NETTIE London | Meet The Business
NETTIE were on the lookout for a photographer, and thanks to the magic of LinkedIn, I connected with Dominik. A couple of chats later, the deal was done, their products were in the post, and I got cracking!
A Mock up image of what their website can look like now with their new images.
THE BRIEF
NETTIE have 11 fragrances and with a rebrand came the need for new images and they new just want they wanted. When a client has a good understanding of their product, what it stands for and what they want it took look like it gives me a great head start. They had prepped a mood board and sent me their new logo / branding PDF which included; colours, fonts and slogans. This gave me a great outline for who they are and what to get prepped!
With every product it’s clear what people want… a clean image of that product and that’s either on a white or plain background. It means the product gets to stand out alone so people know exactly what they’re buying.
With a rebrand, you need exciting images, images that will impress and show off who you are in design and meaning. Within their mood board they had some great examples of what they wanted for their banners but ultimately, the ball was in my court to make their ideas come to life using their fragrances.
THE PREPERATIONS
NETTIE are london based, I’m Nottingham based. But when it’s cheaper to post out 11 products than travel a photographer down then it does come with a couple of days waiting. So, with no other studio work on right now I got all my set up sorted. Setting up for the plain background is, with the experience I have, short work. So I got that ready to go as the first thing to do so that I could have more time having fun with the products… How do I go about having fun with the products? From using the colour scheme and from understanding where NETTIE comes from and what it wants to do…
From their website they say:
Nettie isn’t just fragrance. It’s fearless self-expression. Inspired by Nettie Honeyball, the trailblazer who broke barriers in sport, we carry that same bold energy into every bottle. Nettie celebrates those who claim their space, play hard and create memories that stick.
Now that’s a tough act to follow. But with terms like “Power in Every Spray” and “This isn’t about blending in. It’s about standing out” I had a few idea’s that would make the NETTIE frangrances show that you stand out and have the power. Now these photographs I was preparing for was entirely about the banner images.
THE SHOOT
Sometimes It’s easier to show than tell so here’s a few clips and images of me working away - I have to admit, I forget to take these a lot because I like to concentrate more on the job at hand than filming myself - because like most - I don’t like being on camera that much!
THE STYLE
With quality glass bottles comes plenty of challenges for photographers. Firstly… it’s clear, which means that on white it might get lost. Luckily, the liquid itself had a tint to it which makes the bottle stand out nicely against the white. However, after some discussion about this with the NETTIE Team, I gave them a couple more options. A Grey background with the bottle on the slant, a black background in the same position but with more of a shadow than a light refraction, the bottle with the box behind to separate the product from the background and the product laying down with a nice light refraction and the box next to it.
Which one do you prefer?
THE BANNER IMAGES
Whilst I love all aspects of photography, I have to admit, I do favour this bit more than the rest because I get to play around. From props, to background colours to different angles and set ups I did a lot of different things to keep it fun but to the brief and to match the mood board.
Where do I start? Well, I start by replicating some of the images on the mood board - because I know that’s what they want for sure. It then gives me a solid understanding of how the product works with the light and what I want to do next.
PHOTOSHOP (and AI) IS MY COLLEAGUE
Now, when we talk AI we always talk about it replacing jobs etc etc… however, in the eyes of a photographer, it can sometimes just help in a job. I don’t believe we’re close to AI walking around with a camera and taking candid shots and not even really recreating incredible brand images… it can be close but in most occasions the quality of a camera can’t be matched.
BUT… and it’s a big one… When you don’t own a football stadium and you don’t have the funds to rent one out; AI steps in to give you just what you need. And whilst this could have been created with a print out of a football stadium or some LED’s set up… I didn’t have all of this to hand. So, I gave Photoshops Generative Fill ago. With the right prompts and, honestly, about 6 attempts it finally got the right set up…. but there is a problem… the bottle is clear. I’ll show you in 3 images how it started and how it turned out…
The last image holds the subtle difference… but the bottle is see through and so now, you can see the lights and the rest of the stadium through it, it hasn’t blocked the light. It has a small amount of extra blur to create a slight refraction but now it’s finished. It’s these little details that just mean the stage it’s set on feels real.
