Ex Equis
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 7:21AM 
Black and white has always held more power for me, stripping the picture down to the basics light, dark, and the values in between.
This series comes from a product launch, a painkiller for horses that reduces side effects and keeps performance horses in the ring.
The project involved creating a half dozen key images but also a library, grooms, vets, etc working with and around these amazing animals.
Our location scout in this case is a great guy who gave us plenty of options. We just couldn't close on the phone. So I flew down to Ocala Florida ahead of the shoot to seal the deal.
Crossing the gate at the first property and seeing the scope and luxury of these operations first hand I was taken aback. All was well though as the owner and her staff were easy to work with and in minutes we had a deal. Other locations followed and soon we were on target for the shoot.
The concept had been tested and was a huge departure from the norm for this space. Most campaigns in this category showed pretty horse and owner pictures. We would be shooting tighter with just ambient light creating an emotional connection between the vet's hands and the patient. All the people in these photos would have to be either vets or equine professional as these are very high energy animals. Having models around would create a safety issue for both model and horse.
The actual shoot went very well and in the end the vets we used could not have been a better fit. The female vet in this picture had no trouble conveying the sense of care we were after.
Post processing to B+W and then a high contrast treatment finished the look of the files. Creating a process recipe allowed complete control of the look for all of files in the library. The launch was very successful problem solved, clients happy.
I love shooting pictures, and challenge of solving the problem at hand. In this case the problems were upfront and logistical. Solving them led to the good part the shooting part.
Reader Comments (1)
There is nothing more dramatic than quality black and white photos. I really enjoy your work and find myself inspired to switch my camera over to BW mode. Thanks from Ocala!!!