see the light: randal ford for frontier communications
These aren’t the first faces Randal Ford has captured in a moment of elation. The commercial photographer’s signature approach to portraiture and lifestyle shots can be seen across his portfolio. Human expression is at the fore of his work, and the particularities of a person (or dog, chimp, or exotic bird, as it may be) are often cast in settings as unique as their subjects.
Ford’s recent work with ad agency Hill Holliday on a campaign for Frontier Communications is no exception. If anything, the photographs are exemplars of what makes his body of work so compelling. The project—which advertises Frontier’s new FiberOptic internet—was shot in an immaculately untouched 1970s home in Arlington, Texas, replete with heavily-patterned wallpaper (which matched the bed linens in some rooms), and decidedly of-an-era furnishings. The interior details recede though—which Ford says was necessary in order to sell the client on the location—giving way to an experience that is much more future-forward. “See the light,” the text reads below the rapturous faces aglow from the light of their devices.
Lighting “the light” required some technical problem-solving for Ford. “The phrase ‘see the light’ has a celestial connotation and we wanted the screens to be the main source of that light and awe, really keying in on the subject and their expression,” he says. The solution was to work with a team that usually does live action commercial lighting. Together they created small LED light mats to cover the screens, which allowed Ford a greater output of light than the screens themselves could naturally provide. Additionally, Ford used ambient colored lighting to heighten the preexisting ambience of the rooms without over-saturating the image or overbearing the subject.
“One of the things I love about these images is that they incorporate the old and the new. We have this very vintage aesthetic from the home, paired with new technology,” Ford says. By force of contrast, the juxtaposition heightens the appeal of each. Contemporary living requires this of us constantly—without even much noticing we toggle between worlds nostalgic and cutting-edge while trying to remain centered. Ford’s eye and skill assures that balance can be one that is expertly styled, well lit, and thoroughly human.
