Shoot 2 - Stars - Straight Images

Shoot 2 - Contact Sheets

Shoot 1 - Colour Gels - Animation

Shoot 1 - Colour Gels - Work Diary

Evaluation 

When we went into the studio on Thursday, we explored creating portraits but with the use of colour. The way we did this was by using colour gels to explore a range of tones and colours and the effect it can have on different portrait images. In the studio, I was first to take images and a lot of my images are a journey through the different about the different lights in which I can use. At first, we used a soft box, two back lights and a light above us. The two back lights had honeycomb grids which diffused the lights and centred them more directly on the model. When I first took images, the pictures came out to be clear and crisp with soft light, however it was quite dull and just a usual portrait image. 

One of the differences between these shoots and others in which I have done in the previous unit is that I explored a range of coloured gels, and used a different style of taking images. In this shoot, we used different light diffusers and we worked in a new studio. This made my shoot more interesting, and gave me more inspiration to use different technical items in which I haven't used in previous units. It also widened my technical skills. When getting to this point, I trialled the different amounts of light I could use in my shoot and the impact it had. To show this in a visual way, I decided to create an animation which showed the impact different lights had on these images. 

Progression: 

This shoot allowed me to explore a range of technical ideas, however due to it being the first shoot of its kind in which I have done. I want to explore a range of different shoots and enhance my different lighting techniques. I also want to conform it more to my beauty topic, and I want to look at developing my style and creativity. For example, I want to use a range of different props such as glitter. My next shoot is going to feature different accessories which I will stick to the face to highlight different areas like I have studied in my photography research. 

Shoot 1 - Colour Gels - Straight Images

TOMAAS

Why I chose TOMAAS: TOMAAS stood out to me as one of my favourite photographers I have ever seen.  I love the variety in his work, and the way he looks at different social themes when photographing different models and placing them in different situations. It can be said that his edgy style is vibrant, dramatic yet at the same time it is subtle. Instead of just creating photographs to please the human eye, he creates sets which form a unique photographic experience where the model and subject, atmosphere and the location which he takes them in all correlate together into a narrative of his own stories. His images to me stand out as something you would see in a cinema, or a production on stage and I chose him to study more into his background and look at the way four of his images create such a presence in the beauty industry. 

Bio: Born in Hamburg, Germany TOMAAS has lived in NYC for 18 years and is now based in Paris. His images have been and continue to be shown in an ever expanding number of international publications such as Vogue Italia, W Magazine, VS, Marie Claire, Qvest, Twill etc. His work has also been exhibited in several New York galleries.

Candy Warhol is inspired by the work and pop art era of Andy Warhol. The pastel colours in this image soften the skin and compliments the subtle makeup used around the eyes and to create a subtle approach to a pop art movement. The wig used stands out for a contemporary image as it reflects one that would have been used previously in the 1960's and 70's. The lips are where most of the makeup is present, as it features coloured balls on the lips which consist of the candy hundreds and thousands commonly used in food. The composition of the image places the model slightly off centre, where her head is slightly tilted to reflect the wig and her bright hair. The different colours of the balls make the lips appear fuller but also gives the image a modern and funky vibe to it. 

The use of water in this image makes the model appear as though they are submerged beneath the surface. It makes the model appear as though they are trapped and unable to get out of the pane of glass. This is cleverly done by placing a frosted glass over the lens of the camera and placing the model closely behind it. Compelling as this image is, the colour of the lips still overpowers the dark border that surrounds the rest of the image. The eyes are darkened by the shadows and the cheekbones and jaw is maintained through the use of the specified lighting which is directed towards certain aspects of the face. 

Head piece is bright and creates a border around the head which lights it up. The face is softened high key lighting and the body and slim frame of the female is exaggerated by the dark shadows which define the body parts. Her clothing is white, which reflects on the paleness of the skin. The skin tone is so bright it is a huge contrast to the perfect black background. The model appears frail, but the necklace takes the attention away from her frail complexion and bone structure. The chunky necklace and accessories make the model appear more frail, and the headpiece makes the model appear more angelic through the idea that it is a halo above her head.

In this image, the female is looking directly away from the background. It appears to be from the same shoot as the one above. However, due to the change in composition and accessories, the image appears completely different. The female this time is facing completely away from the camera, we have a side on head shot of the model. This enables the audience to see the side profile, and it holds a lot of enigma codes. The audience is able to question what they feel like the female is looking at and why her face is so serious. The earrings used a modern, yet still large and exaggerated which make up for the lack of makeup which is on the females face. Beauty is therefore shown through the subtle makeup, and soft shadows of the females face. The headpiece used is contemporary and not something often used in either the beauty or fashion industry, however it makes the model appear unique and makes TOMAAS' style stand out in the beauty industry.

Influences

Summary

Rankin

Why I chose Rankin: Rankin is one of the most notable beauty and celebrity photographers of the century. I chose to look at his work in greater depth to get an understanding on the work of a photographer which will be remembered as one of the greatest in years to come. Not only is his work extremely influential to what I aim to achieve in my photographs for my personal project, but he also includes a range of different styles in his shoots. He also has had his work feature in many advertising campaigns and he has shot covers for the biggest magazines on the planet, including Vogue and GQ. His work doesn't follow the stereotype of the beauty industry, with bold lighting techniques and his subtle props such as the flower and feathers hold a lot of connotations and meanings behind the image itself. Rankin also uses enhanced makeup with unique designs and accessories to enhance this such as gems and diamonds. 

Bio: Rankin has created landmark editorial and advertising campaigns. His body of work features some of the most celebrated publications, biggest brands and pioneering charities, including Nike, Swatch, Dove, Pantene, Diageo, Women’s Aid, and Breakthrough Breast Cancer. He has shot covers for Elle, German Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone and Wonderland. His work has always endeavoured to question social norms and ideas of beauty and, in late 2000, Rankin published the heteroclite quarterly Rank, an experimental anti-fashion magazine celebrating the unconventional.

Fine Art is reflected in this image taken by photographer Rankin. The use of the extreme high key lighting makes the skin extremely smooth, while making the facial features hard to distinguish from the rest of the face. The eyes are very dark, with the iris being bold and a light green colour. The makeup around the eye draws attention to it, with the pointy eye makeup making the face much stronger and giving it some definition which is not present without such striking makeup. The flower in the mouth is a symbol of purity, and it is also a strong red colour, which makes it the focus of the portrait. The symbol of virtue and innocence is displayed through her mouth, which suggests it is reflective of her voice and it is strong and powerful among the image. 

This image symbolises the beauty of life to me. The female is shown to be staring directly into the camera, with exaggerated dark makeup. This theatrical appearance could connote that the female leads a life full of drama, and that she is confident within the clothing that she is wearing. The female is not wearing any strong make up, other than the bird like eye makeup that shapes her nose and eyes. Accessories play a big part in this image, with the fashionable ring around her neck being a ring of feathers. These brightly coloured red and dark green feathers draw connotations to the approach of her appearing to come across as though she is a bird. The image is iconic as she is dressing up to be like a bird, the beauty is shown through the connotations that can be drawn the feathers and the bright bold colours that make her appear like a bird. 

This image holds a lot of stance in the work of Rankin through the use of colour and the exaggerated makeup. The makeup used in this image is to enhance the facial features dramatically. The model is shown to have relative appearance to that of a cartoon character, with much larger fuller lips, and a black outline around them separated them from the smooth soft complexion on the skin and makes them stand out. The eyes are also exaggerated heavily in this hot, with the eyelids being clear of makeup, and the lashes free from mascara. Alternatively, the eyebrows are now covered in blue makeup and the eyebrows are drawn halfway above the forehead. The eyelashes have also been drawn down her face. This gives the appearance that she has been crying, and the dark background makes it seem as though she is sad. There is a sombre tone about this beauty image, perhaps that she is tired of the work that goes into feeling beautiful. 

One of my favourite concepts of this image is the way in which Rankin has placed the gems in lines across the head of the model. The diamonds have been lined up horizontally so that they follow a pattern and grow into the hair line. The image uses high key lighting, with the light source directly above the camera. The makeup in this image is retro, with a purple eye shadow uplifting a dark eyelid with strong eyelashes. The diamonds reflect the light into the camera, which make a compelling image. The different glares which come from each diamond give the image class, while also making it brighter and a unique style which is not normally shown. The beauty element comes from the composition and the models positioning in the shoot, with her facing away from the camera. However it also comes from the diamonds which are a huge point of beauty in the industry, with the rare metal being one of the most expensive properties on Earth. 

Influences

Summary

Elisabeth Hoff

Why I chose Elisabeth: 
I chose Elisabeth Hoff to be in my final 5 photographers as she was one of the only photographers I had seen who posts simple phrases and words into her images. Many photographers choose to do this for editorials, where they might put up a caption which relates to the company. However, Elisabeth does this on images which she has produced for herself and these small quotes are effective as they reinforce the meaning and power behind an image. She also uses beauty through subtle ways, and creates images where the models appear vulnerable and not exaggerated like most beauty photographers I have studied. Her work is quirky and fun, but at the same time some of it is extremely powerful in making a person feel alone and stripping back what beauty is too the basics. 

Bio:
Elisabeth Hoff is a London based fashion, celebrity and beauty photographer working for major advertising and editorial projects in the UK and abroad.

 In this image we can see a female sat down while someone behind her is cutting her hair. In the image, there is a strong sepia tone which is used to conform to the females tanned skin tone and also the light brown backdrop. This image stands out to me as it appears extremely vulnerable for a beauty image. The model is not covered in exaggerate makeup, instead she is seen to be clean of it and fairly innocent. The feeling of vulnerability is also reinforced through the idea that she is not cutting her own hair. She appears weak, as she is sat down and her facial expression appears confused and shocked. The lighting is neither high not low yet appears to be natural. This is one of my favourite elements about the image.  

This image is much quirkier for a beauty image than those I have studied previously. In this image we see a female which is pouring vodka into a glass. It is a shot which features the model from her waist up, to show the action of her pouring into the glass. The models skin is completely smooth, imperfection free and her hair is wavy which draws the attention to the bottle of vodka. The use of colour also makes it eye catching. The bit about this image which stands out is the text, with the play on words with the Vodka. Usually, the 'Apple a day keeps a doctor away' quote is used for health benefits, however this caption is used in a humorous context in this image as it is not a healthy item of food which she is pouring into the glass. The spirit is the complete opposite used as indulging in pursuit of getting drunk. The text is placed away from the image making it landscape, and does not cover any of the frame or affect the composition of the photograph. 

This image uses Colour in a different approach to show beauty as the model stands out among the white background.  One of my favourite components of this image is the use of black and white as it reinforced the high key lighting which created the image. The lighting is placed at the front left of the frame but it is also used at the side to light up the females face. This image shows beauty through the sheer tone formal element which brings shadows to the skin and highlights features of the females body, but it also creates light areas which reflect the light back to the viewer. The female is not wearing any clothing which also makes her appear more vulnerable and beauty is shown through the female herself, emphasising the point that beauty can be made up purely of the human race and not because of accessories, exaggerated makeup or possessions. 

This is an extremely clever image which looks at beauty within men and completely subverts the stereotypes we would expect to see. In this image, we see a young male on the left who is looking directly into the camera. His skin is smooth and he has a strong male physique. His adams apple is prominent and his jawline reflects that of a strong young male. The photographer has mirrored this image down the centre, so that the same male is shown to have much more feminine values. His face has been contoured so that his cheekbones are smoother, he is wearing blusher and his eyes are also much darker through the use of eyeliner and strong black makeup. His once flowing hair has been stripped back so that his face is the forefront of the image. The shadows in this image are round the side of his face, which suggests that the male had some secrets to hide, thus reflected into the second image. The text conforms that the male in the image is the same both times and makes the image more personal as it is his own name. 

Influences

Summary

Jamie Nelson

Why I chose Jamie:
One of the main reasons why I chose to study further into the photographic work of Jamie Nelson was due to her extensive campaigns in makeup and commercial collaborations for different companies. The way in which she takes her images is different to what I have studied before, she uses much brighter colours and composition in images that I never would have imagined taking, but still are just as effective because of this. Jamie Nelson uses makeup in her work a lot and it is an approach I wish to study in this year of photography. She also uses accessories to enhance the different aspects of beauty, such as gems around the eyes to draw attention to them. Some of the colours used are extremely striking, with bright yellows and images full of the same shades. This stands out to me, as I haven't taken images like this before, and by looking into a photographer who has such a confident client list I feel as though I am able to take hints and techniques in the personal project of Beauty.

Bio: Jamie Nelson Fashion and Beauty Photographer was born in a cabin in a small town in Texas and subsequently raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her commercial collaborations include campaigns with Maybelline, Revlon, Urban Decay, Benefit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Target, and Forever 21;  with celebrity clients including The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira, Leslie Bibb, Solange Knowles,and all of the Sheezus Album artwork for Lily Allen. 

In this image, Jamie Nelson has used a white background which makes it appear clean and crisp. There is a fresh and funky feel about this image, perhaps due to the models light blonde hair but also the actions in which she is committing. The composition of the shot allows the audience to see that the model is eating an ice cream cone full of marshmallows. As she puts one in her mouth, the action shot is taken. What stands out to me about this image is the shadows in the background which make the model appear more lifelike and not too enhanced like what I see when the background is completely white. The makeup used is fairly soft, with pastel colours - relating back to the marshmallow. The colouring in this image feels very fresh and modern and is reinforced by the chunky jewellery. The audience is not able to make direct contact with the model as she has her eyes shut, although this gives a fun vibe to the image as it appears as though she is enjoying the snack.

Pink is the colour which is most commonly related to females and as soon as I see this image I think of beauty. The colour pink is so strong and bold, it overpowers the image. However, for me the composition and positioning of the female in the frame and the direct eye contact she is having with the viewer makes it stand out to me as a stunning image. The whole frame is covered in the dark pink colour, even the apple we see is unnatural, the hair piece is also in this shade however due to the lighting being above the model a shine is placed on the hairpiece and makes the colour appear a little lighter. I love the way the model is posing and I feel as though the use of the hand and the mouth being slightly jarred open make it out to be a really effective image.

Gems are used in this image entirely covering the females hands and filling up the lids of the models eyes. However, I feel as though this works effectively especially with the blue makeup. The glow that comes from the makeup that glistens above the eyelid is heavily enhanced by the reflective light of the gems that are covering it. This works well in making the audience look at the eyes first. However, those who do not do this and look at the hands instead are still directed towards the top of the head and the eyes through the vertical hands which point up towards them. These are also covered in gems, but much darker ones to keep in correlation to the dark black lips. The skin is very smooth in this image and it replicates a typical beauty image through the skin colouration and editing techniques used. 

In this image the hair is by far the main concept which makes it memorable and stand out to the viewer. Although we can see through this and pick up on the facial features which have been sharpened, it is inevitable to say that it does not appear unusual and unique for the hair to be so messy and covering the face. This image is simple, yet effective in the ways in which the viewer is able to look directly into the eyes of the model, which are laced with the light brown strands of hair. The colour on the lips and the colour on the eyes allow the audience to draw attention, while the rest of the image has a subtle 'sepia' effect. 

Influences

Summaries

Jeff Tse

Why I chose Jeff:

When choosing my five favourite photographers from my photographer research, I realised that a lot of the photographers were very similar in the style of photography in which they had took. Therefore, I tried to look at photographers in their unique form and study five photographers which were my favourite but which also stood out to me. Jeff Tse stood out to me for a number of different reasons in that no portfolio of his work is the same or similar to any others in which I have looked at. Jeff uses a range of different approaches to beauty, and incorporates fashion into it with his diverse accessories and bold statements. Another reason Jeff stood out to me was due to his range of different props he uses, for example, in some of his work we can see the models grasping flowers and thus a very feminine photograph comes out. However, in another aspect of his work, he uses much more unusual items to portray a novelty approach to his work. In these images, he uses different fruits sliced open being caressed by the model. Jeff uses a range of different formal elements in his work including colour, form and he often plays around with light. His work to me is timelessly beautiful, and his work is influenced from a range of different cultural backgrounds across the world.

Bio:

Jeff learned photography not as an apprentice or from formal training but rather the journey of self exploration.  In a fraction of the time compared to his colleagues, he became a successful sports photographer following the likes of Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France in Europe. However, he strove for more perfection in what he was creating.  To this end, his creative process parallels sculpture more than two dimensional imagery.  Jeff's work appears in Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Allure, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Elle, and Cosmopolitan.  His advertising clients include Pantene, Neutrogena, Dior, Covergirl, and Vichy Cosmetics among others. 

I chose to analyse this image as Jeff Tse uses a range of different techniques in this shoot, where he elegantly exhibits beauty among a stunning model. Jeff Tse has used the editing technique of black and white, to truly exaggerate the formal element of form, and the different lighting techniques, which are used. The image has been taken in portrait, which allows the viewer to see the hair in all of its glory, in which it takes up nearly half of the frame. The model is making a direct mode of address with the viewer as she is looking directly at the camera lens, however the photographer has chosen to locate the camera so that them models face is tilted slightly and elongated. Her facial features are highlighted through the different shadows used with the light.  I love this image through the sheer elegance in which it has been explored, with the glamorous hair and the defined makeup, it shouts beauty from the first glance.  

One of my favourite aspects of this image by Jeff Tse is the contemporary effect it has too it. This is done through the lighting, the makeup used and also the position of the model in the frame. The lighting in this image is high, as the face is lit up bright and there is a source of light in the top right of the frame. The shadows used are on the left side of her face, and it is nearly all in darkness, showing the lighting is on the right of the frame and is shining down from her. This means that what is in the light stands out more and draws the attention from the audience to it. The skin is flawless, with a light complexion and a soft colour on the lips. Therefore, it can be said that this image is fairly natural in comparison to others of Jeff Tse's work. One of the reasons for this is that other than around the eyes, the model is not shown to be wearing a lot of makeup and the lighting makes her appear fairly pale. The photographer has also chosen to use a sparkly eye shadow, which can consist of small pieces of gems which are metallic and reflect the light. This is a clever technique as it makes the eyes stand out more as they are bright and something unusual you wouldn't expect to find on the face. 

This image by Jeff Tse stands out to me through the bright use of colour. with the hot pink background and yellow eye shadow. The lighting in this image also has quite hard lighting, where there are a range of different shadows which create darkness in this image. On the left part of the image, where the models hairs is shown we can see the darkness of the left half of the screen in darkness. This draws more attention to the face which is much brighter and the use of lighting creates a contrast between the bright eyes and pale lips, against the dark shadows which follow the line of the cheekbone. Overall, this image stands out to me as its shadows are used creatively to highlight different parts and features of the face alongside the bright front. This draws attention to the bright colours on the eyelids, and over exaggerated eyelashes. The eyelashes are the same colour as the background, which highlight the bright colours and makes the eyes stand out to the audience as it is the first thing to look at. 

This image by Jeff Tse is one from an album where he studies male beauty. This image in particular stood out to me through the composition and the posture of the male. He is looking away from the camera with his eyes open and therefore he is creating an indirect relationship with the audience. This can connote that he is hiding something, and the dark tones of the image create a mysterious feel. The lighting is fairly low, with a much darker and less contrast as we see much of the face covered in light with highlights exaggerated through shadows. I also like the pose in which the model is pulling as he is pushing back his hair, and it is different to other images I have looked at, however it represents beauty in an extremely unique way. The male in the image is evidently topless, and I feel that this works better as it allows us to see the skin tones and the different aspects of the male body. 

Influences

Summary