Illustration

Being a photographer, I find myself always behind the camera therefore I have very few photos of myself. I wanted to have a photo/illustration of myself. So I decided to get in contact with an illustration student. Helana was able to create a drawing which looked just like me. I was really thrilled with the outcome and will defiantly include this on my website.

The Photography Show

Attending the Photography Show itself is always a great experience but this year I was lucky enough to hear Lara Jades photographic journey. 

I found her talk very interesting and learnt a lot from her own personal experience.

She mentioned some key points during her speech, these include:

• To always shoot with your client in mind
• Creativity is key
• Don't let the stylist/make up artist take over, keep in charge
• Always put the expert in their place 
• On location she uses natural light, scrims and reflectors
• Keep consistency 
• Embrace change in your work, ensure your eye is always developing
• Personal taste defines what you shoot
• Attract your target audience 

I intend to take these key points on board and keep them in mind when shooting my own work. I strongly agree that it is very important to keep the client in mind as each shoot is relative and can differ majorly due to this. Furthermore, it is so important as a photographer to be in charge and to not be overpowered by the stylist or make up artist.

Body structure shoot

Evaluation of shoot:

The curves and shadows within these compositions are elements that I am really proud of. Considering I was very apprehensive towards this shoot at the start I feel that my research and hard work has paid off as I now have another successful series of images to be used for this project. 

Lighting Query

Having been so influenced by Roy Whiddon's work, I wanted to create my own set of images by capturing the body as a structure. 

I began planning for the shoot by hiring out the studio. Lighting the body during this shoot would be a huge factor.

I was quite unsure of how to do this so i began researching online. 

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/08/29/studio-lighting-4-seriously-simple-lighting-techniques-to-try-at-home/

https://iso.500px.com/back-to-basics-four-classic-portrait-lighting-techniques-explained/

My research proved that I would potentially need to use a rim light for this shoot. However, to be sure I emailed Andy to get a professional opinion. 

His advice was extremely helpful and I knew exactly which equipment to use. On the day of the shoot, Andy was also there to assist me which was great.

Inspiration

To develop with this module, I wanted to create a series of images that would show structure in a contrasting way. 

Having done some further research,  I came across the work of Roy Whiddon. 

I was intrigued by the way he had captured the form of the body. His compositions are very unique and I feel they take time to recognise what each part of the body is. To me this is a successful set of images as they are unrecognisable from an initial glance. He has clearly taken a lot of time and practice to create such aesthetically pleasing compositions. 

Evaluation of shoot (ebun and jess)

Having selected the best images from the shoot, I was then able to subtly edit them.

I found the shoot very successful and am really pleased with the final set of images.

One thing that caused a slight problem was that the model slightly blends into the background. This was not an issue when shooting, as on my camera the image looked fine. However, I was able to rectify this during post production.

In the future, I think I will shoot tethered so that I will be able to notice this from the outset.

These images will fit in with my target audience as they combine the elements of fashion and structure. 

Jess was also very pleased with the outcome of the images:

Editing with layers

Using layers in photoshop, I was able to combine 2 images together as seen below:

This sequence of images became more eye-catching as there are bright, vivid colours which are very aesthetically pleasing. They also emphasise the intention of my project which is to combine fashion with structural elements.

Shoot day (chloe body art)

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Prior to the shoot, Chloe had asked me to photograph some images purely for her benefit so she could add them to her portfolio. This was a great experience for me and I was more than happy to be able to help. Below are some of the images: 

The quality of the photos were very high and I was proud of the work Chloe and I had created together. Although not all of these images were relevant to my project, I was able to gain more experience shooting, working with models and collaborating with a make up artist. Overall, the shoot was very successful.

Feedback from Chloe: