OmoroShoot briefRoll 042Ser.05
WPA Poster aesthetic photography reference
RecTC 00:00:00:00

WPA Poster

Shoot places and people as a poster would draw them: flat light, few colours, big simple shapes

Roll 0425 frames0 / 5 shot
Frames00/05
More in Retro & VintageSynthwaveItalo Disco80s Editorial
wpa poster
SET

The setup

01Light
Flat, even light that removes fine detail: overcast days, open shade or a soft key without fill. Colour graded toward four inks, greens, ochres and brick reds, with cream highlights instead of white.
02Wardrobe
Work clothes and outdoors kit in single colours: canvas, wool, denim, a hat with a brim. No logos, no technical fabrics.
03Location / first setup
A national or state park
04Palette
DIR

Director's note

Compose as if the picture were going to be cut into stencils: big shapes, a clear silhouette, a flat sky, and a place for a headline. Reduce the palette in the grade to three or four inks on cream. Choose subjects the originals would have chosen today, work, health, parks and public life, rather than restaging a mesa. No fine texture, no dramatic contrast and no gloss.

All 151 director’s notes, printable: Director’s Briefs →
SEQ

Shot list

00 / 05

Tap a pad to mark the frame shot · saved on this device

A ranger or a lifeguard in a plain uniform against a flat sky, shot lowsetup50mm
A lighthouse, a pine and a lake reduced to bands of colour at golden hoursetup50mm
A theatre foyer with a stacked-type poster on the wall and one figure reading itsetup50mm
A clinic or a library counter with simple shapes and a wide empty wallwide24mm
A screen-printing table with posters drying on a linesetup50mm
Rolling
Take it to set: all 151 briefs as one PDF
LOC

Locations

05
A national or state parkA lighthouse, dam or bridgeA theatre, library or civic hallA market or a bus depotA print shop
REF

Explore the aesthetic

Style guideColor palette
DOC

About this brief

How do I photograph the WPA Poster aesthetic?

Shoot places and people as a poster would draw them: flat light, few colours, big simple shapes.

Compose as if the picture were going to be cut into stencils: big shapes, a clear silhouette, a flat sky, and a place for a headline. Reduce the palette in the grade to three or four inks on cream. Choose subjects the originals would have chosen today, work, health, parks and public life, rather than restaging a mesa. No fine texture, no dramatic contrast and no gloss.

Director's note

What shots should I get for a WPA Poster photo shoot?

Leave with every frame on this list.

Shot list

  1. A ranger or a lifeguard in a plain uniform against a flat sky, shot low
  2. A lighthouse, a pine and a lake reduced to bands of colour at golden hour
  3. A theatre foyer with a stacked-type poster on the wall and one figure reading it
  4. A clinic or a library counter with simple shapes and a wide empty wall
  5. A screen-printing table with posters drying on a line
What lighting works for WPA Poster photography?

Flat, even light that removes fine detail: overcast days, open shade or a soft key without fill. Colour graded toward four inks, greens, ochres and brick reds, with cream highlights instead of white.

Light

Where should I shoot WPA Poster photography?

Scout these before anything else.

Locations

  1. A national or state park
  2. A lighthouse, dam or bridge
  3. A theatre, library or civic hall
  4. A market or a bus depot
  5. A print shop
What wardrobe works for WPA Poster photography?

Work clothes and outdoors kit in single colours: canvas, wool, denim, a hat with a brim. No logos, no technical fabrics.

Wardrobe

Omoro Studio · Creative System

Generate shoot references in the WPA Poster style

Omoro reads your visual references and generates images in your exact aesthetic. Build a mood board before the shoot or create composite references for your client.

Join the waitlist