CoronabluesIt is now approaching a year since this Corona mayhem started taking hold. Lives and livelihoods have been turned upside down as authorities and society are still struggling to find an approach to combat the craziness. Many businesses are drowning - woe betide you if you work in the Hotel industry for instance. My friend Ann-Kristin worked in a nice hotel in Zurich until she was furloughed until further notice. Ann-Kristin did not sit idly by - she started an new clothes brand!
To promote a new brand, you need compelling photography showing the products in their best light. To achieve this, Ann-Kristin called and asked if I was interested in helping out. Of course I was! It sounded like an interesting challenge for these quiet times. Our first shoot was spent working out what style of photography would go with the brand. For most portraiture I use a long lens with a short depth of field to throw the background out of focus. This is ideal for portraits as a long lens is more flattering than a wide-angle lens which exaggerates the nose and distorts the face. The blurred background also concentrates the viewer’s eye on the face. Of course, rules are to be considered as no more than guidelines and so we elected to use a wide-angle lens and flash. Normally I would avoid this at all costs. And speaking of costs - there was no budget for anything except coffee so Ann-Kristin was the model. The brief was that the brand is for the local Zurich market and the products are made from 100% organic-based cotton. The photography had to reflect the genuineness of the product and the people in different parts of the city.
Ann-Kristin liked the results of our efforts and so she organised more shoots, this time with models. With the budget now extended to pizzas, friends were coaxed into posing for the camera! The style of photography evolved, and yes more flattering lenses were used for some pictures but the spirit remained. Orders can be made on the link below With the on-going pandemic Ann-Kristin was eventually made redundant. Within a short time, she then made an about turn in trades as Ann-Kristin now works for a consultancy firm. Previous and current entrepreneurial activities are very welcome in her new job. She'll do well.
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