Advertising versus editorial image. What is the difference?

I loved today's lecture mainly because it made me realise that I actually don't know anything about fashion, neither fashion and beauty photography. But now I know, even if it's just 0.01%. I know what should mean an "editorial" photoshooting, or how brands focus on the reputation of a model when choosing them to deliver the audience some messages and many other very interesting things. I've took notes on my notebook but I decided to delete what I've written myself and replace with more accurate information from the lecture slideshow I found afterwards on myCourse.

So the fact ares as follows:

Commercial Photography sells a product.

Fashion Photography sells a lifestyle.

Editorial Photography sells a story.


"Just take note that the borders between those different types of photography are fluent and may not be as distinct as I describe them here. Nonetheless, I am sure that this lecture will help you to easily distinguish between them. First of all let me tell you that Fashion Photography and Commercial are usually summarized in the category of Advertising Photography, while Editorial Photography tends to be a category of its own. The reason being is that both Commercial and Fashion foremost try to sell a certain product, while Editorial Photography is more concerned with a story."

"Commercial photography predominantly sells a product. Hence, the emphasis of the whole shoot is on the product. That means that the lighting, the styling, and the background are usually very plain (not in a bad way). Think of catalog shoots where the models is standing in front of a white or an off-white background with maybe one light above camera and slightly to either side of the camera, and very natural looking make-up."

"The Dior lipstick campaign is interesting, in many of the images you don’t even see the product – you have to be told that this is selling lipstick, at one point you can’t even see Moss’s face clearly so you can’t see the lipstick.  So what is this ad selling – product? Or Lifestyle? Commercial campaigns can be very sophisticated, and it is easy to see why some viewers may get confused. They are very close to being seen as editorial."

What is Editorial?

Editorial  and Editorial Beauty is concerned with a theme

It can be supported by text to tell a story

But it has to have a strong narrative structure regardless of whether or not text is relevant

Editorial formats include printed magazine, an e-zine or online blog format

It has to be right for the ethos of the magazine

Editorial images – used to illustrate a story

"Editorial photography covers a wide range of different styles and genre but in simplistic terms, the definition of editorial use is not selling stuff.

Predominately with editorial use, images are used to support text, so most usages are by customers such as newspapers and magazines."

"Contrary to commercial photography, the emphasis in editorial beauty photography does not lie on the garments or the make-up and hair products, but on the mood and styling of the image. The garments, the make-up and hair are merely an accessory to convey a certain lifestyle. Therefore, the whole image is much more complex. You usually won’t see the plain white or off-white backgrounds used in beauty photography and the models are usually styled very dramatically with thick eyeliners, dramatic eye shadows, etc. With the increased complexity in styling also comes an increased complexity in lighting to make the image look more dramatic. While many commercial photographers only stick with one light for the model, beauty photographers tend to use a wide array of lights and lighting accessories. When doing a beauty shoot, up to seven lights can be used to get the dramatic look that is wanted, but I know photographers who use ten or more lights for fashion and beauty. That is not to say that a dramatic look can not be achieved with only one light, such as a beauty dish or an octabank – it’s about the effect of the lighting and not about how many lights you use to get that effect."

"Put simply, editorial is what would be shown in a magazine. Advertising is selling a product or brand. Advertising tends to look cleaner, using simple lighting to really show off the clothing or make up. Editorial sells more of the mood and the situation the clothing and make-up would be worn in. There are less “rules” per se in editorial fashion photography because it’s a bit looser. But because beauty is so reliant on simple lighting, it is easier to be confused. "

“But what about advertising campaigns like Gucci or Prada?” one might ask. And, well, you are right! What about them??  The lighting is definitely not simple, nor the sets or the looks. They’re pretty “grand” ad campaigns. But look at J Crew. Simple lighting, clean backgrounds, and you really see the clothes. Gucci and Prada are labels known for their sexy, edgy and rather expensive clothing. J Crew sells to everyone. But Gucci sells to those who are privileged enough (or rich enough) to afford their clothes. So their campaigns depict that “other worldly” sensibility."

"And does this apply to beauty campaigns. Yes, absolutely. MAC has a whole different branding tactic than say Maybelline or Noxema. Or Ponds. They both run ads and they’re both considered advertising beauty but the looks differ greatly. MAC shows red eye make up with a purple tinted lip liner and blue-red lipstick on a punk girl with an edgy light – it clearly wants to be editorial. Ponds? No way. Clean skin, pure light, fresh, young, vibrant. Those are words to describe their ads."

"Let me show you two examples from a beauty shoot. The first shot is obviously a clean and simple beauty shot. The model has very little make up on, she’s young and wide eyed, she has great skin, a dewy complexion, you look at this girl and you want that skin! There’s even a water pattern that they photoshopped in to drive home the idea of hydration. Since this shoot was all about showing beautiful skin they created dynamic lighting using a beauty dish above her head, but softened the whole effect by also lighting her face, and filling in shadows. 

The second image is the same model, same shoot.  Except the make-up artist has added drama to the face and added cling film to the hair.  However the main difference here is the lighting, which was used to compliment the make-up and hair.  The one element that was changed was the removal of the overhead beauty dish. The overhead light that was left, was moved to the far left of the model to capture the perfect angle. Just one light was moved, not the power, not the modifiers, just one light."

"As with editorial photography, advertising is seen within a wide range of themes and styles, but you can simply define its use as commerical or promoting stuff."

"Beauty photography and retouching are about creating a perfect face, pristine skin and flawless makeup while preserving skin texture and making the images look like no retouching have been applied.  But you also need to consider cropping the image

A last word on shooting with macro lens – it is a great tool to shoot with a tight shot of the entire face or a close up  of eyes lips or some other feature. With a macro shot, the image is all about the detail, so be sure to include interesting elements such as texture e.g. glossy lips, skin covered with powder, a metallic surface on matte0smooth skin or water or paint dripping on skin, perhaps glitter.  Make your image communicate more than just a close up – think about using a prop to juxtapose the face against another surface or colour, perhaps it is all about expression through wet eyelashes or furious eyebrows. "