Dance Photography in Advertising

TheĀ ad for Raymond Weil shot by Lois Greenfield and the ad for Pantone shot by Sarah Silver both executed similar and different campaign elements.

Greenfield’s Raymond Weil ad contains a monochromatic visual. The dancers in the black and white composition are the only elements used as the focal point. In this campaign, figures represent the headline ā€“ ā€œPrecision movements.ā€ Their body language is compared to the hands of a watch. In the shot, light sources appear from a high angle on the left side creating dark shadows. Each dancer is placed at a different distance, which makes them appear closer in depth producing a shallow space. The negative space around the individuals makes the portrait become balanced. The image also has a high contrast with a few middle tones.

Silver’s Pantone ad contains a polychromatic visual. For the ā€œMake It Brilliantā€ campaign, lights were used to paint colors with the same vibrancy. In this ad, the colors represent different moods and are used as the focal point. Within the composition, geometric shapes were utilized as walls, props, and texture designs to keep the environment balanced. Although the walls help toĀ constructĀ less negative space, the dancers were placed amongst each other at different distancesĀ creatingĀ a deep space. The image produced also has a low contrast with mostly middle tones.Ā 

Both campaigns used dancers as a human element to bring life to their concept. In each shot, they portray a different message and expression. The dancers for ā€œPrecision Movementsā€ metaphorically relates to the hands of a clock by their specified positions. The dancers for ā€œMake It Brilliant,ā€ metaphorically added a touch of life to the newly created neon colors.Ā Each successful shotĀ forms an illusion by a technique called frozenĀ motion photography.Ā 

 

 

 

One thought on “Dance Photography in Advertising

  1. rmichals

    You describe the two ads well but don’t directly touch on the idea of metaphor. Neither ad is literal. Dance is used as a metaphor for the precise interactions of a watch mechanism on the one had and for the creativity of various fields of design.

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