Digital Image: 2015

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Evaluation

I have enjoyed most aspects of digital image during this module. I really like the brief and the chance to start off easy and create these images. I feel like it has been a good way to introduce myself to the studios and this side of the industry as I have never previously done anything like it before. I feel I have learnt the basics and been given my own time and space to explore differently inside the studios. I really like Chris’ style of teaching and feel like I can easily talk to him during lessons.

My downfall to this is, because I have had no previous experience in a studio or with a camera, I felt like a complete beginner and often felt a bit lost with what I was doing. In a class that is reasonably big and rather quiet, it can be hard to get any help of anyone. This put me a bit behind on planning my photo shoot because I didn’t feel ready to do it.

I am pleased with my pictures although I do wish I had more time to perfect them as I would like to experiment more with different settings. On the plus side, I am quite proud to have gone from knowing absolutely nothing to being able to set up a studio on my own and create these images. I will also have time to experiment in future projects.

Final mood board

As this is a natural beauty shoot, I really wanted to just enhance what we naturally have already as humans. Pink lips, smooth skin with a soft brown tint and big beautiful eyes.

Natural beauty to me is more a day to day look and nothing too complicated. I found some images to create my moodboard with although I would like to take different aspects from each image to create my final look.

Photoshoot plan

High Key and Low Key

We took a look at high key and low key images and how they effect the mood of pictures.

As you can see from the picture above you will notice straight away that it is bright with a lack of shadowing. When trying to create a high key image its important not to over expose the picture otherwise you wont be able to make out what is actually going on.
We can see that the picture has a general happy vibe to it and positive emotions. I would imagine you could make a nice mysterious dream like shoot with high key!

This picture shows a lot more emotion and drama due to it being so dark in comparison to high key. I like how a low key picture picks up any highlighted parts and emphasises them. I feel like low key could connect to someone more emotionally.

http://www.digitalpicturezone.com/types-of-photography/low-key-and-high-key-photography-whats-the-difference/

https://strongphotography.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/todays-tutorial-low-key-lighting-at-home/low-key-home/

Studio Practice

So in this practical today, we tested our photography skills in the studios. This was to not only test lighting and angles but learn how to direct a model and be directed yourself.

This was the first time I had been in studios properly. I hold my hands up and admit that I know absolutely nothing about photography. I was shown different light fittings to give different looks to a photograph. As I have no experience in studios I had no idea how these lights made a difference but after a while of messing around changing the settings and angles I realised how much of a difference it can make. Below are some examples of what I noticed.

It really helped to practice this as I now have some ideas for my beauty shot assignment. I realise that different lighting and settings work slightly differently on different people so my next step would be to test out with different people or even my chosen model.

Being the photographer felt a bit uncomfortable to begin with as I wasn't familiar with the camera or how it worked. To begin with the camera was set up as told (apt 100, raw,) to test out the lighting. I noticed how turning the lamp up or down really affected a picture. We then tested with reflectors and how they can bounce the light into a different position. To be the photographer was difficult to also tell the model what to do especially when you run out of ideas. We had a lot of uncontrollable laughing fits due to models feeling awkward but after a while it does settle. Some models are different. When shooting head shots of Annabel, she listened to what was asked of her. Em was more embarrassed so I had to catch the shots when she didn't notice. Philippa had a natural instinct to pout on every picture so it was hard to break her out of that.

As for being the model, I felt so uncomfortable and unnatural to start with. I usually hate my picture being taken and laughed a lot when we started. After becoming used to being in front of the camera and also seeing a couple of decent pictures of myself it became a bit more natural. I think I found it easier to do my own thing and mess around while the photographer snaps away.

This practical really helped me and has made me feel more positive about my up coming project as I haven't been in studios much, especially being on the photographers side.

Final Images

Monochromatic Beauty

Colour Beauty

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Who do you think you are? David Bailey?

David Bailey

When given his first Voigtlander camera by his brother, David Bailey acquired a huge inspiration for photography. He has had over 30 years experience including David Bailey Photography which launched in 1994.

I looked into a few of his more iconic pictures as well and I personally much prefer this work. They look a lot more dramatic and like they have a story behind just the picture.

I really like how the eyes are the main focus in these pictures. I also really like the different moods created in each picture.

http://www.davidbaileyphotography.com/

How far is too far?

Editing pictures has been around for years, 1860's to narrow it down. We have gone from physically painting onto images years ago to having smart technology that can even do it for you!

Most of the pictures we see making their way round the world are retouched or enhanced in some way. Its become such a routine for people to edit pictures before publishing them that it does make you wonder how far is too far? I know I personally edit my own pictures before posting them on social media. Why? When did I start doing this? Where did I get the idea to do it? I actually had no idea at the time because it was just something everyone did. Since looking deeper into it I can see why people do it. I will admit that I am nosey on social media (who isn't?!) and there have been times where I haven't even recognised someone in person because their pictures online are so different due to angles, lighting, filters, contrast and even reshaping!

Every now and then you hear stories on how original photographs of celebrities are leaked and some of them are very surprising! I picked a few that I think would be questionable as to whether it is too much.

This is a picture of Justin Bieber taken for a Calvin Klein ad. The image on the left is the untouched version. You can see on the final image on the right that Justin's body has been modified to look more muscular and defined.

We all know Madonna isn't as young as she used to be but this image really surprised me. I personally don't think she even looks bad in the left photo but when it is compared to the image on the right she has instantly lost 15 years! The skin is smooth and highlighed with a fresh look and her eyes are bright and sparkly.

I personally think this image is too much in terms of editing. Beyonce is a very beautiful woman however I feel like these two images are really different from each other. In the left she looks a bit worn and tired, the skin is not perfect but that is normal for humans! The picture in general looks a little bit dull but this could be the lighting or even make up. The photoshopping has even changed the jaw line, chin shape and natural lines on the face.

Sunday, 6 December 2015

Casting a Model

When preparing for a photoshoot, it is important to consider what kind of model you are looking for.

Ideally you should look for a model that has what you would like to feature in the photos. For example, if it is a natural beauty shoot you would look for a model with nice skin with a good tone.

The best way to find a suitable model is to have casting sessions in person preferably although you can organise ways around this such as skype.

It's also good to get some raw and untouched images of the model so you can get an idea of what you will be working with. It's best to get different angles and poses from the model to see what works best.

The picture above I found while doing some research and although it's a pretty silly comparison you can still see why the woman on the right was chosen for the ad and not the man on the left!

Ducati dealer MotoCorsa recreated the photoshoot using the men in the shop. It was actually meant to be a joke but they decided to run the ad campaign alongside the regular one. 'Hot Mess' photoshoot was created by Rion Sabean.

Preparation for the shoot

When preparing for the day of the shoot, there are a lot of things to worry about however it;s important to look after the models too! There are a few things you can do:

Stop stressing! When one person stresses it catches like wild fire and suddenly the whole team are stressed. Keep it calm and you will get better pictures in the end.
Relax. If you and more importantly your model are relaxed you will more than likely get the images wanted quicker.
Make sure your model drinks lots of water before and during. The lights can get hot and standing up and posing for a while does actually get tiring.
Don't show images until they are a finished product. It is your project and if the model sees them before they are finished he/she may become uncomfortable when they see it. This is also to cover your own back in case they get released without your permission.
Organisation! You can never guarantee that things will go right but the more you have prepared, the better the day will go!

Directing your model

Be descriptive with how you want them to pose/look
Demonstrations help a lot
Keep model moving continuously. Muscles will tense up if still for too long so the more the body moves, the more relaxed it will be.
Relaxing atmosphere. Music usually helps just to take the awkward silence away when you aren't talking to them.
Keep communication with your model so you both understand each other.
Be honest but not rude.
Fine tune the shots, don't rely on photoshop to correct them.
Everyone is different so you have to learn to work around it!

What gives mood to a shoot?

Poses of model
Lights - low key/high key
Model - what they look like/wearing
Backgrounds
Styling - use of accessories and clothes
Colour pallet

http://doublemesh.com/men-posing-like-motorcycle-models/

Pose Recreation

We had to recreate models poses in pictures to try and understand why they are made to pose in such positions and how it actually feels to be in such poses.

To be the model it felt very unnatural and quite uncomfortable. The pose I was given I think was quite ridiculous! When directing, it was a bit easier although just as funny seeing my partner looking silly. Its hard to tell someone exactly where to look and what facial expression they should have. This is Annabels recreation of a pose.

The models looks so pretty and professional yet we look idiotic. If I was to do it again, I would really like to try and achieve the proper look. My model was not chosen specifically for the 'shoot' so maybe that has a big factor to play. The task given was a small exercise in a lecture room rather than prepared and set up. I think if we were to use the studios and prepare the hair, make up and clothing we could achieve a closer copy of the picture.

1 Word Mood Board

This weeks task was to pick a word at random from the dictionary and create a mood board that shows this.

The word I was given was 'nibble'. So from here I looked through magazines and chose some pictures that relates to this word to then create a mood board.

First steps first, I created a brain storm on my chosen word so I could get an idea of what kind of pictures to look for.

It was really hard to come up with relating ideas and words but I like the idea of finding images that relate to food.

Finding relating pictures was a lot easier than I thought. I wanted to go with the idea of physically eating something however I found a lot more images that related to being sexual.
If I was to do a photoshoot based on this moodboard I think I would like to combine to try combine to two together so its not too provocative but also not too childish.