Commercial Photography Case Study: Telling stories with still image
Son Of The Bear Barbershop approached Thunder & Flash Marketing with a new business objective: to make the launch of their new barber academy service as impactful as possible.
This was a key opportunity to bring something truly aspirational to life with immersive and rich imagery that could be used by the client across media.
What was the objective?
Son Of The Bear Barbershop launched a new service for a different type of customer; a barber academy for aspiring barbers looking to gain knowledge, qualification and vocational experience.
To take this new new service to market, the client sought imagery that could be used in marketing material that would capture the essence of their course, the personality of the business, and their standout USPs.
What was our approach?
We were keen to embody the unique value and opportunity that the client's course offers to it's students within the images.
This was not just for artistic qualities, but because the assets would be used with marketing materials that communicate these same values. Therefore the imagery would need to be the visual aide, matching the accompanying messaging, to capture the imagination of the audience.
Son Of The Bear Barbershop, as a brand, is raw, independent, real, experienced, aspirational and humble. Therefore the communication of the academy's values would be subtly injected through angles, use of lighting, primary and secondary subjects, and contrasting focal points.
Injecting the key product
All academy packages are delivered by Son Of The Bear's Founder, Ross Matthieson, an experienced, highly-skilled and award-winning barber.
His expert tuition is the primary value that student's draw from the course, through his hands on teaching style and integration of his techniques.
Therefore his presence throughout the imagery was paramount, even as a recognisable figure in the background or just out of focus.
Framing the learning environment
While many barber courses are staged in a classroom setting, Son Of The Bear's Academy takes place in a working barbershop. This feature of the course gives an authentic learning experience to students and is one of the academy's key USPs.
To capture this throughout the shoot, we were conscious to assure that the background played an important part of scenes, with chairs, products and the general setting of the shop forming a secondary focal point in pictures.
Using lens focus to create empathy
Given that Ross' teaching style is incredibly hands on, with a combination of small classes and dedicated 1 on 1 learning, we wanted to find a way of putting the viewer in the shoes of the student with the imagery.
This was important, as this imagery would be delivered to prospective barbers seeking tuition. They needed to feel like they are in the moment, experiencing Ross' tuition themselves and as such desire what they are seeing.
We achieved this through acute lens focus on the subject of photos, often even an element of the subject rather than the subject themselves. This gives the feeling of 'hyper-focus' and as such, the careful and personal attention that the student gets from Ross on the course.
Colour and contrast to set the scene
Tailing on from the use of focus to portray the 1 on 1 nature of tuition, we also wanted to capture the warmth and intimacy of the course and the learning environment students experience under Ross' tuition.
We chose to capture this through warm colours partnered with deep black shadows. This combination would evoke the a cosy and safe feeling for viewers.
Framing USPs in the periphery
All students on the academy course benefit from premium barber equipment included in the price, including products from Dark Stag Barber Tools, who Ross is also an endorsee of.
This feature of the academy is a key USP that gives students incredible value for money and one that would be leveraged through marketing materials.
Our approach to capture this USP was a combination of dedicated product shots that would accompany some of the more encompassing pictures in final execution, but also the subtle inclusion of products in the periphery of shots.
Ever present branding
For the client, their branding is incredibly important to them; not only because of their desire to build awareness of it, but in this context because of the pedigree it carries with it.
The client's brand has a reputation for quality, style and aspiration. For students under it's tuition, a qualification with the client's hallmark puts them ahead of competition when applying for roles.
The brand itself becomes a USP, in that it's successful students are welcomed into an exclusive and sought after fraternity, where only the very best newly qualified barbers exit the other side.
Therefore, the client's branding needed to be present throughout pictures, even subtly in the background as a reminder to viewers that with every ounce of learning gained from Son Of The Bear barber Academy comes with it respect and accolade.
