Capturing the Essence of Advertising through Lens!
Shirish Sen, is a seasoned advertising and commercial photographer, renowned for his expertise in still-life photography, particularly in the realms of food, beverage, and product imaging. With a career spanning nearly two decades, Shirish has amassed a portfolio that showcases his mastery of lighting, composition, and storytelling through imagery. His journey from starting out to becoming a sought-after name in the industry is a testament to his dedication, creativity, and unwavering passion for the craft. Get a sneak peek of his interview with Creative Gaga to discover insights into his creative process, lighting techniques, and memorable projects.
Your expertise in still-life photography, especially in food and beverage, is truly remarkable. Can you share what initially sparked your interest in this niche within photography?
In 2003, I began my career as an independent photographer. At that time, my portfolio consisted of a wide range of images, including travel and landscape photographs, portraits, and still-life images created in a studio setting. This diversity proved to be advantageous, as it led to me being hired for a variety of jobs, ranging from fashion, lifestyle, and product shoots for magazines, to even traveling around the country to document the work of an NGO.
After working on nearly 50 projects in just over a year, I came to the realisation that I enjoyed working in a controlled studio environment, particularly on smaller table-top sets. Within this area of focus, I noticed that my food and product images received the most attention and led to more commercial opportunities than any of my other work.
In 2004, after setting up my own studio, I decided to showcase my work to a larger audience. I streamlined my portfolio and focused on food and beverage photography. Within a week of sharing my portfolio with India's top advertising agencies, I landed my very first food photography job for Pizza Hut. Shortly after, I received another assignment for Pepsi.
Your educational journey includes intensive training at the International Center of Photography in New York and an advanced diploma in Advertising and Graphic Design from Wigan & Leigh College. How have these experiences shaped your approach to photography and influenced your creative vision over the years?
During my undergraduate studies, I mainly focused on advertising and graphic design with only a minor part of the curriculum dedicated to photography. However, during this time, I developed a strong interest in cameras and artificial lighting. As a result, I started executing photographs to interpret design briefs. For my final year diploma project, I used photographs to showcase my ideas and added typography as well as design elements to create the final presentation. By the time I graduated from design school, I had a basic photography portfolio and a good understanding of how to use photography to express an idea. Although my photography skills were still amateurish, I was passionate about learning more.
After completing my studies, I started showcasing my portfolio and taking on professional photography projects. However, I soon realized that if I wanted to grow professionally and achieve the level of quality I aspired to create, I would need formal training in the artistic and technical aspects of commercial photography. To achieve this, I enrolled in the Lighting and Commercial Photography courses at ICP. For almost two years, I alternated between commercial assignments in India and attending workshops in New York. During my time in New York, I was mentored by some of the world's best photography instructors. I also had the opportunity to develop my professional skills through short assisting jobs with New York's top product, food, and beverage photographers of that time.
My extensive training in graphic design and photography has significantly influenced the way I approach my work. It has not only enhanced my skills in composing and lighting, but has also made me more meticulous in my preparations for each assignment. Even to this day, I always enter a new job with a set concept and detailed references to guide my creative process.
Over the years, you've worked with a wide range of prestigious clients in the advertising and commercial industry. What do you believe sets your approach to photography apart, and how do you ensure your work stands out amidst the competition?
I enjoy working with a brief, whether it's a well-drawn layout or just a verbal brief with some references that indicate the desired outcome. This approach has set the tone for my photography work, specifically for advertising and packaging jobs.
As an advertising photographer, my goal is to strike a balance between my personal artistic vision and technical skills, and the specific guidelines set forth by a brand's creative brief. While achieving this balance alone is not enough to stand out in a competitive field, my studio strives to produce cutting-edge work by constantly experimenting with contemporary lighting and composition trends and staying up-to-date with the latest advancements in image-making technology. This allows us to consistently deliver world-class images to our clients.
Your portfolio boasts an impressive array of stunning images that evoke emotion and tell compelling stories. What are some key elements you focus on to ensure your photographs resonate with audiences on a deeper level?
I express myself through photography, subtly incorporating it into my commercial work.
Let's say I was commissioned to create a photograph of a bottle of Coca-Cola. Along with adhering to the marketing and technical requirements of the client, I like to add subtle elements that enhance the overall image. For example, I may capture the way light falls on the product's shape or showcase a single droplet of condensation slowly sliding down the bottle. These tiny details may not go unnoticed by the viewer and can provoke emotions, making even a simple photograph of a product more captivating.
My advertising photography work - where we create images for a layout - gives me a broader canvas for telling stories. Lighting, composition, backdrops and props are all key elements of an image being used to highlight a hero product, and each of those individual parts can be brought together to create a sense of time, place, emotion … essentially telling a story which helps to convey the essence of a brand and sell a product to the consumer.
Lighting plays a crucial role in still life photography, particularly when it comes to food and beverage photography. Can you share some insights into your approach to lighting setups and techniques to achieve the desired mood and aesthetic in your photographs?
I grew up in a household full of books, including several books on art and photography. Being constantly exposed to the works of the great masters - Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston - ingrained in me a certain visual sensibility which I carry to this day. Whenever I’m starting a project I spend some time flipping through these resources as well as searching for more contemporary references… eventually trying to meld the old with the new to create a look which appeals to my aesthetic.
For my food photography work, I prefer to keep my lighting simple and a little artistic. My approach remains the same for most projects, starting with one main light - it could be hard or diffused, depending on the product - and slowly building on that to bring out the form and texture of the food and create an ambience around it. There are days when I’m happy with the look created by just a single light source, and other days when we can have upto 10 or 12 lights on set, each with a specific purpose. I like to achieve as much as possible in-camera with a single exposure and keep our post-production on these images minimal - mostly only minor image corrections, along with some essential colour correction work.
My approach to product and liquid photography, on the other hand, is far more technical, and more clinical. With an aim is to achieve clean, well-lit images with maximum possible detailing we usually end up shooting multiple exposures with several lighting tweaks to create a single composited image in post-production.
As a seasoned photographer, you've likely encountered various challenges throughout your career. Can you share a memorable experience or project that presented unique challenges and how you overcame them?
I would like to share that even after working for two decades in this field, each project brings its own set of unique challenges. There are instances of equipment glitches, where we had to build a complex rig to create an unusual splash shape, and products that are difficult to handle on set. Surprisingly, this happens more often with food than one would imagine! We have had our fair share of such experiences.
Having said that, two particular ones come to mind at the moment...
The first was a shoot we did for Pepsi, early in my career. They were introducing a newly designed PET bottle in the Asian market, and the art director wanted a very specific highlight running down the bottle to make it stand out in stark contrast to existing Pepsi images. We spent hours trying to achieve the desired look but with little success - when we managed to achieve the highlight the cola would look muddy and when we achieved the correct cola colour, the highlight would disappear. Eventually my team and I cracked the look by making a translucent white acrylic cylinder which ran around the set with only a small hole for the camera lens to peep through. The next day we called the art director into the studio, and within a couple of hours we had achieved exactly what he had been looking for!
The second was from a more recent shoot we did for Keventers - the milkshake company. Their marketing team was looking to relaunch the brand in a big way and wanted to create images which would help set the tone for their identity and in-store graphics. We experimented with several interpretations of their product - dynamic milkshake splashes, ingredients flying around, beautifully lit products - but none of the images seemed to convey anything unique which would set them apart from other brands. Eventually, after a little bit of brainstorming and a lot of creative liberty, we created colourful swirls in beds of milk as an abstract representation of their products. To this day, Keventers is using those images in their flagship stores.
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring photographers looking to pursue a career in the advertising and commercial photography industry?
When I entered this industry, film was still the preferred medium for commercial work; digital cameras had only just started making an appearance and although Photoshop was popular and widely used, it was a far cry from the powerful, feature-packed application that it is today. In that world, the main challenge was creating artistically and technically perfect images in-camera, and anyone who could master that craft was sure to stand out from the crowd.
Today, a lot of those challenges have been overcome by technology, levelling the playing field and drastically changing the landscape of advertising and commercial photography.
For someone looking to pursue a career in advertising and commercial photography, the essential requirements of artistic and technical expertise remain unchanged, but there is a key addition to the skillsets - the ability to seamlessly create both still and video content, particularly in this age of social media and digital marketing. While it’s now harder to stand out from the crowd. However, aspiring photographers have access to better learning resources, creative platforms to display their work, and more opportunities to work as professional commercial photographers.
