Photo Shoots

Photo shoots: Planning

We have been assigned the task to plan, arranged and photograph our own photo shoots under a theme of a 'Beauty Editorial' having it to include a colour and black and white shoot and having it under the title of 'The Perfect Base'.To start planning my shoot I started by putting together two separate mood boards under similar themes but with slight difference to make the photos more interesting to the viewer whilst also being relatable. The first colour mood board I wanted to go with the theme of natural beauty therefore meaning I would have simple face and eye make-up but to make it different and bold I wanted to include a strong red lip. Linking with the strong red lip I wanted to represent my model as a strong but sexy working women. Like shown in the mood board I would have her wearing a white shirt and also have her hair sleeked back to portray the seriousness of being a women in business but having this along with all the other elements also highlights a strong, independent, sexy women. The poses would include upright positions, with broad shoulder and her head high as to further represent the beauty of a independent working women. In my second mood board in black and white I wanted to keep the same theme of make-up and costume but as I see black and white filters as more of a personal filter I want to show the other side to the model. For example the hair would now be placed into a loose fitting bun, the shirt slightly unbuttoned and the poses would be more laid back and less serious. I want the the two shoots to show two sides to a working women while also showing the true natural beauty of a women.

To further plan my photo shoot I had to produce a 'photo shoot call sheet' which is given to everyone involved in the photo shoot to give people a general idea/plan of what to expect when shooting. The call sheet is there to explain the; location, concept of the shoot, the technical requirement and the mood board. This is my plan for my photo shoot I have explained above what the concept of the shoot is but I will also add in either a black or white back drop with a soft box light which I believe will create a really soft light which will capture the powerful beauty image that i want to try and achieve. 

Final Photo shoot:

The final photo shoot went very well which I completed with my model 'Kathy'. We both arrived an hour before our shoot to prepare and prep the post production for my shoot, we started this by doing each others make-up (as I was modelling for her after). I gave Kathy a simple gold eye lid with the colours from my 'Naked three: Urban Decay Pallet', I kept her skin very natural with only a little foundation just to brighten her skin as she also has freckles which I wanted to be seen in my shoot as I believe this is such a lovely natural element, I put a light blush on her cheeks and finished the look with mascara and a strong red lip which was the main focus of my photo shoot. We both then set up for the shoot I used the two black bored either side of my model to create shadow and contract in my pictures for both the 'black and white' and 'colour' shoot. For the lighting I used a soft box light with it on a medium light as this gave my photos an overall softer look and really complemented the natural look which was the aim for the shoot. I think in the 'Colour' shoot below I have also captured my other concept of showing a strong independent women in work as I did also slick back her hair to give a serious element to the look while this also made the face the main concept meaning that she could appear/look strong in her expression for the image. In the second image especially as her head is tilted up high showing she is head strong which is the element I wanted to show to the viewers and I believe this was made clear also by the costume of the shirt and blazer.

Black and white Shoot:

For the 'Black and white' Shoot I used the same set-up and lighting that was used for the 'Colour' Shoot because I wanted the shoots to have the same look as I think this makes the images relate very well. The dark side boards and the soft box lighting for black and white images really made my images have a very strong contrast which made the images very bold which is what I wanted my character to be portrayed as. The overall pictures are contrasting with the 'Colour' images also as the 'Black and White' images show the relax side to the working women while showing the elements of independence women due to having the same costume but adapted. I changed it by having the shirt slightly undone and the hair in a messy bun to show this 'relaxed' theme to the business women look. I am very pleased overall with the final three images as I think the 'black and white' images really complement my model as it really highlights her eyebrows, freckles and the dark lip. When editing my images I have only changed small elements of the photos as I wanted to keep the post production to the images minimal as the theme is 'The Perfect Based' meaning I want to create images that show off natural beauty. The editing techniques that were done were changing the contrast, lighting, vibrant and airbrush little parts of the face e.g. blemishes. To improve on my images I would have played more with different lighting to maybe create a darker image so that the image may be less grey over the whole photo but apart from the grey scale I believe that my images really show the images meanings to the viewer and that was the overall aim.  

These images are as well a second practice to what my final outcomes will be. I will be using these images as my final ones but editing them through Photoshop as the images shown here are in there raw files. As I have written before the Photoshop editing will only be a small part of the final images as I want to keep these photos as natural as possible to relate back to the initial title of 'Natural Beauty'.

By Amelia Richmond-Knight

Digital image production: Post production-how far is too far?

Digital Image Production: Post production-How far is too far?

Image manipulation has found to been going on since the 1800's even before technology like Photoshop was around, they did this with painting skills like an early airbrushing of the 1800's. We discuss whether photos nowadays are too edited and does it give off an unrealistic reality to people, to prove this we watched a video called 'Time lapse, 90 minutes of retouching in 90 seconds' which shows people an ugly truth behind professional images and how much editing is done to them which in the end barley looks like the original person that they took the photo of. This went to further discussion highlighting that by creating images that show an unrealistic image of people can effect others viewing it in many ways. For example, if these images are put in teen magazine teenagers may not know about these post production editing and they could possibly start questioning themselves like why they don't look like the girls in the images, when in fact neither of them do. Then later we were shown images of famous celebrities in adverts and photo shoots that had been banned, this was due to the false advertising it portrayed to the general public. It made me relies how much some images where edited and that all these famous celebrities where all very similar to the general public and that they don't always have perfect skin etc.


So therefore by learning all this information about editing and that post production should only be a small part of the image we were given a task to take three of our own Beauty shots; one front view, one angled and one side profile (which have to have three in 'Colour' and three 'Black and white' images). These are the images that I produced as a practice photographs:

With these images I have only done a small post production editing to them. I have with all the images changed the contrast and lighting, blurred out one/two markings on the skin and with the picture in the middle changed the filter to black and white. 

By Amelia Richmond-knight

Digital Production: How to view models and Women

Digital Production: How to view models and Women

We were learning about how models are viewed in the advertising of the modern day and what this images give out as a message to the general public. We started by looking at a selection of images of normal (non-model) women reinventing model poses and discussed how we felt about these images. These images made you relies that only a small percentage of people look like models and it expresses that its not selling to the average sized women but only making women feel insecure, as if that what they are meant to look like as these kind of image surround us in everyday life. As well while having a comparison of the normal women next to a model to the eye the normal women does not look as pleasing to the eye because in today's time we are so consumed by looks we are always trying to achieve being the 'perfect women' when in fact what is the 'perfect women'? On the other hand men and women wish to achieve this through consumption of goods, health and fitness. We then analysed more photos of model but this time commenting on their poses such as biting their lips, biking fingers, tilting their heads, little clothing etc which in some ways could make them appear childish in looks but on the other hand they give of a sexual vibe in the images. Even though these images are in women's magazines the images presented are more pleasing for the male eye, therefore making women feel like they should look like the models on the covers of magazines to be able to be attracted by men.
I am now writing about different sorts of images of people/models in poses and say why they inspire me, either in content or poses.

Fashion Editorial:

This images is a fashion editorial images which I find inspiring as I really love the theme of the photo. The theme almost reminds me of something from a childhood story as because of its location of the woods and her enchanting head-dress it creates a mystical feel to this image. Even though she is half naked I don't feel like this takes away the beauty of this image and makes it sexual but just adds to the natural beauty aspect of it. The colour palette is very dark but pale and the dark red colour against her very pale skin tone really contracts against each other well making this photo very eye catching/interesting to look at. 

 Beauty Advertising Campaign:

In this image I found it had a very strong message about models and the female look. Its is showing a comparison of a normal natural look v.s. a made up beauty look but this advert is expressing the idea around no look being natural as its states the picture is 'By Photoshop'. This statement implies that advertised beauty is only achieved by computers and editing and this is why I really like this image as it has a deeper meaning to it then when you first look at it.

Beauty Editorial:  

I found this images very eye catching as the colour combination is very contrasting having the white against the black. This images does not only just contrast in colour but in theme as well like good v.s evil. The flowers on the face shows a delicate side being fresh and can represent growth/new beginning of life which contrasts with the black skull underneath representing death. So overall this image contrasts really well and has a very clear image of life and death.  

Famous Paintings:

I chose this posed image because it made me feel it shows a really lovely feel of motherhood and the meaning it has for people. In the image it shows a pregnant mother who is holding her stomach looking into a mirror which reflect the image of her carrying her baby which I would believe means she longs for the day for her baby to be in her arm. This creates a very loving mood in the image knowing that she longs for her baby.                                                                       

Un-posed image: 

This is an Un-posed image which is meant to be more of a natural image and the black and white filter creates an old feel to the image like it old, therefore making the image feel timeless like the friends in the image have been friends a long time. By having this image very cropped at this angle it only shows the two arms interlinked again representing the friendship in the image and the bond between the two people.   

 Illustration: 

This image is a illustration of the famous model 'Cara Delevingne' but seen in a more quirky and cheeky look. As she has one eye turned in and eyebrows at different angles this creates a silly mood to the images portraying it as childish theme even though she is usaully seen in a serious light as being a model. This is further shown by only adding the colour of red on her cheeks as being 'Cheeky' like a child would be.  

 By Amelia Richmond-Knight

Digital Production:Rules

Digital Production:Rules

In the Digital Production lesson we were given a lesson on how to set up a studio on our own and how to take a beauty shot with different lighting, position, camera settings etc. When first setting up the camera you have too;

-Change the settings on the camera to a manual setting.

- Also have the IOS settings on 100 because this lets in the right amount of light when taking the photo in a studio environment. 

- have the shutter speed setting on 1/160

To create other different kinds of lighting you can use certain equipment like;

- BT dishes 

- Soft Boxes

- Umbrellas  

We later set-up the cameras to try out some looks in practice of when we have to take our own beauty images when photographing our work. We set up the camera on the tripod at eye level shot which creates the most flattering angle for a beauty shot. When taking the photos we were taught that you can also use these dishes called white reflectors and sliver reflectors which were held under the models face out of the cameras shot to create different lighting effects on the skin. After we got into groups and try out the different technique ourselves. Here are a selection of images that we shot as our first practice.

 Overall, I think we achieve this shoot very well as our first attempts in a professional studio. I have had some previous experiences in photography but not too this level and as we continue this unit I really believe I will gain many skills that will help me in future projects. 

By Amelia Richmond-Knight

Digital Image Production: Fashion Photographers

Digital Image Production: Fashion

 Photographers

Cecil Beaton:

Beaton had a strong interest of photography from a young boy and later on in life enrolled at the University Cambridge’s St. John College (1992) devoting his time to photography and theatre design. Breton sent photos of to editors and was eventually hired as a staff photographer for ‘Vanity Fair’ and ‘Vogue’, he was said to develop a unique style of posing model with unusual backgrounds. In 1930 his published his first book of work called ‘The Book of Beauty’ which became to grow his fame of photography which leads to later being the photographer at the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s wedding (1937). He also recorded events of the ‘Second World War’ in photography producing famous images for the ‘Life Magazine’. Then photographed the rich and famous after the war while also carrying on another love of costume and set design leading to Tony awards for his costume work for ‘My Fair Lady’(1957) and Coco (1970) and an Oscar for ‘Gigi’ (1958).

Erwin Blumenfeld:

Erwin’s best work was in the fashion industry between the 1940’s and 50’s he was known for involving fine art within his photography and is described as the most influential photographer in the 20^th century. He started his career in 1913 doing an apprenticeship with ‘sclochauer’ and ‘Moses’ and later on went to open his own store specializing in handbags. In 1936, his store when bankrupt and he went on to create portraits of people who came from the art world and then was introduced with a contract with ‘Vogue’ in France after being recognised by Cecil Beaton. After many years Erwin had worked for Bazaar as a freelancer for ‘Vogue’ America and for the next fifthteen years his work was published on the covers. By the 1950’s he was reported as the highest paid photographer in the world and then went to creating films for advertising his cosmetic products. Years before his death Erwin produced a book called ‘My One Hundred Best Photo’ and contained fashion photos and other photographs of different subjects.

Richard Avedon:
He was best known for his work in fashion and his minimalist portraits; he worked in fashion photography shooting for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ and ‘Vogue’. He always wanted to have his models show deep emotion and movement which was quite different from that time of productions as they would usually motionless in fashion photography. His was inspired by fashion from his parent’s clothing business and enjoying photographing the clothes. Later in life after deciding to drop out of University he joined the ‘United States Merchant Marine’ during the second world war to photograph the portraits of sailors he did this for two years. Soon after attending a school for social research in New York City to study photography which he was later acclaimed as the art director for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’. After several years photographing in Paris in 1995, he was known as one of the most talented young fashion photographers in his line of work and made one of the iconic shoots called ‘Dovima with Elephants’ featuring a very famous model of our time wearing a black Dior evening gown. He was also well renowned for his black and white portraits which captured the essential and vulnerability in larger than life characters e.g. ‘President Dwight D. Eisenhower’ etc which he worked for, for 20 years. Later going to work for ‘Vogue’ he pushed the boundaries of fashion photography creating very provocative, surreal and controversial images including nudity etc. He went on to do this for many years and other gallery work and passed away at the age of 81.

David Bailey:
David Bailey was a photographer for ‘British Vogue’ from the 1960’s photographing fashion pieces and celebrities portraits. He was most well known for his stark backgrounds and dramatic lighting effects in his work which transformed British fashion and celebrity photography. His work mainly reflects his time of production (1960’s) of British cultural trends of breaking down barriers by injecting a ‘punk’ look into his work, both clothing and artistic products.

Helmut Newton:

Newton was a famous fashion photographer reinvented fashion photography by trend setting his main body of work. In his early days of photography after dropping out of school he took up a job with a famous fashion photographer Else Simon but this lead to a very quick end as he had to leave the country and to Singapore due to his family being Jewish at that time. After having to serve the army for five years and now being a free man started a photography studio with fashion and built himself up a very good reputation which eventually gave him the opportunity with the ‘French Vogue’, where he gained international fame from his work. His unique style to his work consists of sensual and visually arresting shots of women with great eye for detail.

Herb Ritts:

Herb started his career in the 70’s and his work was based on the idea of art and commercial photography. He produced portraits and editorial fashion for the likes of ‘Vogue’, ‘Vanity Fair’, ‘Interview’ and ‘Rolling Stone’, Herb also did successful advertising campaigns e.g. ‘Calvin Klein’. In 1988 he directed a lot of award winning music video and commercials, plus most of his fine art photography has been put in exhibitions worldwide. In his work it would include clean lines and strong forms which would often try and challenge conventional opinions on gender and race.

Guy Bourdin:

Guy started in photography when he was serving in the military (1948) and given training in photography in the Air Force of France, then later return to Paris then meeting Man Ray to become his trainee. He had his first exhibition in ‘Rue de la Bourgogne’ at ‘Galerie’. In 1955, his first fashion photos were featured in ‘Paris Vogue’ and he continued to work for them until 1987. Which later in life he went to work for Charles Jordan photographing shoe design and at the second half of the 1900’s he was one of the most recognized fashion and commercial photographers, his style exceeded the boundaries of traditional advertising.

Rankin:

Rankin first took up photography at Barnfeild College in Luton and then London College of printing. He later met ‘Jefferson Hack’ which the two decided to start up a magazine together called ‘Dazed and confused’ when they graduated. In 2000, he did set up his own magazine ‘RANK’ and some others also but as well doing charitable organisations like ‘Women’s Aid’ providing photographs. In 2002, Rankin was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society and in 2009 broadcast a documentary called ‘Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion’ on BBC 4 which created tributes to the iconic fashion images and photography.  

By Amelia Richmond-Knight

Digital Production: Choosing the Right Model

Choosing the Right Model

When choosing the right model depends on the shoot that you are taking and you have to consider lots of elements such as; theme, lighting, face shape etc. After knowing this there are many more aspects to consider, in our lesson we discuss rule when taking beauty shots. Firstly, never work in a dark room with barley any light or no light as when you take the image this gives it more chance of creating red eye in your models picture, so by having light bright spaces to work in this creates brighter better images. Then lastly, always your model cool so they don't start to sweat and become uncomfortable as this can show through your images. We then also discussed the importance of pre-setup for shoots and the fact that it will save you time as in the rule world of the fashion photography you have to be quick and ready as 'time is money'. So we therefore were tolled to; Plan, test shoots before hand and have lighting set up. As we were discussing the importance of post production for photo shoots we then watched a video called 'Mario Testino: Vogue Japan' which was about the famous Photographer 'Mario Testino' and how he would go about his post production of his work when starting a new project. We first see him collecting first hand pictures by him going round the City taking photos then looking through books to collect even more images, he does this so he can understand the different elements and themes of Japan which he finds has both traditional aspects as well as new modern western elements to them. He further shows that he uses elements of their Japanese culture by using traditional costumes and props e.g. in particular the 'Bonsai' tree which is very iconic to Japan, as well he did shoots in London with an English model and Japanese model to show cultural mix and how japan has become more Westernised at the same time. Here are some examples of his images from his final outcome of his 'Japan Vogue' Shoot.

 By Amelia Richmond-Knight