Now you have completed the project, what main similarities and what main differences between your own work and the work of the photographer and poster designer? SHOOT 1
PRADA PHOTOGRAPH MEN’S FASHION SHOOT 1 Looking at the first photo shoot I did for Men’s fashion, I feel I took a lot of inspiration from the PRADA campaign poster I analysed. An obvious feature that I extracted from the poster was it being black and white. I felt as if the poster being in black and white really captured the tagline, ‘capsule’, as if it was transportation in time, yet it remained contemporary; showing how the old fashion styles still remained throughout the many time periods to present day.I also feel having the photographs in black and white brought a feeling of sophistication and quality. Sometimes having colours in some photographs can contrast each other and become tacky. In my photographs, I think I have succeeded to show the contrast of old and new where the chosen outfit involves mixtures of old and new fashion trends (the top hat), which has also been done in the PRADA poster with the trench coat. Another thing that is similar between shoot 1 and the PRADA campaign is how they are both mainly location shoots - the locations have a big tole on the images where they are the main contributors to the character of the image. I feel as if that many implications can be drawn from the images from just the locations of the two. Finally another similarity I feel is found here is the model’s poses. I think I have captured the model successfully in the right moments where it appears as if he is frozen in time and caught in the moment, which assists the viewers in believing the models role in the shoot a lot more. The PRADA shoot has done this strongly as well, as I could easily configure a story-line from looking at the location and the body language expressed in the model.
MEN’S FASHION SHOOT 1
JAMES NADER WORK
Looking back at James Nader’s work I think I managed to seize his style especially in the photograph above. I think that it demonstrates the theatrical/cinematic expression it portrays. The main thing that links the two is the strong use of light and shade in the shoot. In James Nader’s photograph the dimension of the photograph has been amplified well from the enhancement of the dark and light areas. I feel that in both of our work, it has structured many parts of the photograph, such as the models features to increasing the edges and depth of shadows. The strong use of light and shade also adds personality where it makes the photograph come across as moment of distress. From where in my image, it appears in ways sad that the model is standing there with an unimpressed expression on his face- in what appears as a grimy alley. Yet in his image it appears more along the lines of anger and appears of more of a target towards the audience. In this shoot the differences from the examples I analysed I feel was where in my shoot it obviously targets a younger audience from initially the fashion that is demonstrates in the shoot and the model himself is younger than the ones that have been shown in the ones I have looked at. Although I feel that my model was of an appropriate age for the brands I was supposed to be representing. Another difference that can be picked up on is the attitude expressed in my images. I feel that PRADA and James Nader’s target audience are of a slightly older range and would be most likely considered higher-end, therefore they are restricted to some boundaries of how the clothes need to be represented. Since the clothes featured in their work are for formal occasions they need the locations to appear dramatic and important. Both of the locations for their work appear extreme to the extent of making sure that it doesn’t appear like a location that the average person knows of; excluding them from the association of high-street fashion- which is the area that my shoot falls into. Where it has literally been taken on the streets of London, people are able to recognise the streets that they have been taken in and have a relation to the images and feel as if the person modelling the clothes are part of the majority of the public, therefore the audience will feel invited to buy the clothes.
SKINCARE SHOOT 1 ROSELLA VANON WORK
SKINCARE SHOOT 2 With the skincare shoots I feel that I took the vibrancy aspect from the artist Rosella Vanon. In both of the shoots that I did for skincare I think what I adapted from Vanon’s work by keeping a strong, colour co-ordinated theme within the photographs. Keeping the colours in the image harmonious, I feel is always less offensive to the viewer than to have overwhelming; conflicting colours that people won’t relate to luxury products- the association would become of somewhat cheap, bad quality products if the colours don’t work together well. Where in my first skincare shoot, I kept the colours within similar tones and colours. The colour of the product was orange, so was I wanted to keep things warm toned. I also felt that this promoted a warm feeling to the viewer when looking at the images, that I feel works with the time of year it is aimed at- where people are feeling cold they will be drawn to an image that promotes the feeling of warmth. Another thing that I think I took from Vanon’s work and applied it to my skincare shoot is the luminosity maintained and enhanced in the skin. I felt that the model she used was made to have her skin appear youthful and dewy which is how I wanted my model to appear. Considering the products for sale was not in view, I wanted to demonstrate to the viewer how they could work when applied to skin; and put the thought in their heads that if you buy the skincare products at the event, then you will look like this too. Additionally, Vanon’s images appeared airbrushed in some ways, to the point it made the appearance of the models appear animated- yet not to the point of artificial. I feel as if I applied this to both of the skin-care shoots where in shoot 1 the
photographs have an almost misty, softened look that almost makes things appear untouchable. This applies to shoot two as well, where I made the skin appear almost perfect and illuminated; although not to the point of making it look over done and unachievable. What I have taken from the Dove poster is how they have focused the attention on the model. When it comes down to such a specific topic such as skin care I don’t think there is a much better advertisement than demonstrating to the customers what the product can and will actually do, In my photographs for shoot 2 I wanted to do fairly close-up profile images of the model so that the customers can have a close view of what the product can really do, I feel like it is exposing the main focus of the brief for the shoot, therefore it is not hiding anything from the customers. The difference between the Dove poster and my work is that I feel my work involves a wider range of colours of which would be what I feel would entice the audience towards the photographs. The dove poster is very stripped back and simple, which is the obvious message that they wanted to portray. Although, it almost becomes sterile and harsh to look at from all the blank space. Whereas mine has a lot more see, where the imagery fills all corners of the photograph, so people will look at the poster for longer and be more interesting in what it is about. I feel that my work holds a lot more character to it, where it involves a lot more props and subjects that piece together a story or image of the product in the viewers head.
Do you think that your ideas are interesting and creative enough? I think that the photographs I have taken provide and entertain the target audience well. The ideas behind the photograph cater towards a wide variety of different people that also broadens the range of customers it can target. I feel like none of the photographs are bias; neither holds anything that would offend a certain ethnicity, personality, and culture. In saying this I also think that the ideas I have produced are original enough to stand out within the topic of the photographs. With the Men’s fashion photographs I think that the photographs I have produced are contemporary where the style they have been taken are timeless and express the culture of the environment. The fashion demonstrated in the photographs is something that I feel many men, from different lifestyles, backgrounds and age groups would happily find a way of styling. Therefore appeals a broader range of customers for the brand- whilst also advertising their clothes. I think that over the few shoots that I did for men’s fashion I tackled two alternative approaches to what I could of done ; demonstrating the clothes on a model and just focusing on the products themselves. I think this shows the diversity of ideas I can produce with the chosen topics. I can show I can work on studio and location sets. Using the two different locations gives a different impression to the viewer. I think that having the location shoots makes the model appear more like the average person; therefore customers will feel welcome to wear the clothes more. The studio shoots I feel encourages the idea of online shopping a lot more where there isn’t a model involved. I also feel as if it presents the quality of the clothes in a better light where you can see the finer details.
I feel that for the Men’s fashion I have developed different themes. I feel for the first shoot I did appears higher-end; therefore more sophisticated. As well as having a edgy feel. The second shoot I feel captures the high-street fashion vibe where the angles in which I have taken the photograph appear as impulse shots that captured the model in natural poses. I feel as if the last shoot will draw people in from being able to see all the finer details and textures- seeing the smaller details that the eye wouldn’t usually pick up on at a glance, is somewhat satisfying to look at. For the skin-care shoots I feel that I have once again been able to manifest a variation of ideas between the two shoots where one involves a model and the other just focuses on the product. I feel that my independent ideas are a lot more original within these two shoots. I took some inspiration from the existing artist and poster I analysed. Although, the concept of the photographs were what I produced myself. Therefore I feel that I took a lot more of an independent approach on this shoot in comparison to the Men’s fashion. I think that the two shoots that I did both have different identities, and both expresses a different thing to the viewer/customer. The first skin care shoot portrays a warmer- more homely feel with the dim setting. I think it promotes the thought of comfort. Alternatively, I think the second skin care shoot illustrates luxury and quality from how bright it is and the use of the crystals.
Are you pleased within the technical qualities of your photographs (i.e. focusing, lighting, correct settings etc..)? I feel that I am pleased with a majority of the technical qualities of my photographs, although there are some obvious imperfections that weren’t acknowledged until confronting the editing stage; that would have been preferably changed or improved. Within the Men’s fashion shoots 1 & 2, I would say I was overall very satisfied with the lighting provided from the natural light. This made taking photographs a lot easier, where the model was always exposed to bright light that hit them in a natural way. I felt that the pictures I chose to be edited for this shoot needed to be fairly exposed already before editing in order for the quality of the focus to come across when adjusting it to black and white images. As the day went on, on this shoot I was able to experiment with the light and shade element of the photograph and take full advantage of the positioning of the Sun.
In the image below I felt that the lighting was what made the image have that moody/grunge image behind it – while enhancing the finer details that were picked up, that may have not of been picked up in other lighting circumstances.
In the 2nd fashion shoot, a majority of the photographs were taken using natural light. Although, one of the images ( the one below ) had lighting from the warehouse that the small festival I shot in, as well of having the mix along with natural lighting from the outside, since it was open and exposed letting that light in. I felt as if this gave the photograph a diversity of warmer toned lighting from the bulbs and other decorations in there; giving the image a warm vibe to the viewer. Whilst also having the contrasting, white, natural light from outside. I think this creates a lot of depth in the image and is informative to the eyes of the viewers; imaging what kind of atmosphere would be present within the location it was taken in. Having the electrical lights in the images also created a ray effect in the image where it caught the lens. For the 3rd fashion shoot for Men’s fashion. I once again used natural light from the window. I didn’t have any access to studio lights for this studio-type shoots, therefore using them lights wouldn’t be an option. Although, I felt as if using natural lighting would make the setting of the photograph a lot more natural, and have that at home sense about it. I feel like using studio lights sometimes, makes the photographs appear controlled and choreographed. For both the skincare shoots I also used natural lighting. This is mostly due to the fact that the photo shoots were based at home, so access to any studio lights was not possible. I was able to make it work considering the mood I wanted to each of the photographs. For the first skincare shoot I wanted the lighting to be mysterious to set a mellow feel to the photographs. In order to do this I considered the time of day that I wanted to capture the photographs- I took the photographs around noon when the Sun was just beginning to set for me to be able to still capture part of the natural light. The LED lights that I used added a lot of warm exposure to the image, which is the source of most of the light in the photographs; the black background contrasts the bright bulbs which makes them stand out more and glisten. When getting the lighting for the second skincare photo shoot I got the model to lie in a patch of Sun around midday. I did this so that the face was lit up well by a warm light and her face would appear bright and dewy. I wanted a somewhat sun kissed glow that would have been hard to achieve with studio lighting. I also feel if I was to have used studio lighting for this shoot, it would of stripped her face of too much colour and made her skin seem undesirable in ways. With the first skincare shoot I struggled to initially find the correct settings when taking the photographs due to the small setup I had for the shoot facing the opposite way from the natural light. Although I had to keep it in that direction to achieve the look I imagined. I had to make my ISO higher, although not too much otherwise the images would appear grainy and lose detail. Putting the mode on the camera to aperture priority after seemed to help brighten some of the images as well as creating that shallow depth of field that picked up all the detail of the product, whilst also broadening the amount of light that spread in the photo; where I think more light was picked up where the source of the light wasn’t in as much focus. When taking the images for the second photo shoot for the Men’s fashion, there was a couple of images I would have preferred to have edited instead of the ones I chose eventually. I couldn’t use those images I took a liking to more unfortunately due to them being out of focus. This is something I need to review more closely on shoots, in order for me to not have to discover this when it comes to the editing stage.
Are you happy with the creative elements within your photographs (i.e. colours, composition, angles, pattern)? I am happy with the overall colours of all the Men’s fashion shoots. I feel I was able to distinguish alternative personalities within having a colour theme for the different shoots; within the ways I edited them. I feel my first and second Men’s fashion had the strongest colour theme. For the first shoot I took on the controversial use of black and white in the images. It could be considered controversial where clothing is being promoted; yet you can’t see the colours. I feel as if I was able to represent the quality of the clothing through enhancing the highlights and shadows, therefore bringing out the details this way. I feel by making the images black and white the viewer/customer is able to acknowledge other details about the clothing they may have dismissed in colour. Using black and white also gave me the advantage of over enhancing details that would of lost definition if done in colour. With the second Men’s fashion shoot I tried to make the image appear as if they had a sepia filter over it; making them looking vintage in ways. I am not totally pleased with how all of them turned out, due to trying to achieve the desired sepia appearance; I meddled with the colour levels a lot. Therefore wasn’t able to achieve the exact same tones in each image. For the second skin care shoot, I feel that this applies the same. Where I was trying to adjust colour levels individually I wasn’t able to keep the same tones resulting in the models complexion being different in different images. Another mistake I feel was made when editing was taking the burning tool too far in some areas, possibly making the model appear to have dirty skin where used too harshly. I was unable to counteract this after realizing. Opposing this I am pleased with how I was able to enhance the models features using the burn tool and high pass tool, as if I was touching up her makeup in a ironically natural way on Photoshop. I felt by using these two tools on the skin I was able to contour the models face slightly and illuminate her skin and hair using the high pass tool; advocating the thought of health. With the Men’s fashion shoots, one and two, I wasn’t overjoyed with all of the angles in which the images were taken. Some of the images I felt I was standing at too much of a low angle than what I would have preferred. This is only due to the height difference of me as the photographer and the model- which couldn’t be helped. Although some of the angles I took were taken with the intention of being at a low angle. Such as the image below where the model is looking into the lens. I felt it would have captured people’s attention more this way and almost gives it that fish eye lens appearance. Making it more of an interactive image for the viewer.
With both of the skincare shoots I experimented with as many angles when taking the images in order to capture the best light and complement the subject as much as possible. For the second skincare shoot I wanted the angles to make the photographs appear as if they were action images that had been taken in the moment. I wanted that dramatic cinematic appearance. I also made sure that when taking the photographs for this shoot that I took it at an angle in which I could get as many of the crystals and her hair into the shot as possible. I wanted to achieve the look of her having a bath in a tub of crystals. I made sure that as much of the floor was covered as possible to insinuate this ; any areas that weren’t covered I used the cloning stamp tool to cover it. With taking all of the photographs I tried to keep to taking the images with the composition of the subject in one of the thirds of the frame. Depending on the what the model/subject was doing or what was around. In some images for on location shoots such as shoot one for Men’s fashion, I wanted more of the location to be involved in the photograph so the placement of the model was more to the left or right of the frame. Whereas in others I feel as if it was satisfying to the eye for the model/subject to be as central as possible and adds to the aesthetic of the final image that will enhance promotion. When planning for all of the photoshoots, one of the shoots that didn’t go to plan was my initial third one, where I was intending for it to take place on a farm. Too many complications took place that made me have to cancel this shoot. I kept the idea of just having the clothes as the main subject, without the use of a model(s), and tried a simpler concept that would still provide as much of a successful outcome.