Moderation Portfolio Fashion & Portraiture Free Brief: Insects Alexa Boldy
Fashion and Portraiture
Alexa Boldy
In this project I must study and explore fashion photography and portraiture through the ages. In order to this, I have split the era’s up so that I study the 20’s, 40’s, 60’s, 80’s and contemporary photography. I decided to this because I each era has such a distinct style which I wanted explore thoroughly.
20’s
Portrait with a paper moon
As I was exploring photography in the 1920’s I came across I phenomenon called ‘Portrait with a paper moon’. This was where a large moon prop would be placed at parties and events which guests could sit on it and get a photograph. I found this really intriguing and immediately had the idea of making own paper moon and re-creating an image.
Prop Making
I knew that I wanted to physically make the moon prop instead of photo shopping it in as the image would look more authentic as if it was actually being shot in the 1920’s. 1. Tape large pieces of cardboard together then draw and cut out a crescent moon shape 2. Thicken the card by layering the moon up. Add duct tape to make the shape more secure. 3. Add and shape chicken wire around the shape to make it 3D 4. Wrap cling film around the moon so that there’s a base for the paper Mache to stick to. 5. Make paper mache paste and apply to the moon with newspaper. Repeat 3 times. 6. Paint moon using wallpaper paint until fully covered. 7. Add shading and facial features
I used a dark backdrop as I thought that it would look more authentic. I used a chair to prop up the moon as it was heavy for my models to hold. I then put up two soft boxes to create a soft diffused light which illuminated the whole scene. The models wore 20’s style dresses which made the scene look more realistic.
I chose these two images as my favourites and the most striking. I liked image on the left as having the two models in different positions within image adds more depth, I also think that this shot looks quite natural relaxed . I chose the image on the right as I liked the contrast between moon and the model.
the the and the
I wanted to make my image look more aged so I went into the filter tab and selected ‘add noise’. I increased the noise to 35%, then repeated this at a lower percentage. I think the effect worked well as it looks less polished and it now has an aged effect which fits well with the era.
I think that having the image strictly black and white does give it a vintage feel, however when comparing my images to the inspirations, I noticed that they had a sepia tone to them.
I added a sepia tone to the image by adding an orange colour filter then decreasing the density of the hue. I think this looks effective as it makes it look dated.
I added more noise to the image because I felt like it still looked too modern.
Artist comparison
I think that making the moon prop was really effective as it adds dimension to the image and makes it more believable. My image still doesn’t look as worn as the one on the right, and I think if I was going to achieve this look, I would print the image out, and scratch the page and corners then scan it in to the computer to give it a ‘worn out’ effect.
Development
I found this image by an unknown artist and thought that the 3D effect looked really interesting. It also gave the image a very contemporary twist. I thought that this effect would look interesting when put onto my images as it would juxtapose the vintage look with a more modern feel. I did this by duplicating the background layer, and adding a photo filter to each layer, one red and one blue.
Final Image
Final Image
40’s
Hong Jang Hyun Whilst researching the 1940’s, I discovered that Circus’ were at their most popular in this era. I thought this would create a really interesting photo shoot so began to research 40’s circus’. Upon my search I found an editorial done by Hong Jang Hyun which had a very 40’s circus vibe. I love the colours, the setting and the costume involved.
Prop Making
I created this neck collar by folding two pieces of paper over one another. The effect looks quite authentic and will add to the costume.
I created a circus ball by painting an old aerobics ball with red and white paint. I thought that this prop was essential to the shoot because it would justify the ‘circus’ look.
Paolo Roversi
I found this eye catching edit created by Paolo Roversi and immediately thought that I could incorporate this effect into my developments. I photographed some playing cards and plan to edit some of the images onto the cards.
Development
I decided to make the image slightly darker so that the gradient was more intense. I think this looks effective as it adds more contrast.
Development
I added the images of the playing cards onto Photoshop and removed their white backgrounds. I then put them on a beige background and repositioned them. I then removed the pattern from the Joker card and inserted the image of the model that I had taken.
Development
I wanted to give my images a ‘vintage’ effect, so decreased the saturation so that it blended into the card more. However I still felt like the image looked too polished and new, so added some noise.
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Final Image
Artist Comparison
I think that adding noise to the image made it look a lot more like a playing card. I’m really happy with the outcome, however think that the image would also look with a warmer tone.
Developments
Glass filter
Film Grain filter
Stamp filter
The glass effect looks really effective as it makes the costume pop out and adds texture to the image.
This filter gave the image a vintage effect which I think really suited the 40’s look.
I like the cartoon effect of this filter. I changed the levels so that there was a balance between dark and light areas.
Developments
I really liked the cartoon effect of the filter and thought that it would look effective if I used the brush tool and illustrated the image. I think the minimal brush strokes look effective as a splash of colour and make it eye catching.
Final Image
60’s
Wes Anderson Wes Anderson is one of my favourite filmmakers, I love his quirky style and the way each shot is so carefully proportioned and filmed. Many of Anderson’s films are set in the 1960’s, he achieves this style by including authentic costume and sets, as well as distinct colour schemes. I would really like to explore the idea of making a 60’s themed film or animation. Wes Anderson is renowned for his birds eye view shots, this kind of shot is very effective in stop motion animations so I am going to experiment with this.
Quentin Jones
Quentin Artist is a filmmaker and illustrator, she makes fashion films for many well known designers such as Kenzo and Chanel. She uses multimedia to create her stop motions, using a variation of materials and techniques. I love how there are so many layers to her animations and I’d really like to try and achieve this effect. I think I could do this by animating onto a green screen, as well as photographing a model doing simple movements in a stop motion sequence then combine the footage.
Twiggy
Twiggy is a renowned supermodel who is most famous for her recognisable work in the 60’s. Her look is so iconic and recognisable that I will draw quite a lot of inspiration from it for my stop motion animation. I love the pastel backgrounds used not only in the costume but also in the backdrops. The images are very central to the model, which reminds me of Wes Anderson’s cinematography. I also really like how the outfits are mostly block coloured. I think this makes them really interesting as they are more eye catching. It would be interesting to put together a number of different looks which are all colour coordinated.
Test Film I wanted to see whether my technique for the short animation would work so I did a quick test with some magazine cut outs, a green screen and a model. I firstly created a short sequence of stop motion images of the model turning her head and playing with her necklace. I used two soft boxes positioned at either side of her head so that I had even lighting. I then uploaded this sequence to final cut pro. I then created a short stop motion sequence using magazine cut outs on a green screen, which was lit using natural light. I uploaded the sequences to final cut pro and overlay them. I then used the ‘Keyer’ tool to make the green screen transparent. I then experimented with the different features and styles to animate the film.
Green Screen set up I used natural light from the window and a soft box on the left to make sure there weren’t any shadows on the green screen. I used an inverted tripod as this meant that I could get an accurate birds eye view. I used manual settings on the camera to get the make sure that the colours looked vibrant and the images were crisp. Manual focus was used so that all of the images were focussed. I used a remote controller to press the shutter on the camera to avoid any blur or shaking of the camera.
Technical Diary 1.
Positioned onto a green screen, take photographs in a stop motion sequence, where the model or object moves slightly after each photo is taken.
2.
Using a green screen, animate the magazine cut outs. These will overlay the sequence. Make sure tripod and camera are secure.
3.
If needed, find a backdrop. This was a pattern created by the brand Kenzo, who Quentin Jones (influence) has made a fashion film for.
4.
Put all images into Final Cut Pro, retime the sequences, and line them up one above the other. Use the ‘Keyer’ tool, so make the green screen transparent. Reposition so that they are central and replay.
Overlaying development
After putting the footage onto Final Cut Pro, I thought that it would look effective to add another dimension of multimedia. I chose the image which was in the middle of the sequence and printed it off. I then put a piece of acetate paper over the top. I brought this onto the green screen and began to draw lines on it, after each line was drawn, I took a picture to create another sequence. I then added this to the animation. A problem I found when doing this was trying to match the lighting as using acetate paper darkened the image, however I slightly adjusted the colours on Final Cut Pro so that they matched.
I created a stop motion sequence which replicated one of Twiggy’s poses in one of the photographs, I also took influence from her makeup and drew similar eye makeup on the model. I thought that the sequence would look interesting if it had a pattern overlay so I found this pink floral pattern and added it on Final Cut Pro.
Development
I put some acetate paper onto the green screen and painted ‘60’s lovin’ onto it in red paint in a stop motion sequence. I did this because I wanted to use a range of materials instead of just using magazine cut outs for the overlaying animation. The costumes for each scene were colour co-ordinated which I think looked effective as it made each scene a little different from the next which made the film more exciting to watch.
I took influence from Wes Anderson in the use of costume and characterisation. Margot Tennenbaum is one of his characters and is renowned for her outfit, wearing a fur coat, shift dresses and long socks. I duplicated this outfit in my shoot to create a 60’s look, using all beige shades. I wanted to use binoculars in this sequence as Suzy Bishop (moonrise kingdom character) often views life throughout of hers. I conjoined these looks to create a stop motion sequence.
Development
To see animation go to :
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=gnomx5XPJTs
80’s
Photo shoot idea
I was really inspired by fashion in the 80’s. I love the disco, party feel to the era and began looking at specific materials and colours that were used in the 80’s. I noticed a lot of bright colours and also a lot of metallic's being used. I began to look into metallic's and thought that I could create a set and costume around the colours and give it an 80’s disco feel.
Shoot Preparation
I chose to focus on the colour silver which would run as a theme throughout the shoot. I thought that the colour would be effective as it’s bold, eye catching and has ‘party’ and ‘disco’ connotations connected to it. I got the model to wear a grey T-shirt because I wanted him to blend into the set. I then found some silver tape and began to attach this to his neck. I did this to create a robotic look, and also thought that it would enable him to blend into the backdrop more. I ordered some silver sunglasses with silver reflective lenses to add to the ’80’s vibe’. I used two soft boxes at either side of the set. I did this because the sunglasses were reflective so I could see them through the camera lens, so I needed the lighting to be even and not too harsh. I then ordered a silver tasselled door curtain from the internet. I got two people to stand on chairs either side of the model and hold the curtain up. I think that the curtain completed the look as it made the whole scene blend together and completed the ‘cool 800’s’ look I was aiming for.
Development
I gave the image a black and white filter and increased the contrast. I think that the effect works well, however I think that it makes the image less striking as there aren't any distinct colours to pop out.
I edited the curves of the image so that there was more contrast. I then added a gradient with the colours orange and purple. This makes the image look quite dated which isn't the effect that I wanted to achieve.
I decreased the saturation of the image and added a purple colour overlay. I think this works really well as it makes the image look more futuristic.
Development
I added a purple colour overlay and increased the saturation and contrast of the image. This looks effective as I feel the added contrast adds dimension to the image.
In this edit, a grey colour overlay was added and the levels of the image were adjusted. Although I like the slightly vintage look to the image, I think it loses a lot of its intensity, which makes the image so eye catching.
I added a gradient to this image and also used the brush tool to give the model grey lips. I thought that by doing this, the image would look more futuristic, however in comparison to the other edits, it looks too orange.
Final Image
Rookie Magazine Rookie Magazine is a new magazine/blog aimed at young girls. The art that they show ranges from paintings to illustration to photography. I found this editorial in the magazine which I immediately thought had quite an 80’s theme with its bright clothes and disco vibe. I really like the image on the left as I think putting the images on a plain background makes them pop out a lot more, I am going to experiment with this effect using my images.
Final Image
Final Image
Multimedia development I thought that it would be interesting to experiment with multimedia. I found a selection of images and patterns from the internet and edited them on Photoshop then added them onto the image.
Contemporary
Tim Walker
Tim Walker is one of my biggest inspirations within photography. He has gone from fantastical theatrical sets to focus on studio portraiture. He created a series of portraits of celebrities which were very simple, using mostly natural lighting and white backdrops. He would then incorporate an element of the subjects personality into the photo through props or costume. I think this is a really clever way of making the image more interesting. Tim Walker often uses natural light so I will incorporate this as much as I can within my shoot. I’ve decided to ask the model a personal question, such as ‘where is your favourite place’, then create props around their answer.
Prop Making I asked my model where her favourite place was, and her answer was ‘the beach’. I thought about what is distinctive about the beach and immediately thought of the sea, sand and shells. The prop that I decided to make was a wave headdress. To make the headdress I found an old head band which was wide enough to glue cardboard onto. I then found some cardboard and cut out some theatrical wave shapes in different sizes. Once I’s done this, I painted the cardboard and let it dry. I then created a folded tab on each wave and glued it onto the headband using a glue gun. I added left over painted card to the front of the head band to cover the folds and make it have a smoother finish.
Shoot direction
Similarly to Tim Walker, I wanted to use a white desk so that the image looked very minimalistic and clean. Instead of using a table, I used a large white piece of board which the model rested on her knees as she sat on a wooden stool. On this board I placed the shells and the wave feature. I had the model wear a white top with flowers on to add to the ‘hippy’ vibe. I then opened up the blinds because I wanted to use as much natural light as possible to light the scene. However because the light was only coming from one side, it had a split lighting effect on the models face. To give a more even lighting effect, I added a soft box to her left side to illuminate the left side of her face. This worked well as the light wasn’t overly harsh and meant that the whole scene was well lit.
Development
I chose this image to edit because I really liked the composition of it and how central the model and props were. I firstly edited the curves of the image to add more contrast and make the backdrop whiter. I then added a inverted radial gradient to add dimension to the image. Next, a blue colour overlay was added, I decreased the opacity and the fill until I achieved the desired effect. I then realised that this still looked too strong, so I decreased it even further, then added a lighter blue colour filter.
Artist Comparison
I think that it’s clear where my influence has come from within the set of images. I like the touch of personality within each image and really tried to incorporate this technique into my photographs. I think that the props worked well as they make the image more interesting and eye catching. I also think that having quite a minimalistic layout makes the props and character stand out.
Development
I found this image from an unknown artist and thought that the cut up effect looked really interesting. I wanted to try this on my photographs so put the image on Photoshop and moved a section of the image up to leave a line of negative space. I wanted to maintain the minimalistic feel so didn’t really liked the clean cut line.
Final Image
Final Image
F R E E
B R I E F Insects
Alexa Boldy
Detailed
Beetle Can be moved
Hand-made
Over-sized
elegance Butterfly
In se ct s Project
Model g makin
Spider
Scary
Grasshopper
Loc
ati
on
Curiosity camera
Forest Beach
Digital
Mist/ fog Film field blurry Old- feel
quality Numerous shots
Tim Walker doesn’t use a digital camera, he believes in ‘real’. Tim captures the surreal and the wonderful by featuring intricate fanatical sets made by the likes of Shona Heath, Rhea Thierstein and Andy Hillman. These particular sets in the images on the right were made by designer Rhea Thierstein. The combination of oversized, realistic bugs with Tim Walkers dreamlike film photography makes me fall in love with them even more. His love for natural light is reflected in his photos as I feel it makes them look even more dreamlike and realistic. Another aspect I find really interesting is that none of Walkers photos are digitally manipulated, this really draws me in as it means that more attention has to be paid to the physical use of the camera instead of relying on Photoshop to perfect the image.
Plan for shoot one Styling
Model Building
Location
Because of the fact I’m using a disposable camera for my project, I need to pay a lot of attention to the framing of the shot. I think it’s important to be attentive to the set dressing, styling and photography of the shoot. As well as the oversized insects in my shoot, I really want to incorporate a model into each who would wear a strikingly coloured dress. I like this colour as it stands out and would make more depth in the picture.
I’d like to be a fashion set designer when I leave education and so I believe that set design is very important in photography. I have a passion for prop making and have incorporated this into my project. Making huge insects is really exciting but also very challenging. I aim to create up to 3 insects throughout the project. In this shoot, I will be making an oversized spider. Because of the budget, I’ll be using recycled materials such as cardboard boxes. Since my shoot is quite nature inspired, I think this is appropriate.
A few months ago, I took a disposable camera to the beach. When I got the pictures developed, I fell in love with the grainy look they had. I’m going to have my first shoot at the beach with my oversized spider. I think this will look good because the contrast between the colours will create depth in my image. Having the shoot in winter is beneficial as it’s more likely to be cloudy and grey. This will be beneficial to my images as it will make them look colder and link to the spiders ‘creepy’ look.
The Disposable Camera “The process of image-making has shifted mainly to post-production image editing,” This means we are less aware in the moment that we are taking and capturing the image. We become distanced from the object and events we are photographing.” explains Dispose.
“With the film cameras the photographer has to think more, because there is certain amount of frames available – and that is what I like to do – think before I shoot, not afterwards.” I’ve always been a fan of the disposable camera, I like the way that instead of just quick snaps on a digital camera, you have to put more thought into the composition picture. I also really like the mystery of not knowing how the pictures have turned plan to use a disposable camera in my shoot as I think that photographing in open with lots of natural light, should create good, well lit photographs.
taking of the out. I spaces
I’m using an ‘Afga Le Box Flash disposable camera 'which is said to give surprisingly good results, even in low light.
Model Making for shoot 1 I created the oversized spider by firstly researching the shape of different spiders. I chose to make the black house spider as it was a relatively simple shape. From that I: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Blow up 2 balloons. One larger than the other. Paper Mache balloons with 2-3 layers. Attach the ‘head’ and ‘body’ together the paper Mache over again. Paint in block colour black all over. Cut 6 pieces of wire 1 metre long and 2 pieces of wire, 2 metres long. Cover the wire in masking tape and paint black. Cut holes in the body and fix the wire in using a glue gun. Bend wire into ‘leg shape’ Cut small plastic balls in half and glue on as eyes. Use small pieces of wire to create the mouth and pincers. Add detail to the body and legs with grey, white and black paint. Let it dry.
Creating the spider was difficult but very enjoyable. If I were to make it again, I would probably make the legs thicker so that they are stronger and look more realistic. I’m hoping that when my disposable camera photos are developed, the model looks realistic and daunting.
Prop Building These images show the transformation of the spider from balloon to the finished model. I wanted to make a giant spider as it would stand out against the beach scene. I am a fan of putting the things out of place in photographs as I believe that it makes the image more interesting. I found a quote from an old poetry book from my childhood, in it was a quote which inspired the shoot. It stated ‘Then the spider emerged from the sea’. Seeing that, I knew I wanted to re-create the poem in my photography.
Shoot 1 outcomes I liked these images however have decided not to use them in my final selection. With the disposable camera, I was able to take 27 photographs. Out of these I have chosen the best ones and didn’t believe that these images made the cut. The sky in the images is overexposed which has resulted In a loss of highlight detail in the sky. Although I really enjoyed using the disposable camera, it did have it’s drawbacks. Firstly is inevitable, the quality is not as high as if I used a digital camera, so the images couldn’t be blown up to large sizes. However the very inspiration for the shoot came from an old poem, so to retain with the ‘old feel’, the disposable camera was suitable as it gave the images a grainy effect which makes the appear to be more mystical and I personally feel, gives the shoot more of a narrative.
The timing of the shoot was somehow misjudged as whilst I was shooting, the tide was coming in. This made it hard to preserve the costume and the props. However I didn’t let this become a problem and realised that with the tide washing over my models feet and having the spider prop immersed in the sea, it gave the image an eerie feel which I really liked.
Rule of thirds
Final Outcomes
Development- Anthony Gerace
I found an artist named Anthony Gerace, who makes mosaic art with paintings and photographs. I thought that it would be interesting to try and do this with some of my photographs. I took the images with a disposable camera so cutting them out and making a mosaic will be relatively simple to do. I plan to mix up images of the model and also of the ocean. I really like how surreal the artists outcomes are so would like to try and achieve this.
Mosaic Design
I marked out a grid on one of my images, then used the guillotine to cut out each square. I then began to put the puzzle together in the wrong order to create a similar effect as Anthony Gerace.
Artist Comparison
Creating this mosaic was quite difficult because all of the squares had to be exactly the same size, and this was difficult to achieve with the guillotine. However I do like the outcome as it is quite abstract and the beach is still detectable.
Analysis of shoot
I think that the contrast between the red dress and the ocean looks good as it creates depth to the image. The colour red is a very emotionally intense colour. It has connotations of anger, passion and bravery. I thought this worked well with the image where my model is using seaweed as a sword to ‘defeat’ the spider as if she is a soldier. This reminded me of Tim Walkers, ‘magical thinking’ shoot. This shoot had a Chinese new year theme. One particular image which stuck in my mind was when model Xiao Wen Ju used a sword to stab the dragon. I tried to re-create this in my project. I also liked Walkers use of colour in his shoot, Green being the main colour. I liked this as it gave the image earthy undertones. I incorporated this into my image by adding a lot of blue and green to my image. I also made the sand a red colour to visualise the spiders death. I didn’t want to manipulate my images too much so I used mostly the curves tool and contrast/brightness tools.
Kirsty Mitchell
Kirsty Mitchell is an English photographer. She has studied courses within art, photography and fashion and this is really evident in her images through her use of colour and props. Her images are inspired by stories of her mother who died of a brain tumour in 2008. I love how the photographer has a prominent colour scheme for each shoot and embellishes this through a use of costumes and props. I really like how unlike other images I’ve seen, the models seem to emerge from the set as if they have grown there, rather than being placed in a studio set. I also really admire the fact that her shoots are done outdoors in very natural scenery which she alters with colour and props. In my photography, I’d really like to focus on building a photograph around the model and scene rather that the model being put in a scene.
Plan for Shoot 2 For my second shoot I wanted to focus on Butterflies. Because it is now winter, Butterflies are going into hibernation and I wanted to portray that within my images. Props: I created a Butterfly headdress by cutting out paper butterflies and attaching them to wire with a glue gun. I then attached the wire to a simple hairband. I also used fake flowers that were bought from IKEA to add more colour to the set. Location: I chose to have the shoot in a woods in my village. By doing the shoot at midday meant that there was enough light to highlight the model and the props. The woods itself was quite dark and looked fairly lifeless. This was effective as it helped portray the Butterflies going into hibernation. Make-up and Styling: I chose a floral maxi dress and a woolly purple cardigan. This both added texture and colour. I attached a belt so that I could stick flowers in it. I associate Butterflies with Bohemian style so I think the outfit fitted the scene well. With the makeup I decided to paint a white mask on my model and paint the eyelashes white to signify Winter and hibernation.
Development
I used a black and white filter on this image. I think it looks really effective and makes the image look really old fashioned. However since I put a lot of effort into the colour of the set and props, I don’t think that the black and white does the image justice.
I added a gradient overlay to this image. The overlay had purples and oranges in which I think looks effective as it matches the colours in the image. However I think this lessens the effect of the colours in the image and makes the model look washed out.
I added a dark border to this image with a black soft brush. I think this is effective as it makes the colours in the middle pop. I also added a warming filter which fades the colours of the butterflies, which isn't something I want to do.
I experimented with stylising filters with this image such as ‘glowing edges’. I think that the effect is really striking and the butterflies look really good. However I don’t think that the effect does the photograph many favours.
By editing the Brightness & Contrast of the image, the colours and model look really striking. I really like this effect as it captures peoples attention. I think that to make the image even more eye –catching, I should add a dark colour overlay.
Development
I prefer to make my props and sets instead of editing them on photo shop as it makes the photo look more authentic. When editing my images on photo shop, I wanted to create a set of images with a similar look, so used a similar process to colour grade each. I like the effect that the purple colour fill has on the image as it makes the scene look more ‘dream like’. I used curves to add contrast and darken areas of the image. I also used the ‘dodge’ tool to highlight area such as the white brows and flower centres. This was useful as it made them pop with colour.
Final
Development
I made the image symmetrical as I thought that it would make it more interesting. I really like the effect that it has and the kaleidoscope effect in the centre.
Development
Artist Quentin Jones uses a ranged of mixed materials to create multimedia animations and illustrations. I love this image, and how the paint has been incorporated into the edit to give it a surreal edge.
I tried to re-create this effect in my image by using a brush tool in a white colour, I did this on a separate level then decreased the opacity. I then coloured in sections with a black fill colour. I think this looks effective as it makes the image interesting and eye catching as it makes the audience want to look further into the image.
Nicholas Max Scarpinato Nicholas Max is a Virginia based young photographer who shares his images on Flickr. I’m a big fan of how many of his images are based outdoors, making them look more authentic. I think they have quite a dark, surreal feel to them which I really like. The photographer manipulates his images to further enhance the images. I admire how he models in the images himself as this must take double the time. I’d really like to use his style in my next shoot, my including photo-shop techniques and making the images look quite surreal.
Plan for shoot 3 For my third shoot, I’ve decided that the insect I’m going to focus on is the firefly. I’m aiming to make it quite dark. To do this, I’ve chosen to shoot in the woods in my village at noon. This should give me enough light to work with but keep it dark. I know that I’ll have to add ‘fireflies’ onto the image in Photoshop, which I hope will look realistic.
Props
I’m going to use a fishing net and a lantern so that it looks like the character is on the search for fireflies. I think this will also give it a surreal effect.
Characters
In this shoot I will be modelling myself, similarly to Nicholas Max. My character in the photo shoot is a lady on the search for fireflies. She is quite a witch-like character which is reflected in the costume choice. I added face paint to make the character look more surreal.
Costume
I’ve chosen to feature a 50’s style emerald green over coat. I think the colour will be effective as the shade will stand out but will also blend in to the forest scene.
Development
I like the composition of the images however the fireflies look unrealistic.
I like this edit, however I wish that there was less of the forest floor on show.
I used different colour for the fireflies, I think this is effective as it adds depth.
I think the brown overlay matches the woodland setting, however I think it makes the image look very dated.
I like this edit as it looks quite dreamy. I used a different brush tool, but I don’t think it’s as effective.
I think that the layout of the fireflies is really effective and it works with the landscape version.
Further Development
I thought that this was the best image in terms on composition. I preferred the image being portrait compared to landscape as it made the scene look more confined which added effect when the fireflies were added. I firstly edited the image by adjusting the curves and adding filters. This gave me quite a dark, surreal looking image. I used the ‘dodge tool’ on the character to make her stand out. I used the ‘burn’ tool on the forest floor as It was drawing unnecessary attention because it was too light. On different layers I selected a small sized soft brushes and chose different shades of light green and yellow and put dots on the image. I put different sized clusters of dots to make it look like there were swarms of fireflies. This looked more effective than a big cluster of dots. I then went into filter>artistic>neon glow, and adjusted the settings until I was happy. I then brought down the opacity to make them blend into the image. Next, I selected a soft brush and increased the size. I then selected a neon green/yellow colour and brushed across where the firefly clusters were. I then decreased the opacity, this added a subtly glow to the fireflies and made them look more realistic.
Amy Friend
Amy Friend is an artist who is famous for her artwork. She takes old photographs and punches small holes through them then lays the image over a light box. I love the way that she has recycled an old image to give it a new life and think the effect is really striking. I’d really like to try this effect with my firefly image as I think that the small holes will look like extra fireflies.
Artist Development
From Behind
From the Front
I used a large needle to poke holes through the paper, then I widened them to different sizes. I then put the image over a light box to let the light shine through. I really like the effect as it shows a range of colours and makes the fireflies look more realistic.
Final
Final
By Alexa Boldy www.alexasimagination.blogspot.com alexa.boldy@gmail.com instagram: @alexayo