Pack (or product) shot, ubiquitous advertising photograph of an inanimate object, usually studio made and intended for publication in a magazine or catalogue. Items depicted range from circuit boards and bottles of shampoo to sports cars and luxury watches. Their often mundane quality belies the skill and imagination needed to light and photograph them. The young Victor Keppler took two days and nights to complete a deceptively simple test assignment for the Batten, Barten, Durstine, and Osborn (BBDO) agency: spinach in a white bowl on a white plate on a white cloth. Much theoretical writing has been devoted to the pack shot in relation to the ‘manufacture of desire’ in consumer society. However, the working photographer—who may range widely, or specialize in products such as food or cars—is primarily concerned to please the client and art director, using large-format cameras and a battery of equipment to reflect, diffuse, and filter light and create convincing illusions of texture and space. Application' shots may require elaborate props and settings (or digital simulation) to show the product in action. Samples of current work appear in annuals such as European Photography and Contact Photographers. Product shots by the masters, from Steichen onwards, have become museum-worthy items of classic photography.
— Robin Lenman
Bibliography
- Salomon, A., Advertising Photography (1982).
- Sturken, M., and Cartwright, L., Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture (2001)
