Kris D'Amico Photography

February 2nd, 2010 by Kris

So the formatting of this article was so bad that I decided to repost it here on my blog:

By Scott Tillitt
Publication: Photo District News
Date: Wednesday, December 1 2004

“We asked some of the leading creatives in the county to talk about current and future trends in advertising photography, and what they would like to see both more of and less of in 2005. We certainly got some interesting answers: covering everything from photographs of parking lots at noon to Juergen Teller; from a discussion of plagiarism to a rejection (by one creative) of any more photographs of people over the age of 80. Warning: This is essential reading for anyone with an interest in advertising photography.

John McNeil, Executive Vice President & Co-Chief Creative Officer
McCann Erickson SF
Notable agency print campaigns: Applied Materials, AMD, Capital One, California Table Grapes, Del Monte, General Motors, Hitachi, Hotwire, Microsoft, Northstar Ski Resort, NBC 11, Oakland A’s, Southcorp Wines North America

It’s odd to think about advertising photography in terms of trends. They exist, but I don’t like them. They inherently point to something already done. I encourage my team to avoid them. They’re bad for the industry.

[I'd like to see} more quality and less digital. It's a good tool--but only in the hands of a photographer who can exhibit restraint. The color and the depth of field are different. I'm worried photography will become less important--all quality and craft challenged by the immediacy, ease and simplicity of digital [to which clients have grown accustomed].

I’d like to see more understanding from art directors about photography, and less of the “next big thing.” Congratulations for something that resonates. Shame on you for co-opting it. I hope to see more work that’s not derivative but borne out of [creativity]…not derived by simply looking through ad books and photo annuals and such. And I’d like to see more art directors sketch and articulate an idea with a camera.

Mike Ferrer, Associate Creative Director/Art Director
GSD&M Advertising
Notable agency print campaigns: Kohler, U.S. Air Force, UnitedHealthCare, U.S. Olympic Team, American Legacy Foundation

I always liked the honest, mundane subject matter, perfectly exposed with available light. Parking lots at noon never looked better. At the same time, I’m glad to see photographers paying more attention to light detail and achieving a very painterly interpretation of photography. Lately I’ve been seeing some photographers composing and framing photos in some pretty interesting ways. Some look like they just shoot from the hip, and what they get is a happy accident effect. Others look composed, but done very artistically. It seems to me photography evolves as a style or technique based on past interpretations. The latest I’ve been noticing are many photographers who have taken that honest, mundane subject matter and [are] shooting that at night with available light.

Jigisha Bouverat, Director of Art Buying
TBWA\Chiat\Day
Notable agency print campaigns: Apple iPod and Final Cut Pro, Nissan (350Z, G35 Coupe, Infiniti QX56, Pathfinder), Jimmy Dean, Qualia Camera, Sony PlayStation

The overall trend I appreciated this year was the continued move towards a more photojournalistic/editorial style of commercial photography. This is a trend that has been developing for many years but in the past two years there have been some major brand campaigns using “unglorified”–or “non-commercial”-style photography. The Nissan 350Z campaign used non-commercial photographers like Mary Ellen Mark, Michael Kenna, Neil Leifer and [others] who are all known for documentary, photojournalistic and/or fine art styles of photography.

We also noticed a trend in the rise of German photographers for automotive and conceptual work. [See PDN's December '04 cover story, "From Bauhaus To Our House.")

I'd like to see more individualism in photography and traditional brands break out of their category stereotypes and do something different using photography and/or illustration. The Marc Jacobs campaign is a great example, as is the iPod campaign.

Lois Pyanowski, Senior Art Director
Deutsch NY
Notable agency print campaigns: Revlon, Monster, Mitsubishi, Expedia

I don't want a photographer; I want a visualist. I like photography with graphics. The graphics add to the photography, the photography adds to the graphics. My favorite at the moment is photographer Amy Guip. She's not a photographer; she's a photo/graphic collagist. I love photography that's distinct, with a certain unnamed something. You know it when you see it. Clang's work comes to mind, as does all the Bransch work. It's simple, stylized, interesting. I like photography that talks and comes with its own ideas.

Michael Ancevic, Group Creative Director/Art Director
Mullen
Notable agency print campaigns: Eddie Bauer, Swiss Army, LL Bean, Fortune Magazine, Boeri Helmets, Four Seasons, BMW, Smartfood, Timberland, Golf Course Superintendents, Winston Rods & Reels, The GM Card

As much as I occasionally love the spontaneity and the forgiving nature of the whole "if it's bad, it's good, it looks like anyone could have shot it" approach, I wonder if it has run its course. When we find even the top masters scrambling to redo their books to look less "good," we may be at the end of something. Tough to say. But when an ad for Tide looks more or less like an ad for Timberland, something may have gone awry...

We could use some high/fine art again. Will it come back? Did it ever actually go anywhere? Will it be less of a taboo in ads? Will everyone scramble to redo their books again? Will photographers stop printing on Epson papers? These are surely all things worth knowing, I have my guess. Whichever the case may be, it will surely be covered in PDN. Read on.

Erik Kessels, Creative Director
KesselsKramer
Notable agency print campaigns: Diesel, 55DSL, City of Amsterdam, Ben (mobile phone company), Absolut Label

Photographers who come from different areas other than advertising have in general a much fresher approach towards photography. We see them exhibiting and publishing their work, and occasionally when it's up their street, doing commercial work.

On the other hand, photographers working only in advertising become more and more isolated and become cliche photographers. Nowadays, it's important for photographers to open up towards different fields as these fields are getting closer and closer to each other. There's no need anymore to concentrate on one specific field of photography. Instead it's very important to concentrate on making the most original work.

David Crawford, Senior VP/Group Creative Director
GSD&M Advertising
Notable agency print campaigns: Kohler, U.S. Air Force, UnitedHealthCare, U.S. Olympic Team, American Legacy Foundation

Since photography is subjective, it's difficult to pick just one style to like or dislike. I like many different styles and try to focus on what might best suit a particular project or ad. Personally, I like photography that's more dramatic and moody. As far as what's next, I believe there is going to be a great battle between film and digital. Much like when computers took over for typesetting. There was much debate at the time about which medium offered the best results. Of course both film and digital have their advantages, but I'm sure there will be arguments on both sides as to which one is best. Within the last year we've produced our first all-digital project and I'm amazed at the clarity and illustrative look of the work.

Jessica Hoffman, Senior Art Producer
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Notable agency print campaigns: MINI, Burger King, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Bell Helmets, Giro Helmets, Gateway, Molson Canadian, Method, Shimano, American Legacy Foundation, Borders Books and Music

This past year we saw interesting stylistic treatments--creative, and better use (not abuse) of, retouching: soft powdery pastel pallets; de-saturated, very high-contrast and loads of grain (especially in the urban/hip-hop scene)--it feels like an elegant, but very hard-edged, fairy tale; characters from video games are suddenly real; realism achieved (Dimitri Daniloff); a lot of layering of many different elements. [Also] barely lit, barely altered images: raw, unfinished, single-source harsh light and real intentionally gritty graphic-simple architectural imagery.

Handmade was/is huge: anything incorporating handmade art with drawings and painting on the actual photographs. Perfection was not popular. We are seeing the beauty in a line, both through gorgeously simple architectural imagery of the mundane to figures and things emerging from total blackness–an uncluttered, simple view in a chaotic time. We seem to need our reality rich (even when staged). [Thus] hard light is going to hang around for a while longer. Fashion seems like it’s heading in a more dapper direction, less drab. Maybe perfection will swing back due to this. Handmade is still going to dominate and evolve.

Marni Beardsley, Director of Art Buying
Wieden + Kennedy
Notable agency print campaigns: Nike (Apparel, Basketball, Golf, Olympics, Latin America), AOL Moviefone, Allsteel, EA Sports, Starbucks Canada, Oregon Tourism

When I think about photography I loved in 2004, Inez and Vinoodh’s [Inez van Lamswerde and Vinoodh Matadin] portraits of the Oscar candidates in this spring’s New York Times Magazine still resonates. Each portrait was unique, mesmerizing and simply remarkable. Inez and Vinoodh continue to create stunning and relentlessly innovative imagery that is unforgettable.

What does disturb me is how often I’m seeing artists imitating others, most notably in the category of environmental portraiture. A precise Dan Winters image, a quirky Chris Buck shot or an intense Jeff Riedel portrait are all great works exhibiting the personal vision of each of the photographers. They have a style all their own and it’s unfortunate to see other photographers lamely and unsuccessfully trying to imitate them. It undermines the artists’ work and hurts the new photographers’ chances of developing their own style. And perhaps the worse offense of this visual plagiarism is leaving the viewer over saturated with watered down, uninspiring imagery.

Scott Lynch, VP/Creative Director
Nonbox-Milwaukee
Notable agency print campaigns: St. Pauli Girl Beer, CAT Footwear, Viper Motorcycle Company, American Cancer Society, Black Diamond

I don’t know if it constituted a “trend” in 2004 but I really liked some of editorial-style photography that I saw last year. Too much of the work we have been seeing and creating is too safe and too expected. We all need to spend more time trying to get our work beyond our normal comfort zones. Something big is coming. But it’s not a style, a technique or technology. It’s the creation of work featuring concepts and designs where the photography is so vital that the work just couldn’t work without the photograph and without the exact photograph shot that exact way. Eye-candy is great to look at, but it’s more impressive when it adds something primary. That’s really what separates the great photographic work in advertising from the work that’s just good.

Jonathan Schoenberg, Creative Director/Partner
Tda advertising & design
Notable agency print campaigns: Fox Racing Suspension, Smart Fabric, Thule Car Racks, Brand Jordan

In the past year the photography is much more interesting than a year or two ago. That might be linked to the fact there is more work being done and companies are getting looser with their agencies in terms of how they work with photographers. If there is something I have not gotten tired of it is photography that looks almost amateur but just a little bit stylized.

If there is a subject I would like to see less of in photographers’ books it is spec shots of old people. I like old people and I get that they have character, but you can open four promotional pieces in a day and each one contains pictures of people over the age of 80. It is not right to eat up the little time they have left by taking close-up photos of them to fill a portfolio.

Kelly Walther, Art Buying Supervisor
GSD&M Advertising
Notable agency print campaigns: Kohler, U.S. Air Force, UnitedHealthCare, U.S. Olympic Team, American Legacy Foundation

[In 2004] I liked interesting cropping, photojournalistic style of images (not posed at all). Don’t care for anything over-art directed or over-styled. I would like to see more emotional/moody lighting. (I am ready for images to be beautifully lit.) I am tired of the flat lighting/bad lighting snapshot feel. Would like to continue to see images being cropped in a creative and unexpected way. I would like for photographers to find their own style–I’m tired of looking at photographers’ books and they all look the same/interchangeable. I want to be able to look at a book and see something unique about it.

[The next big thing in terms of style?] Having one.

Tiffany Kosel, Art Director
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Notable agency print campaigns: MINI, Burger King, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Bell Helmets, Giro Helmets, Gateway, Molson Canadian, Method, Shimano, American Legacy Foundation, Borders Books and Music

Pornography (Guess), super-stylized realism (Citibank), illustrative photography (iPod). There are a lot of trends going on right now and a lot of experimentation. Crossing categories and crossing mediums and crossing technology. I don’t think this trend will end. But it’s limitless. I like the idea of using a car photographer to shoot fashion. Or mixing and layering photography and illustration and film and even 3D modeling in unique ways. I would get excited to see photographers’ books that show more diversity in their experimentation and range, totally untraditional. How does their work translate across and combined with all mediums?”