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What commercial photo set looks like in the COVID-19 era

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Has COVID-19 impacted the look of advertising campaigns?

Maybe – but probably not by as much as you might think. What is impacted, however, is the way that a commercial photography set operates for the foreseeable future.

As an advertising photographer, you are responsible for everything that happens on set while shooting a campaign. This can range from not just the lighting scheme, but the choice of using craft services versus having a chef on set, choosing the appropriate camera and related equipment, and most importantly the safety of everyone present. This isn’t to say that there are not safety officers on set, or form specific trainers when we photograph professional athletes, but that the buck always stops at the photographer. For those that do commercial photography, we know that there are never ending insurance certificate pulls happening just to step foot on set. But how do we create when it comes to an unseen virus, and what will those campaigns look like?

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Here are the new proposed fees for commercial shoots on federal land

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Commercial filmmakers, videographers, and photographers usually need to pay a fee if they want to shoot on every federal land. Right now, however, the fees aren’t consistent across these lands. Therefore, federal land management agencies are currently in the process of standardizing them and making them mandatory and consistent everywhere.

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People get offended by everything so Audi apologizes for a campaign photo

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Audi was recently accused of running an “insensitive” campaign for the Audi RS4 Avant. The German car manufacturer shared a photo of a girl leaning against the car grille eating a banana. However, it has caused a strong backlash. People were so offended that Audi was forced to take the photo down and issue a public apology.

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You thought this 7-Eleven commercial was CG but it was really shot using a giant robot arm

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I’m not entirely sure how recently the above commercial for 7-Eleven was released (I’m in the UK, not many hhere), but when I first saw it, I thought for sure that it was just some pretty neat CG. It turns out, though, that it was actually shot 100% practically and for real by none other than Steve Giralt and his team. Yeah, I know, I was quite surprised, too.

While a computer was used to previsualize and programme the moves, the actual sequence was shot on a Bolt motion control robot arm. I can’t quite tell what the camera was (some shade of RED, most likyle), but the lens used appears to be the Tokina Cinema Vista 16-28mm II T3 cine.

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Nine steps to shoot an epic beer commercial on a budget

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You know how beer commercials instantly make you wanna crack open a cold one? If you’re into commercial video and photography, Justin Jones and Ted Sim of Indy Mogul will show you how to create your own. In this video, they share nine steps to shooting a beer commercial on a budget, yet making it look epic.

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Seven tips for shooting a pro-looking product video on a tight budget

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I just love low-budget ideas that still get you great results. Partly because my gear budget is low, and partly because I simply enjoy experimenting. If you’re anything like me, you’ll love this video from Justin Jones and Ted Sim of Indy Mogul. They share seven tips for shooting a commercial like a boss, even if money’s tight.

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Burger King takes a twist on classic commercial food photography with this timelapse of a moldy whopper

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There are so many food photography tutorials teaching us how to make food look as good and as appetizing as possible. But Burger King decided to challenge the classic food commercials we’re all used to seeing. They claim that “the beauty of real food is that it gets ugly.” So, they filmed a commercial showing a Whopper as it gets nasty and moldy over time.

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Watch as this commercial shows you how not to act on set as a boom operator

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It’s funny how commercials have a way of completely escaping your memory, and then seem to resurface again every few years. This is one of them. Directed by Trevor Clarence, this 2009 ad for South African franchise of the restaurant chain Wimpy illustrates just how careful you need to be as a microphone boom operator, especially around delicate sets.

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How to get professional ink in water commercial photos with almost no budget

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In honor of Inktober, Isaac Alvarez of UNPLUG Production made his own ink-related project. But rather than making an ink drawing, he focused on commercial watch photography. He used only a simple two-light setup and some super-cheap items, most of which we all have lying around the house. Despite the low-budget setup, the results are professional-looking, so let’s dive in and see how he did it.

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My three years without a photography agent

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In September 2016 my Photography Agents, Vaughn-Hannigan, abruptly closed their doors after 10 years in business. Since then I have been without an agent, representing myself, and I thought I would look back and ask the question which has been lingering with me through this time:

To Agent or not to Agent?

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