Monday, 13 January 2014
Friday, 10 January 2014
Personal Shoot 9: 50s Inspired/ Classic Beauty Look
Plans for the shoot:
In today's class I want to look at shooting a look that is more 'classic', something that is kind of iconic of the 50s with a red lip and simple eyeliner. I have gotten the inspiration for this shoot from the 60s shoot that I did as it went so well and I am really happy with the photos from that shoot. I was also happy with the 8th shoot that I did where I looked at gaining different types of shots in terms of composition and pose and this is something else that I want to bring to this shoot as well.
I want to use the white background for this shoot as I a going to be wearing all black and have red lips and nails, therefore I want the colour to stand out. I also want to experiment with different poses again and focus on the cropping and composition of my shots to make them more visually interesting.
Shoot Evaluation:
I am happy with how todays shoot went overall; here are some of my favourite photos:
This is my favourite photo from the whole shoot. I love the pose! - it is different and I think compliments the look perfectly. There is a sweeter, innocent side in amongst a more playful, flirty side in this photo as this is brought across to the viewer. The model is making eye contact with the camera and this has helped to get these emotions across too. The only real colour in the shot is red, and this makes the lips and nails stand out (something I wanted to achieve).
I like the simplicity of this shot and how there is nothing too complicated in it - this has meant all the focus is on the subject.
This second shot is something different from my usual style of work as I think here the outfit could be taken in to consideration too as well as the makeup, looking at more a fashion/beauty shot. The pose here is simple and this has compliment the look and everything else in the photo which is also very simple e.g. sterile background. The model here looks stronger and that sense of innocents that is seen in the previous photo is lost.
Something I am not so happy about with this photo is the expression. As mentioned before in some of my other shoots, I use myself ad s a model and sometimes I find that this can have its drawbacks. I feel here I perhaps focusing too much on my body language and less on my face and the expression has become quite stiff. This is something I would need to practice myself to avoid in future shoots.
Finally, this third photo that I like is one of the more close up shoots that I did. I particularly like the composition of this shot and the way looks like it was captured 'in the moment'. There is no obvious pose about the model and she is not making eye contact with the camera. I like the expression - it looks kind of moody and mysterious. This kind of shot is something I haven't really looked yet but I am happy with the results as it looks like it was taken with out the model knowing, making it more raw and natural.
I am happy with today's shoot and I think I have gained lots of new skills that I can bring with me to future shoots, both personally in terms of using myself as a subject and in terms of the photography itself. I a glad I focused this shoot around looking at the composition of my shots and the poses as Ii think I have done well in succeeding to get some visually interesting photos.
In today's class I want to look at shooting a look that is more 'classic', something that is kind of iconic of the 50s with a red lip and simple eyeliner. I have gotten the inspiration for this shoot from the 60s shoot that I did as it went so well and I am really happy with the photos from that shoot. I was also happy with the 8th shoot that I did where I looked at gaining different types of shots in terms of composition and pose and this is something else that I want to bring to this shoot as well.
I want to use the white background for this shoot as I a going to be wearing all black and have red lips and nails, therefore I want the colour to stand out. I also want to experiment with different poses again and focus on the cropping and composition of my shots to make them more visually interesting.
Shoot Evaluation:
I am happy with how todays shoot went overall; here are some of my favourite photos:
This is my favourite photo from the whole shoot. I love the pose! - it is different and I think compliments the look perfectly. There is a sweeter, innocent side in amongst a more playful, flirty side in this photo as this is brought across to the viewer. The model is making eye contact with the camera and this has helped to get these emotions across too. The only real colour in the shot is red, and this makes the lips and nails stand out (something I wanted to achieve).
I like the simplicity of this shot and how there is nothing too complicated in it - this has meant all the focus is on the subject.
This second shot is something different from my usual style of work as I think here the outfit could be taken in to consideration too as well as the makeup, looking at more a fashion/beauty shot. The pose here is simple and this has compliment the look and everything else in the photo which is also very simple e.g. sterile background. The model here looks stronger and that sense of innocents that is seen in the previous photo is lost.
Something I am not so happy about with this photo is the expression. As mentioned before in some of my other shoots, I use myself ad s a model and sometimes I find that this can have its drawbacks. I feel here I perhaps focusing too much on my body language and less on my face and the expression has become quite stiff. This is something I would need to practice myself to avoid in future shoots.
Finally, this third photo that I like is one of the more close up shoots that I did. I particularly like the composition of this shot and the way looks like it was captured 'in the moment'. There is no obvious pose about the model and she is not making eye contact with the camera. I like the expression - it looks kind of moody and mysterious. This kind of shot is something I haven't really looked yet but I am happy with the results as it looks like it was taken with out the model knowing, making it more raw and natural.
I am happy with today's shoot and I think I have gained lots of new skills that I can bring with me to future shoots, both personally in terms of using myself as a subject and in terms of the photography itself. I a glad I focused this shoot around looking at the composition of my shots and the poses as Ii think I have done well in succeeding to get some visually interesting photos.
Saturday, 4 January 2014
Personal Shoot 7: Chantelle
Plans for the shoot:
Today I am going to be using someone other than myself as a model; Chantelle is a friend of mine who I have been really interested in shooting as she has such a unique, natural look. She is also what can be described as "beautiful" and this works well with beauty shots.
I am wanting to conduct this shoot outside as it is going to have more of a natural 'urban' feel about that will go well with the look I am going for. In terms of the makeup I want my model to wear a striking red lip look, and then have simple natural eyes. My models skin is very clear and she has gorgeous freckles that I want to keep present in the shoot, therefore her face makeup is going to be natural as well.
Shoot Evaluation:
Although it was really cold today and this shoot was outside, it ran really smoothly and I am happy with the result. I also liked the change of working outside as opposed to in a studio, although I definitely prefer working in a studio. Here are some of my favourite shots:
This first photo is my favourite. I lose the expression on my models face and the way the red colour stands out against all the other harmonious colours in the photo (on the nails as well). I like the positioning of my model and her natural, innocent look. This photo reminds me of a classic beauty shot as it is so pretty.
This next photo is must moodier and has more of an urban vibe about it. I like the positioning of my model again and here I used Photoshop to add a Gaussian blur to the photo - this has added more focus to the model as the background is quite busy and has strong colours and lines in it. I also experimented with different effects on the eyes here too using the bloat tool on Photoshop to make the pupils slightly bigger and add more emphasis to them.
I have really enjoyed working with someone else today as opposed to using myself. I found it easy to conduct my model and the shoot took half the time and ran more smoothly. I would like to work more models in the future.
Big thank you to Chantelle! - you are so beautiful and amazing to work with! x
Today I am going to be using someone other than myself as a model; Chantelle is a friend of mine who I have been really interested in shooting as she has such a unique, natural look. She is also what can be described as "beautiful" and this works well with beauty shots.
I am wanting to conduct this shoot outside as it is going to have more of a natural 'urban' feel about that will go well with the look I am going for. In terms of the makeup I want my model to wear a striking red lip look, and then have simple natural eyes. My models skin is very clear and she has gorgeous freckles that I want to keep present in the shoot, therefore her face makeup is going to be natural as well.
Shoot Evaluation:
Although it was really cold today and this shoot was outside, it ran really smoothly and I am happy with the result. I also liked the change of working outside as opposed to in a studio, although I definitely prefer working in a studio. Here are some of my favourite shots:
This next photo is must moodier and has more of an urban vibe about it. I like the positioning of my model again and here I used Photoshop to add a Gaussian blur to the photo - this has added more focus to the model as the background is quite busy and has strong colours and lines in it. I also experimented with different effects on the eyes here too using the bloat tool on Photoshop to make the pupils slightly bigger and add more emphasis to them.
I have really enjoyed working with someone else today as opposed to using myself. I found it easy to conduct my model and the shoot took half the time and ran more smoothly. I would like to work more models in the future.
Big thank you to Chantelle! - you are so beautiful and amazing to work with! x
Personal Shoot 6: Gothic Inspiration
Plans for the shoot:
I am going to be looking at incorporating Gothic fashion and makeup into my photo shoot today. I am planning on having two parts to the shoot, one where the makeup look isn't so dark and one where it is very dark and Gothic. I want to be bale to get a variety of photos that show a chic, modern vibe to the fashion inspiration I have chosen.
I am planning on using the white background today as everything I am going to be wearing is dark and, including the makeup, therefore this will ensure that the subject stands out and is strong in the photo.
Shoot Evaluation:
I think today's shoot went well, though I encountered more problem today with using myself as model (in terms of getting my poses and facial expression right). Nevertheless, after some struggle I was able to get a mirror and used this to help me get me get these right.
Here are some of the photos from today:
These first two photos are from when I was I was getting trouble with my pose, but I happy with these. Here you can also see a contrast between the darker and the more subtle makeup looks like I did. I like the pose here of the subject and I think it complimented the makeup look and it worked with the dress and heels too - I think it also added to that Gothic feel that I was going for. The photo on the left with the darker makeup looks very moody and sultry, whereas the one on the left looks more sweet and innocent. This is something that I have not thought about doing before and I am really happy with how the a simple change can make two very similar photos have very different vibes and feelings.
This final photo is my favourite from today as it really captured what I wanted in terms of it being dark and sultry. I used Photoshop to create the effect that I have on the eyes. This has drawn more attention to them as they are the darkest thing in the photo, and although there is no literal eye contact with the camera they are very haunting and this has ensured that they have remained the focus in the shot.
I think the white background worked well in this photo, and the others too. I wanted to make sure that all the darker elements in the photo stood out and this worked well.
This shoot has definitely made me think more about what I can do in terms of using the body to create different poses and how this has an effect on the overall photo. I also want to start using different Photoshop effects along with the makeup looks that I create as this helps to enhance them and change the vibe and feel that the photo has. I have only really conducted shoots so far where I focus on the face and this has shown me how makeup and beauty photography can be used in other ways.
I am going to be looking at incorporating Gothic fashion and makeup into my photo shoot today. I am planning on having two parts to the shoot, one where the makeup look isn't so dark and one where it is very dark and Gothic. I want to be bale to get a variety of photos that show a chic, modern vibe to the fashion inspiration I have chosen.
I am planning on using the white background today as everything I am going to be wearing is dark and, including the makeup, therefore this will ensure that the subject stands out and is strong in the photo.
Shoot Evaluation:
I think today's shoot went well, though I encountered more problem today with using myself as model (in terms of getting my poses and facial expression right). Nevertheless, after some struggle I was able to get a mirror and used this to help me get me get these right.
Here are some of the photos from today:
These first two photos are from when I was I was getting trouble with my pose, but I happy with these. Here you can also see a contrast between the darker and the more subtle makeup looks like I did. I like the pose here of the subject and I think it complimented the makeup look and it worked with the dress and heels too - I think it also added to that Gothic feel that I was going for. The photo on the left with the darker makeup looks very moody and sultry, whereas the one on the left looks more sweet and innocent. This is something that I have not thought about doing before and I am really happy with how the a simple change can make two very similar photos have very different vibes and feelings.
This final photo is my favourite from today as it really captured what I wanted in terms of it being dark and sultry. I used Photoshop to create the effect that I have on the eyes. This has drawn more attention to them as they are the darkest thing in the photo, and although there is no literal eye contact with the camera they are very haunting and this has ensured that they have remained the focus in the shot.
I think the white background worked well in this photo, and the others too. I wanted to make sure that all the darker elements in the photo stood out and this worked well.
This shoot has definitely made me think more about what I can do in terms of using the body to create different poses and how this has an effect on the overall photo. I also want to start using different Photoshop effects along with the makeup looks that I create as this helps to enhance them and change the vibe and feel that the photo has. I have only really conducted shoots so far where I focus on the face and this has shown me how makeup and beauty photography can be used in other ways.
Personal Shoot 5: Wild Child
Plans for the shoot:
In today's shoot I am going to be looking at photographing more a glamorous editorial look that might be seen magazines or even potentially advertising. I am wanting to conduct a fun, flirty and feminine shoot by incorporating a leopard print eye look with a bright shiny lip. I think this s something that I haven't looked at photographing yet as I am going to be working closer up to capture all the detail in the makeup.
I want my subject to look fun and flirty with a sensual side, therefore it is going to be important to make sure the connection with the model and the camera is strong. As I am going to be working close up with my model I not too concerned about the background as I don't envision it being seen all that much - nevertheless, I want a clean sterile background that is not going to interfere with the photographing of the intricate makeup.
Shoot Evaluation:
I am relatively happy with how today's shoot went though I did encounter a few minor issues in the beginning, however these were all rectified quickly and easily and the shoot continued to run smoothly afterwards. The first issue I found was with myself (I again used myself as a subject). At no fault of my own my eyes kept watering in the cold weather and the makeup kept running, then the flash of the camera made it worse too. This meant that I had to wait a while till my eyes had adjusted and re-do the makeup where necessary, which in turn wasted some of the time I had too shoot. Ii then encountered a problem with the background that I chose to use - brown. Although I though it complimented the colours I had used in the makeup beautifully and really made it a striking shot, my hair got lost in the background as it was such a similar colour. After some deliberation though I went with the grey background and used a polystyrene board to block out some of the light and create a shadow, making the background a really lovely shade of dark grey that worked well for my shoot.
This is probably my favourite photo from today. I am happy with the expression and pose of the model as this is something that I highlighted as being important before the shoot. The cropping is another major element for me liking this photo so much as well - I like how the subject only appears in half of the framing as this has helped to being all the attention to the eyes. The eyes here have also connected really well with the camera which has helped to create that flirty vibe that I wanted.
This second photo, though similar to the first, is one I like as well and I think the slight change in the cropping has really changed the overall feel of the image. You can see more of the arm here where the subject is holding her hair back and this has given more of a 'direction' in the photo and then again drawn attention to the eyes.
In today's shoot I am going to be looking at photographing more a glamorous editorial look that might be seen magazines or even potentially advertising. I am wanting to conduct a fun, flirty and feminine shoot by incorporating a leopard print eye look with a bright shiny lip. I think this s something that I haven't looked at photographing yet as I am going to be working closer up to capture all the detail in the makeup.
I want my subject to look fun and flirty with a sensual side, therefore it is going to be important to make sure the connection with the model and the camera is strong. As I am going to be working close up with my model I not too concerned about the background as I don't envision it being seen all that much - nevertheless, I want a clean sterile background that is not going to interfere with the photographing of the intricate makeup.
Shoot Evaluation:
I am relatively happy with how today's shoot went though I did encounter a few minor issues in the beginning, however these were all rectified quickly and easily and the shoot continued to run smoothly afterwards. The first issue I found was with myself (I again used myself as a subject). At no fault of my own my eyes kept watering in the cold weather and the makeup kept running, then the flash of the camera made it worse too. This meant that I had to wait a while till my eyes had adjusted and re-do the makeup where necessary, which in turn wasted some of the time I had too shoot. Ii then encountered a problem with the background that I chose to use - brown. Although I though it complimented the colours I had used in the makeup beautifully and really made it a striking shot, my hair got lost in the background as it was such a similar colour. After some deliberation though I went with the grey background and used a polystyrene board to block out some of the light and create a shadow, making the background a really lovely shade of dark grey that worked well for my shoot.
This second photo, though similar to the first, is one I like as well and I think the slight change in the cropping has really changed the overall feel of the image. You can see more of the arm here where the subject is holding her hair back and this has given more of a 'direction' in the photo and then again drawn attention to the eyes. 
This final photo is something different, again due to the cropping. Initially I didn't like this photo as my models hair was messy and out of place at the back and this didn't look good in the photo, but I liked the facial expression and decided to crop the photo really tight and was happy with the result.
I have definitely learnt more and thinking about the cropping, framing and composition of my work from today's shoot and these are definitely things that I will be able to bring to future shoots with me. I have also been more experimental by doing this and discovered that I like and can get different effects with photos by doing this.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Personal Shoot 4: Horrifically Beautiful
Plans for the shoot:
In todays shoot I am planning on looking at horror/gore or special effects
makeup as I have not looked at this yet in any of my shoots. I am wanting
to show a contrast that I also haven't looked at within the photography/makeup
industry - that is something that can be perceived as being stereotypically
'beautiful' and something that is perceived as being 'ugly' or not
normal. Therefore I am planning on using myself as a subject and doing
half my face in 'pretty' glamorous makeup and the other half of my face all cut
up revealing a skull face.
I think this is idea is original and will allow me to experiment and explore more within my chosen topic. It also gives me a chance to gain not only more photos for my portfolio but more skills and practice with special effects makeup. I am thoroughly looking forward to this shoot and cannot wait to see the results!
I'm again going to use a sterile background as I want my subject to remain the only focus in the photo (I have found many times previously that this is how I like to photograph). The grey background is also mostly likely to be the one that I use. This is because all the makeup I am using is going to be a strong back and white and therefore there will a subtle harmonious colour scheme kept through out which will help balance out the strong makeup look I am anticipating. It will also make all red in the look (from the blood) stand out too and therefore I will have a focal colour as well.
Shoot evaluation:
I am really happy with the shoot today and how it went! Not only am I proud of the look I created I also think that photos that I been able to capture are really interesting and something that are going to look great in my portfolio. I have found that using myself as a subject the more comfortable I feel the better the photos turn out, and with this look I had so much fun with it I was able to take on the character I created well and ended up with a good shoot. Here are some of the photos from today:
This is my favourite photo from today. I think it is very dramatic and striking to look at, making it visually interesting and dynamic. I love the expression and the intensity that the eyes have - because they are making contact with the camera they are very haunting to look at and add to the dramatic, dark side of look. This has also been accentuated with the angle at which the photo has been taken as the camera is looking down at the subject, therefore the eyes look bigger and more attention is drawn to them. The framing of the photo is also something that I like about this shot as it is quite tight and this again has added more attention to the subject.
I really like how the contrast between the two looks turned out in this shot and how you can clearly see the difference in the glamorous side of the look and the creepy side. All the colours in the photo are harmonious as anticipated but the red of the blood has added a nice contrast and highlighted where I want most of the attention in the photo to be.
In this photo I chose to change the saturation level slightly too and I liked the effect that this gave as it darkened the image subtly and this added to the dark side of the image.
I definitely enjoyed working with special effects makeup today and creating a darker look - it was fun and has added a different element to my portfolio. This is something that I want to experiment more with and see what other looks I can create and how they can be translated in a photograph.
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