ASSIGNMENT FIVE: “THE ROOTS OF POWER”
It means many things to a lot of people. From politics to personal to some sort of allegory for anything they like or dislike.
For us it means… Gardening.
For us, the “roots of power” is a garden shot in your style. It is to be used for a large POP (Point of Purchase) display for gardening tools in big box stores. The final image they need is 8′ tall x 6′ wide. And it must be vertical to fit above the rack of gardening tools. The title is at the top and the AD has requested that the white letters be visible against the background (see layout).
The image can be of three varieties:
1. An absolutely astounding garden. And please be discerning with this. It has to be amazing. And it has to have a person in the shot to offset the idea of the ‘power’ as being the person behind the garden. A garden portrait with the garden as the most important part of the image. If you are not sure, post it to the FB group for confirmation.
2. Gardening Tools in a still life scene. Not a boring product shot, make it lovely with props and styling. And it MUST contain a root of some sort as the hero. Any kind of root that you can get from Home Depot or the like. For our purposes, it can also be a bulb. Think of a still life with gardening tools and plants. Styled to perfection.
3. A gardener… from mild to wild. Can you see this as a fashion shot? I can. Could it be a humorous play with two “character actors”? Absolutely. Could it be mysterious, fun, whimsical, serious? Yes… all of those. And hopefully, there is either a gardening implement or a root in the shot… we have to SELL this idea. Wardrobe, styling, and lighting will play a huge
Most importantly it must be YOURS. Your style.
This image is going to be large, so it can have some lovely details in it, but also because it is large it cannot be too “busy”. This is a ‘walk a fine line’ assignment.
Images that are going to be seen big can lose their visual power if they are cluttered or busy. Especially from a distance.
This image must “READ” from across the store, and still look powerful when the viewer is next to it.
Download Layout on the side panel >>
Some pages for ideas:
We have a new layout for this assignment.
It is linked here: ROOTS OF POWER.psd (zipped).
This is what it looks like. You can choose either black type or white type, so make sure you are making an image that will allow for this type at the top, AND for the type to be readable against the background. Busy backgrounds are discouraged. Please adhere to the layout, and don’t forget to upload your BTS shot.
ASSIGNMENT INFO:
EXAMPLES
PEOPLE
People can be tricky. You may choose to use a person in your shot that appears to be a spokesperson or the main subject, and that requires attention to wardrobe. Bright colors can work, busy patterns may not. If you are shooting a person, I would recommend hips up. Full length makes the face too small and that will not engage anyone from any distance at all. You may choose to use just hands, or over the shoulder, or possibly a silhouette… the most important part is to make a decision whether the person IS the main part of the photograph, or is a part of the whole and doing a supporting role.
STILL LIFE
If you are a still life shooter, consider the approaches the client likes. Are they cluttered with lots of extraneous props or are they more minimalist with strong composition and style? Color also plays a big part in the way the images are created. Colors pop, composition helps pop them and the colors around them are created so as to help the flowers stand out from the background. Consider your light first. Will it be from the back, warming the space, or from the side to accentuate the textures?
VIDEO CLIPS
If you are wanting to work on a video for this assignment, make a 15″ clip with no sound. Please make sure the video is placed where we can view it (YouTube or Vimeo) and make notes about its construction. We are all going to be interested.
LIGHTING
I suggest backlight and sidelight for this image. In order to accentuate the color and shape of the plants or tools if you use them, the backlight will work well. Backlight also helps sell the ‘warmth’ and natural feeling of the space. Sidelight will accentuate shape and dimension as well, but add in some texture to the flowers or what is surrounding them.
Any light modifier will work – from natural light to grids and snoots as long as they do not make the image become more about the light instead of the plants and growing tools. Yes, photography is always about the light, but if it starts to be too dramatic, or too powerfully created it can overshadow the subject.
PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL: ENHANCING COLOR
LIGHTING TUTORIAL
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