Research, Research, Research!!!!

After a little telling off from Steve to the whole group about research, its time to show the research that i have been doing. I have done research but some is in my research file and i often forget to write about it on here as well.


Since doing the fashion shoot i have become increasingly interested in Jeanloup Sieff's work, his images are very fashion orientated and often in black and white. I like the simplicity and elegance that he creates in his imagery. They ooze femininity, which i love. I do not usually photograph people, but i am becoming increasingly interested in this area of photography, portraiture and fashion. 


Here are some of Jeanloup's images that i love.  

These images are all black and white, because of the generation they were took in. I am interested in this type of photography now however i really like colour in all aspects of photography that i have done before. So i want to keep this theme running throughout my work. I want to be known for punchy images with colour that represents something. So i want to take inspiration from his subjects but not his use of black and white film.


The images above are pretty simple, yet i feel very effective. They scream femininity and i cant help but be drawn to the shape and lines of the different women's figures. I am interested in looking at the different poses that seem to dominate all the fashion images i have been looking at.


Another photographer that i have been looking at is David LaChapelle. His images are to sum it up... pretty crazy! However, there is something i find intriguing about them and i love his use of colour.


His colours are often way over saturated and most pictures he takes look like a fantasy world.. somewhat unreal. His images are often very high contrast and lit incredibly well, whether this be in production or post production. He has photographed many many celebrities. I do admire his work and i think what he produces is vert different and original, this ultimately being why i like his work. 

These images above by LaChapelle i really love, i am interested in the poses that the people are doing but also i love his use of colour! That is what makes these images really appeal to me. I must admit that before i never really was into fashion photography, i could appreciate it but it was not my thing. Now i feel like i really want to explore this area. After taking good images for the fashion photography competition - Clothes Show Live it has made me think more seriously about portraiture and fashion as an area i may be interested about going into. 


I have just found a new photographer that i have never heard of before so i thought i would include him in my research for fashion and portrait photography. His name is Solve Sundsbo, his work really interests me. 
The lighting and positioning of his models is impeccable! I really like the idea as well that he manipulates his images and plays around with them. Apparently he has argued that anyone can pick up a digital camera and edit it in photoshop. He says that he is giving fashion photography a complete new look and i agree. 


His work is out of the ordinary and is pushing the boundaries between photography and art.


Solve Sundsbo is a Norwegian fashion photographer who cleverly manipulates images making them out of the ordinary.
His work incorporates everything from X-rays and 3-D scanning to hi-tech manipulation and laborious hand-painted retouching. “If I’ve got a style,” says Sundsbo, “it’s that I’ve got no style.”


Above text taken from : http://trendland.net/solve-sundsbo-photography/#

My Fashion shoot

I was aiming to do my shoot on monday evening, however due to certain circumstances i could not do it that night, due to this i shot yesterday.


The weather was not that great to be honest, it was raining and quiet windy. I was really worried that i would not be able to get the shots i wanted, however we set off to the location and the rain did calm down a little which was good. By the time i actually got shooting and choosing different areas of the building to use as my backdrop the rain had stopped. 


I ended up buying the hat for my shoot from the vintage shop i talked about in a previous post, then i just got my model to wear a long black coat, black tights and black boots. The coat was hers and the black boots were mine so it did not cost me anything apart from five pounds for the hat. 


The images below are some of the images i have edited from the shoot that i like the most, however i have not chosen a final image yet.


The only editing that i have done to these images on Photoshop is:


- Levels
- Brightness/Contrast
- Dodge/Burn 
- Clone tool 


I knew when i was doing the shoot that i was getting the images that i wanted, sometimes on other shoots i have not been as confident that i have got the shots. However this shoot was really good and i felt very confident photographing my model. This is a first for me as i do not usually photograph that many people and i have never really done any fashion photography before. 


I have joined the website Model Mayhem to get in contact with models i could use on up and coming shoots. I am definately going to work on more fashion shoots in my own personal time.


 I feel as though the images i have taken are really strong and possibly some of the best images i have ever taken!

Things to take into consideration when doing my shoot

Having came to college earlier today and finding out that i can not take a Canon 5D or a flash gun out i am not going to have to use my own Canon 450D and possibly borrow my housemates Flashgun. I have got a reflector already so no need to worry about that. 


I would have liked to use location lighting but getting it back to Derby is a problem for me, so i will have to make the best of what i have got. 
I am aiming to do my shoot at around four o'clock, this way i can get images in the sunlight (hopefully its a nice day) and then i am going to take some images when it starts to get darker, around dusk time. 


Steve has told me to think about the different angles i can shoot at, and the different places in and around the building. I want to create my image in inspiration to the shot i have been looking at, but also i am going to try and do something a little quirky and different. Take things close up!! Try and capture the beauty and smoothness of my models skin against and grain and grit of the derelict building. 

Amazing new location i have found!

Since going out and taking the photographs i did the other day of possible locations, i have since found out about an absolutely perfect location. It is an old derelict railway station in Derby, not far from me at all!! infact only about 10-15 minutes away. The building is so urban, just what i was looking for. The outside is covered in grafitti with broken windows and you can even get inside and photograph in there! I am definately going to use this location now, and if i have time visit some of the other locations too.

I plan to do my shoot on next monday, at around dusk time. I am going to ask today about booking out a flash gun and a reflector. I really like the idea of using the location lighting but because i do not drive would be really hard for me to get it home. So, for the time being i am going to just get a flash gun and use a reflector. I am going to take another friend with me to assist, and also it will be getting dark by the time i finish shooting.

Here is the amazing gem of a building...

My Model

Steve told me to post up an image of the model i am using for my fashion shoot onto here. I am really pleased that she agreed to be my model because she reminds me of the lady in the picture i am taking inspiration from. She is petite and has very long mousey blonde hair, perfect!

Possible Locations for my fashion shoot

After speaking with Steve last week about how i should concentrate on creating my image for the clothes show live fashion brief i have been out exploring trying to find a suitable location. We only have less than two weeks until the deadline for this competition, so i need to get cracking.

The brief is for us to take inspiration from an iconic fashion image. We must re-create an image from the parts of the original image that inspire us. We must re-create but NOT copy!

Here is the iconic image i have chosen to look at:

The parts of the image that i want to take inspiration from are the pose of the model and also the way the model looks. I want to re-create my own lady in black... I also want to take inspiration from the background. The lady in this image is in an open space, that space being a field. I want to also find some open space for my image but i want to find a more urban space to shoot my fashion image. I will look at rural spaces though, as you never know what you might find! This image was taken by Jeanloup Sieff.

I have been out today on a mini adventure! I have been pleasently surprised by some of the places i have found. First i went on a walk to Markeaton Park, which is not too far from me now as i have moved to Derby. Infact only about five minutes away.

Here are a few of the images i took whilst exploring around the park...

All of these images are definately of a more rural location, and i do not want to copy. However, the original image the lady was in a field and these are woods and different locations so it is not the same. I am pleased with the areas i have found.

The above images were all taken at markeaton park too, i just went exploring around the areas that werent in use by usual visitors. I was looking for somewhere more gritty, more urban. Somewhere that had an interesting feel to it. All of the places i have found i think have potential, its just picking one!!

On my way back from markeaton, i went exploring down a few of the back streets near me and found this pretty deserted car park and garages. I really like this location and i do think it has a certain grittyness to it ( if thats even a word ) and it is definately a more urban setting.... a definate possibility!!

Also, i came across a little gem of a shop... a cute little vintage shop that sold fur coats, hats and nic naks! Even some really cool old film cameras! I am definately going back for a visit and found a very nice hat in there that i might possibly use on my shoot! It was though the shop knew exactly what i was looking for!