High-angle fisheye shots were a staple of mid-90s advertising

[u/siliconclassics]

[u/Conscious-Invite-223]

https://reddit.com/link/pderegw/video/q2mcwpbo32th1/player

To add to the collection

[u/siliconclassics → u/Conscious-Invite-223]

There must have been an industry term for these kinds of photos, and stock image catalogs full of them. Anyone here work in advertising back then?

[u/emotyofform2020 → u/siliconclassics]

Ladder shot, we called it

[u/dcxbabe → u/Conscious-Invite-223]

I swear that same bottom left pic was used in a beauty ad, but I can't find anything on reverse image searches. If I still had my old magazines I bet I could find it.

[u/SuffocatingDensity → u/dcxbabe]

I remember thinking she was absolutely gorgeous

[u/frozenoceans → u/dcxbabe]

Yes! Maybe Jane cosmetics? Or Candies shoes? I know I saw her in a seventeen or YM

[u/dcxbabe → u/frozenoceans]

Yes! it was Jane or Naturistics, maybe Loreal StreetWear

[u/deathmetalcassette]

high angle fisheye: tech ad

low angle fisheye: skate magazine

[u/SanctionedBaffoonery]

That hyper-saturated Tony Scott look too, like in the Sega ad (image 5).

[u/LoseNotLooseIdiot]

That second one really aged well didn't it.

And yes this is one of the most 90s of 90s way to shoot something. From rad dudes buying phones, to kids playing video games, to rap videos and and movie posters. Just buy a fisheye lense and go for it!

[u/SnarkAnthony]

You noticed it in a lot of music videos too. Artists wanted to be IN YOUR FACE!

Missy Elliot - The Rain (1997)

Busta Rhymes - Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See (1997)

[u/Jeff_Damn → u/SnarkAnthony]

Hype Williams loved himself some fisheye lens shots.

[u/Iloveherthismuch]

Nu Metal loved this one type of pic.

[u/matttproud]

That mobile phone (featured in the ad) was an excellent model. When mine finally died, I replaced it with a T28. Probably the very best dumb phones I ever owned.

[u/tarzhjay]

#6 looks like Jamie Kennedy

[u/Lifes-a-lil-foggy]

It’s probably why I take selfies from this exact angle lol

[u/MichFan777]

“Morty, this is the Hype Williams universe!”

[u/Negatron_20XX → u/MichFan777]

Accurate 

[u/kc22x]

The IBM one is kid-sized Forest Gump

[u/BeingRedefined]

Can’t believe nobody has mentioned the kings of the fisheye: SmashMouth

https://youtu.be/LQj--Kjn0z8?si=eERYKPWgwKaghZk3

[u/DeadFrequencyDev]

Omg I never noticed this before!!! Hahaha

[u/Firebolt164]

There was a whole episode of Home Movies all about this

[u/Right_Hour]

I had that Ericsson as my second cell phone at the time.

[u/mut1n1fn1]

Same with book illustrations

[u/SadSun908]

IM NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY

[u/soulastic]

Watching late 90s ricki lake shows I feel that this was partly influenced by the shape of crt screens and in the 90’s I think the control panel being smaller than before and at the bottom probably made crt TV’s look more immersive.