Shoot 11 - Work Diary

Evaluation

By looking back at my old shoots, I aimed to make this one of the hardest shoots I have ever done in regards to the structure and also ensuring it went well. This was also a self portrait shoot, in which I took images of myself. The reason I wanted to do this was to edit it, and see what it was like having my own face be edited to conform to the high standards in the beauty industry. For example, smoothing out the skin and removing blemishes. Making the shape of the face slightly thinner and longer is also a technique used commonly by the Beauty industry in order to give models the 'perfect figure'. In this shoot, I placed the camera on a tripod directly in front of where I would be standing. I got another person in the shot around the same height as me, which allowed me to check that the studio lighting would laminate the entire frame. I used a white background, giving the image clarity and also making it brighter with the lights reflecting on the backdrop. I then got in the frame and took several images to check that I liked the lighting, and I then placed the makeup on me to conform to the same style in the Colton Haynes shoot. In this image below, it is my favourite from the shoot as it explores the way in which the theory of the Male Gaze has changed and instead conforms to the Female Gaze. This allows me to look into the perception of males in the beauty industry, and create images which place women in the dominant role.

The above image is my favourite from the shoot, as I feel it is one that could be shown on the front cover of a magazine. After studying the beauty industry and creating shoots which I feel all conform to the views of the beauty industry, I decided to challenge the conventions of the topic and instead place a male in the scene. I feel like this is one of my best pieces of work since AS, as the shoot overall was really successful. It allowed me to learn how to edit and airbrush on Photoshop to conform to the industry, but also challenge this. By placing myself in the frame, I was also able to learn how to take self portraits and teach myself new ideas. It allowed me to see how it felt to be airbrushed and edited in away, where myself was instead was how the industry would want me to look. 

Shoot 10 - Work Diary

Evaluation

Throughout the Beauty topic, I have nearly always conformed to ways in which the beauty industry is shown to be driven by females. This is not always a bad thing, as most of the time it is females who use the products in which I am photographing (makeup). However, in looking at styles of photography online, I wanted to subvert the expectations and take a shoot which showed the male form and the effect that having glitter on a male body would have on an audience. Therefore, in this shoot I opted to use a shirtless male and spray him in glitter. I wanted to follow portraiture in the style of Mapplethorpe, who uses dark shadows but enhances the male form effectively. I did this in the studio, using studio lights and camera settings as follows. I used a shutter speed of 1/125seconds, aperture f/20 and an ISO of 400. This allowed me to create images that were darker and conformed to the work produced by Mapplethorpe. The dark shadows that came from the lighting and the positioning allowed certain parts of the body to be highlighted. For example, the light on the face is much brighter than the soft light on the body.

In Photoshop, quite a lot of editing went into these images to make them softer and to also brighten them up. The first thing that I changed on the image was the Levels and the Curves. By doing this, I was able to make it brighter in some areas but also make the shadows stronger in others. Secondly, I changed the vibrance on the image to make it stronger and therefore for the colours to come out in the images. The final thing that I changed in regards to the colour of the image was by adding a colour filter of a Cool Blue (80 on Photoshop). The reason I chose to do this was to make the image feel more sophisticated and stylish, as sometimes I feel the colour on the skin looks too orange with the colour of the light. The image also did not pick up on the glitter with just the studio lights, and therefore with a colour filter the blue is radiated onto the glitter. Below, I have shown two images with the one on the Right being edited and the first being the original.

                                 

Progression
As I do not feel like the femininity was as strong as anticipated in this shoot. I want to adapt this and do a different style of photography. One shoot which I came across online featured Colton Haynes being photographed by Tyler Shields. This shoot subverts the stereotypes of the Male Gaze as it shows the model being clung to by a female who has given him love bites and outlines of her lipstick over his face. He is also being pulled about with his tie to show his lack of dominance. I aim to make this my most challenging shoot to do as I want to make it a self portrait shoot. I will have the camera on a tripod and set up the lighting myself - by then placing myself in the frame.

Shoot 9 - Work Diary

Evaluation

In this shoot, I decided to take my model and compose images which composed much more to the front cover of magazines - or advertisements for Beauty and hair products. Due to this, I had to set up the studio in a different way by using studio lighting. This consisted of a range of lights including a Beauty dish, which shone down at at the model to make her face appear more natural. I also used a soft box to light up her hair and to illuminate her clothing. Behind the model I had one studio light highlighting the back of her, and I had to ensure the model was placed directly in front so that it would not be visible. My camera settings involved a shutter speed of 1/100 and an f stop of 25. My ISO was set at 400 which is the amount light sensitivity. As a result of these settings and the positioning of the lights, I managed to come up with images that I found to be striking. With the gold leaf, lips and eyelids standing out amongst the rest of the image. I used the sharpening tool in Photoshop, which allowed me to make the gold leaf crisper and also enabled texture to make it more realistic and less airbrushed. I removed blemishes from the models face and flaws, to make it smoother and conform to the standards expected of the beauty industry. This includes a blemish free skin with an even tone, and a slim face.

There are some images in my shoot which aren't so good due to the way in which the lights were positioned. In some of my images, there is a lack of light and dark shadows underneath the models chin. This creates a dark space, which although creates shadows and gives the image form - it also leaves part of the models body completely blacked out - which blends it into the background. If I was to do a shoot like this again, I would use a reflector underneath which would bounce some of the light off and under to light that part of the models body.

Progression

In my next shoot, I aim to subvert the stereotypes and Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze, and use men in these situations instead of women. I plan to use a topless male, and take pictures of him while he is sprayed in glitter - a stereotypical female object. Instead, I will try and subvert expectations and use a male in the situation of a woman. I hope this will create an effective shoot, and I will try and experiment with also highlighting the male form.

Shoot 8 - Work Diary

Evaluation

Following on from my previous shoot, I decided to use the same model but contrast it with blue colour gels and makeup. As a result of this, I had to reposition the lights as the blue was too strong on one side. Therefore, I used two different shades of blue. On the left hand side, there is a much lighter blue than the dark that emits on the right hand side. The lighting in this shoot was studio lighting with a reflector, there was also a honeycomb filter diffusing the light to make it softer.

This same blue was explored within the makeup, by using a blue mascara and eyeliner and a blue glitter on the lips. Although it may seem like there was a lot of blue used, I like the streaks of lights which emit the colour on the dark background and also the way in which it lights up the sides of her hair. I decided to place the two images below in this work diary, to help explain the way I edited the image. The one on left shows the edited image, in which it is clear I have cropped the image so that there is less blank space. I also enhanced the colour of blue, on her lips - sharpening her face and adding a colour filter to make it appear more natural. One of the biggest differences in these images is the colour of the top. As the red top in this image doesn't relate to the blue colour gels - I decided to change the colour to a light blue. This compliments her skin and the other tones. In the future, if I was to recreate a shoot using the blue - I would use a model with lighter hair and place one of the lights on the front so that it reflects the blue lighting on her face.

Progression

To progress, I want to use the knowledge which I have taken from the two previous shoots with Connie and apply them to work that you would find in a magazine. Having looked up campaigns for MAC and Anastasia Beverly Hills, I have analysed the different shots that they use and the way in which they situate their models while highlighting the product they are trying to sell. I will take on board the different positioning of the model.

Shoot 7 - Work Diary

Evaluation

During Shoot 7, I had an ambition in my head to create images which were striking. The way I opted to do this was by using a black background, highlighting the back of my model with a red colour gel on each side - and using strong makeup. In this shoot, I set up the studio so that I had two lights behind the model at either side - but so that they were slightly in the shot. This enabled me to get the flare of the light in some images. I positioned the model in front of the lights and the black backdrop. In front of the model, I decided to use a beauty dish above her shining down. This creates a natural skin tone and makes her face appear more natural. It also eliminates the harsh tones and the shadows which come from the Red colour gels I placed over the lights at the back. Underneath the beauty dish, I placed a soft box facing upwards. This highlighted the clothing of the model so that she didn't fade out in the shot and blend into the background. I placed my camera on manual, with a f/16 and a shutter speed of 1/100.

One of my favourite images from the shoots is this one. The composition of the image creates a mysterious feeling among the audience who see the model looking away from the audience - however, one of the reasons I like this so much is that she is looking down. This emphasises her makeup and is also a different way of positioning the model to work I have done before. The colour is extremely vibrant on the models hair - which sets her aside from the background. Red is the strongest colour, which is a huge contrast to the black background. This has been exaggerated through the models Red clothing, and her black and red beaded lips.

Another one of the images I like from this shoot is this one below. It shows Connie situated on a white background, with little evidence of any colour gels present. I decided to make the model appear vulnerable in this shot - and I did so by creating a mid shot. By doing so, we are able to see more of the model being alone in the shot. She is creating a positive relation with the audience as she is staring directly at the camera. I feel like tying the models hair up, makes her appear more vulnerable which is enhanced by her sombre facial expression. I love the strong contrast between this image and the others in the shoot, and if I was to use the red colour gels again I would create more images like this. 

Progression
In the next shoot, I want to use the same model - but experiment with this style of beauty photography with different colours. I want to see if the difference in colours, for example - using a yellow to exhibit happiness and using a blue to exhibit calm and tranquility.

Shoot 6 - Work Diary

Evaluation

Previously, in my work I have studied the topic of beauty and applied its themes and conventions to models. I have taught myself how to airbrush like the industry expects, and applied different styles such as using glitter and gems. In this shoot, I didn't want to contribute to much with makeup - instead I wanted to enhance one of the facial features. I opted for the lips, purely for the fact that they're seen as sensual and beautiful - and much like the eyes, are highlighted strongly in the media industry. Therefore in this shoot, I kept the makeup on the face subtle, and applied a bright red lipstick to the face - as this wasn't enough at the time and it didn't stand out, I decided to take this one step further and apply a red glitter over the lips. This stands out to me as it is much stronger, and is a nice contrast between this and her soft skin tone. Should the model have been pale, I feel the contrast would have been to strong and I therefore would've used a nude colour. In terms of composition, I set the model up on a white background and turned the strength of the lights down, this enabled shadows to form and to further highlight the face.

The image above is my favourite from the shoot due to the colours it emits. I changed the colour on Photoshop so that it their is a subtle tinge on the left hand side of the image - which illuminates her hair and creates a small gradient. I like the composition on this image, as she is seen looking directly into the camera and creating a connection with the audience. This is a stance often used in the beauty industry and on editorial images. One of my least favourite images from the shoot is this one below. One of the reasons I don't like this image is due to the composition of the model and her positioning. Taking away from the fact that this image is blurry, I do not feel a connection with the audience. In this image, the lighting with highlighting her face - whereas in the image above it it also illuminates the background to take away shadows and highlight her hair. In the future, I want to continue experimenting with these images - but I will do so without overexposing the model like is in this image.

Progression
In my next shoot I wish too continue experimenting with colour gels - but create a theme. By doing so, I will be able to relate the makeup used with a darker background. In doing so, I aim to highlight the back of the shot with a strong colour, which will conform to the makeup used. I have yet to use a black background in my images, as it is not something commonly used in editorial work I have studied. However, I feel in doing so with a striking colour and a range of different lights I will be able to create some experimental images.

Shoot 4 - Connie - Work Diary and Technique

Evaluation

During this shoot in which I did with Connie, my aim was to take images to appear like those you would expect to see in advertising and on magazines. I feel like this shoot was my best one by far, and I got several good images. However, one image stood out to me due to the positioning of the model and the framing in which I shot. The head tilt is a posture commonly used by models so that the audience is able to see some of the neck aswell as some of the hair. When I was taking the images, many of the gems fell down and I had to replace these in Photoshop. Below is a step by step technique of how I managed to get from the first image to the last one. I love this image, however it did have many flaws which luckily I managed to adjust through Photoshop. I taught myself how to change the colouration of the skin, reshaping certain aspects whilst airbrushing and removing flaws. The video I used was extremely helpful as it enabled me to gain more experience and will also help me apply this knowledge to shoots further on in my project. I then applied makeup on photoshop, as I decided to take images which were completely makeup free so I was able to do my own makeup in photoshop. 

Technique 

Shoot 3 - Work Diary

Evaluation

During this shoot, I continued with my idea of using a male model and placing makeup on him in order to achieve a slightly feminine image. When applying the makeup, I felt as though it was too strong early on and didn't fit into my topic of beauty as it subverted it too much. Therefore, I simply decided to leave the stubble and make a masculine male with a feminine idea. I set up the studio, by placing two redhead lights with honeycomb diffusers over the top. This allowed me to direct the light so that it wasn't so strong as only appeared on a certain part of his face. I also used a beauty dish which was placed up high pointing down, creating soft and subtle shadows but still giving the face a nice glow to conform to the publishings in magazines. This worked, however I felt that all of my images were coming out very similar and I didn't get much variety in my shoot.

Following this, I decided to place two different colours of glitter on the face. I was hoping to get two clean stripes, however using face glue gave a sticky glow and the glitter was going clumpy on it. The model had to hold there face up causing fairly awkward pictures. I changed the lighting to suit this and I feel like my images came out well in contrast to the previous shoot. I used two different coloured blue gels, which I enhanced in photoshop. In Photoshop, I went onto the Hue/Saturation tool and changed the strong blue colours. By adding a slight white tint, the image appeared brighter and the glitter stood out more. Again I sharpened the eyes and the facial features so that they stood out. I tried images with certain lights turned on and I feel I really experimented my use of lighting in this shoot as I had enough time in the studio to do so.

The image above is my favourite from the shoot due to the colours it emits. I changed the colour on Photoshop so that it went from a strong blue, to a more artistic colour. With the soft green and pink tinge on the face, the image appears darker and also allows facial features to appear more masculine. I also like the contrasting colours on the background, and a soft gradient is present with a dark header and a slightly brighter middle of the frame. Below is an image from the shoot which is unedited, it appears messy and the colours are very dull baring in mind I used two strong colour gels. I feel as though the biggest contribution to this shoot was the use of Photoshop in cleaning up the glitter and enhancing the colour.

Progression
In my next shoot I wish too use diamond gems with more relation to the beauty industry. I will aim to get a range of different close up and portraiture images within this. I want my work to draw similarities to that of Rankins, with high key lighting and a smooth complexion. I will aim to learn how to airbrush on Photoshop properly without losing pores and making sure that my image is cleaner and more crisp. I feel like the work of Rankin will influence me a lot, and I have strong ideas to take smooth and cleaner images.

Shoot 2 - Work Diary

Evaluation

During this shoot, I decided to place different gems on the face of my model. My lighting setup consisted of a backlight, lighting up the backdrop, and it also consisted of two lights at the front of the camera. This allowed me to light up the face to get a soft yet high key lighting effect on the model. When shooting, I looked at a range of different methods in which I could focus purely on the face, without blurring out the stars in which I placed around the eyes and on the forehead. I ensured that the makeup used was fairly subtle, so that it didn't stand out and overpower the see through stars. I changed the background several times in my shoot, which can be seen through the contact sheets. Editing the images was one of the hardest parts of the shoot, as I had a problem sharpening the stars and the eyes without making them appear to full on and stand out as fake. On photoshop, I changed the levels and curves, however I realised that the colour of the stars also went a pale orange colour when they were usually see through. Ideally, I would have used metallic stars in my shoot as I feel like they would be more successful in refracting the light and making the image more effective, similarly to that of Rankin's diamond shoot.

My favourite image from this shoot was the following. One of the reasons I like this image so much is due to the composition in which the model fills the majority of the frame, but also because it features some of the blue colour in the backdrop. I understand that the colour blue is not often used, however I feel as though it was a nice contrast to what I had already seen, and when I used a white background it appeared quite unclean and messy. I like the way in which the eyes are the main focal point and the model is looking directly into the camera. In photoshop, I didn't airbrush the skin as it appeared unnatural this close up, although I did enhance the colours of the eyes and changed the colour of the stars. I also took the colour picker tool and matched one of the stars to the colour of the lips so that there was a correlation between the makeup used and the accessories chosen.

One of my regrets when doing this shoot was not using the technique of 'Colour Gels' from my shoot 1 in this. By doing so I feel as though I would've been able to create images with more colour and texture, while illuminating the face in a softer way. I will also aim to take pictures in my next shoot from further away as this time they were all very close up.

Progression

In my next shoot, I want to do the same type of shoot by placing accessories on models, but instead I want to follow the work of Elisabeth Hoff who I studied in my photographer research and place it on males. By doing so I hope to subvert the stereotypes and make a feminine aspect of beauty on a masculine figure. I will do this through different coloured backdrops and emphasising the face with the gel lighting.

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. 

High Key Lighting - Work Diary

Evaluation

Today in our photography lesson, we looked at High Key lighting and went to the studio to look at ways we can take images similar to those in our image bank. This wasn't a new technique that I hadn't looked at before, but the way in which we set the studio up and the lighting was new to me. Firstly, the lighting diagram above isn't completely accurate as we actually used two lights at the front in between the camera, they were both facing the subject which was positioned in the middle of the frame. Either side of them, we placed two white polystyrene walls which bounced the light back off of them and onto the model. This meant that there would be practically no shadows. One of the ways in which we got the background so bright was because behind the white walls, we placed two other lights at either side and used bright lights to make the background a solid white to decrease shadows. 

Minimum Depth of Field - Work Diary

When researching minimum depth of field, I found that you had to look at three different aspects to carry it out. These are maximum aperture, which shows the speed of the lens. Maximum Zoom, which means if you want to take the picture from further away than of a close up, you just step back and finally you have to be close to the subject. This is to ensure that you have them in subject as appose to the background being most in focus. When taking this image, I had to take several at different distances to see which one I preferred. It was harder than I expected to get the perfect background, so to enhance it, I changed the curves and levels to brighten it up. I also changed the colour levels to create a contrast and made Josh wear a black hoody so that he stood out from the background. In the future, I wish to take more images like this on different backgrounds and in different locations. I feel like this image went particularly well, as it enabled me to see how minimum depth of field works and how I can alter the settings on my camera to see a change in the result of the image that came out. In the future, I want to see how it will work on images such as those in my image bank, where they feature plants and animals. 

 

Image within Image - Work Diary

The first image I took for the Image within Image topic was one of my favourite pictures I have taken in photography. When we went out, I found a location in which I could photograph Josh with his frame, however it was not dull and stood out. I also wanted a contrast between him and the background, and therefore I changed the depth of field to blur it out slightly. I took the photographs both landscape and portrait, with the frame turning at the same time so that I could crop the image and place it in. The shoot was successful, as I love the final turn out. It was much harder cropping the image and making it fit in the frame, so I had to go back and take a new picture where the frame wasn't wonky, overall it was a simple concept which involved me placing each new picture inside the frame until the pixels were so small that I couldn't have seen the frame anymore. 

Alongside placing a video inside an image, I created an image in which we took the background and placed it in the frame. This gave the effect that Josh had a hole taken out of him and we could therefore see through the frame into the background. When I took the image, I held the camera on a tripod to ensure it didn't move at all when Josh stepped into the frame and I took another photograph. When I placed it into photoshop, it took less than a minute to edit it, however the results are just as effective. We can see the background perfectly through Josh. One problem I do have with the image is that it is not clear enough that the background is identical, this may be because there is not a prominent background or something that stands out. Therefore, in the future, I will choose a background where it is more noticeable than a few twigs on a tree. 

Progression

In the future, I wish to do this on other items instead of a frame. For example, I could take these image within images and place them inside computer screens and phone screens. I could also do it inside a TV. 

Sequencing - Work Diary

When taking these sequencing photographs, I had already done research as to what I could do with sequencing and what other people had done. I felt like a lot of photographers work was a lot more in depth, and they featured many action sequences in which people were playing sports or playing games with a high shutter speed. During this shoot, we went out in groups to the field and made our own sequencing photographs. The first I took was off Josh, instead of taking pictures of him moving, I decided to place him on a bench and take numerous photographs of him sat in different parts of the bench. This was more challenging than it seems and I had to take some photographs twice to ensure that I didn't overlap the photographs. When I went into photoshop, I then placed the images over each other one at a time on different layers, when I did so, I had to erase Josh in his new position and then watch as all five of him came together. It was much tougher than I thought, as I had to ensure I was so careful with what I had erased, if I accidentally went over the outline I would have had to redo that whole later all again, which is a problem that I had to do several times. Looking back at it, I feel as though it went well as I have placed five of Josh over each other and I have created a sequence that I am proud of. 

Following the first image, we then had to make sequences which we didn't overlap, but we placed in a multiple imagery style row. We all came up with our own ideas of what we wanted to do. In this shoot, I decided to take my three models and make them sit down after each other. The results of the images placed together shows them in a sequence, however I do not like it as much as the one above. I prefer sequences that are merged in one image as appose to being split up into there own separate ones, however I like it just as much all the same. 

Progression:

In the future, I wish to take action sequences which show a transition and movement from the start to the end of the image. An example is the following, which shows a man jumping from a rock and the different points of him leaping through the air onto the ground.