Today we have a splendid collection of interesting photos and stories from a photographer. Very nice! ~WaterGirl
Jim Appleton
These photographs come from a twenty-year stint in advertising, circa 1987 to 2008.
Here are some of their stories.
There is an entire universe behind what you see in a tv, internet, or magazine ad. My own small part is in the images.
The vast portion of my professional time spent is in the sausage making. How to get the job, how to do so sustainably, who is the audience, what do I see.
I work on location, meaning on the road in BJ parlance.
This OTR submission may differ from other contributors whose great portraits of places and interests look at subjects. These look toward context.
I like working in series. Take a subject or theme and look for options. That focus on options is both limiting and freeing. Hard to describe. Always on the hunt.
All photos registered copyright Jim Appleton, all rights reserved.
Outtake from a print ad for Nike Baseball about extreme methods of softening a baseball glove.
This is for BJ’s animal lovers.
I’m right under the head of this zoo elephant, Rose Tu. No safety barriers, up close and personal. Just prior, she was very curious and wanted to sniff me from top to bottom in that order, at some length. In the end, she did as asked by the keeper, crushing a baseball mit for my camera. She kept part of her focus on me, and before she left she got a hug from me which seemed to be reciprocated — a head cock and gentle nuzzle. I work with horses, same kind of interaction.
The experience of an elephant moving to look me in the eye from just a few inches was awesomely electrifying. A huge animal who clearly responds partly out of a need for affection and attention, much like our pets. The main difference is that every second is choreographed by one person, the zoo keeper. I could not speak or move unless he directed. If she sensed any ambiguity or conflict, her cooperation could be lost.
My exhilaration is matched by the absurdity of why this was happening — selling baseball gloves.
Nikon F5, waist-level finder, which I used almost exclusively with this camera.
On The Road – Jim Appleton – A life behind the lensPost + Comments (24)