How was this late-1970s car advertisement likely photographed?
Asked 7/27/2018
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I’m looking at a late-1970s car advertisement showing a family picnicking near giraffes, apparently in the UK based on the registration plate. I’m interested in the photographic side rather than the car itself.
From the image alone, what can we reasonably infer about how it was made? For example:
- what camera format was likely used
- what kind of lens or aperture would fit this look
- what sort of film stock or film speed was likely used
- whether this was likely a real location shoot rather than a composite
If anything can be inferred from the plate/date, that context is also useful.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
22
More than a comment, less than an answer, because I have no clue what camera/lens/film...
The car's registration plate sets it firmly between August 77 & July 78 - the letter is the year for old UK plates S=77 Ref: http://www.theaa.com/car-buying/number-plates
There's prestige in having a 'new' plate, so there's a high probability this was even shot before August using a not quite legal plate, for an advertising campaign set for August that year.
It's just wild speculation, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if they didn't just take the car to Woburn Safari Park-[Google Maps satellite view] & park up next to the giraffes.
It was the 70's. People were less concerned with animal welfare than they are now - although the animals at Woburn are used to seeing cars, as it'a a drive-through tourist experience.
Pic from their web site
The tree types & road style match.
There's nothing in the wheel hub reflections to hint they're not where they look like they are. In the 70's I wouldn't have liked to try airbrush the giraffe into the refection on the top of the car.
The only hint of 'fake' I think is the nearest giraffe, head & neck coming in from top right. It just looks a bit too convenient & looks like a hint of rim-light. It might also be covering a bit of ugly background where the road bends round the hill.
I found a larger version of the image on http://vsi.reactor.cc/tag/ваз
Which gives a slightly clearer reflection in the front hub cap, of, I think, one of the giraffes.
It is possible that reflection is actually of the 'fake' top right giraffe... which might make it 'not fake'. The child also appears to be looking up at it, so it might in fact be real & the rim-light possibly a sign they had some additional lighting.
The soft shadows really don't give much more of a hint than it's a fairly standard English cloudy summer's day. The sky might be washed out, but we do actually get almost totally white skies some days; very thin cloud, but total coverage.
As an example, this is a quick snap from my workroom window - taken today, just before noon, mid-summer. Typical British summer sky...
Originally by user57929. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user57929
7y ago
0
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From the answers, the safest conclusion is that this was most likely a real location advertising shoot from about 1977–78 in the UK, probably photographed with a large-format camera.
Why large format? Late-1970s major ad campaigns were commonly shot that way for maximum detail and print quality. The image appears to have high resolution, broad tonal range, and relatively deep depth of field, which fits a large-format setup stopped down to a fairly narrow aperture. Focus was likely placed around the car so both the vehicle and nearby scene stayed acceptably sharp.
The film was probably a high-quality, fairly slow stock with good dynamic range, consistent with commercial work of the period. The blown sky in the scan doesn’t rule that out.
One answer notes the UK registration suffix places the plate between August 1977 and July 1978, with a possibility the ad was prepared slightly before release. As for location, Woburn Safari Park was suggested as a plausible real-world setting because giraffes and cars in close proximity would have been feasible there, but that remains speculation.
The photographer, exact lens, film brand, and precise location cannot be identified confidently from the image alone.
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