The theme for this Saturday has to do with sheep.
In my previous life (in the 1970's) I was an advertising art director in Los Angeles.
I went on a job with a photographer (Lin Cariffe) to shoot an ad for Mel Brown Furniture.
It was a high end, modern furniture store. Lin always shot very elaborate and interesting photos for these ads. This time I don't remember why, but he decided to shoot the furniture with a herd of sheep.
Maybe there was some wool in the pieces, but it doesn't look like it. I can't find the finished ad so I'll have get in touch with Lin to see if he remembers.
When we got to the pasture Lin's assistants unloaded the furniture and the shepherd (yes, there was a shepherd!) brought the sheep over. Unfortunately they had been branded. I didn't know they branded sheep in this day and age! This could have certainly ruined the look of the photo. But, luckily there is such a thing as retouching. So, on with the shoot. Some of the sheep were very interested in the project. Here's one of the out- takes:
I couldn't find the finished ad but here's some of the others that Lin shot:
When we got done shooting The shepherd came over and handed me his card. He actually had a business card and for his title it said "Shepherd" !!!
Just another day in the advertising world!
To see more Sepia Saturday go to sepiasaturday.blogspot.com
Lin just sent me this finished ad:
4 comments:
What an enterprising shepherd; perhaps he was hoping to move into the business himeself!
Did you have to choreograph the sheep? It must have been a job to get them to go
where you wanted them. Or maybe the shepherd got involved? in that part.
Wow, the exercises you go through for the sake of art (and furniture sales). Whenever I see a
convertible on the freeway, I think of you with the turtles in your back seat
flying down the freeway to a photo shoot. But that's for another
Sepia Saturday.
I've seen several furniture ads done outdoors - by the sea, in flower gardens, on grassy hilltops. I don't know why the furniture looks better that way than in a normal-type indoor setting, but it does. The sheep ad must have been rather eye-catching.
The ewe and her lamb look like they were eyeing off that futon bed as a comfortable place for a rest.
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