Steve Bronstein

Steve is a New York based photographer who covers a wide range of different subjects in the photography field, including advertising, products, motion, still life, animals, special effects, digital and conceptual.  But he is most famous for his Absolute Vodka photography work, The Absolut ad campaign is the longest running ad campaign ever to date. It began running back in 1980 with Steven Bronstein.

Though reliant on the traditional techniques of prop making and large format photography, like Chris Collins, Steve has equally embraced the digital age, and has combined his photographic skills with CGI (Computer Generated Imaging), but Steve has taken this further by combines the best of both worlds, whether it involves a miniature set, cgi, or both for his projects.

Throughout his career, Steve Bronstein has provided visual solutions to his clients in a manner both credible and practical. Whether it be a snow clogged road for Volkswagen, a pristine tropical beach for Coke, or an aerial view of the Kentucky Derby for Absolut, Steve has been able to produce these images effectively in the studio without the need, risk and expense of going on location. He is often thought of as a special-effect photographer, although he prefers problem-solver.

Steve's work has been honoured with many awards throughout this career, but is particularly well known for his work for Absolut Vodka. He was the original photographer for the Clio and two-time Kelly award winning campaign and has produced well over 200 product photographs. 

Today Steve works for b-hive,which is a cooperative of professional photographers Steve Bronstein, Howard Berman, Jeff Baker, Sally Gall and Brian Klutch.

Steve’s clients include; Absolut, AT & T, Bacardi, Black & Decker, British Airways, Budweiser, Camel, Coke, Disney, Ford, Fuji, Heineken, Hewlett Packard, Intel and Johnson and Johnsons.

Below are some examples of Steve’s work:

Sources of information include:

wwwbhive.com, photoserve, workbook,

 

Analysis of Images

Steve uses vibrant colour with the focus on the product being promoted, which is usually the most prominent feature of the photograph.  With the Absolut Nantucket promotion, Steve focused on decking in the shape of the vodka bottle, implying that it is at home, on the beach.

In the Absolut fantasy promotion, Steve used a backlit wine glass over which was a picture of a bottle of Absolut Vodka as if it could be poured out of the image and into the glass, with a bottle top near to the glass.