WATCHES & JEWELLERY PHOTOGRAPHY Jun 2016

Achim Küst has an advertising photography studio based in Frankfurt offering photography, post-production and production services. Achim works for a variety of advertising, design and editorial clients, and with his sensitivity for material and feeling for graphic images he composes unique pictures.

Clients include Procter & Gamble, Lufthansa, Deutsche Bank, Degussa, Nestlé, Coty, Bosch, Ferrero, Sinn Spezialuhren, Reckit Benckiser, Staatlich Fachingen, Glenlivet, Motorola, Freixenet and many more.

Andrea Piunti approaches still life with a high level of technical quality supported by a visionary imagination. He gets inspiration from natural landscapes, animals and everything that moves.

His direct, clean and smart images have a timeless beauty. Andrea is based in Milan and travels around the world both for work and pleasure.

Specialised in advertising, he boasts a number of publications in international magazines and advertising spots. Clients include Bikkembergs, Etro, Onitsuka Tiger, Armata di Mare, Fabbri Editore, L’Oréal, Grimoldi Milano, Riders, Hearst Magazine, GQ, Vogue, Vanity Fair and Maxim.

Director and photographer Magnus Torsne has a rare touch when creating still life pictures – the objects really seem to come to life under his spell. As an expert prop builder with his own workshop/studio in the heart of Stockholm, Torsne goes beyond mere photography by combining photographic skills with model building and a thorough grasp of lighting techniques.

Torsne's inventive and creative perspective results in pictures characterized by phenomenal lighting, a refined interest in textures and beautiful use of colour elements.

His approach suits both corporate and editorial needs and has attracted clients such as Glenlivet, Absolut Vodka, H&M, Vanity Fair and Elle UK to name just a few.

As a child he wanted to be a fireman; as a teenager he tried his hand at becoming a chef. But at the age of 18, Oliver Nanzig realised that his true life's passion was photography. From 1991 to 1995, he was able to gain an excellent insight into the profession thanks to an apprenticeship, and has been self-employed ever since. Oliver has worked at the studio and workspace on Cramerstrasse 15 in Zurich's district Kreis 4 since 2005 - predominantly for advertising agencies, but also for editorial and private clients.

In the meantime, the photographer - who spent part of his childhood in the warm climes of Indonesia - was drawn to sunny Los Angeles. During his three-year time out there, Oliver was inspired not by the sun, but by artificial light. His night-time rambles gave rise to the 17-part series 'Night Drive', which he subsequently presented at an exhibition in 2012.

Oliver loves to photograph stationary objects... that move. People who tell a story without words, whose stories are only written later, edited on a computer screen. But even in the digital age, his analogue past taught him to focus on the camera and the light before the mouse comes into play.

Oliver's ability to compose atmospheric images is most likely linked to his passion for music. His ability to sidestep fiery situations on shoots is, perhaps, a nod to his early ambitions!

Orkun Örcan was born in Izmir, Turkey in 1975 and studied fine art at college. He has been working as a professional photographer for over 18 years and is the second generation advertising photographer in his family.

Orkun is based in Dubai and specialises in still life, food, jewellery, product, architectural and interior images. He is a perfectionist and likes to see the perfect balance of light, shade and harmony. His main aim is to create the best lighting, strong composition and aesthetic for each detail and job.

After spending a lot of time retouching every detail to make each picture perfect, his style is neat, clean and simple. Clients include Adobe, JWT, Applebee’s, Quaker, Johnny Rockets, Unilever, Birkenstock and Marks&Spencer.

Ragnar Schmuck set up his Berlin studio in 2000 and has since worked on numerous editorial and commercial assignments. Becoming best known for his meticulous arrangements and playful images, his work is always driven by curiosity.

While he has earned a reputation with clients for perfectly prepared shoots - considering every detail of a picture - he has never stopped loving the element of catching something by surprise.

Ragnar's work has appeared internationally in publications including Harper's Bazaar, GQ, Rolling Stone, National Geographic and NY Times Magazine and has won him several awards. Clients include Audi, Casio, Nomos Glashütte, Hemmerle and USM.

Reinhold Schroers specialises in still life photography, shooting high-quality watches, jewellery, precious stones, perfumes and luxury accessories. Located in Dusseldorf, he also provides 4K UHD video production.

Across both photography and film, Reinhold devotes great care to perfecting lighting for macro shots, with light curves available across only a few millimetres. His goal is to work out the character of an object by representing the finest facets and structures.

Reinhold uses the latest digital recording technology including innovative, digitally controlled motion control equipment for precise tracking shots and unusual perspectives.

His three studios - one with daylight and an 8m ceiling height - are set in the legendary studio spaces of Josef Beuys. From composing to proofs, he guarantees the entire workflow with outstanding quality.

Seb Michel’s last season has been very exciting as he produced great jewellery and watch shoots for world renowned brands.

Seb produced the last Adler high jewellery catalogue with Dream-ON advertising agency in Paris. It was shot during two days in his studio next to Geneva.

The Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin asked Seb to shoot two new watch collections: Les Heures Creatives high jewellery collection and the fashion inspired Elegance Sartoriale collection.

L'Officiel Switzerland published a high jewellery editorial. Seb worked on a colourful creative story with flowers, including famous jewellery brands: Piaget, Adler, Bulgari, Graff, De Grisogono, Cartier, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels.

Seb works in his new 200sq/m loft studio, including post-production area, keeping to produce creative high-end pictures with the best possible quality that watches and jewellery require.

If you ask Philippe Palma and Viviane Hamonic what defines their photographic and retouching work, they will tell you that they are driven by "simplicity, cleanliness, precision, light, esthetical reflections, high-definition, depth, and focusing solely on their client’s request and product".

Almost ten years of partnership have won them the trust and loyalty of prestigious clients as Audemars Piguet, Omega, Chopard, De Grisogono and Adler, among others. Maybe it is their assurance that they will deliver no matter what, maybe it is their work ethic and focus-driven attitude, or their ability to lead a project from a to z in a timely manner.

Thomas Collin is a new still life photographer who likes to take real images of light playing with objects and different materials. The purpose of this 'game' is to create an atmosphere, a special mood, and to underline the magnificence of design.

His portfolio presents a range of different pictures that are both unique and captivating.