Advertising Photography in My Favourite Ad

One of my favourite ads is the Christian Dior J'adore ad – the one with Carmen Kass in a pond of gold – so hot yet so placid – the ambiance around her is sizzling with her ravishing beauty yet the lighting and the look on her face is so composed and gentle. Just the perfect ad for a perfume.

But more than the winsome model, what always intrigued and enticed me was the advertising photography in this ad, especially the lights and how they are used. I always thought that the photographer who shot this ad, had used three flash guns. One on the front from the right side of the model, the second one by the left side of the model and third to highlight the illuminate the background so as to differentiate and highlight the model from the background.

There is intelligent usage of the brolly that makes the skin of golden colour dazzle in some places while lending it a soft glow in some other places. Overall, this is a clear example of excellent advertising photography with smart use of lighting.