Shoot

I wanted to use someone from the college football team as my model but when he turned up he was wearing his football kit and had no other clothes to change into, I then asked somebody from my class to model for me at last minute. The reason I chose the person I did from my class is because they wear clothes that you would find on the website I chose to photograph for and they aren't camera shy and are easy to work with so for this reason, I got what I needed from the shoot. However, I am disappointed that I had to find somebody else last minute. I didn't have any outfits for Michael to change into but what he was wearing was suitable and represented the website very well I feel.

I think the photographs towards the bottom of the contact sheet turned out well and are very much like the ones you would find online for Topshop / Topman. I think they could be actually be useful for catalogue photography, as the background is plain, there is nothing extreme about the photograph, his facial expressions are just neutral and he is wearing casual clothing.

I have chosen these images overall because they look like they could have been taken from the Topshop / Topman website.

I like these because they look really professional and with him looking off to the right, these poses are also used my the Topshop models. The only thing I'm not happy about is that the flash on the left side of the setup wasn't working so it looks quite dark. Overall I am happy with the results from this shoot.

Lighting Setup

For my lighting set up diagram I used www.lightingdiagrams.com to show how I set up the studio for my shoot. I used a white background as the photography I was doing was catalogue and I used softboxes to soften the light and make the subject brighter and the main focus. I was stood infront of the model to get head on photographs and had softboxes either side so the light was even. The set up is simple but effective for the photographs I am trying to achieve.

Research

Fashion photography can be done in a lot of different ways, in the studio and in different locations. Focuses on jewelry, clothes, shoes and accessories. It can also focus to some of the makeup products available. During my research I found different styles of fashion photography that all look rather different.

Catalog

Catalog, is an information image and are really simple this makes the main focus the clothes. You would use a simple background taking none of the focus away from the model, this can be done on location as well. You also shoot wide open so that you can blur the background and keep the focus on the clothing.

Editorial

The model is on location rather than in the studio and the images are not posed, also hair and makeup can be more extreme. The model would be seen to be interacting with a lifestyle. We see this as a better style for fashion magazines.

High Fashion

These models are tall and thin like runway models with unique bone structures. The styling of the wardrobe is rather dramatic and powerful images. It would never be usually worn as pictured.

Project Plan

Intentions
I am intending to do a shoot for fashion based photographs to advertise clothing and accessories for websites such as Topshop and Urban Outfitters. I want my model to have natural makeup and hair, I will be using the clothing from the shop as well to make it look more alike. The screenshot on the side is of the website I plan on recreating the photos from. They are very simple and are catalog, some of the photographs are just the models

wearing the clothes and some of them are the models in a set environment living a form of 'lifestyle', for example sitting at home and sometimes out in public areas.

Timing
I plan on getting my shoots done with images compilable to my theme done in 3 weeks (22nd of December). In this time period I will have finished all my intended shoots and edited in photo shop.

Equipment
I will be using a white background with a soft box shining on it, I will then use a beauty dish on the model to make it brighter. I will use my own camera with a flash sync for the individual lights.

Assistants / Model
I am going ask the performing arts students at college if they mind modeling for my shoot, I will give them some of the shots to use for their portfolios and for future use. I will go to the hair and beauty department in college to ask them to do the hair and makeup for the model and they can also have some of the shots to show the work they can do. I will also have someone from my course there to help me move the lights to where they need to be.

Risk Assessment
In the studio there are a lot of risks but they can be avoided. The possibility of someone tripping is very high so I will point out all the wires and bases of the lights so the people in there are aware of the trip hazards.

Sudio Lighting

Honeycomb grid

The Honeycomb grid means that the light shines through the grid to create beam of light, the aim is to create a focused beam with as little diffusion as possible. The colour of the grid is black to ensure that no light is refelcted this would diffuse the light. Honeycomb grids can come in dfferent sizes (the holes within the grid) and the size needed al depends on what kind of photo you are looking for.



Snoot
The light from a snoot is ideal for isolating a subject. A snoot is often used to create a single beam of light to highlight an object or person. A frequent use of snoots in fashion and portrait photography is to create a ‘hair-light’. This is where the light is directed onto the back of the head creating a bright highlight of the hair. It is an effective method of illuminating the hair to separate it from a dark background.

Barn Doors
Barn doors have four hinged doors around the light source and they come in a variety of sizes. They are used to shape the light, and do not affect the hardness or softness of the light. I don't think I will use this for my shoot.


Beauty Dish
A beauty dish is a photographic lighting device that uses a parabolic reflector to distribute light towards a focal point. The light created is between that of a direct flash and a softbox, giving the image a wrapped, contrasted look, which adds a more dramatic effect.

Reflectors
In photography and cinematography, areflector is an improvised or specialised reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene.

Soft Box
A Soft box is a type of photographic lighting device, one of a number of photographic soft light devices. All the various soft light types create even and diffused light by directing light through some diffusing material, or by "bouncing" light off a second surface to diffuse the light.
Reflector Attachment




Backdrops
Backdrops will always be used when shooting in a studio, they come in various different colours, designs and sizes. E.g infinity curves, paper backdrop and fabric. A backdrop is the perfect way to make your photograph, depending on what colour you use, you can give off completely different feelings to the photograph just because of the colour of backdrop.