WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?

The Underground Music Showcase is an annual event that brings together a diverse array of independent and emerging artists and is one of the most anticipated summer music festivals in Denver, Colorado.

Our poster uses its sultry attitude and sweets to communicate to our audience that The Underground Music Showcase is just where they need to be. We photographed and collaged a collection of sweet treats to show how pleasure can take over your body if you let it. Our motion poster pushed our concept even further by allowing the audience to indulge in a few bites of pleasure.

TRIAL AND ERROR

Going into our test shoots, we knew how we wanted the photos to look but we weren’t exactly sure how to make that happen. We started by using a softbox and a gold reflector, and when we weren’t achieving the exact look we wanted, we decided to cover the lens with saran wrap with a thin film of vaseline to give it that blurred and glowy effect. We ended up using the tiniest drop of baby oil since the vaseline was way too thick, but the combination of a softbox, gold reflector, saran wrap, and baby oil gave us our desired look.

We started shooting our food products to test the photography style, and then once we were happy with that, we scheduled our shoot with our model, Bella. Kathryn and I shared the responsibility of directing lighting, posing, and actually taking pictures. We switched up what foods and props and how she was posed to show the interactions with the foods and props in different ways. What poses, glances, lighting, and foods showed the indulgence of a forbidden fruit best?

Yes, we indulged in the sweets after the photoshoot.

ONE BITE WON’T HURT

When we were forming our concept and looking for inspiration around the idea of a guilty pleasure, our first thought was a food kink and how sometimes people may feel a sense of indulgence or mild guilt when enjoying something they shouldn’t. A guilty pleasure is typically something enjoyed without feeling the need to justify it to others or conform to societal norms. Similarly, a food kink might involve indulging in unique or unconventional culinary experiences that deviate from typical dietary expectations.

We created a moodboard for a guilty pleasure food kink with the visual style of vintage Playboy magazines, different textures, and red details. This visual style we chose created a sensory and aesthetically pleasing experience for viewers to indulge in, whether it’s a shared experience or in secret. This indulgence may be a little guilty of being sweet...and sultry.

Credits
Art direction and imagery were produced by Kathryn Gross and myself.
Model is Isabella Rater.