Less is More, Great Use of Subtle Motion Photography
I became a fan of DSLR video the day that firmware was released for the 5DMKII allowing for manual exposure control. Immediately after that first shoot, I started looking for practical applications. I drove over to the Glendale Galleria because I heard that they had digital signage in the mall and I wanted to see what companies were doing with it. There’s potential to do some truly unique visuals in that medium and the precedent has been set by moving one sheets like the one used in theaters for Stepbrothers that caught movie goers off guard making them laugh.
What I saw at the mall was really a letdown. It was just vertical oriented screens with horizontal commercials running through the middle surrounded by poorly designed text and images. I sat and watched for a while and not one passerby stopped or even glanced at the digital signage. The way motion advertising was being used was neither interesting or new. As a matter of fact, it was so ubiquitous it became just one more TV screen vying for attention amongst the hundreds of instances per day that we’re visually assaulted at doctors offices, restaurants and even gas stations. We habitually tune out these distractions for mental self preservation.
It was hard for me to believe how far off the mark this fledging media was with their choice of content. As I sat and watched people go by without noticing the digital signage, I couldn’t help but notice some of the large format prints in store windows. I imagined how much attention it would attract if the models subtly moved every now and then. Now that would stop people in their tracks.
Since then I’ve seen a lot of good ideas implemented in motion advertising including the great visual piece for Viv Magazine by Alexx Henry. But I still hadn’t seen exactly what was in my minds eye. The simple and subtle use of motion to draw a viewers attention, until now. NOWNESS Magazine ran an interesting multimedia piece by Sebastian Faena.
For his enigmatic multimedia project for NOWNESS, photographer and filmmaker Sebastian Faena played on the similarities he spotted between frequent muse Eniko Mihalik and screen siren Isabel “Coca” Sarli, a former Miss Argentina who became known for her sexually charged appearances in husband Armando Bo’s films until his death in 1981. . . . While Faena pioneers a new technique with this piece—subverting the magazine spread format by disrupting his stills with subtle movements—it is Eniko for whom he saves most praise: “She’s very expressive, one of those girls who totally enjoys being in front of the camera. She cares, she pays attention, she understands, and then she can perform whatever you’re asking her to do.”
The subtle way that Faena uses motion is such a good example of what photographers can bring to the table with video enabled DSLR’s. You don’t have to compete with a 20 person video crew to get amazing motion for your clients. Click through these beautiful images and watch carefully as some of them briefly come to life. Notice how focused you become on the images, trying to figure out which one will move and what she will do? Imagine the impact of advertising campaigns where consumers stop in their tracks and look for images to move. It really becomes immersive content when you have 100% of the viewers attention.
Becoming a photographer who shoots motion doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to film school and start building large crews and buying expensive gear. Play to your strengths and use Faena’s example as a way to get started creating your motion portfolio so that you stand out in this hyper competitive market.
