Professional Commercial Photography: Techniques and Images from Master Digital Photographers

by Lou Jacobs Jr.

Presenting ideas and commentary as well as photographs, this collection offers new photographers revelations and wisdom from professionals and informs them how to achieve commercial success. Commercial photographers create images that are designed to sell products, services, political candidates, organizations, corporations, and any other marketable commodity or idea, and their clients range from advertising agencies, manufacturers, retail stores, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. With a section focusing on each of these types of services, this reference provides a quick workshop on an area of expertise, furnishing those new to the business with a wide variety of information about each specialty. Tips for selecting the most effective equipment for each subgenre as well as technical information about each camera combine with business-savvy know-how—from marketing, bidding, budgeting, building referrals, managing the office, and more—making this a comprehensive reference for being both behind and in front of the lens.

Genres: Photography

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Lou Jacobs, Jr. (b.1921) grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, a major in industrial design. After serving during World War II, he moved to California where he studied photojournalism at the Art Center College of Design, later working as an editorial photographer. Lou Jacobs describes himself as a designer/painter turned photographer/writer. Jacobs first began taking fine art photographs with a view camera in the 1940's. During this time he became friends with Edward Weston to whom he occasionally showed prints for criticism. Nature plays an enormous role in his work- his more recent collages are based on aerial photographs of land forms. Striving for simplicity in concept, Lou Jacobs hopes ‘that viewers can enjoy and appreciate the clear subjects in my photographs and the juxtapositions of forms and colors in my collages.’ During the 1940s and 50s, he began focusing his camera upon the faces of his fellow artist friends, catching glimpses of the creative genius within the vital atmosphere of time and place, turning ‘artist’ into ‘subject’.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat applied to me.

[Mousa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good book to give an idea of how commercial photography.