SDA- Health of the Highstreet in Cornwall

With a keen interest in the news and things that are not just effecting large aspects of the country but also having a detrimental effect on a local level i have been researching and tracking changes in the high street since Christmas and have found that countless local small business' loved by the local people are being forced to close die to hikes in business rates,rents and the increase in large corporate business' that can charge far less than any local business can dream of.
I first visited "Party Zone" in January of this year which i have talked about in previous posts and since then have found a recurrence of the same story from business to business and not just in one market for example cafe's, fancy dress shops, bridal dress companies have all been effected by the same two or three factors and the list can go on.

Last week i visited a sweet shop in Falmouth called "the chocolate box" this time i found that the story again related to corporate competition that they simply compete with any longer. The owners of the business have agreed to an interview over email to ensure that they can get there message out there within the editorial section of the SDA which will be presented to various Cornwall focused magazines such as Cornwall live.
In hind sight i definitely should taken a flash with me to this shoot as the lighting in the shop was incredibly poor and the large windows didn't provide enough ambient light as they were covered over with large closing down stickers.

Spring/Summer fashion second shoot

After the first shoot i learn't a lot about lighting, composition and ensuring location conveyed the correct connotations to fit the theme.
The second shoot was carried out at Pendennis point on a hot, sunny day and despite waiting until 4pm to shoot the sun was still high in the sky and was producing some harsh shadows while also causing my model to squint although that was partly the fault of the strong winds present at the coast on the day.

The shoot consisted of two different outfits which both me and the model/fashion blogger agreed where suitable for a spring/summer article. we tried several locations for shooting to create diversity within the work and also find various lighting scenarios.
Throughout the shoot i experimented with different compositions as i was baring in mind that the images where to be used in an editorial context which allowed me to try compositions which may not otherwise work such as the image seen below. This image would usually contain too much negative space to be considered as a final shot or atleast for me, However the extreme volume of negative space in this context allows for headlines, interviews and intros. My only issue with this image would be the pose which while shooting became un avoidable because of the wind.We tried multiple poses but this was the only one which looked remotely natural and comfortable for both the model and the audience

This next image is one which i have mixed feelings about from a technical stand point.The aim for this image was to create something which could work as a double page spread and also be cropped into to work as a tighter portrait if required and from that idea it totally works however, because of the sunlight there were some harsh shadows casting across the model which usually i could easily blow out by simply using some fill flash. This image though was shot between 150-300mm meaning that i was stood quite a way back from the model in order to capture this composition using the aperture settings i desired meaning that even with some fill flash added it simply didn't make too much of a difference because of inverse square law.I also tried to use the flash a slave however this didn't seem to work which is something for me to practice before future shoots. So my problem with this image is the distracting shadows which cover the clothing and the models face and will be something i discuss with my lecturers.

I will leave this blog post with just a few more examples of images from the shoot.

Spring/Summer Fashion

PEP160 has me experimenting with many different genres within photography as i try to find my niche.So this week i have been doing a shoot based around fashion designed for fashion magazines such as Vogue. The shoot for this editorial piece is happening in two parts.the first part of the shoot being the content within this blog where i met up with a popular fashion blogger to photograph one outfit in the woods in order to bring a sense of adventure and create a more aesthetic scene for portraying the idealized vision the magazines portray.

so my idea for this shoot was to combine ambient light with a hint of fill flash to create soft aesthetic images that compliment the clothing in order to work successfully as a fashion editorial set. I looked at posing and location to create narrative and the colour pallet for the shoot was picked out by Ellie after i had briefed her on the exactly what i was aiming for

Relationships- Freja and Bella visit Kennall Vale

Kennall Vale nature reserve , Cornwall, UK,, 26/02/17

This weekend i decided to crack on and shoot my relationships assignment and so i contacted my model and we met in the beautiful setting of Kennall vale nature reserve. The setting was perfect, the winding river and the abandoned old mills created a real sense of adventure which was great for capturing emotive images that portrayed the relationship between my model and her pet spaniel Bella.
Despite the weather being a little overcast i found that there was a good opportunity for portraits as the trees weren't casting shadows all over the model or causing her and the dog to squint.

The biggest challenge that i encountered while doing this shoot was keeping up with Bella, being an excited puppy she was running all over the place which took me a few moments to get used to, however once i did i think i really started to capture some interesting images that depict a connection between the two subjects.
I also stepped away from the relationship photos and practiced panning techniques which i also feel turned out quite well

Overall i captured a lot of  images for the relationship and so its quite a challenge for me to edit it down to 5 however i will show a few of them below.

This is one of my favourite images from the shoot because it really has everything i was trying to capture. Firstly and most obviously is the connection between the two subjects, due to the facial expression and the body language i have captured a really telling moment about the relationship that Freja has with Bella. I also really enjoy the lighting within the images as it is very flattering on the subjects and has produced a beautiful background when combined with depth of field. Composition is another good quality of this image as i really draws your eye around the frame while capturing the relationship and bringing in some context using background .

While this image isn't a candid moment of the relationship between the two subjects i do feel that it is successful as an image for this brief as it kind of acts as your formal portrait within the set however it has a bit of flavour to help project the narrative more effectively. I found as the shoot went on i started to enjoy more an more shots like this where i was finding interesting ways to place my subjects within the environment adding further context to the narrative im trying to create.

For this image i wanted to step back from my subject a little therefore i had the ability to capture a main theme that can be found within the relationship which is adventure. Being a conservation student Freja often enjoys taking her dog all over to explore new places. Kennall vale is one of her favourite places to go with Bella and so i decided this would be a fitting location for the shoot if i am to capture the relationship most effectively.

This image was captured towards the end of the shoot when Bella was all muddy from running around the woods and the old buildings for a few hours and so Freja was trying to get Bella to clean off in the river and so i decided to take some photos as she promised her treats if she went in the water to wash the mud out of her fur.

Lottie Davies

Lottie Davies was our guest lecture a few days ago and i found this to be one of the best ones weve had so far. many of the guest lectures simply show us too many images to process before promoting their latest book and giving us some information that often times wont apply to us until we actually have a name within the industry.

Lottie was completely different. the content provided on the powerpoint seemed not to be a random compilation of the images she had captured throughout her career but they told a story. i found it interesting to see the various types of work that she had created and where these personal projects had led. it proved to me that the ideas which i often brush off because i cant see an audience are often some of the ideas which will bring you the most work in the future. I think that some of the advice which was given is some of the most helpful so far for example, the methods which lottie has used to make her way into the industry through small projects and working as an assistant etc, this is a realistic model which i feel any budding photographer could roughly follow to a degree and find some sort of success.

Feedback

So the first term ended and i recently got my feedback which i am to take into account and further improve my work, this post is really just a document that compiles all of this feedback so that i can easily look back and remind myself of the areas i need to work on.

The first piece of feedback which is quite clear is that i need to work on a calibrated monitor as the images that i have produced, many of them are either too dark from post production or have colour casts which diminish how effective the images are. Working on a calibrated monitor would allow me to accurately see the images with a realistic representation of colour and tones.

I also need to consider my lighting more so that i can produce images which are not only composed correctly but also have an aesthetic and effective quality of light so that my semiotics can be more accurately expressed.

In terms of my presentation skills i am in need of some great improvements which i knew right from the get go that this was the case.
My interaction with the audience was minimal, my thoughts were all over the place and the presentation lacked pace and effective delivery. the information was all there it was just the way that i presented the information which was flawed and so this is an area i need to work on and practice.

When it came to my professional studies i feel i did pretty good however i received some confusing feedback regarding my bio which states that i need to have a third person bio in the about me section. the about me section of my website has always been third person and so this is something which i need to ask about. other than that the main thing i need to look at is my CV the language used within my CV  could be tightened up  little to ensure i can get the most out of the things i have put on it.
I have also been informed of some typos within my website. i will strive to fix this as son as possible.

PEP 160

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I am really excited for this new assignment which we have been given around the production of an editorial piece.

4 client specific projects one of which is to be my self directed piece which is also to be used in PEP 140.

This is the direction i feel i will go once i complete this course and move into the real world and so i find this interesting while giving me a chance to experiment with my content and find my niche'.
I am a lover of magazines and so there are so many that spring to mind when i begin trying to find the magazines which interest me for this piece however when looking at magazines that might suit the area of photography that i enjoy i find it much easier to narrow down.

Motorcycle news is a must for me i am an avid lover of the motor sport world and regularly read this magazine/paper which covers everything motorbike related that is happening in the industry.
Aswell as loving to read about and watch motorcycles one of my most captured subjects is motorcycles therefore i will definitely be looking at this magazine for PEP 160

https://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Motorcycle-News-Magazine-Subscription.cfm

Although i read national geographic magazine almost every month and it would be a dream of mine to one day work for them i do not think that for this assignment i will be looking at this magazine as it is too obvious and shall not push me beyond my comfort zone.

Being a man im sure there must be something in the male magazines such as GQ magazine that i would find interesting enough to pursue working for. This magazine focuses on men and the trends and topics which most men would find either relatable  or interesting to read about such as Fashion, lifestyle, grooming, news and culture

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/magazine

I will be looking at much smaller produced magazines and online publications as i continue my research into this topic, i intend to look at things such as Pighouse Pictures because of its focus on images within its content.