I have been thinking about buying a Kitchenaid mixer for about 15 years. I can’t say that I bake enough to justify the purchase, but I still really want one. I have been stopped from pulling the trigger by a combination of the steep price and my analysis paralysis when it comes to choosing a color. This photo uses asymmetrical balance and the rule of thirds. The lighting makes the color of the mixer look extra rich. Action is created by adding the dough in the bowl and the already completed cookies off to the side, which is more interesting that looking at just a mixer. During his presentation Jim pointed out that commercial photography creates a fantasy, where the item being sold looks better than anything you have at home. This photograph definitely creates a fantasy. You’re not just buying the mixer, you’re buying the idea of having the perfect cookie making session in the perfect kitchen, where your decorative sprinkles are held in fancy little bowls and your cookies sit atop fancy little stands. Kitchenaid’s own blog, “kitchenthusiast” at blog.kitchenaid.com, talks about taking advantage of shadows to add texture to the photo. This shadows in the photo are suggestive of the sun shining through the kitchen window off to the left, evoking a long day off to leisurely craft baked goodies without making a mess.