Georgetown Cupcake Final Project

Project Inspiration: 7-Up Advertising Photo 
Use of color, angles, and subjects to convey the fresh and cool product
Source: dennisdavisphotography.com

A Box of Treats
The establishing shot that presents the subjects.  Capitalizes on color and angled lines. 

A Peek Into The Box
Uses depth of field, presenting the sticker visual on the box but also highlighting the appeal of the product in the background. 

Sparkling Mitten
Focuses on one of the subjects.  The photographer worked a lot with lighting here, trying to make dramatic shadows while also highlighting the mitten on top.  Many are drawn to Georgetown Cupcakes because of the shapes on top. 

A Holiday Surprise
The seasonal mitten cupcake is surrounded by a green garland.  This plays into Georgetown Cupcake's use of color by including contrast, but also its relevance to the holiday season.  By using Christmas colors, the brand portrays joy and the idea of giving. 

Lemon
Playing with light again, the photographer wanted to tie her piece back to the inspirational photo of 7-Up.  This picture is darker, but the highlights on the lemon candy as well as the paper fringe make the product appealing. 

Sprinkle Fun
The top half of the photo proves Georgetown Cupcake's dedication for fun and play, while the bottom reveals a standard cupcake.  This juxtaposition of playful and simple makes this photo successful.   

A Big Bite
This photo gives the viewer an inside look of a Georgetown Cupcake.  It focuses on the texture of the airy frosting and light cake.  You can still see the cute sprinkles, but this photo is really selling the delicious product underneath.  

A Forest of Treats
Although it focuses on one cupcake, this photo successfully uses depth of field and the rule of thirds.  

Chocolate Lava
Using a great contrast between white and dark, the distinct highlights within the chocolate lava frosting make this cupcake beautiful.

Georgetown Cupcake Photo Shoot Production Journal 

Pre-production:

Since its opening in 2008, the Georgetown Cupcake enterprise has taken America by a storm.  The business model is simple: establish a welcoming, visually appealing environment from which to sell adorable and delicious treats.  Cupcakes are not anything new, but it somehow this particular company has people lining up around the block for a taste.  

What makes these brand name cupcakes so appealing?  Although the product is admittedly delicious, the visual components associated with the company also help sales.  Walking into the store, everything is bright and welcoming.  The walls are white, with accents of Georgetown Cupcake’s baby pink.  Symbols, apparel, and room design all add to the visual appeal.  The room demonstrates class and hospitality, and every time a customer walks out with a designed Georgetown Cupcake bag, they are bringing these ideals home with them.  The cupcakes themselves are also bright and fun, often with colorful adornments on top. 

The following photo essay explores this brand’s fundamental visual appeal.  The artist sought to highlight the colors, shapes, and textures associated with the product.  Because Georgetown Cupcake uses visuals to sell their product, the photo essay was inspired by advertisement photography.  Lighting, location, and mood all contribute to a photo’s appeal.  An example of great advertising photography is Dennis Davis’ advertisement for 7-Up.  The product, which is advertised as a crisp and refreshing drink, is colorful and surrounded by ice and lemons.  The lighting, colors, background, and mood make this photograph successful.  For this assignment, the visuals in each photo need to make the viewer want to buy a Georgetown Cupcake.  

There was little preparation involved in this production process.  Six cupcakes were selected that represented Georgetown Cupcake’s whimsical nature.  The only difficulty involved in the pre-production process was protecting the cupcakes from a hungry photographer and her roommates. 

Production: 

Georgetown Cupcakes represent the brand’s visual niche, so the production process was simple.  For an hour, the photographer arranged the treats in several positions and shot at various angles with her Canon PowerShot 1300 IS.  For a supplementary lighting source, a L.E.D. headlamp was used.  This was helpful to create highlights and shadows.  The cupcake photo shoot happened inside on a simple metallic table.  This surface was appropriate because it was similar to kitchen or chef tables, and the headlamp and ceiling lighting sources could help make a reflective sheen.  During this time, 66 photos were taken.  

Although there were few technical problems, it was difficult to keep each photo varied and interesting.  Cupcakes can do little to change their look, so it was up to the photographer to adjust the angles, texture, and lighting to put together a group of great photos that don’t get repetitive.  Beyond camera adjustments, outside objects were also included, such as sunglasses and necklaces, to add visual interest (not all of these experiments are demonstrated in the final product). 

Post-Production:

The collection of photos below successfully display the visual appeal of Georgetown Cupcakes.  Highlighting colors, symbols, and designs, each photo is compositionally interesting, but also points to a greater thesis.  

Originally, the production design included taking pictures of the store itself, looking at baking pans, colorful frosting, welcoming staff, and pink boxes.  Although the photographer was identified as a student, the staff was still unable to grant access behind the register.  This significantly limited what subjects could be included in the production, and the photographer had to get creative.  This made the final result different from the original idea, but the photo essay is still successful.  

For similar productions in the future, the photographer may want to drastically change her photos.  Because she limited herself to the same background surface and the same six subjects, it was very difficult to determine one image better than the other.  With 66 photos to edit, choosing a smaller final collection was a challenge.  This could have been circumvented if backgrounds, angles, and lighting were very different. 

To conclude, the Georgetown Cupcake enterprise consists of stores, a television show, commercials, a ship-anywhere promise, and thousands of fans.  Although the cupcakes are delicious, the visuals associated with the product make it so famous.  Through the following photo essay that explores these visuals, the photographer has become independent in the production process, learning how to prepare for, execute, and edit a photo shoot.