Mentality

Tuesday 19th March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

For today's shoot I am going to be looking at possibly more than one issue.  The reason for this is oringially my idea was going to be mental health etc. but I have since thought my idea through and thought it could also link in with being terminally ill and in hospital.

The shoot is quite dark and invloves the model I will be using as my patient to hold a gun as if he were about to commit suicide.  I am also going to have a wheelchair for the shoot to just to help me get some variation in shots.  I will be using the white background for the shoot as it will repersent hospital walls etc.

What I am hoping to achieve...

From this shoot I am hoping to be able to really bring out the dark emotion that I want to be portrayed in getting this issue accross.  I also want to be able to do some things on Photoshop to enhance the photos and make them look even creepier.

What I actually achieved...

I really loved this shoot - it has been my favourite of this topic so far.  Here are some of the photos:

These two pictures were using the wheelchair. I really like the angle at which they were taken and the way the model looks almost lifeless.  I think the mask and the gun were nice elements to add to the photo shoot and I am glad that  encorporated them.  I think the white background worked really well too as it repersented the walls of a hospital, though as you can see in these photos shadows became a problem.

I love this photo! - my model reminds me of some kind of Gollum like creature.  I really like how stange and uniquw this shot is.  I like how you can only see part of the subjects face but you can see the 'dead' and creppy expression and the way you can really see the gun here too.  I would have liked to explore more with more unquie poses like this.

These next three shots are all ones that I enhanced on Photoshop.  I like to focus on the eyes as this made the shot, for me, even creppier, so I chnaged the colour of them to blakc or white and also made them look blood shot in one too.  On the one with the wheelchair I also edited it so that the colour of the skin changed to make him look more dead.  I really liked experiementing with some of the effects that I did here and I would like to try this some more.





What I am going to do next...

I really enjoyed this shoot and had fun with it.  I would like to do somehting like this again where I use props etc. to make the shot really come to life.  I also liked using the effects that Photoshop offer as it means that I can make the shot look veen darker.  I really would like to do another 'dark' shoot.

Thank you to my model Paul - again! x

Sexuality

Friday 15th March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

For today's shoot I am going to be look at the issue of sexuality.  I think that this is an important issue as it is something so common in today society yet something that I still feel is very unaccepted and one of the most discriminative subjects in society today.

My plans for this shoot will include me taking a male model and simply photographing them with 'I LIKE MEN' on there chest - to emphasise the point that it is something that people feel so strongly about yet don't really talk about, I am going to make it look like it is cut into his chest using makeup and effects on Photoshop.  I am going to be using th grey background for this shoot.

What I am hoping to achieve...

From today's shoot I am really hoping to highlight the issue in a light that shows the hurt and anger of people that have the same sex orientation and how society has shaped this by being so unaccepting.  The shoot is really quite simple, so I am really looking to bring out the emotion through my model and his connection with the camera.
What I actually achieved...

I am happy with today's shoot, though I got some different shots to that I was imagning in my head.  I really like them, but rather than making sure my model was all connected with the camera so to bring the emotion out in his eyes and facial expression, it turned out that during the shoot it actully worked better when his was 'disconected' from the camera and not looking at it.  Here are some of the shots:

I like this shot as I think the pose it rather unusal.  I really love how the red is standing out so much with all the other colours in the photo being neutral and harmonious.  The positioning of the photo is something I quite like too - I like the way it is off-centre.

This next photo I am not so sure about - I love somethings about it and am unsure about others. 

I really love the pose and the off-centre positioning of the photo again.  However, I think though the pose is really good, the accentuation on the 'writing' on his chest is lost slightly and more focus is brought to the subjects face as he is making the connection to the camera - nevertheless, I am not sure that this expression is quite the right one for getting across the issue I was trying to in the way I was trying to (I think it looks a little too moody).  I should have specifed more accurately to my model that I was after a more emotional shot.

This my favourite shot from today.  I love the pose of the subject and how it has really made the 'writing' on his chest stand out and get the message I wanted to accross.  I really like how he is looking down and away from the camera - it makes the shot really emoitonal as my model looks sad but also like he is ashamed of his sexuality.  This is what I stated at the begining about how society has shaped this and this is what I wasnted to get accross in a photo.

What I am going to do next...

I really like how these shots were simple and yet they still made an impact.  I loved how all the colours were neutral yet the red stood out so well in the photo making the point I was trying to get accross stand out more.  This has made me think about how I can use colour more in another shoot to get an issue accross and make it stand out in a photo.

I also loved the unique range of poses I had with my model this time and this is something that I am going explore in other shoots.

As always thank you to my wonderful model, Paul!

Target Post (Tuesday 19th March 2013)

By the end of this lesson you will have clearly demonstrated that your understanding and exploration of your chosen exam topic has increased and you understand the potentials of the topic.

In today's class I am going to demonstrate my understanding of my chosen exam topic of issue by tackling the issue of insanity/mental issues/terminal illness.

I think this is an important issue that is often dismissed in society.  I am going to execute this shoot by having my model done up like a patient in a hospital that is insane etc.  I am really hoping to photograph the emotion in make the photo look quite frantic and crazy (the model).

Target Post (Friday 15th March 2013)

By the end of this lesson you will have clearly demonstrated that your understanding and exploration of your chosen exam topic has increased and you understand the potentials of the topic.

In today's class I will be demonstrating my understanding and exploration of my exam topic of issues by tackling the issue of sexuality/ sexual orientation in  a shoot.

I will be shooting in the studio and have a model to help me.  I am going to go about this issue by shooting my model with 'I like men' on his chest - I am going to do this in SFX makeup as I want it too look as he has cut it into him.  I have chosen to do this as I think that some people find it really hard to come out and say whether they are gay/lesbian or yet they are still proud - it makes them who they are.  I also hate the reaction that society has on people who like the same gender to them and therefore around this 'cut' and I am gong to write some of the offensive insults or things people associated with being gay/lesbian.  

I really want this shoot to make a statement and really show the emotion that I am trying to get across.  I feel this is a big issue in society and I don't think that is is right that people aren't understanding of people's sexual orientation.

Target Post (Tuesday 13th March 2013)

By the end of this lesson you will have clearly demonstrated that your understanding and exploration of your chosen exam topic has increased and you understand the potentials of the topic.

For today's class, and so I can for-fill my target, I am going to look into research and planning for my exam shoot and get prepared for shoots I have planned for later this week.  My exam topic is issues and I want to be able to really show the emotion in the issues that I am photographing.  I am also going to look into the past shoots I have done and try to explore different ways of editing and enhancing my work by looking at Photoshop techniques and tutorials.

Home Sweet Home...

Tuesday 5th March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

For today's shoot I am planning on looking at the issue of homelessness.  This is going to be a location shoot as opposed to a studio shoot (for obvious reasons).  I am planning on conducting this shoot in an old garage car park area that is barely used now in an area close to where I live.

This shoot is going to be simple - nothing too complicated or over the top.  I am going to have my model sitting with a old blanket and sign that says 'HOME SWEET HOME...' - I want it to be sarcastic yet still have the deep emotion in it that people would experience being homeless.  I am then just going to use an props from things that I find around the area I am doing the shoot in.

What I am hoping to achieve...

I am hoping to get set of photos today that portrays the harsh reality of being homeless.  Though my shoot is going to be reconstructed I want it to still be convincing.

What I actually achieved...

I am happy with the outcome of todays shoot - I got some really good shots I think.  One problem I did realise though till I got back to the class room to edit the photos is that it was such a bring and sunny day, some of the photos have the wrong feel about them colour wise as they look to 'happy', even though my subject is looking sad.  Therefore in Photoshop I darkened them out a bit - here are a couple of my best shots.

Here is one of the shots that I really liked.  I like the pose and the way the subject isn't making eye contact with the camera and looks lost in thought. I have changed the colour on this photo by de-staturing it slightly and then changing the colour levels slight and brought them more toward the red/ magenta side of the scale.

This is one of the photos that was really bright to begin with that I made darker.  I like this photo a lot and think it looks pretty realistic.  To get the dark effect I have to layer over paint using the gradient tool whilst the opacity was right down till I got the desired effect.  I also changed the saturation and the colours slightly too.




What I am going to do next...

This shoot has made me want to experiment more with location shoots as opposed to just working in the studio.  I think there are many other issues that I could explore outside and I am going to start looking for some good locations to conduct shoots.

I have also been inspired to go out and find real issues from this shoot - I think if I walked round the streets in London I would find some real life issues going on right in front of my eyes - this would hold the emotion that I could never bring out using a model and get a different feel to the photo.  I might see if I can take a trip into London and see what I can find.

Again, thank you to Paul for helping me with all my work and being an amazing model! xxx

Eating Disorders

Friday 1st March 2013

Plans for the shoot...

In today's shoot I will be looking at the issue of eating disorders and trigger point of people not wanting to eat anymore down to poor self image and appearance.  For this shoot I am going to be using a model who looks normal and healthy, so I can capture the moment in an individuals mind on when they think they should stop eating and why.

I am planning on making red cupcakes for this shoot! I am then going to write on my models chest 'F*CK FOOD', as if saying I don't want or need it anymore.  I have chosen to use a cruse word here as I think the control side of eating disorders that make one want to carry on with not eating is very angry and has a lot of pain.  I then want my model to be holding the cupcake and to smash it up in his hands while black icing pour out of it - I want this to signify the need and want to get rid of the food and stop eating, with the black icing representing the poison that people with eating disorders see food as.

I am going to use either the brown or grey background for this shoot.

What I hope to achieve...

I am hoping to get a good set of photos from this shoot that can really capture the ugly side of eating disorders.  I am not necessarily thinking of photographing my models face so I really want the emotion to some out in the cupcake being smashed up and the words.

What I actually achieved...

This was actually a really fun shoot to do - smashing up cupcakes and making a mess! Though I experienced a lot of development during this shoot as I what I had originally planned to do didn't work out.

Only shooting my models torso and hands with the cupcake didn't work out as well as I had planned and I felt that during the shoot it was become difficult to get across the issue as eventually the cupcake wasn't recognisable and it didn't really start to make sense.  At this point I decided to try and use to tape up my models mouth and smash a cupcake over it to make it look at if he can't eat anymore - this worked much better, though I did also get some of the original photos to work too.  Here are some of the best ones:

Here is one of the original ideas of how I thought my work would end up looking.  I think this works as you can still tell that it is a cupcake and therefore there is no confusion as to what is going on in the photo or the message that is being highlighted.

Here is one of the photos that I developed my shoot into.  Because the cupcakes at this point were so smashed up, this helped it to ensure that it still made sense.

I really like this shot in particular.  It is different to what I had expected the rest of the shoots to look, but I like it and I think it works well.  I like the way the cupcake it up front toward the camera and then in the background you can just make out the writing - I also like here only the mouth has been photographed out of the face yet this is enough to be able to get the point and the emotion across.

I put the background out of focus here and made the cupcake the focus.  I think this works as you can still make out the writing, even with the blur  over the top, and the cupcake is in focus at the front.  I think this allows both elements of the photo to compliment each other more as the cupcake looked so small against the strong writing, here it sort of balances it out more.

Here is a selective colour shot.











What I am going to do next...

This shoot has inspired me to look at the other side of eating disorders - over eating.  I want to photograph this shoot in  a similar way to this only rather than showing the trigger pint of the issue, I want to shows the point at which it has become too much and the food has taken over the persons life.

Thank you so much to my model Paul - amazing as always! :)