Task Two

Originally i did want this image to be my final image for the second task, however i didn't think it was very beneficial in the long run. I liked this image as i had taken it after my sister had just come into the house, she was as natural as she could be, no make up her hair a straggly mess, a side of her which not many people get too see. I called her name and as she looked up i took the photo. I love the plain expression and lack of make up, although the clothes she is wearing are plain black and no detail can be seen which why i decided to choose another image.

This is my final photo, after looking at the websites we were given i had a better understanding of what was expected from me. I wanted to try to aim purely on Fashion and decided to scout the university. I came across this young girl named Ruby (left) who was very open to me taking her photo.  

I loved the way in which her short blonde hair had dark roots growing through and the way her t-shirt seems sightly too big for her tucked into denim shorts. I think her cardigan is a size too big for her its as if the fashion is to wear baggy clothes. Her footwear also bold with a floral pattern covering the boots, her choice of clothes that day all do not match, its a kind of statement she is making.

When i took the photo she was very awkward unsure of what i was capturing even after i explained the project, i think i need to work on my approach in future. The young girl next to her is my youngest sister Fern, i loved the way i pounced on her which is why she too seems awkward in the photo. I like the way the jeans she was wearing were straight baggy but rolled up above the ankle. Wearing Van like shoes she has purposely chosen to wear socks that are on show and will be seen. Straight long hair is almost like another accessory on her, the tight top balances the bagginess of the jeans. This is the third of three photos i took, Ruby still seemed to look awkward in the image where as Fern relaxed a little , her body posture changing with her hands on her hips.

I do like the image however i think maybe in future if i was too travel to a busy place for example London i would have more choice in person and fashion.

Task One

Audrey Marnay, Suffolk, UK, 2011, Italian Vogue - Taken by TIM WALKER

The Image
After looking at Tim Walkers photography for my essay for this task i immediately had him in mind. This image is one i believe to be an iconic fashion image. Not only is the simplicity of the image immediately striking which captures the eye of the viewer but also the strangeness of the composition and character is creative in the fashion industry.
The image has been taken by Tim Walker in which he has used natural soft lighting to help capture a doll like impression of the model. The light being pale and soft also makes the surroundings and skin of the model work well with the paleness of her dress and tights.
Walker has attached fake arms to help represent that the doll like model comes across as fake and plastic. The arms also encourage the viewer to look twice at the image as at first glance they seem to crowd the models real arms forcing the viewer to question the story of the image.
 The clothes she is wearing are not perfectly worn, the skirt is folded and creased as if she has just been dropped or fallen to the slanted position she is in. The pale stockings and gloves also help give the impression of a doll like character making the additional props of the arms blend in well with the model. The puppet like figure also in focus behind the model seems to be representing the model herself as a puppet/dolly. It rein forces the theme of the image and gives the image an unnerving mood as the puppet/doll's facial impression is questioning and wooden twisting the mood of the image.
The composition of this image is unique as she has placed herself as if she is a broken or fallen doll on the stairs. Her having a straight back and locked arms create the tension of a doll but her legs opposite the camera help encourage her limpness.
Her facial expression finishes off the image, the bold make up helps encourage her features emphasising a dolly like character with the expression she is pulling.
The set also contributes greatly, her being on the stairs makes her the main focus of the image. The stairs look dusty and old giving the impression that the character the model is playing has been there a long time.
To produce such an image would have taken a lot of time to be able to get the lighting similar to the paleness of the model's dress and skin. The awkwardness, composition and narrative of this image has lead me to believe it is a iconic fashion image. This image is beautiful but in a way in which is a different kind of beauty. Its an imagined scenario, make up and props making the set come alive. The simplicity of the image is what drew me towards it, the simple context gives the clothes she is wearing character and portray an in depth narrative.

Tim Walker is known for his creative images, he has created some massive sets the models in the images being more of an extra rather than the main focus. He uses mostly natural lighting and works rarely in a studio, when doing so he gets his ideas for new photographs from the world we live in. He brings his daydreams to life through his photography, nothing is impossible which leads him to wild and creative images.
I first heard about this photographer in a lecture we had on Mythology. Since then i have been obsessed with his work, seeing his images has given me an insight of how fashion could be portrayed with variety and unlimited ideas. A lot of the time i associate fashion with pretty models looking stunning, however Walker has managed to open my eyes to fashion photography.

Object and Body Critical Appraisal

Object
I did enjoy my object shoot and i am happy with the end result. I feel after my last assessment I sill have room for improvement. I did struggle with he composition of the objects i used and ended up trying to reinforce my concept of teenage pregnancies into the shot. Maybe if i had made it simpler it would have been easier to read  by the viewer and also understood. I think as i was new to the course i was still experimenting and struggling with the resources we were given. In future i need to get on with the work at hand and prepare for the shoot properly to avoid loosing time. I would of liked to re-shoot my Object but really struggled for time because of the re-shoot of my Environment Unit, again preparing and planning better in future will help me greatly.


Body
I really enjoyed doing this Body shoot and i am pleased with the end result. I found coming up with a strong concept my hardest battle in this project but i feel the photo shoot ran smoothly and ended well with numinous photographs to choose from. I feel that the run up to the shoot was very stressful and i did feel the tension of the other projects on go at the same time
My final image i am so pleased with, i now have many ideas to other portraiture projects that will come in the future and i feel as if this shoot has made me more confident with portraiture photography. My concept focusing on the way in which mothers put their children first at all times and researched into artists which eventually lead me to a stronger concept. I made sure that 'summer' 18 months old would be well lit safe and focused on, i am very happy with the final print and made the effort of printing off Summers mother Elayne a copy in which she was over the moon with. I am pleased with the final outcome.

Environment Critical Appraisal

Environment unit
For my first environment unit I'm pleased with my final images that i have produced. I know i did struggle to produce a high standard of work to begin with although i did really try, I decided to re-shot all the three images and my Pastiche, I am pleased i did re-shoot as my images have vastly improved using Edgar Martins as a valid researched photographer. My concept of this unit originally was De-forestation but after researching i found that the mix of man made substances with the environment was more interesting and common. My three final images support my concept and have lead to some interesting photos with the mix of both the environment and man-made substances. I feel as though i have developed the images well and was able to support my idea with my photo's but there is still room for improvement in the future.
As for my pastiche i feel i struggled to understand what was expected for a pastiche at the beginning of the unit, however now i understand the term now and has lead my to my final image. It is as close as possible to Robert Adam's image and i feel i have captured the mood and reason for his photo in mine. In future i think i need to experiment more with the place and composition of the photos.
In the future i could use colour film instead and experiment widely with the destination of the photos. I am very happy with this units photos and feel i have learnt a lot in the process of completing it.


Urban Environment
For my second environment unit i feel very happy with my finished images. To begin with i was unsure and struggled to come up with a strong concept. It did take a while but after researching artists such as Robert Doisneau and other various artists, i was able to come up with a strong concept. I wanted to represent the City as what made the city a city. I found it wasn't just the buildings and vast businesses but without the people in the city it was nothing. I based my project on the people of the city, with them it would be nothing.
I enjoyed this unit and found that the project seemed easier to get on with as workshops seemed to be drawing to a close and i could focus better on the subjects at hand.
In the future i think i need to work on my planning as some of the photos are blurry because of the movement of the people, i need to be more prepared for this. However i am really pleased with my final three images, i could develop my idea further in future capturing more people of the city
My pastiche however i found i struggled with, i knew where i wanted to take the photo but found it difficult to find the right time of day to do so. I think my final outcome of the image is satisfactory but there is much room for improvement. I definitely need to plan my projects in more depth in future to enable me to have a better final outcome.

My body shoot -

Summer - final chosen photograph

i definitely feel as though my shoot went as well as it could have gone. The day begun really well getting to the studios early my assistant an i were able to get to the shop and managed to get most of the equipment we needed. Within the first hour i had already learnt that our tactics were wrong as we then struggled to get the studio ready as the equipment like poly boards and C-stands had already been taken. After searching we did find ways to make up for the lack of amount of equipment in the studios.

Equipment used:
- Camera - RZ Standard
- Gloves
- Clamp
- White Backdrop
- 2 Broncolor Lights
- 2 Fill lights
- 2 Power packs
- Sync Lead
- Exstention Lead
- 2 Cable covers
- Large Background Stand
- 8 Poly boards
-Duckt tape

As for the poly boards we managed to find the amount we needed in other studios and by using duckt tape we managed to create duckt tape hinges to secure my set. I was really surprised in the amount of equipment i used for my set, i ensured that cable covers were used to eliminate the risk of tripping also. My set quickly becoming the biggest in the studio, I made sure we set up opposite the door so it was easier for the mother and her little girl to come straight through.
My model Elayne and her 18month girl Summer were due to arrive at 2.00pm but didn't get to the studios till 3.00pm. After phone calls it proved that the distance she was travelling made it harder for her because of the traffic and unfamiliar roads.
The shoot probably took around twenty minutes long and i used two rolls of film to capture Elayne and Summer and also used another roll of film before the models arrived in which i took practise shots of my assistant to ensure that when they arrived i was ready to go.
The first roll of film i used was capturing Elayne and Summer together. Summer being so young i found it difficult to keep her attention longer than one minute which i had prepared for, i used milk chocolate stars to keep her entertained and hopeful throughout the shoot. Summer sat on her mothers lap while i focused on her character and personality.
The idea behind my shoot was focusing on the little one, the mother now being less important. The second roll of film i went for a completely different way of capturing my idea by taking Elayne out and having her stand behind me which immediately caught Summers attention. I could then get closer to Summer focusing on her eyes and expressions i was able to capture her with her personality as well as her cautious behaviour.
Summer began to get a bit upset which is when her comfort blanket was given to her, i managed to capture her with a slight smile and softness in her eyes holding the blanket close to her. The shot was my fourth to last image on that roll of film and i have used it for my final image.
I am really happy with my final image and although you can see a slight cut under her eye and a snotty nose it seems to have captured her enitlly how i was aiming to represent such a young girl. In future i have learnt that taking my time would probably of benefited me well in this shoot as i did feel a need of rush as i was concerned of the child's attention. In future also a packet of tissues would be a good idea, just incase my model has a snotty nose. I really am pleased with this image i feel it captures Summer's personality and is one to be kept by Elayne in the future. The mother n to being in the photo supports my idea as the whole focus is on Summer eliminating any distraction of her mother. Much patience was needed with this shoot and I'm happy with the end results.

Environment - City Pastiche

My pastiche

          Brassai, ‘Paris after Dark, No.27’, 1933

Brassai known for his technique and interesting images was known to wandering around at night. This image is a good example of what he would come accross. The reflection of water from the cobbled street proves to the viewer it has been raining, the way in which the lights from the buildings light up the street gives the image a very uneasy feel to it, especially with the man in the distance.
I feel i struggled a bit with this pastiche'. I found it difficult trying to find the right place to take the photos i needed. I choose 'Paris after Dark' because when I first viewed it i immediately had ideas where i could take the photo. It was easier timing this photo right because of the dark early nights so i didn't have to wait very long for the sun to go down, however setting the camera on the right settings proved to be more difficult than i realised.

I planned to capture the photo in the high street however the time of year meant that Christmas lights were up and on, ruining the photos. I ended up going for walks down through alleys and little streets off of the high street which lead me to my destination of my pastiche. I wouldn't say this is one of my best images, however at the time this is as close to 'Paris After Dark' i could get too. I managed to keep that darkness and the cobbled streets in sight, and the lights in the background helped light up the path and surrounding buildings. However it is still quite dark which makes it harder to see the buildings. I think i managed to capture the mood and similarity's of Brassai's image but could improve on it further when the Christmas lights are down.

City - My final images

After much consideration I decided on focusing my city project more on the people who make up our community rather than the city itself. I wanted to capture the people who are hidden in our towns. I found that capturing the people of the city to be incredibly difficult as people act differently when knowing a photo will be taken of them.
I ended up going to Rochester and finding several places that looked interesting and waited there until the right looking person walked by. The bad part about this way of taking photos is that the camera is already in focus so the subject would have to walk the right distance away to be in focus. I have found many of the images i did take to be unfocused on the subject but crystal clear on the background.
Another problem which was quite frustrating is when a few people realised the camera was in sight they moved faster which ended in blurred photos, wether or not they were in focus the shutter speed was still quite slow.
A good point about taking photos this way is that the people are unexpected, the unpredictability of who walks by is what drew me to taking photos this way. The images I have chosen are below, and i think that the way in which they are composed and represented supports my idea.

The Florist and her Dog

Couple in the Archway

The Dustbin man

I am pleased with my three City images, i did struggle with the use of capturing the subject clear and focused, however the many films i did use i think these three images present my concept well.

My first image The Florist and her dog is one of my favourite of the three, as the way in which i was able to capture the interest of the older woman and the way in which the florist is laughing makes the image seem relaxed. The reason why was the people in the photograph didn't realise i was taking the image, (apart from the florist as i asked her permission first) a few seconds after i took the photo the old woman realised i was taking a photo and couldn't of apologised more, she ran off in a hurry which is why the older woman is slightly blurry. 

My second image of the couple walking under the archway was one that seemed to be harder than i orriginally realised. After i set up my camera i ended up having to wait an hour for the perfect person to walk by. Also because the archway is out of the way its not popular for people to walk down it which is why it took so long. What was also a challenge was printing this image, it was difficult to print with the contrasting shades. By this point the light of the day seemed to be going and the cloudy sky didnt help. I've managed to print it using dodging and buring throughout the process in the darkroom. I am pleased with the image, the couple are in focus and the way the archway shadows the couple also made it harder to print.

My third image of the dustbin man i feel really relates to my concept. He is slightly out of focus due to him moving too fast and my shutter speed being too slow when i took the photo. When printing this image i found it surprisingly easy, the light and contrast has seemed to work quite well with the image. 

I think my concept shows through in these images, I have represented the city with its people rather then just buildings alone. Without the people making up the city the city itself would not exist. To begin with i liked the idea of the isolation of people and buildings, but i feel like the approach i have made is much stronger than my initial idea. 

Below is an image of a photograph of a market stall, however I'm not going to use it for one of my final images. I'm not too keen on  the image, its very dark and was difficult too print. The man in the image is slightly blurry and it makes the image seem a bit messy, especially with the amount of variety of fruit and veg on his stall.

Market Stall - one i wont use

Re-Shoot of Pastiche

Robert Adams

1st attempt at Pastiche'

Re - shoot of pastiche'

 After careful consideration of what had been said about my first attempt of my pastiche', i decided to choose a different location as the river in my first image seemed too different to Adam's photo. I feel with this image i have captured more of the mood of the photo with the awkward shape of  the bending tree. The quality and focus is clearer, I was careful to use a light metre with more thought as i didn't want to risk over contrasting the background and subject again.
I know Adams used two trees but i feel as though this is as close to the photo as possible, the mood is captured and the message Robert Adam's was trying to get across is portrayed in my image. When looking at my first attempt of the pastiche i really think i had managed to get the contrasting shades close to Adam's image, however i was told that my environment was completely wrong. I really feel like because of the lack of positive feedback it made it harder for me to re-create the image not knowing what was expected. The image i am handing in is much softer compared to to both my first attempt and Adam's pastiche. I am pleased with it, i have definitely improved with technique and i feel i have managed to portray the mood of Robert Adam's photographs.

Re-shoot of Environment

After my first assessment i thought it best to re-shoot my first Environment based images. My concept behind this project was Originally Deforestation but i found that mixing man-made substances with the Environment came across as a more interesting approach to representing the human destruction to our Environment.
Once again i made a trip up to the woods and using two rolls of film i was able to capture the environment mixed with Man made substances. Below are the final images i chose:

                                                                                               

I feel these three images really help portray my concept. I chose black and white as i felt it was more suited for the way in which we are used to our environment blending into our surroundings. The first Image i am pleased with, a photo of the edge of the woods in which below a train station runs through. The metal gate contrasts against the surrounding area, the path of grass seems to be never ending which could represent the way in which our need of more land and wood seems to be never-ending also.

The second image i have chosen represents more of the De-forestation level of my idea. The image is of an area that has been recently cut down and shows a vast patch of land.

My third image seems to be my favourite of the three, representing the passage way you have to walk through to enable you to get to the main part of the wood. The metal gate is part of the Railway bridge, parts of the environment grows through the fence as if it is trying to gain back its original place of settlement. I love most about this image is the use of shadow, that curves through the gate as if crawling through the fence.

I am pleased with the final outcome of the three images and i think re-shooting it has been best. I feel that my concept is clearer and my techniques in the darkroom have been mastered. I am able to develop the images i choose with more understanding leading to better images.