Written by Stephanie Plenner

 

Whether it’s a return to values or a result of the anti-vanity Facebook effect, a shift has occurred in advertising from the aspirational to the authentic. Andrew Delaney, Head of Content for Getty Images in North America, guided attendees of “How We Look Now: Authenticity and Imagery in a Pixelated World” through a photographic journey, starting with the gaze and John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” to quinceaneras and crowdsourcing. 

 

Rather than tantalizing consumers with what they do not have, the latest photographic approach attempts to connect and celebrate life as it really is by capturing the “real” in a very caught way. For example, Andrew Delaney showed bona-fide, heart-felt images from a quinceanera where instead of staging a photoshoot, a photographer attended an actual quinceanera and shot there. (Delaney warns: In the event this approach is used, be sure everyone photographed signs a release agreement. When working with minors, it can become difficult.) However, this anti-vanity is not for everyone. Coco Chanel is not going to ride the wave of real—she is already sailing on an established image and her message is on an unchanging couture course.

 

Another way of going straight to the source is through Flickr. Having bought thousands of snapshots off the photo-sharing website, Getty Images has successfully monetized “life as it happens.” Because of the need for authenticity, a professional photographer may not be able to capture what is on that shot list. It may just be a thirteen-year-old from Texarkana with the right angle. 

 

Does this make a professional photographer’s job more challenging? Sure, but is not everyone experiencing shifts across industries? There does not seem to be a real conclusion or solution to our over-pixelated predicament, but to help garner a better understanding of visual transitions, Getty Images produces insightful topical research at http://www.gettyimages.com/trends.

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Andrew is responsible for the creation and development of Getty Images’ creative stills and footage, ensuring that customers find the right content at the right price points every time they search on www.gettyimages.com. Working closely with photographers, filmmakers and art directors from across the globe and utilizing Getty Images’ creative research, Andrew plays a critical role in ensuring that Getty Images continually evolves to meet the changing needs of creatives around the world. 

 

Andrew began his career in 1989 with Tony Stone Images in London and moved to the U.S. in 1998 for Getty Images.   By 2006, he became Director of Photography for Getty Images’ Creative Stills, based in Los Angeles.  Andrew’s two decades of art directing stock photography in Europe and America fuel his expertise on creative trends, especially in context with the rapidly changing U.S. demographics. 

 

Andrew’s deep experience with authentic casting, styling and venues, and with complex group and crowd imagery, helps him guide creative teams in both New York and Seattle to develop the most relevant content for Getty Images.

 

 

 

AIGA Chicago thanks event chair and chapter member, Amy Guterman, for planning this event!