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Kimberly-Clark planned to launch a new range of industrial wipes in Europe. London PR agency Flagship Consulting challenged me to photograph the products in an interesting and visually striking way to gain coverage in the industry publications. The wipes are colour coded according their use and are manufactured for a variety of environments. The product itself, though effective, is functional and comes in a roll, so showing any kind of pack shot wasn't going to be particularly interesting. Instead, we decided to show the wipes in action, but almost from a 'dirt's-eye' view; looking from beneath was an unexpected and unusual viewpoint, and coming in close on a wide-angle lens accentuated the product while keeping it in context.

A large sheet of toughened glass was supported off the ground in the studio so that various colourful spillages could be made on it. The camera was just below the glass and surrounded by black velvet to avoid reflections; the wipes could be in sharp focus, inches from the camera, surrounded by the mess they were cleaning but remain in full view. The cleaners (assistants and PR people) could be defocussed to avoid being distracting and the spillages were lit from above to accentuate their colours, and finally, using a flash & long exposure technique, motion blur was created to add a dynamic quality. The entire shoot took half a day plus hire of the studio, two assistants and the cost of the glass.

Jackie Murphy, director of Flagship Consulting, says, "I was impressed with the speed and efficiency of the shoot, and therefore the value for money Ian was able to provide. The final images far surpassed our expectations, and the resulting coverage the product received has definitely enhanced our relationship with our client. Kimberly-Clark plan to use the photography Ian created for us as a template for their European product launches".