Final Project

For the final project, I want to use the article “How an Ad Campaign Invented the Diamond Engagement Ring” (read here). The article talks about how in the late 1930s, the practice of giving a diamond engagement ring was on a slow rise and De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. wanted to get more people excited about diamonds so they hired N.W. Ayer, a New York based ad agency to build a campaign that would popularize the sale of diamonds. The campaign coined the phrase “a diamond is forever,” and sold people the idea that diamonds were ” symbols of indestructible love.” This strategy proved insanely successful for De Beers. As the article says, “Between 1939 and 1979, De Beers’s wholesale diamond sales in the United States increased from $23 million to $2.1 billion.” Today, it’s commonplace to propose with a (huge) diamond and many women aren’t satisfied with anything less than amazing. It’s interesting to see that there is such importance placed on a piece of jewelry and it all started with an advertising campaign.

The ideas I have in mind for the shoot are a close up of a ring itself (maybe in a box or on a table) to show it off, for a ring to be on someone’s finger (making it a little more personal/romantic), or a more humorous approach like a ring with a price tag or ad attached.

Sketches

  1. The text is informational; the tone isn’t overly serious and it’s very positive in the beginning when the author talks about his personal experience.
  2. My approaches are literal because they both show an engagement ring. The idea with the tag/ad would be more literal than the other since it’s actually showing the reason/method N.W. Ayer made the original campaign while the other idea is more about the emotion or people associated with engagement.
  3. I think one still life approach is necessary because my main focus is the importance placed on the ring itself. One approach with people involved is also necessary to give the shot a little more personality and make it relatable.
  4. My models would be whoever is in my group if they’re willing. I don’t plan on using any faces in the photos, just arms/hands. I’ll need both a male and female participant.
  5. The object in each photo would be the ring. A price tag or a ring box may be included as well.
  6.  Both ideas need a good amount of light – the couple shot needs to be well lit and the ring shot needs enough light on the ring itself to show the detail but not in the overall photo.
  7. I want the photo with the people to resemble a shot that would be in engagement photos – very bright, soft, and optimistic but also romantic. For the ring by itself, it would be similar to food photography in terms of the shallow depth of field but I would want it to be darker and a little less optimistic.

Optimism

Margie Warrell’s article strongly encouraged her readers to have a “the glass is half full” outlook on life. Having an optimistic point of view benefits your health, wealth, and relationships. This is why it is important to get out of bed every morning and face the day with a positive mind set.

This photo shoot is all about portraying optimism and a lot of things signify happiness and positivity. Shooting against a light, bright background with even lighting and minimal or no shadows is going to be very important toward capturing the quality of optimism. The first thing I immediately thought of using as a prop were flowers in order to help reinforce the idea of happiness. Sunflowers are usually big, bold, and bright so I think that they will be the right match. Other possible props that would help to emphasize optimism are food dyes to  brightly color the liquid and maybe even fruit – the way healthy drinks usually are. After all, Warrell does conclude her article by saying that exercise is key for a happy, healthier lifestyle.

Optimism

I think that shooting on a white, bright, well lit background would be the best way to illustrate a glass being half full. To add to the optimism, I think that making the glass of water seem more like a tropical drink than just a plain glass of water might be an interesting route. People seem to be happiest in the summertime so making the drink feel summery using food coloring, fruits or an interesting straw in a cool glass (like a mason jar or a really tall, thin glass) would be a good idea. Multiple glasses of different sizes would be interesting as well to show the versatility of having this optimistic outlook in any situation.

jovany_half empty

Reading the optimistic article. I think my idea to show optimism will be surrounding a tall glass filled with liquid halfway in the center of the frame with multiple empty glasses laid down horizontal. This will give the idea that you should feel optimistic of what is to come. But i don’t know. I probably won’t do this idea lol.

The Glass Half Full Or Empty

THE IDEA THAT I HAVE IN MIND USING A DIFFERENT COLOR OF LIQUID, MAYBE USING KOOL-AID. ALSO ADDING SPARKLING WATER TO IT. I WAS THINKING OF LIGHTING THE GLASS FROM THE BOTTOM. HAVING A DROP OF WATER FALLING INTO THE GLASS AND PHOTOGRAPH IT AS IT FALLS, AND ALSO PHOTOGRAPHING AS IT LANDS OF THE WATER.

Optimism

The word “optimism” derives from the Latin word “optima,” meaning the best outcome or belief in the greatest good. This is an example of an individual going into the direction of hopefulness and confidence about the future.

To represent the optimistic view of a half full glass, I would like to use a wine glass. A wine glass imitates the look of success, health, and wealth, because of its curves. The background should be light and bright to set the desired tone of the photograph. Props that can be used are fruits. Maybe a slice of lemon, a strawberry or pineapple can be placed on the rim. Fruits can also be placed inside the water. Cherries, raspberries or blueberries can be used. The rim can also be salted.

Optimism

For the next shoot to represent the half full half empty glass i was thinking about using three one glasses one empty one half full and one full to basically show the different point of views.

Optimism

For the next assignment, i will going to bring a jar glass because the jar have wide shape and has more empty space. I need that because to pour a colorful water as of showing my thoughts and current situations i have. I might going to bring two jar to show the differences. All the shots will be take with diffusion box because i dont need sharp shadows. The position of the glass i am not sure yet, but i might do some research before next class.

I think it’s half full

So todays article is more or less about having a positive outlook on life and different aspects of your life. Surrounding yourself with negativity is unhealthy and ultimately holds you back from progressing. Being optimistic will allow you mentally to have a “yes i can” attitude and not have anything hold you back from achieving what you want. Everything is a learning experience and its just going to make you better s go out and do it.

The idea i have for the next shoot is to basically dress two different glasses a way that reflects if they are optimistic or pessimistic. Its a perception  more or less