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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Challenge 76: ADVERTISEMENT (Host: Vikas Malhotra) >> Challenge 76: Eligible > 7th Place
Garnier
by Vikas
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09-SEP-2006 Vikas

7th Place
Garnier
by Vikas

New Delhi, INDIA


other sizes: small medium original auto
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iso320019-Sep-2006 22:52
Its very all very verynice - so I'll nitpick :) The box should be rotated slightly. We are seeing too much side. And what side we are seeing is in too much shadow. A small reflector (I use strips of foamcoare) just out of shot would be enough to provide fill from from your main light and lift the shadows a bit.
Canon DSLR Challenge19-Sep-2006 00:00
What is left to say, other than to echo what has been said. Pro commercial feel, fabulous colour and lighting and clean and sharp. Outstanding - najinsky
Canon DSLR Challenge18-Sep-2006 21:12
Magazine Quality shot.~Mahmoud
Canon DSLR Challenge18-Sep-2006 20:31
Fantastic ad Vikas - nice composition, lighting, color. The reflections might have been a little more subtle but they don't really detract from the overall impact of the message. CJ
Guest 14-Sep-2006 13:00
A super ad, very pro!!!! :)
cherylm
Guest 13-Sep-2006 21:20
Looks like a page from a magazine... well done! -Cat
Guest 13-Sep-2006 10:18
Should be laboratOIRES mon ami... :-)
Excellent product shot... and a strong motivation for the rest of us to keep shooting ads.

Matt.
Guest 12-Sep-2006 18:30
Vikas - it's your image, you do what you want! :)
Strictly speaking, I think it should be "selected" to be grammatically correct, and I'm pretty certain the company name should be Capitalised - but hey, this is advertising, they break the rules all the time, right?
Phil
jnconradie12-Sep-2006 07:24
Dear Vikas/Chris - just a short note to offer profuse apologies if my use of the phrase "nit picking" caused any offence or awkwardness. No harm was intended to any party. Sometimes, when one writes in a language other than one's mother-tongue, such phrases can inadvertantly come across as being more serious/heavy than what one intended. I am loving this Challenge and appreciate the opportunity to provide and receive feedback! :-) Best regards ~jnconradie
Canon DSLR Challenge11-Sep-2006 23:41
Vikas,

I did some checking and asked around, I am pretty sure that the Garnier font, on the logo, is custom. The comment about the font was meant more in the spirit of if this was a real ad, and I am sure there can be some leeway here. I think that the blurring of the reflection, although less 'cool' is more effective for the ad. On the bottom line, I would not capitalize everything, but I am sure that Garnier should be.

This is a tough challenge, because of the introduction of type. An image with out type is fine art, the introduction of type makes it graphic design. I think that some derogatory remarks about 'nit-picking' are silly in the context of this being about advertising. The fact is that in the ad world everything is gone over and over and over again and again, paying close attention to all the details. Fine art is a different matter. I only say the above for those who may assume that I am, or others are, 'nit-picking' any of the images.

Doing a product shot, is a very tough thing to do well, I think you have done a great job on the image, as always.

Chris
jnconradie11-Sep-2006 06:32
Hi Vikas

Thanks. Yes, I think the text at the bottom it now much better.

It is sometimes a pity that one cannot flip back quickly to see the previous version again, since I am somehow of the impression that I liked the previous reflections better.

But, please, this is not intended as a "hint" to post anything in addition or change anything. You ovbiously cannot please everyone or respond to every small "issue".

The entry is SO much better than any of my attempts thus far that I feel rather silly commenting on such trivial aspects of your entry whilst mine have far more fundamental problems I still need to work on!

And that is the great aspect of these Challenges: it inspires and challenges me (and others, I am sure) to raise the level of our game considerably when we see what others can achieve.

I hope you see it as a compliment that eveybody is "nit-picking" your entry!

(You must please tell me about how you managed such a smooth transition between the horizontal surface and the background. I thought "infinity curve", but perhaps there is another - easier? cheaper? - way of achieving such a smooth mono-colour background?)

Regards ~jnconradie
Vikas Malhotra11-Sep-2006 06:03
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments and I really appreciate them. Probably the first time I am trying this kind of a product shot so was a little apprehensive to begin with and a little uncertain I may add. All your comments really helped me in realizing what all could be improved.

Traveller, thank you for your wonderful comments; am flattered and honoured at the same time, am really glad you liked the photograph.

Ann, thank you and have a wonderful trip to Paris.

Nico, you are way too kind. Thank you. Have taken your suggestion regarding the bottom copy and have moved it a little away from the box’s reflection. Unfortunately don’t have too much space between the bottom edge of the photograph and the bottom of the box’s reflection so have moved the copy closer to the edge of the photograph and also reduced the font size slightly. Is it any better now?

Thefly… Thank you!

Chris, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your wonderful suggestions; its comments like this which help us all learn and grow and make better photographs and I thank you for it. Following your suggestions, I have reprocessed the RAW file and made the logo on the bottle more visible. Regarding the highlight, tried to tone it down some, to remove it completely means having to reshoot it which I may just do this evening. Regarding the type not being legible, you are correct in stating that it is due to resizing as on the computer at 25% also, it is perfectly legible. Regarding the reflection, have softened it as recommended. Agreed about the font, was looking to do the Garnier in the same font but don’t have it on my computer. If you know what font I should be using, that would be great and will download it immediately. Also, have made the top logo and the bottom line in tandem with regard to spacing. Please do let me know if these changes work. Thanks a ton again.

Lonnit, thanks for your comments. The second ‘at’ has been removed as suggested. Thanks for that. Regarding the logo font, have no idea which one to use; don’t have that on my computer so a little lost there. Please help! Thanks.

Phil, thank you. Went with Garnier Laboratories as that is what this company uses here in India hence…. Regarding the select vs selected, I think select works here. Or does it??? (am confused now…) Regarding capitalization of the G in Garnier in the tag line, thought I would let it be the way it is as have used lower case for the whole line. Would a capital G not look a little odd in this line then? Or should I capitalize the whole line instead?

Thanks everyone once again.

Cheers, Vikas.
Guest 10-Sep-2006 21:03
While the image, in general, is well up to Vikas' standards, the addition of the text (which is part and parcel of the challenge) is causing problems.
As well as the points already mentioned, there are others:
In the Tagline, Garnier should be capitalised. And should "select" be "selected"?
In the UK (it may be different elsewhere) they are not "Garnier Laboratories" but "Laboratoires Garnier" (though a quick web search indicates they just call themselves "Garnier" now).
These are nitpicks, I admit, but I'm sure a copy editor wouldn't let them pass!
Phil
Canon DSLR Challenge10-Sep-2006 03:49
Wonderful! My only, silly little nit, is that I would remove the word "at" from its second appearance in the tag line. It is true that the co would have used the logo font for the top line, but I'm generous enough to forgive that. LOL! ;) ~ Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge10-Sep-2006 02:34
Okay, someone feel free to beat me up on this, but here are my suggestions. I am not real keen on the highlight on the jar, I would move it more to the left, as it currently distracts from the label. On the jar also the name of the product is really hard to read. Also, and this is probably more a product of the resizing, then the actual shot, but much of the type on both labels is hard to read. I can read much of what is on the front of the box, not all, I would make it all readable, if this was a real ad. The front of the box appears a little dead to me, a little whiter, right now my eye keeps getting drawn to the highlight on the jar. The reflection is really cool, really cool, but I am not sure that it is working for the ad. I think that it is a cool effect, but is distracting to the product. It is a nurishing and anti-tightening cream, it would probably have softened the reflection.

Finally, I am not sure about the font. Although I think that the serif font ads an elegance to everything, I am not sure that the company would like/allow you to spell out their name so big not in their logo font. Also I would watch the spacing on both the top and bottom type and make sure that they are consistent on both sides, the type on the bottom being off quite a bit to the right.

All that said it is very nice, that is just my opinion if you were going to use this as an ad.

Chris
Guest 10-Sep-2006 00:15
Wonderful indeed.
jnconradie09-Sep-2006 19:09
Dear Vikas,

Could I ask you a favour, please? Could you let the rest of us know what you have in mind for Challenge 77 in the mean while? Then I can start working on that topic so long! :-)

This is simply too perfect... too professional... too "in a different league"...

You know, if I may so bold as to pick a minor nit: I thought the text at the bottom is the "weak spot" (if there is a weak spot?) in this masterpiece. I would have liked to see a bit more space between the bottom of the reflection and this line of text. As it is, it appears (to me) slightly cramped. But I hope you realise that this is a really minor comment in the bigger scheme of things.

As on previous occasions, I would love to know the set-up, lighting and to forth.

Many compliments on yet another stunning entry.

Regards ~jnconradie
Ann Chaikin09-Sep-2006 17:39
Gotta agree that this is outstanding! Ann
Canon DSLR Challenge09-Sep-2006 17:32
LOL...when I saw this, the professionalism, the clealiness, the depth, the crisp color choices, I felt certain that we were in the presence of Photographer of the Year, Michael Soo again...yet when I scrolled down and saw your name, I laughed. Ha! Take that Traveller...lol.

Still, I sometimes wonder if Mr. Soo's work isn't often a little busy, lacking the simple directness of this image. Very good, truly outstanding work. I purposefully did not vote for your Five Smoke Trails, but this is going to get 1.3 votes or something like that. The greatness of this image cannot be denied.

Personally, I'm having fun trying to photograph a spraying Windex bottle, but I've somehow lost my tiny RC-15 remote control and so I'm having some problems with the process, but I'll get there with something...but never anything like this.

Wow!

Real Best Wishes and Respect, Traveller