This is a project I have been looking forward to for a while and I am quite proud of the result. This image is intended to be a product photograph for an ad in a magazine. I don’t know why, but I have always been drawn to the style of the 1950’s era. I love items from this time period, they are so well made and built to last. Not only were they functional, but they are also very ornamental. What I mean is, that form and function seemed to be of equal importance when they were designed. I picked up this little red radio at an antique mall and fell in love with it the moment I saw it. It has a great shape, vibrant colour and it still sounds great!
In the 50’s, the radio played a huge role as a major form of entertainment, this was a time before colour TV. People listened to the radio for music, news and other radio broadcasts like series. For this image idea, I thought about other types of entertainment back then. I thought about black and white photographs, black and white films, juke boxes, records and how important music was in people’s daily lives. I combined all these influences into the photograph. The final image, aside from the radio is black and white, which is a nod to old films and photos. Although the records surrounding the radio in the photo can’t be played on the radio, they reference music from the period. Repetition is a strong element used in this work. The point of view allows the records to lead your eye into the frame and the pop of colour seen in the bright red radio in the middle of the frame, ensures that the viewer knows what the centre of interest is. A strong contrast in generated between the bold colour of the radio and its black and white surroundings.
I have posted some images below from behind the scenes and above are a few different edits from my work in progress. The final image is the black and white image with the red radio. Other edits during the progression of the project include the basic edit and a desaturated version. It was a hard decision to make, but I am pleased with the final outcome. I would love to continue to experiment and create more photographs inspired by this era.
Comments