The First Half of 2017 is off to a great start! Graphis 2017 Photo Annual has awarded Michael Confer Photography with 2 Silver Awards for Advertising.

This image was created for the Council On Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey. The creative called for an image of a terrified person submerged in a tank of water. I wanted to create lots of different types of tensions. The combination of the hands against the glass, the mouth wide open and screaming, the bubbles at the top of the tank for the effect of complete submersion and finally a wonderfully large bubble to complete the frantic cry for HELP. Lighting was a challenge with the glass of the tank, light dispersion and reflections. Strobes were used to freeze the action. Careful placement was crucial because of the small size of the tank and the light refracting off the opposing sidewalls.

The final images were used as large format awareness Billboards in the State of New Jersey running the tagline "In Over Your Head?"