Photo shoot 2

I also wanted to experiment with still life because I found an image of a teddy bear in my i-D magazine, this showed me that I could.

Here I have experimented with different numbers of poker chips, and different types of glasses. Images 1761 and 1762 seem to be the best ones so I may blend them together.

Edits

The original image (1761).

here i edited 1762 into 61 using a layer mask which adds more detail.

Here I adjusted the basic levels of the image. 

I adjusted the hue and saturation to try and make the red and blue of the poker chips stand out but it didn't actually change that much.

I cropped out the the kitchen cloth and unnecessary material.

Final:

I like this image because of the detail I was able to achieve however the chip aren't completely viewable/recognisable. The top of the water where the chips are and where the water is falling is the best part of the image. Overall I feel that this image is quite week and I cant see how it would work with other portraits I have planned. Therefore I won't be using this image.

Photo shoot 1 - throwing cards

Contact sheet

Number 3037 seems to be the best one however the model is quite underexposed so I may have to use 3036 as well.

Edits:

The original image is too under exposed and the card is the wrong way up.

I have flipped to card round.

Here I placed image 3036 in and used a layer mask to expose it.

This is a good exposure now that I have adjusted the levels. However I still dont like how red the model looks, I could look use a filter to balance this.

This looks much more balanced.

Final:

Sketches of face paint designs

I am taking a lot of influence from The Jester by Kirk Quilaquil. Primarily the face paint design. I have thought a lot about the designs and decided to sketch them.

At first I was thinking about the suits in a pack of cards and I saw that the design from Jester was very precise, it looked like it was done professionally. Therefore I kept to this generalisation. I really like the solid lines because it really stands out. However I dislike the suit logos because they don't flow with the lines.

Here I have experimented with very rough edges that blend in with the skin whilst keeping some of the similarities like make up around the eyes and mouth. The cracking of the face paint was influenced by the Joker played by Heath Ledger in the Batman movie 'The Dark Night'. I like this because its a little different and the crying face shows the opposite of how a jester or clown should feel. I feel that this is very controversial about entertainers. On the other hand I think that this may be to hard to achieve considering my own abilities and it struggles to reflect work of a researched accurately.

I am going to revisit using solid lines.

I really like this design. It follows three main aspects of the face including both eyes and the nose; it then seems to frame the lips in between the lines coming from the eyes. The lips and around the eye is also black. This design is very simple but it is very appealing because it sparks a reaction. It makes the viewer feel a little uneasy; possibly frightened. I am going to use this design on my photo shoot.

Flying Cards

I have an idea where a card would be thrown towards the camera and I would use a small aperture so that the thrower is only just out of focus and the card will be in focus. This means that I will have to use a fast shutter speed and I'll have to get perfect timing. An alternative is to use an infrared delayed camera trigger.

These transmit an IR beam that when broken it will trigger the shutter, the delay time should be adjustable so that all the subjects are in frame. The high end models have an adjustable beam area coverage and they also respond to other elements like sound, movement and light. The light sensor is similar to the slave setting on a flashgun. There are many videos and tutorials that can teach someone how to make an IR trigger using an Arduino, micro chips and resistors to adjust the delay time. 

However I will attempt to get the image without a delay trigger first so save the hassle of making one or buying one.

Rezarta Shkurta

I can not find any personal information about this photographer even though Shkurta has a website and an official Facebook page. Looking at the types of images on her Flickr page she specialises in portraiture, fashion. A lot of them use specialist lighting and skilled digital manipulation techniques which make the images look very surreal.

 

In this image the model is bending the cards which create tension and they then pop out of his hands. The model looks very relaxed doing this which I hope to achieve because I have an idea of someone throwing cards. The image is also desaturated which makes the detail of the model and the flying of the cards stand out. The lighting looks like it’s a natural light source from the left of the image; I think this because of the gradual contrast across the image from left to right. There is also a black ring around the image which suggests that they used a normal sensor lens on a full frame camera or did it afterwards in edits.

This image has clearly been colour splashed. The colour splash however is really effective because it really makes this image stand out. When I look at the image I am immediately drawn towards the card and then I move to the face because of the lips and the density of the black around the models eyes. I then look at the dress because of the intensity of the blues and purples. The whole of the image is in detail, this means that Shkurta must have used a high f number. There also seems to be a lot of noise but I think that this works well because it blends in with the colours that Shkurta intended to use. I really like this image because of the intense colours and simple positioning of the model.

Tim Walker

For the last decade Walker has worked for Vogue magazine, producing work month by month. The characteristics of his work can be described as extravagant and romantic which is a reoccuring motif. He graduated in 1994 and worked as a freelance photographic assistant in London. Walker then moved to New York where he became a full time assistant to Richard Avedon. At the age of 25 Walker created his first fashion story for Vogue; since then he has gained many awards including ‘Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator’ and 'Infinity Award' from The International Center of Photography.

The main light source for this image seems to be behind the model which has then been reflected by the walls and disco balls. This has created a large contrast in tones across the legs, body, arms and face. However the reflection from the disco balls separate these shadows making the image more complicated than it actually is. The models leg seems to split this image into two parts; the lower part is very chaotic with light and shapes and the top half relies on one light source and doesn't excite the viewer as much as the lower half. The colours that have been used are very neutral however the red used on the models lips make her whole face stand out. This emphasises the the tones across her face and how it makes her expression very serious and dominating. These feelings are very overpowering and makes the viewer feel like they have an emotional attachment to it. The location that was used is very simply a corner of a room near a window. I like this because the light bounces off these walls perfectly to create the mood of the image.

 This image has used natural light from the huge window on the left, therefore there is a dominance of light on the left of the image and becoming slightly darker as you look to the right. The contrast in tone is very small. The blue of the dress matches the blue of the walls and I personally find this very calming because it makes me think of a summer sky. The dress also looks really delicate and majestic because of its length and the number of folds it as it falls to the floor. I feel that this relates to the design of the staircase. The positioning of the model on a spiral staircase really reflects Walker's romantic style because it looks like she is waiting for someone or something which is emphasised by the aged building. There are a lot of vertical lines in this image which I think leads you from the top of the image where the model is to the bottom where the dress is resting across the floor.

Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is an American photographer born 1949 in Connecticut. In 1970 she took a job with the Rolling Stone magazine. After two years as staff photographer she was promoted to chief photographer and stayed with the title for 10 years. Her position meant that she could join The Rolling Stones on their 1975 tour. She developed her style of bold colours and surprising poses. She left Rolling Stone magazine to work for Vanity Fair. A magazine with a much wider array of subjects. The subjects ranged from presidents to literary icons to heartthrobs.

Leibovitz has used colour and positioning very effectively here because the red would connote danger or love. I think the bare skin that is shown from the model and the very thin legs and arms might show that she is actually weak and lifeless. The size of the dress shows that she completely material. She has nothing but the dress that makes her who she is. Lying on the grass is very simple and very bland which is the opposite of the dress and helps the dress to get a lot of attention from the viewers. The models body follows a line of the rule of thirds horizontally and the base of the dress falls down a vertical rule of thirds.

The lighting in this image is very dim and it creates a lot of shadows this may show that there are a lot of  secrets that are hidden. This is promenant in the main subject and in the group of people on the left. However the group on the right are well lit, maybe this shows that they are innocent and have nothing to hide. Since as the two groups are split up it may mean that they dislike each other; different families, a fight,anything could have split them up. The two models in the middle of them may be people who are trying to resolve the problem or prevent the fighting. The use of the lighting is very inspiring to me because it is very natural which is something I wanted to achieve in my images.