Credit Report

Annual reports no longer rely on dull headshots in order to get the message across; the best ones feature top editorial, lifestyle and even fashion photographers. For example, the 2005 annual report for American Express used the lifestyle photography of New York shooter Derrick Gómez. Bernhardt Fudyma Design Group hired Gómez for a three-day shoot. The report is trying to convey the message that American Express is no longer just a luxury item; it is being used in everyday transactions such as picking up your dry cleaning. This image shows a real dry cleaner in midtown Manhattan, but the customers in the ads are actors/models who were given specific instructions by Gómez. "I wanted the scene to look as realistic as possible, so I gave the actors a story about how the business has just opened and the guy is a new customer and they are talking about their families," says Gómez. Two other images by Gómez appear in the report. "They gave me a lot of freedom and the brief was pretty loose which was also great," adds Gómez.



Client: American Express

Agency: Bernhardt Fudyma Design Group

Creative Directors: Craig Bernhardt, Janice Fudyma

Photographer: Derrick Gómez