STORYTELLING COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Having told the stories of hundreds of brides and grooms these past 25 years it’s obvious why we renamed our studio The Storytellers ( http://www.TheStorytellersUSA.com )after we started our new studio here in Meridian Idaho. Our name now matches what we’ve always done!

An example of our storytelling technique was used in this commission to photographically tell the story of a winery by tagging along on one of their public wine tasting tours.  My goal when showcasing another business is to highlight the features that set them apart—the unique aspect that the public will experience with that company. This is why I always do some close-up images, besides the usual bigger views, because the character of a company can be seen in the details.

f3.2 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 400

This image, done during the outside wine tasting, was to show the company logo (a must do!) in an artistic way.

With a winery you must get out in the vineyards and if  you can juxtapose them with one of their buildings so much the better! And, if you can include anything historical—this building had the date May 1, 1923 — better still.

In wineries planting dates are significant, so I had to get that image.

Showing people having a good time on the tasting/tour is always good.

Next our tour guide brought the group inside to the production area for the educational part of the tour.

There he pulled some wine directly from a barrel for some more wine tasting.

Then last stop on the tour is their public wine tasting room.  The limo out front didn’t hurt in this image either!

The unique handles on the tasting room’s doors—remember those details!

Showing off the ambience inside the tasting room.

I wrapped showing the outside ambiance at the winery as well.  These ten images are only a sample of the 140-image slideshow I delivered to the winery.

The entire job was done either by natural light or, when we went inside, by the existing, artificial, continuous lighting—made possible by ISO shifting from 400 outside to 3200 inside.

I did not want to use flash inside because flashed images do not intercut well with natural light images in a slide show—the light from flash looks too harsh. It also makes it easier to blend images from a creative perspective for advertising purposes.

Just one more reason why I love our digital capabilities.

As usual, should you have questions don’t hesitate to ask.

Author: Jerry W. Venz, PPA Master Photographer, Craftsman, Certified

Training site:  http://www.LightAtTheEdge.com