MINI BRIEFS
Mini Brief 1 = Advertising Still Life (Sports)
Mini Brief 2 = Environmentalist Portrait (Sports)
Mini Brief 3 = The True Detective
Environmentalist Portrait Photographers - Research
Jonathan Bielaski
Bielaski's environmentalist portraits aim to tell a story by capturing the essence of his subject in their natural environment. his images portray that the focus is greater than the person – it’s the reality of who they are in that moment of time – the background reflecting a piece of them.
(1st image): The shadows are powerful in this image - they create texture and definition in the image and also add to serious tone within this image. The subject's serious facial expression is reflective of the entire setup of the image and it proves the seriousness and dedication he has for his profession - one could argue his facial expression is representative of his 'game face'. It seems to me that in this image the light from the windows in the locker room are what cast over the subjects face because the light is quite uneven in areas, however, on the other hand, a spotlight could have been used because the lighting seems quite harsh (corresponds the sport and the subjects expression). I think the angle of the image has created leading lines which I find interesting because I feel it matches with the environment being captured in this image - on a football pitch there are lines and symmetry etc. There is a prominent colour scheme in this image - red, white, black and brown - this gives the image a sense of fluidity and harmony. Although it is not overly blurred, I think this image does have a shallow depth of field, having an aperture between f8 - f11.
Paul Miller
Miller specialises in advertising and editorial imagery, attempting to create an emotional connection with his viewers. Miller's use of lighting and post-production techniques result in a lure and excitement in his images that instantly captivates the audience.
(2nd image): In this image I think Miller has used one soft box to the left of the setup, measuring the same height as the model in order to light the top half of the subject and have darker lighting on the bottom. The ceiling lights in the background act as spotlights for the work of the subject - this is somewhat reflective of the subject's profession because a fashion designer wants their work to be in the 'spotlight'. The dimly lit scene gives the image a warm hue. I like the clear connection shown in the photo between subject and his surroundings - his style and appearance is reflected in his designs which appear to be unique and one-of-a-kind. There is an evident foreground, middle ground and background in this image - the subject, the table and designs and the back of the room. in this image I think Miller has used a medium aperture of around f11 - f16 in order to achieve his desired depth of field - I think he has chosen this aperture because he wants the subject's environment to be a key element of the image but not an over-distracting element that it takes away from the subject of the image.
Conrad Lee
Lee, a surgeon and photographer, has a passion for fashion, beauty and hair photography. In Lee's image I feel that the subjects of his images reflect the environment they work in through their facial expressions, and this reinforces the beauty of his work as it shows the story that has been built in one shot.
(3rd image): The use of lighting in this image is very powerful - it appears a spotlight has been used which I feel reflects the profession he is shooting because the spotlight is on the surgeon to attend to their patient and help them. The lighting also reflects the seriousness of the profession - a spotlight is a more refined type of lighting in comparison to the delicacy and intricacy of undergoing a procedure. I like that the subject is slightly off-centre because I think it works well with the positioning of the table which is slightly angled. I think there is a clear foreground, middle ground and background in this image: the blurred table, the subject, the back wall. When analysing this image I would make the assumption that the photographer used a high iso because the location of the image seems quite dark - this is clear in the background (the images gradually gets lighter as you move from the edges of the image to the middle). I think this image has a medium depth of field since it is only slightly blurred but it is not perfectly clear enough to have a deep depth of field therefore I would guess he has used an aperture of f11 - f16.
Mini Brief 1 (Still Life)- Ideas/ Moodboard
The Idea: For my still life concept, the object I have chose to shoot is a golf club. In my three images I want the golf club to be in centre shot and slightly tilted because I feel it creates a more pleasing look and I think I want my images to be in black and white to highlight the features of the golf club which will be very apparent because of the lighting reflecting off the metal. For my images I would like to use a prism filter to create an interesting surreal effect around the edge of each image - I feel this will work well and the filter will correspond well with the object because golf clubs are swung around and the filter creates a circular motion around the image which I feel is a nice representation of the object and how it is used. When considering my crops, I think I would like to do a square crop for one which really focuses on the main part of the golf club, then I would like to do a classic portrait crop with the golf club being slightly further away from the camera compared to the square crop in order to show more of the club and fill the crop. Finally, for my last crop, I would like to do another portrait crop where the golf club is horizontal and in the centre of the shot.
Analysis of image: I really like the lighting used to create this image - I feel it creates quite a serious and focused look on the objects which represents the traits needed to succeed in the sport of golf. I would guess that the scene has been lit used a spotlight on the left of the image because the lighting seems quite controlled and only lights certain parts of the object. I like that the image is in black and white because I feel it compliments the objects more since the objects are white and metallic shades. I like the crop of this image because I feel a closeup shot of a golf club works really well because in general, a golf club is quite a skinny object so I don't think it would look right to take a shot of the full golf club as there would be too much negative space.
Hutchinson and Savchenko: 'Trophy Girl'
Hutchinson and Savchenko's collaborative photo series, ‘Trophy Girl’, was inspired by the underrepresentation of women in sport, and seeks to illustrate the ambitions of teenage girls in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Masked in a vintage gloom, each composition is carefully curated to depict blooming ambition, highlighting the significance that objects hold in each individual's journey into adulthood.
(2nd image): The sport being portrayed in this image is tennis - I feel this is reciprocated through the colours in the background because there are hues of green which can be associated with the tennis court. I like how there is a continuous colour scheme throughout the image because It creates fluidity across the scene. The colour pink is interesting in this image because it isn't a colour necessarily associated with tennis however the aim of the image to portray how young girls were underrepresented in sports in the 90s and pink is the colour most associated with girls. I really like the composition of the objects in this image as it flows well and doesn't look to create chaos and mess because there are so many objects around each other. I like the clear aesthetic produced across the image as it again provides fluidity throughout the scene and adds narrative to the image. In terms of lighting I think a soft box has been used to the right of the setup because it is clear that the right side of the image is more illuminated whereas the left side is slightly more shaded.
Phase One Cameras
- It is a medium-format camera
- It has a 150 megapixel sensor
- Connects to a tripod using a hex plate
- It uses a modular system (each part can be detached)
- It has RAW processing software
Still Life Tutorial
In this tutorial we were shown the effects of using props in your still life images. for this image we used a torch and the shutter speed would be set to a few seconds while the assistant waved the torch around the shoes - we resulted with a light trail around the shoe which I found to be a really interesting effect.
Examples of Still Life Lighting Setups
For this lighting setup, the photographer has used a rectangular soft box on the left to light the left side of the scene and therefore create a reflection on the glass the shoe is resting on. this setup also uses a spotlight placed to the right of the shoe in order to light up the top of the shoe and make sure the laces are in shot. to create the idea of movement in the shoe the photographer has used a clamp tripod and attached string between the tripod and the laces to create this unique and desirable look.
In this still life setup the photographer has used 2 strip lights to in order to fully light the bottle and then uses a spotlight directly in front in order for the labels on the bottle to be well lit. the white background gives the setup a sense of flow because it allows the image to maintain a clean look throughout.
Still life lighting diagram
This was my lighting setup for my still life -- this was taken after my shoot while setting up for Liam's shoot however the lighting setup hadn't been changed from shoot at this point.
Contact Sheet (best images from the shoot):
My selected images:
Editing process:
For my portrait crop image, I wanted to merge two images together to take elements from each that would create the effect of a swing/ semi-circle of golf clubs arounds the central club. To do this I dragged my second image over to my first image and placed it on top then I aligned the two images with each other. I then masked layer 2 and created a clip mask, making sure layer 1 is underneath the clip mask - in doing this I am able to bring through the elements I want from layer 1 and they will show up on layer 2 as well, resulting in a merge of two images. after merging the images to my liking I played with the adjustments and saturated the background to create a greater pop of colour.
My Final Images:
Analysis 1: This is my landscape crop image for still life. To achieve this shot I suspended the golf club in the air using fishing wire and a stand, then I was shooting at the camera while my assistant was throwing the golf balls in the air. I chose a blue background which I edited in post production to appear a more teal tint. I feel the teal background along with the photo concept snd the rest of the series holds quite a 90s aesthetic. I think the contrasted shadows across each golf ball create quite a powerful effect.
Analysis 2: This is my portrait crop for still life. I used a kaleidoscope lens filter for this image - the lens filter I used was only a half lens so I had to take a shot with the filter covering the top half of the camera lens, then repeat this process for the bottom half. My aim was to create a circular motion, almost reciprocal of the swing of a golf club, that would frame the focal subject. to achieve the full circular motion, in post production I had to work with clip masks and bring one of the images through using the brush tool so that I could take the necessary elements from one photos and merge it into the other tov achieve the final effect of the lens filter.
Analysis 3: This is my close up crop for still life. I again used the kaleidoscope lens filter for this image. when using the lens filter in this image I wanted to create a sort of echo effect of the subject. The lens filter creates a fade around the focal subject which I think works well because it allows for the focal point to not be overpowered by the parts around it and the fade also frames the focal point which brings more attention to it.
Mini Brief 2 (Environmental Portrait)- Ideas/ Moodboard
The Idea: For my environmentalist portrait, I have chosen the sport golf. I plan to take this shoot at the Greenwich Peninsula Driving Range and hopefully use one of the instructors there as my model for the shoot. The driving range has two levels, and for the benefit of my shoot I think it would be best to be positioned on the bottom left in order to achieve a well compositioned shot that shows the environment the model is in making it clear what sport he does. I also think that would be a good area to shoot because you are able to see a skyline in the background, including the o2 which brings more elements into the photo and creates a larger understanding of the environment. In relation to my model, I would like him to be stand quite relaxed holding a golf club similar to the images above and I would like him to hold quite a stern and serious facial expression to reflect the focused mindset needed for the sport.
Analysis of image: I really like this golf environmentalist portrait because I feel it shows a unique way to portray the sport and environment they play in. The expressions of the subjects in this image is well representative of how golfers treat this sport - with seriousness and precision. The colour scheme flows well throughout the image and the colour palette matches well with the sport being portrayed. there is a clear foreground, middle ground and background in this image (subjects, golf buggy, landscape) therefore making a visually pleasing and well structured image. A shallow depth of field has been created in this image by using a lower aperture to achieve a greater blurred background. in terms of lighting the photo appears to have used natural lighting because there is a clear natural sunlight across the entire image, however it is possible that a soft box was used in order to further light the subjects and make sure they remain in the spotlight around the other elements of the image.
Research on my chosen sport: GOLF
- Golf is an outdoor sport played with a variety of clubs and a ball, and the aim of the sport is to hit the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible (the lower your score the better)
- Most courses are either 9 hole or 18 hole courses
- Golf's first major, and the world's oldest tournament to exist, is The Open Championship, (AKA, the British Open) which was first played in 1860 at the Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland
- There are 4 major championships in men's professional golf; The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship (all in the USA) and the British Open
- In 2021, figures from the BBC showed that the number of people playing 9 or 18 hole golf rose to 5.2 million in the UK and Ireland (the highest figure recorded this in the 21st century)
Tutorial: How to shoot an Environmentalist Portrait
When shooting an environmentalist portrait you will need 2 final shots that will later be merged in post production to create the final image. to take this shoot we first made the setup and placed markers for the models - we used one soft box which was powered by a power pack. In the first shot we need, the assistant and light would be in the shot, however this will be fixed in post production with the help of the second shot we need, which is a plain shot of the background which will make it easy to merge the two images and create a clean environmentalist portrait in post production.
Tutorial - Setting up mixed lighting and syncing the light to the camera
in this tutorial we were shown how to correctly setup the lighting equipment we will need for our environmental portraits which will be shot on location. We set up a lighting stand and pre-prepared the soft box, then attached the lighting to the stand along with the soft box. We then had to connect the light to the power pack then sync the camera to the light through a channel. This tutorial boosted my confidence in independently setting up equipment correctly and further my knowledge on how to sync a light to the camera. These are some shots I took after creating the setup - for these images I used an ISO of 200 and an aperture of f5.6 and the shutter speed ranged between 1//80 to 1/125.
ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAIT SHOOT
Risk Assessment forms - these were the forms I had to fill out in order to book out and use the equipment from the kit store. by filling out these forms I was able to ensure I will safely use the equipment and my shoot will be in a safe environment.
Environmental Portrait Lighting Diagram
Contact Sheet:
My chosen images:
--> I have chosen these 3 images from my shoot in order to create my final outcome. I will be taking different elements from each image to create my final shot. From the first image I will be taking the foreground (model and floor), from the second the golf ball and the third the background.
The edits made to achieve my final image:
I selected 3 images for my environmental portrait to edit collectively to form my final image. Firstly I placed my image with the model on top of the background image then aligned them together. I cut out my model and merged the model cutout with my background image so that I would have a better exposed image. I repeated this process later on in regards to the golf ball, an element I felt was necessary in order to complete the image. I then experimented with photoshop in order to make the sky slightly brighter and to also brighten up the model so that he stood out more and didn't blend in with the rest of the scene's lighting.
My final outcome:
Analysis: This was my final outcome for my environmental portrait. I was fortunate enough to shoot with a man playing at the golf range the day of shooting, because my initial model was unable to attend that day. when shooting I found the light would only correct expose the foreground of my scene (the model) so I shot a separate image of the background and merged the two together to achieve a balanced and correctly exposed image. When editing I wanted to the green in the background to stand out but not overpower the model who is the focal subject of the image, so I dulled the green down slightly and so the light hitting the model wound stand out in-front of the background. I feel I achieved the pose I wanted in my image, that being one that was quite a serious and powerful stance. I think the use of the golf accessories, such as the golf club and golf ball, complete the photo and complement the scene and the sport being portrayed. I like the fact that I have captured the built environment In background as it creates a new and unique perspective of golf In comparison to the classic idea of golf, that being a golf course where the background is solely greenery. The built environment acts as an escape in the image and shows how golf can be an escape from the chaos of the city, something which I feel reflects the sports as many play golf as an escape from their normal day to day lives.
Mini Brief 3 (True Detective)- Ideas/ Moodboard
The Idea: My idea centres around the idea of 'mystery'. For this brief we are merging 3 or more images together and for this concept I have decided to shoot a background shot, a portrait shot and a landscape shot. My background shot will be crumpled old newspaper in order to base the image and show that my concept revolves around an unsolved mystery. My portrait shot will be of my classmates, Liam, and he will be looking upwards positioned to the left to create a serious look, since the role he plays in my concept is a person of close relation to the missing person and he takes it into his own hands to discover where the person is. Finally, for my landscape shot I plan to shoot a well-compositioned image of a single person walking down a mysterious back street, alleyway and this image will be merged into the portrait shot.
Analysis of image: I think this image holds a lot of mystery and intrigue to it - this can be deemed necessary for the type of photography it is which is advertising photography for a movie - movie posters need to be attractive and intriguing in order to achieve success. I like the clear Link in the photo by the use of both subjects in the image wearing a similar hat - this creates a sense of fluidity in the image. A clear aesthetic is maintained throughout this image which is the 1930's and this is clear through the clothing worn by the subjects and the faint image of a typewriter, an object commonly associated with the 20th century. The image being in black and white furthers adds to the aesthetic that runs throughout the poster and adds more contrast to the image, making the subjects stand out more against the white background. One could say the double exposure technique in this image creates quite a dramatic and theatrical look which makes for an intriguing and eye-catching movie poster.
Dan Mountford - Double Exposure series
“Mountford describes his double exposure series as "a visual journey through our minds by calm and tidy means which the reality of everyday life does not show”. The exposures are created ‘in-camera’. The process of creating his multiple exposures was developed by lots of experimentation with analogue film. Mountford looks for overexposed locations to use to mask his subjects from their background. His portraiture needs to be taken against a white background before exposing the second exposure to his background of choice.
Analysis of 1st image: I really the double exposure in this image - there is an interesting play with textures in this photo which creates a new outlook on how the techniques of double exposure can be used. I like the contrast in this image between the youthful, blooming subject and the old, decaying architecture - this contrast creates a narrative between the two merged images and therefore gives the image more depth and intrigue. I like that Mountford's image is in black and white because I feel this reflects the more classic approach he has taken to produce a double exposure image, which through the use of analogue film. I like the fact that the positioning of the building in the second exposure matches with the placement of the subjects forehead because this creates the idea that we are looking into her thoughts (the technique of double exposure could be referred to as seeing into another layer of someone).
My chosen images:
Shoot Plan for True Detective:
For my main image for my true detective composite I want to shoot down a quiet street and have my model walking away from the camera in centre shot, creating the look of a lost girl in the city. I have decided to shoot this image in Temple, London because there are many good side streets that tend to be quite quiet. I will go to my location in the morning to make sure its quiet. I like this location because I think the architecture is interesting and fits wells with my detective/ mystery narrative as it can link to the famous detective series 'Sherlock Holmes' which was set in late 1800s (the Victorian era) London where their stories were surrounded by the old London architecture, so I think it is a nice element and reference to have in my own work.
Contact Sheet:
Final Edited Image:
This was my selected image from my shoot. I'm happy with composition of this image - I think my photo looks well by the fact that I have framed the shot so that my model is walking in the frame of the archway. I had my model walking away from the camera to maintain the mystery narrative I want to portray in my composite. my model wore a black outfit which I fell was fitting for my shoot because it makes her even more mysterious because in films the colour black is typically worn when wanting to blend in with crowds and not stand out and I feel this goes well with my narrative. the quiet street acts as a narrative as it suggests the girl is lost in an unfamiliar city and I think this is also reflected in the model's walk.
Shoot plan:
I want to take a picture of a dark street/ path for my true detective composite. I have planned to shoot this image on a day when the weather is quite bleak and rainy so I can get a darker more mysterious looking image which will flow well with the rest of my composite. I want this image to act as an insight into the narrative being portrayed in my complete composite - it will elude mystery and intrigue and look dark and gloomy adding to the detective storyline I am trying to achieve.
Contact Sheet:
My Final Image:
I'm really happy with this shot for my true detective composite. I chose to take this shot facing the lampposts so that I would achieve a shot with clear leading lines. I made this image very dark and contrast, however I think this works well because the light from the lampposts helps with the dark scene and adds the element of mystery to the image - dark streets are typically seen in detective narratives so this works well for my composite. I decided to edit my image to black and white because it increases the contrasted shadows therefore making the image more gloomy and intriguing, plus I feel editing to black and white accentuates and complements the London architecture and it works well in correspondence with a dark, rainy weather setting.
Shoot plan:
For this image I want to shoot a well-known spot in London, Leicester Square, but particularly the underground station so that I am able to include the place name in my image. I want the place name included to act as a clue within the detective narrative. I will make my image contrasted with a dark entrance into the underground to present the idea of entering the unknown. This picture will also act as an element that helps to identify where the narrative takes place and will therefore link the rest of the images together.
Contact sheet:
My final image:
I like the contrasted lightness between the left half of the building in comparison to the right side - one could depict this as the contrast between good and evil, an ideal which is interesting to portray in my true detective narrative. I also really like the contrasted shadows in this image, especially the dark entrance because it looks to create a dark abyss which supports the mysterious detective narrative plus it allows for everything happening in the foreground to stand out. For the post production of this image I used the programme Lightroom - I have never previously edited with Lightroom however I found it interesting to look through the presets and see how each different preset can change the intent and effect of each individual image. I feel I achieved a good composition in my image with clear leading lines.
Shoot Plan:
For this shoot I wanted to capture a landscape shot filled with many people that I plan to edit into the head of my portrait so it appears as if there is chaos in the model's head and it will look as if he is trapped in the chaos. I have chose to take this shoot in China town, London because it is a frequently busy part of London. I want a more contrasted image so that I can maintain the theme of mystery throughout my composite.
My final image:
This was the outcome from my shoot. On the day I took this shot It was luckily busy in China town so I was able to achieve the shot I wanted. I decided to stand in the middle of the path to achieve a well compositioned photo. I chose this shot as my final image where the main people of the shot are walking away from the camera because it makes the viewer feel as if they are a part of the crowd and the chaos. This image works well for my composite because the busyness of the image creates the idea of being lost in a crowd which therefore links to my true detective narrative of a detective mystery. I think the colours in this image may appear quite distracting and may divert the attention from the focal subject when edited into the full composite, so I think I will edit the entire portrait to black and white to have a more fluid look for my composite.
My Final True Detective Composite:
Analysis: This is my final outcome for the true detective project. I chose to have my images in black and white because it fits well with my narrative, 'mystery', and it allows for the entire image to flow better since there isn't any colours that can clash and look distracting. the photo of the girl in the middle is my focal point of the image as she acts as the 'mystery girl' the boy is searching for in my narrative, so I made this image larger in scale and placed it in the centre so that viewers would be instantly drawn to that element. for the two photos surrounding the girl I wanted them to be more faded almost resembling how memories are portrayed in movies. I wanted the photos around the girl to be of places to represent the idea of searching for someone and showing places that connect together to aid the search for the 'mystery girl'. I was very happy with the outcome of my portrait shot - my aim was to have my model present a serious gaze into the distance, mimicking the look of searching for someone and I feel this look was achieved.
