Enjoy a journey guided by the lens of visionary photographer Mauro Martignoni as he unveils the mesmerising world of frozen elegance in collaboration with HOMA. Join us as we explore the fusion of aesthetics, scientific precision, and collaborative expertise that brings these frozen compositions to life.

What fascinated you most about this project?
The "Exploring Frozen Delights" project has many exciting aspects. The brief crafted by  Federico Rebaudo (General Manager at  Homa Europe - NdE) and Federico Gallina (Branding Manager at Studio Volpi-  NdE) posed significant, yet thrilling challenges. These hurdles demanded a creative and innovative approach to overcome them and turn visions into reality.

Firstly, the aesthetic beauty of these ice cubes with frozen fruit, flowers, and vegetables inside is fascinating. The combination of colours and shapes is unique and offers infinite creative possibilities for photography. However, what fascinated me most was the process of creating the ice cubes themselves. It's not just about putting something in water and freezing it.

Additionally, the insertion of food inside the ice cubes adds a layer of complexity. Choosing the right ingredients, preparation, and placement inside the cubes requires a particular understanding of the chemistry of ice and the properties of the different substances inserted inside the cubes.

There are several techniques and tricks to use to achieve the best results, such as using distilled water to avoid the formation of air bubbles and the need for slow freezing to prevent cracks and shards in the ice. Preparing these ice cubes requires excellent attention to detail and creativity, but the result is extraordinary. The photography of these ice cubes with frozen food inside can be spectacular and offers infinite possibilities for experimentation and innovation. In summary, what fascinated me most about this project of photographing ice cubes with food frozen inside was the combination of creativity, scientific knowledge, and aesthetic beauty to create something unique and extraordinary.

What were the main challenges you faced?
The biggest challenge in this project was making the giant ice cubes with food inside. It was impossible to make them at home, so we had to find a partner specialised in ice production who could guarantee the required quality and size.

We searched for two companies that specialised in ice production, one in Turin and one in Milan, and contacted them to evaluate their offers. After discussing this with both of us, we decided to work with Percento Lab, the Milan-based company, because they had shown great enthusiasm for the project and had proposed innovative solutions to make the ice cubes even more beautiful and unique.

Additionally, they had experience in working with food inside ice cubes, so we were confident we could rely on their expertise for choosing the right ingredients and preparing them.

Our main challenge was managing the ingredients during the freezing process, as some foods float while others sink in water. To overcome this problem, we created a metal structure that supported the heavier foods and pushed down the lighter ones. Furthermore, since freezing occurs from bottom to top, it was necessary to closely monitor the freezing to remove the metal structure when the "foods" were halfway trapped in the ice. This allowed us to create ice cubes containing only the food and without the presence of any metal structure. It was a demanding but rewarding job, as we could obtain transparent and crystalline ice cubes that were perfectly frozen and even more beautiful with coloured shades of fruits and flowers inside. We felt very fortunate to find such an enthusiastic and competent partner and realised that this project would not have been possible without them. We were delighted with our work and the result, which exceeded our expectations. The Percento Lab team produced excellent ice cubes with food inside, which made our photos even more beautiful and surprising.

Can you tell us about a photo you were most committed to making?
Creating this photo was a complex challenge as it involved an artistic composition of six ice cubes. It was a meticulous and precise job, where colors and hues were combined to achieve a balanced and harmonious final image. However, stacking the ice cubes was a difficult task as they tended to slide and fall. Moreover, the biggest difficulty was finding the perfect lighting that would enhance each individual subject in the composition. To solve this problem, we took multiple shots by positioning the flashes in the best way possible to illuminate each ice cube. We then merged the various shots in post-production to obtain the final photo, where all the cubes are perfectly illuminated and enhanced. The end result was spectacular: a unique and elegant photo that perfectly captures the beauty of the ice cubes with frozen fruit, flowers, and vegetables inside. The photo was appreciated for its beauty and originality, and it gave us great satisfaction to see our work recognized and appreciated.

How much time did you spend on post-production of the photos?
Post-production has become a crucial element in the world of photography and advertising. Not only does it allow for the removal of any imperfections and improvement of the image, but it can also add additional creative and branding elements that can make the final image even more effective and appealing to the audience. In the case of this project, post-production was particularly important due to the complexity of the image.

As mentioned before, it was necessary to combine multiple shots with Photoshop to create a cohesive and well-lit image of the product inside the ice. 
This requires time and advanced technical skills.
Additionally, the ice itself presents some unique challenges in post-production. Ice tends to form bubbles and imperfections, which must be retouched to ensure that the product inside the cube is as sharp and clean as possible. It is also important to emphasize the colors and brightness of the image to bring out the details and capture the audience's attention. All of this requires time and attention to detail. In the case of a commercial advertising project like this, the ratio between shooting time and post-production time is often 1 to 3, as you have pointed out. This means that for every shooting day, there are at least three days dedicated to post-production to ensure that the final image is perfect in every detail. In conclusion, post-production is a fundamental aspect of the photography and advertising business. In this case, its importance was amplified by the complexity of the image and the need to emphasize the details of the product inside the ice cubes. Thanks to the care and attention devoted to post-production, the final image was able to capture the audience's attention and achieve its branding and marketing goals. 

Did you do a lot of retouching, or did you prefer to maintain a natural effect?
Our mission as a photography studio is to create visually impactful images that are natural and believable. We believe that post-production is an important element in achieving this goal, as it allows us to correct any imperfections, enhance colors and contrasts, while maintaining the authenticity of the scene. We believe that post-production should be executed with care to avoid creating images that appear artificial or unnatural. We want the final image to be perfect, but at the same time believable and authentic, in order to create an engaging visual experience for the audience.

Therefore, we work with great care and attention to detail during post-production, to ensure that the final image reflects the naturalness and authenticity of the original scene. We are committed to creating images that capture the audience's attention, while also conveying a clear and direct message to the target audience. Therefore, we work with great care and attention to detail during post-production, to ensure that the final image reflects the naturalness and authenticity of the original scene. We strive to create images that capture the audience's attention, but also convey a clear and direct message to the target audience. 

Did you have the opportunity to use particular lighting for these projects?
highlight the details of the photographed subjects. As for the lighting, we decided to use two flash units to have total control over the light and to be able to shape the scene to our liking. The main light was positioned above the subject to create a "bounce" light effect on the top parts and give more depth to the photo. The second light, on the other hand, was positioned laterally to illuminate the sides of the subject and lighten the shadows. We worked with great care to find the exact point to position the second light, in order to avoid unwanted reflections or light flares that could distract attention from the main subject. We experimented with different positions and angles of the light, until we found the perfect solution for each shot. Thanks to this meticulous approach to lighting, we were able to create images with a strong visual impact while maintaining their naturalness, without sacrificing the quality or authenticity of the photographed scene. 

Copyright HOMA 2024- Issued By Homa Marketing dept. on March 2024
For further information, please contact: info@homaeurope.eu