Character

As i got thinking more about creating characters within my work, i started thinking about stereotypes and about how clothing, location, body language and hair/makeup can give you a certain impression of somebody. People express themselves with the way you look, without hearing someone speak you take your first impressions by the way they look be that body language, style age etc.

The model i used here is a teenager, on asking people who saw these photographs what sort of a person they thought he was the word 'thug' came up a few times. I think this reaction is based on stereotypes, he has very short hair, is wearing a 'hoody' and has a grumpy expression. Also the location he is in looks quite grungy.

Actually the perceptions couldnt be an further away from the truth, in fact he is not a thug at all and is normally always smiling, but by photographing him in this way i have managed to create a character, a stereotype through styling, expression and photography.

White background

These images are studio portraits by Richard Avedon, including one self portrait. They use a stark white background and the main focus is on the subject, i think that the ones with borders have a very different effect to the one without, the frames narrow the eye into looking at the subject. i think these portraits are very effective and work well due to the white background.

These are some examples of photographic portraits that use a white background. These images were taken by Rankin and feature a stark white background. I personally think that these portraits are really effective as the focus is on the subject, i think that using a white background was perfect for these kinds of portraits.

After doing the PH2000 induction on creating a white background in the studio and doing some research, i decided i should try it out for myself as its a useful skill to have. It is particularly effective for studio portraits.

Using two assistants we set up the umbrellas, softbox and polyboards to create the white background. we metered the background to get even light right across the background and metered the subject.
Overall i think that these images are effective, i also think that the outline of the subject is sharp. On the other hand i think that perhaps the lighting could have been more even accross the background to make it a more sharp white, this is something i will bare in mind next time when shooting on a white background, and when metering for it. I really like this effect for portrait and also think that it is quite possibly a skill i might try to use within some of my fashion photography work. I think that using the white background makes the image much more intense and often gives a stronger connection between the subject and teh camera lens.

I think this is a useful skill which i will try and maintain to use in my future work.

The majority of photographers will use a stark white background within their images at some point, particularly when doing portraits. The white background means that all the focus is on the model/sitter, therefore the pose, composition and focus must be correct, and the edges of the subject must be crisp in order for the image to work well.

Wednesday 13th october

Styling By Terri Dent, Photography by Mark Prescott, Assistant Martha Lee Birks

Last wednesday i assisted on a photoshoot with third year photography student Mark Prescott, for third year stylist Terri Dent.

The shoot took place at Lava Ignite night club, using a location lighting kit. Terri wanted a dark almost grungy feel to the images. She had three outfits she wanted to shoot including accessories, she used male model Emerick from Maveric model agency in Manchester.

Some of the images were taken inside lava and some outside.

I learned a bit more about using the location lighting kit by taking part in this shoot, i had already been shown how to use it in the PH2000 inductions but i learnt alot more from using it myself. I also learnt a bit about camera flare and how to prevent it, and it was interesting to watch how Mark directed the model and what it was like to work with a model from a professional agency.

Overall i found it really helpfull working with Mark and Terri and i feel that i learnt quite alot from it.

Styling By Terri Dent, Photography by Mark Prescott, Assistant Martha Lee Birks

Models

I thought of a few ways of finding new models to work with to try and work with a wider variety of models.

One of these ideas was creating a facebook group to contact models, network and keep in touch. Here i have included the introduction to the group:

Im a photography student studing at UCLAN with a keen interest in fashion photography. Im looking for male and/or female models to take part in some of my photoshoots, I am looking to use a variety of models within my work. No experience is necessary.

Hair

Again a hair stylist is another vital part of a fashion shoot, hair can be used in a similar way to make up in helping to create the photographers vision and in particular creating a character.

Hair, make up and styling etc are all part of the final picture and they all need to come together to make the final image effective.

Make up

The make up in this image is by Chloe Butcher from Carol Hayes Makeup agency website.

http://www.carolhayesmanagement.co.uk/makeup/chloebutcher.htm#

Make up is really important in a shoot, it needs to fit with a theme and help create the photographers vision.

Obviously the photographer is usually not qualified to do make up and therefore needs a professional to do it for them, also the make up artist can do the models makeup while the photographer is setting up the shoot.

Make up is often used in a natural way but it can also be used in a really creative and artistic way, it can create a character and totally change or enhance a model.

The Team

Stylists

A Stylists job is to style the model so that he/she fits in with current trends and/or the photographers vision of how they want the shoot to look and feel. The stylist uses clothing and accessories to create this vision and often to create a character in the model.

Aradia Crockett website features a collection of great stylists who have done work for a variety of clients. The website also features a blog which i have put the address of below:

http://www.fashionstylists.co.uk/fashion-stylist/

The image above is taken from the Aradia Crockett site and is styled by Jack Willis.

During this project i aim to try and work with a team of people to help me make my images more effective, and manage my project more effectively.

I would like to try and work with some one who can do styling, some one that can do hair and make up and also assistants.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUiSJtteC1Y&feature=related

Tim walker

These images are by photographer Tim walker, like LaChapelle he uses elaborate constructed scene sets. He creates a very strong narrative through these elaborate sets, props, styling, hair, makeup and the right models. These type of images can be used in fashion advertising and editorial work.

Of course this type of work includes a big budget to work with and lots of people to make it work. However although i dont have the same sort of budget i can still aim to work with people to help me and i can still work on creating a narrative within my fashion imagery.

Narrative and constructed scene

In theory every photograph is constructed, the photographer constructs the scene how he wants it to appear. The photographer chooses whats is included in the photograph, the composition of the image, the angle its taken from etc. I am particularly interested in the very constructed images, that create a narrative, i am also really interested in using post production to create interesting images. I intend to do some more research on photographers that use this style of working in order to learn more about this type of work.

These images are by David LaChapelle and feature very elaborate constructed sets, and carry a very strong narrative within them. These images are created using a large budget and very careful planning, lighting and positioning. The photographer works alongside a large team of people including: Assistants, stylists, makeup artists and postproduction assistants. There is alot of work done in post production for these sorts of images, they are flawless and polished with vibrant colours and an almost 'plastic' look to them, they dont look real although they are images of real people/models. This sort of postproduction created image is becoming more and more common today, the majority of images, particularly those that appear in the media are edited to perfection.

I have a keen interest in fashion photography and portraiture and am interested in working in either fashion advertising or editorial.

I will do primary and secondary research into fashion photography and the industry itself, i aim to improve my technical skills and experiment with new ways of working.

Here i have included some of the fashion images that i like.