We often get asked by our clients to come up with challenging concepts to showcase an event or product, something that will encourage the target audience to take action. This task can often be restricted by budget, particularly when photography taken in a studio setting with a model and props would be a preferred starting point. In these circumstances, to find a solution we turn to the use of stock photography, and although this can be a time-consuming process, we are generally successful in sourcing imagery that we can combine together to create a pleasing concept for the client.

The process would usually start as a very rough sketch or even written notes and possibly a source of inspiration, which in this case was a photo of Cillian Murphy from the show Peaky Blinders. I used that photo to try to find a model who looks like Cillian from our chosen stock library, Shutterstock. Once I sourced the shot I compiled the other elements I wanted which would suit the theme of the event. I placed all the images into Adobe Photoshop, which is where the concept is able to come to life.

Smokey Visual of Tommy look-a-like from the hit tv series Peaky Blinders

My idea was to create a smoky, mysterious, eye-catching piece of work that would work across all different print and web material that would do the show and the event justice as the show is based in 1920s-30s I knew in smoky Birmingham this style would work well and you would instantly know it related to the show.

I used a colour complementary colour palette of blue for the shadows and yellow for the highlights and built up the smoke and the elements to create depth and interest all whilst keeping the focus on the Tommy Shelby look-a-like model.

This is just really to show you that even without expensive equipment, studio lights and backdrop or models and props we can use stock photography to create striking and impactful, campaign worthy assets. Have a look below at the short video that shows the process of the artwork being made.

The tools I used:
Wacom Intuos Pro tablet
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Camera Raw