray in the images. Luckily for our clients we have learnt to translate!
We are very often met with comments such as; ‘the shoots not for me, it’s more for my daughter’ or ‘This really isn’t my cup of tea, I just got dragged along. So! Lets translate. A lady comes a long with her young pretty daughter and claims it’s ALL about her! Although she could have booked her daughter in alone… This lady probably wants to look like a fit, healthy, stunner of a mum that is not overshadowed by how young and pretty her daughter is. We’re quite sure she doesn’t actually want to sit in the shadowy background of an image with her daughter in the foreground; we make things equal and mums leave happy. Plus what mums shouldn’t forget is that all girls love to say ‘look how good my mum looks’ and they too will treasure a mum/ daughter image for many years to come.
Now! The very British ‘not my cup of tea’ comment. Well… as enjoyable and fun as we make the process at the studio, whose ‘cup of tea’ is it? Who actually enjoys cameras poked in their faces when they least expect? The short answer… no one. The studio is different; the photographers are trained to guide you to get the best out of you and to make you feel relaxed and really just to have a laugh throughout the process. Very often people imagine being sat in a cold clinical room, struggling to pose while some very serious photographer gets annoyed at them because they’re not supermodels. Everyone leaves the studio saying how much fun it was, even those who were very nervous to begin with. This is not like someone catching you off guard at a family event with their smart phone, every image is beautiful and the process is painless! The lady who says ‘not my cup of tea’ is really saying I’m nervous and have no idea what I’m doing but I would love a collection of photos that I can be proud of. Lucky for our clients we all speak ‘humble’.
So how do you create the perfect image… it’s simple. It is what ever is perfect for the individual. If we can capture exactly what that person wants to say, we have created the perfect image ;-)
Until Next Week!
Vanity Studios