The Body

For this part of the brief we have to photograph a stranger either being staff or student from the uni or someone that lives and works in medway.

I am going to photograph a student from the uni.

Initial ideas are to find someone from one of the fashion departments because fashion photography is an area that interests me the most and I have the greatest pleasure in shooting.

I have been looking at quite a few photographers for inspiration and these are the ones that have stood out. This shot has to be a black and white analogue shot, so the photographs that I have as reference are all black and white. This is where I will have to start thinking about the ways colours change into tones on black and white film.

Irving Penn

Penn has a great use of chiaroscuro (Light-Dark), his images are very dramatic due to the contrast between the highlights and shadows. This is due to the way he lights his images, sometimes using just one harsh light on the subject creating a quick gradation (barely any tones). The camera position and angle are very different looking at these images, the first one is very close and looks to be about eye level. This draws you in to the personal space of this person and creates a connection, whereas the bottom image is shot further away with the camera looking down at the subject ever so slightly. There is still a connection to this person because of the stare into the camera but it makes you feel differently when viewing it.

Richard Avedon

The poses and movements of the models in the images below appear to create a world in which there is less gravity than in our own world. Basically these images create a place that has a different time and space to ours, this is something that many photographers do by using mythical elements from the world. The more you look at these images the more you expect the model to move due to the way they are posed but obviously because it is a photograph the movement has been frozen.

Albert Watson

Again it is clear that this is a studio set up, which lets the photographer have full control over the lighting and what is to be seen by the viewer e.g. if there are any props, distractions from the subject or other people. Which sometimes cannot be controlled when out on location, due to public places and colour within the scene. The movement or pose of the models in these images suggests that by wearing these clothes it makes you feel alive and able to express yourself with ease. The clothes also help to suggest this idea as they are flowing and also very expressive in their own way.

And of course Lara Jade

These images are very engaging due to the way they have been composed, you find the models eyes at a level where you would normally look while talking to someone. The camera position is close and involved in the model, you start to feel like you are invading the personal space. Despite the first image being black and white, the styling of the clothes makes it appear colourful. Both of these images have quite a great depth of field, this allows the viewer to see everything as the photographer has made the decision that the whole image is important to view. The lighting in both the images is also very similar, possibly both set up as 'butterfly' lighting as you can see the shadow under the nose. The difference is that the bottom image is more contrasty, it is likely that a bowl has been used to create a harsh light whereas the top image is softer so a softbox could have been used.

Tim Walker

The reason I want to look at a few Tim Walker images is because he has some of the easiest pieces of work to show the use of mythological elements. He uses a lot of fictitious characters and scenes that would normally be found within a fairytale. His work is very much about leaving this time and space and entering another world that is still similar enough that we are able to identify with it. He uses many ginormous props, which certainly would not be found normally but we do not disagree with it for being in the image.

Mert and Marcus

This pair of photographers have a similar take on fashion photography to Tim Walker, they have quite extravagant sets, but generally their work can be related closer to our own time and space rather than finding yourself falling down the rabbit hole. I have found that looking through their work they vary from black and white images to very colourful images, not just in the clothes but also the sets they are in and the use of gels on the lights.

The reason for choosing to show the two images below is because they are both quite simple in their composition and lighting. The first image has the model stood directly centre of the frame with maybe only one or two lights. The grey background is dark enough for the clothes that the model is wearing to really stand out and cause the viewer to study them. The pose is also important as it creates lines for the viewer to follow. 

Quentin Arnaud

It is rather interesting to view this series of work as he has decided to take away the faces from his models. Normally when we engage with someone we look at their eyes and facial expressions to better understand how they are feeling and connect with them. Due to the lighting in this series all of that is missing and we are left looking at this black void that becomes alien like. In my portrait I think that it will be important to make the eyes the main focus of the image to better understand how my model feels about the course she is on. 

I think that it is a good idea to understand how the colours will change into tones when shooting black and white film. For instance if you want the model to stand out from the background then not only is the lighting important but also how the model is dressed. It would not be a good idea to use a blue-violet background and have the model dressed in orange as these tones in black and white are quite similar.

Another thing to look at would be the way different materials react to light as I will not be using a general backdrop. So the first image is a kind of similar material to the backdrop I have, it will be more reflective than this corduroy as the threading is much finer. The colour of the backdrop is slightly lighter than this jacket so tonal wise it should be yellow to yellow-orange.

In fact it may react in a very similar way to velvet, very reflective and seems to shimmer.

Below is the lighting set up that I would like to use for my shoot, single light from above and using a reflector to bounce some light onto the front of the model as I do not want the light to drop off completely. (Lighting reference: Albert Watson images above).

Side view of above:

Because I have chosen a Fashion Textiles student I would like to create an image that shows how they get from an idea to the finished item so props will be valuable to use like sketchbooks, offcuts of materials and of course some finished work. Generally when seeing fashion students around the uni they are also dressed quite well albeit a bit weird sometimes, so this is another thing to think about as I would like a balance at what is important to look at within the image.