Shoreditch Fashion Shoot (09.04.2015)

Shoreditch Fashion Shoot (09.04.2015)

On Tuesday, I had a lovely street style with LeniSD (ModelMayhem) and Sarah Elizabeth MUA (Facebook) in Shoreditch. It was actually the first time I'd collaborated with a make up artist, and it was amazing! I regret not working with make up artists until now, because Sarah kept pointing out hairs and other small things that I wouldn't have noticed until post (and that would've been a pain to sort out!).

These photos were shot around Brick Lane - Shoreditch area. The last two photos with the Vans shirt were shot on Blackall Street. It's a beautiful street, with buildings covered in art. Sadly, they're tearing the buildings down as part of the regeneration of the area. When we got there, only half of the buildings remain.

Here are some Polaroids I shot as well.

Self Portraits (24.03.2015)

Self Portraits (24.03.2015)

Today I received my Westcott 43' Umbrella Kit. I've always been inexperienced with studio photography and speedlights, so I decided to shoot some self portraits to test out lighting styles and to get used to setting up lights.

This was shot in front of a wall in my room, I'm surprised they turned out quite well, considering how small my room is.

Annie (08.11.2014)

Annie (08.11.2014)

I had the pleasure of working with Annie again. If you haven't seen our previous shoot together check it out here! We shot in Hampstead Heath - there were lots of lovely places to shoot, despite walking around for two hours we barely covered 1/4 of what's there!

These three photos were shot in a lovely hill garden that was sort of hidden from the main paths. 

If you haven't seen Annie's work please check it out here: Annie Hall Art

Burberry Shoot (26/09/2014)

Burberry Shoot (26/09/2014)

I approached Ellie originally for a classic black and white portfolio style shoot, but as we developed the idea for the shoot it slowly became a Burberry Style shoot. 

Ellie brought her classic Burberry Trench Coat, and we just roamed Brick Lane - Shoreditch area to shoot!  

Ellie was a delight to shoot with. Easy to shoot with and great at posing! Check out her food blog at: Good for Bellie 

60s Summer shoot (19/04/2014)

60s Summer shoot (19/04/2014)

This photoshoot is part of my final piece for my current A2 Photography project. The shoot was at Victoria Park in London. The theme of the shoot was surrounding 60s fashion, specifically the cat eye sunglasses. I wanted to edit the photos in the style of a film effect, with off colours. As you can see, I added a reddish hue to the blacks, and added a creamy yellow to the highlights which gives it the perfect, or imperfect look. I provided the mood board to Tegan, she picked an outfit that looked similarly. I got the sunglasses from Topshop for about £16.

This is my favourite shot from the shoot. I didn't realise that Victoria Park had cultural buildings like this.

It was really chilly, props to Tegan for bracing through it. We switched to a warmer outfit toward the end of the shoot. 

Digital SLR vs. Polaroid (22/03/2014)

Digital SLR vs. Polaroid (22/03/2014)

It's been awhile since I've posted. I'm still working on the theme of Growth and Development. I'm steering it towards the development of photography, specifically three main mediums; Digital format, Instant cameras, and Film format. This photo shoot was based upon portraits, and how these three formats handle detail and how it operates in a studio environment. I shot the Digital and Film images in a mimic way (models were posed in the same way and the lighting was the same), but for the Polaroid shots I tried to shoot in an aggressive way. By aggressive I mean harsh lighting, I had this mental image in my head which was based upon 90s Grunge fashion, and the way it was shot. The lighting was quite harsh, and the photography style was rather candid. Like Terry Richardson's style, but it's best not to get into that controversial debate...

Here are the images:

 This photo surprisingly got great reception on 500px, and made it to the Popular page which made my day! 

I aimed to capture a harsh contrast and sharper detail, that's why I chose people with quite striking facial features, with beards and such! I placed a light to the right of the camera and had black card to block light from bouncing back onto the left side of their faces. In terms of manageability and accessibility I found that Digital was a lot easier to use; I could take test shots to perfect the lighting, and I could edit the RAW files in such a large way. 

 Here are the Polaroids:

This was my favourite shot with the Polaroid SX-70, I got James to 'flip the bird' at the camera, and the way film developed sort of censors the gesture.

The film I used was the Impossible Project PX-600 black and white film (with a black frame). Because the film was intended for the Polaroid SX-600, I had to use an ND filter to measure the light properly. However I think I should've just shot it normally and turned the light meter to +3 on the darker side. I shot this with the SX-70 Mint Flash, I set it to full power and got them to pose from about 1.5m - 2m, however there is still a lack of detail in their facial expression and the clothing. It has a rather greyscale finish than a black and white one. In terms of reliability the SX-70 lacked it this time, the flash failed to fire three times. I do like the effect the Polaroid cameras have, this isn't high fashion, I aimed for Grunge style, which is quite crude and raw, which these shots look. I find that the Polaroid images is aimed at a lighter part of fashion, a younger, hip version, but not for serious brands and magazines. 

I don't have the film developed yet. When I do I will conclude this studio comparison. So keep an eye on this page for an updated link to the film comparison. 

Salvation (15/01/2014)

Salvation (15/01/2014)

Blue is a cool colour. Blue is a very confined, constricted colour, and introverted. The colour blue absorbs light inwards rather than pulsate it outwards. It contains spiritual elements to its hue. Johannes Itten describes the colour blue in a spiritual perspective as an active colour and the colour red passive. The colour blue signifies faith, and in Chinese superstition it symbolises immortality.

I came across the title whilst listening to a song called Salvation (link). I was reviewing my photos which I had just taken, which were blurred photos of Space from my phone. The song and its lyrics greatly reflected the photos I just took. The original photos of Space that were on my phone emphasises the emptiness of Space. Space is vast beyond anything our brains can comprehend, and we’re constantly looking, hoping and searching for Salvation, to prove that we’re not alone in the universe. 

You can find the full set on my Flickr