Advertising photography could be considered both an art and a science, since advertising photographers are required to combine a visually attractive, aesthetically pleasing graphical representation of a product, whilst achieving this using sophisticated state of the art digital camera equipment and advanced computer software. Of course, that's not even beginning to consider the wealth of experience and lengthy list of contacts for everything from locations to models, props to lighting.

Next time you see an advertising photograph, you might stop to consider just how many techniques have been used to draw your attention, hold your attention, and communicate a whole range of messages to you in a split second without you even having to try.

That's the really clever thing about advertising photography - it's an art form which communicates, although one could argue that any art form should, if it is to be successful, communicate to the observer. However, the difference between advertising photography and other art forms is that whilst art is generally open to debate and discussion, with differing opinions, contrasting interpretations and a certain responsibility bestowed on the observer to discover his or her own individual interpretation, advertising photographers are trying to communicate a set package of ideas, values, beliefs and ideas that cannot be misinterpreted, and carry a clear message to all observers.

But how do advertising photographers manage to achieve this fine balance between creating something aesthetically pleasing yet clear and unconfusing? The first trick is simplicity, and in fact it is incredibly difficult to achieve simplicity. This might seem something of a contrast of statements, but to create an image which embodies clarity a great number of techniques must be applied, including everything from arranging the set, lighting the product, choosing an angle, and even selecting the most suitable camera, lens and settings.

But once the advertising photographer clicks the button and closes the shutter, the story doesn't end there. Once the picture has been taken it remains in its raw form, and very rarely will an image head straight to the marketing board from the studio without at least some post production work.

Post production work today is almost always entirely digital, taking place in a computer studio with advanced software products which enable the photographer to alter and manipulate the image in subtle ways that will enhance the clarity, tone and aesthetic appeal in ways which are not too distracting, yet improve the image.

This is where many amateur photographers fall down, tending to rely too heavily on post production work to manipulate an image to death. Post production photographic manipulation must start by using a photograph which is of a high quality. Relying on photographic manipulation to make up for any failures in quality of the original image, or to compensate for any lack of expertise on the part of the photographer is not the way to succeed in advertising photography.

One of the key elements to successful advertising photography is lighting, and it is the lighting both during the shoot itself and which can be applied during post production image manipulation as well which can contribute a great deal in terms of tone and impact. For example, if you look at photographs of technology, close up shots of computer processors, graphics cards and such like you will often notice that they are lit with fairly low angled lighting, usually in blue, or with a red and blue crossover angle. Why is this? Blue lighting tends to suggest clinical accuracy or technology.

Quite why might require a full article on human psychology and the relationship between colour and subjective interpretation, but suffice it to say that it has been shown to be successful. Taking photographs of shiny motorbikes usually involves a crisper black and white form of lighting to ensure that the darker elements such as the engine are as well illuminated as the highly reflective chrome elements of the bike.

But sometimes it can be impossible to light a product in a way which will ensure complete clarity in the final image. Moody, evocative lighting might look great, but you will lose a tremendous amount of detail. Advertising photographers compensate for this by keeping the camera fixed, and taking several shots with slightly different levels of lighting. In post production they will then combine elements from these different images to create a final photograph which incorporates both the moody and evocative elements of the original lighting with additional light levels to bring out the detail which would otherwise be lost.

Perhaps it is true to say that advertising photography is not just a combination of an art and a science, but also deals fairly significantly with human psychology. Perhaps advertising photographers know more about the way our minds work than we do!

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