Debby Brown's Hocus Focus
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONALS ON MAXIMIZING THE SUCCESS OF PHOTOGRAPHY SHOOTS WITH TIPS, IDEAS AND PHOTOS.
Hi there!

This month's word is Environment. I like the word because it can relate to something huge, like the world (as in climate change) or small, like my desk (and the clutter on it). It can be what we see, as in a forest in Washington State, or what we feel, as in the wise stillness of the trees in that forest.

It covers a lot of ground, and as always, the DB&A photographers have their own ways of visualizing the word.

Enjoy,

Debby
Founder
Deborah Brown & Associates
WHAT'S THE MOOD OF YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT?
And Can a Photograph Convey That Mood?
Keep it real and the atmosphere will come through

I spent last weekend in a place so different from my hometown of NYC, that it felt like I was in another country.

I was in the Pacific Northwest visiting my daughter, Sarah. There's something about the air there; it feels almost palpable and therefore, hard to ignore. Sarah and I both felt it: slightly melancholy, a bit ominous at times, and quite spiritual. I think she put it nicely when she said, "If spirits live on earth, this is where they are living."

I like to think that I'm as sensitive as anyone to my environment--I can usually tell the atmosphere of a meeting as soon as I walk into the room. But trying to capture that feeling in a photo is really, really hard. I know; I tried to photograph that northwest atmosphere, but got absolutely nothing of the mood.

So that brings me to you and what you ask us to photograph: capturing your office/work environments in a way that evokes a certain feeling in the viewer.

Like I said, that's really, really hard. So here's a tip. If you want an authentic look at what's going on in your company, don' t use models, stylists, or big lighting set-ups. In fact, don't even have the photographer "direct" your employees. The people who work at your company know how to do their jobs and be engaged in the workplace. And isn't that really what you want to convey? 

Go ahead, schedule those meetings and encourage everyone to go about their day as usual. The experienced photographer will be unobtrusive, will capture those moments and details, and you'll end up with what you always wanted: pictures of your real work environment and the atmosphere that exists there.

The word "environment" conjures up many different ideas and images in people's minds. Have a look below at what the DB&A photographers came up with and see if any of them evoke a response from you:
 
 

Robin Moyer (based in Hong Kong)  


Ron Wu (based in Chicago)




  Neal Wilson (based in the UK)

 


Bill Gallery (based in New England)



  Amos Chan (based in NYC)



Rosanne Olson (based in Seattle)


Jon Love (based in Sydney, Australia)
This is a photograph of a dust storm in Sydney caused by drought conditions in the outback.



By the way, if you're in the market for stock photography, have a look at Bill Gallery's images here:



So, whether it's the hustle bustle of a financial trading office, or the physical strain or massive engineering achievement of a construction site, or the intense concentration of a scientist in her lab; if you want to show the true environment of your company, your photographer will see the moments and details that contribute to that environment. Then you'll end up with images with real impact.

It's a nice segue into next month's word: Impact.

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Deborah Brown & Associates is an agency providing outstanding photography services to the graphic design and corporate communications communities. For more information, please click here.

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