Perou Talk

Having had Perou give a talk first hand was useful in that we were able to gain some first hand knowledge from a professional in the industry. Some key points he made during the talk included:

Always have a unique selling point

Content of the image over form (He's much more interested in whats in the photo than the lighting/technique used)

Photography is a language, we should be saying something with our photos

Communicate with the creative team involved and the model

We take the photos, we should be giving something back 

This talk encouraged me to ensure I am also communicating with the other people I am working with. Whether it be a stylist or a make up artist it is so important to know that they understand my intentions and are prepared and ready. 

Architecture student collab (myles)

As part of my dissertation I interviewed an architecture student (Myles) who was very much interested in fashion and how the two practices worked together. Along with his brother, Myles has created a fashion brand and has designed the garments himself. Seeing as this was really fitting to my project, we decided to work together on a shoot.


The garments he had created were specifically designed to represent fashion as well as providing a sense of structure i.e. one garment had ballooned sleeves to show structure and another had lines to represent bridges. 


In order to get in contact with an architecture student I emailed a lecturer from the school of architecture who put me in touch with Myles. 

Response email from architecture student:

1. What area of architecture are you most interested in?

I am most interested in smaller scale architecture such as pavilions and community projects in addition to stage design and performance spaces.

2. Does fashion design have an impact on your work? If so, how?

Yes fashion has a great impact on my design work. I have recently started a clothing line with my brother who is studying fashion and business at university and the skills I use in garment design I try to use in architectural design. I feel I use the same process of design with both disciplines 

3. Have you been inspired by the works of fashion designers? If so, who?

I have. I am inspired by the works of Craig Green, Christopher Shannon and Liam Hodges. Also COS stores menswear

4. Would you agree or disagree that fashion takes inspiration from architecture?

In some occasions I would agree but I feel it is only if a designer specifically intends to reference architecture in their work, I don’t feel it is done in general.

5. Do you believe these roles could be reversed?

Yes in many ways they could be reversed especially with designers like myself that are intend to work in an interdisciplinary way. There are things both practices can borrow from each other

6. Can you give any examples of a fashion and architectural collaboration?

COS stores have collaborated with man y architects such as BIG Architects on the Serpentine pavilion and Snarkitecture for a concept show room.

7. Could you see yourself collaborating alongside a fashion designer?

Yes I could, I aim to work along side fashion designers in my future career as well as product designers and then the end goal is to set up my own studio practise that incorporates all 3 design disciplines. I am very keen to work not only on architectural projects but fashion ones as well hence me setting up a clothing line with my brother who will become a fashion designer.

8. Do you think technology has an impact on upcoming fashion design and architectural design? 

Technology is making it possible for more people to create the things they can imagine. No matter what you can imagine there will be some kind of technology or machinery that will be able to manufacture it weather it be buildings or garments. I feel this is a great thing as we as designers can now push the boundaries of our imagination because we know it can be achieved so more interesting and advanced buildings and clothing is being developed.

9. In your opinion, how do the two practices relate to one another? (any distinct similarities/differences)

They are both based around puzzles, in the sense that a building is an intricate kit of parts that has been planned out and pieced together, a garment is the same, a puzzle that has been designed and planned and then pieced together. They both require an eye for detail.

10. Have you yourself carried out any projects collaborating fashion and architecture together? (give a brief explanation if yes) 

Yes in 2^nd year I took a fashion based collaborative module with Alessandro where we were tasked to design a garment or material which incorporated architectural design processes and technologies. I designed a pull over nylon windbreaker that had manually retractable sleeves using elasticated cord.

For the shoot I was particularly interested in the windbreaker Myles had designed as a lot of shape could be created with this garment. 
Below is another outfit designed by Myles which shows great amount of texture.

The shoot was successful, however I feel that I could have experimented more with different poses to portray the clothing in a different way. 

Polaroid workshop

Taking part in a polaroid printing workshop with Andy and Asia was good fun and a chance to experiment with printing in the dark room again. We were taught how to bleach our negatives in the dark room which created unusual effects.

Further research

In order to get an idea of the style of clothing I wanted to use for my future shoots I looked at Alexander McQueens fashion look books. I found this helpful as it gave me an idea for how I should pose my models in order to create the structured look I was aiming for. The models are forced and rigid in the way they stand. The contrast of the dark clothes against the light background also emphasises the outline of their body shape, enhancing the idea of a structure. From what I have learnt here, I will take into account when photographing my next model. 

Co-ords are a good choice of outfit in order to emphasise the repetition of line and pattern. The flow and rhythm of the garment can be seen clearly with the use of netting and pleats. From looking at Alexander McQueens designs this has given me inspiration for styling my next shoot.

Tutorial

From my most recent tutorial it was agreed that from the images I have previously taken I needed to look at architecture in a new way. I was pleased with the progress I had made so far but there could be new avenues that I could explore further. 

In my future shoots I aim to shoot from a lower angle rather than from eye level to produce a variety of images and to show the clothing from a different perspective. Also, to ensure structure is portrayed within my images I aim to show these elements with the way in which I edit by using high contrast, shadows and highlights.

Jill Sanders fashion campaign was a big inspiration during this project. Her work it is quite simple but very effective, the clean contrast is so eye catching. Framing is an important element noticeable in her work as she often uses tight crops to highlight the most important parts of her subject.  I also liked the way she placed her images next to one another. 

Lighting options were also discussed in my tutorial.I knew I wanted to create some shadow in my images so I decided that in order to do this I would light my model from the side.

Logo - graphics collab

In order to update my website I wanted a fresh new logo so decided to get in touch with a graphic designer (Casey). I knew the style I wanted the logo to be; including my initials and a camera keeping it clean and simple. Together we sketched out some possible ideas and Casey then designed a range of options. We chose the best few and I have chosen a couple for my website and Facebook promotion page. 

Logo put into place on my website:

Portfolio Review

Today I had a portfolio review with Asia Werbel which I found helpful as it was a fresh opinion on my work.

We discussed the possibility of focusing on just fashion or just on architecture. However, if I did want to include both within my work I need to look at my subject in a different way in order to truly capture the beauty of the model/building. 

She encouraged me to ensure I am working alongside a team of creatives including make up artists and fashion stylists to collaborate and help expand my connections to other art driven individuals. Asia also gave me some tips for when editing my images, she told me to watch some youtube tutorials in order to improve the quality of my skills. Mainly videos teaching about frequency separation. 

Viscom collab (alice)

Having seen Alice post in the Viscom group, I decided to message her to see if she needed a photographer to shoot the trousers she is creating. 

We arranged to meet so that we could get to know each others work and intentions for the shoot/designs. 

Research

In order to develop my project further I began to look for inspiration and create some boards on Pinterest. 

The clothing throughout these images is so significant as they make the images very rhythmic and produces a lot of formation.

Looking at these images a little closer I was able to point out how often a shape was produced in one image. 

This repeated element of line and form is something I aimed to emulate in my own work.

Poses

In order to be able to create these dynamic shapes within my photos, I needed to plan how the model would pose. Having looked at a number of different images (which can be seen below) it is apparent that the model could look somewhat awkward (almost like a mannequin) to portray these elements.  

Mario Testino

Testio has produced these two very images which are very high in contrast which helps to add to the structured feel. The shadows also help to create form and line. The models are very rigid in their pose but it works to form structure. 

Possible collaboration

To gain some inspiration and potential collaboration I began looking through the BCU graduate fashion design look book. I came across some relevant designs and emailed a few designers to see if they still had their collections available to shoot. 

Anais Caulfield was one of the womenswear designers I contacted. Her collection was very appropriate to the style I intended to shoot. She developed a jacket which features a very safely outfit. Words she used to describe her work included exaggerated and oversized. The use of an underskirt was a possibility which would provide extra layering and volume. Frills and panelling were to be used on the exterior of the designs. Some images of her work can be seen below.

Unfortunately I did not receive a response but from looking at the designers work I was able to start thinking about the types of clothing I wanted to use in my next shoot. For example garments that included frills, padding, ruffles, pleats.

Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear

Visiting this exhibition was extremely useful for my negotiated study project as well as my dissertation. Throughout the exhibition it was noticeable that many of the garments had been designed to show volume and structure which provided me with some great research.

Although technologies and the style of clothing has developed since the majority of these exhibits, I was still able to gain some inspiration. I was drawn to the way in which the garments were structured and the shapes that were created within this design. 

Where next?

Having looked back at my proposal for negotiated study it is obvious that elements have changed. For example I initially planned to take a series of photos which were fashion orientated using architectural settings/locations. 

However, after carrying out a shoot with this intention it was clear that the message I was trying to portray was not coming across. 

My second proposal was the idea of combining two sets of images in post production. In other words, one shoot will take place in the studio and another shoot will take place on location. Using photoshop I will merge the images together. Looking back now, I feel that if I was not able to succeed with the first proposal, the second would be even harder as the images would be quite unrelated. Due to this, I realised I needed to find a new way of expressing architecture/structure through fashion. 

I decided to look at the connection between the two mediums in a different way. 
The overall concept would be a fashion shoot where the main focus would be on the clothing which shows architectural qualities e.g. shape. Using the studio as my location would make the viewer able to concentrate on the subject, no distractions would be guiding the viewer elsewhere.

Two key elements I would need to plan and think about would be poses for the model and studio lighting. These are extremely important in order for my shoot to be successful and produce good quality images. For example; a distinct decision of whether to stand or seat the model would determine how well certain garments would be seen. 

Shoot (Helana)

Having looked back at my plan for negotiated study which proposed the idea of capturing a series of photos which were fashion orientated using architectural settings/locations. With this in mind I carried out a test shoot with Helana. 

After the shoot I thought about what my intentions had been. I wanted to show structure through the clothing but also have some architecture apparent in the background. I found it difficult to convey this as the architecture I was shooting was not necessarily relevant to the clothing the model was wearing. Also, the park was not the greatest of locations as there was not much architecture to shoot.

Something I was pleased with from this series of images was the framing of these compositions. For some images in this shoot I used a shallow depth of field to ensure the main focus would be on the model.  

From what I have learnt from this shoot I will take into account when planning and carrying out my next one. For example I would have the model standing rather than sitting in a slouched position as the clothing becomes hidden when she is sitting down. Another element I would change is the location; my next shoot will be studio based and I will focus on just the clothing to portray elements of architecture which include shape, form, pattern and texture.