AS Evaluation

I feel that this AS Photography year  has gone really well overall, and made me want to continue photography further at University. I am happy with how all of my practical work turned out and how I developed my ideas with the use of the techniques I learnt. What I feel I done best at and what I developed the most is my Photoshop skills in creating and presenting my ideas better. For example, I used a variety of Photoshop tools for my exam to make the photos look more realistic and add effects.
When I started Photography is September I had not done any Photography work at all before and I picked it up well and easily. Although I am really happy with the overall look of my work as a whole, there was a few shoots that did not go according to plan because weather or location did not work out. For example, the shoot I done in the studio with Tom and Jack in suits was meant to be in London but the weather meant that was not an option.
My two favourite shoots were my exam shoot, and the black and white fashion shoot. I like my exam shoot because the variety of lighting I used to add to the horror effect and the editing to add to the realistic feel. The black and white shoot I used the ring flash which works well in creating a realistic and professional fashion shoot quality.

Work Record April 26th 2013

Preparation;

The aim for this shoot is do a portrait and fashion shoot in black and white. This relates to contrasts as it will be in black and white. I plan on using the normal lights and the ring flash to get high quality professional portrait images.

 

 

 

I like both of these images as they both show bright, high contrast black and white style portrait photography. I like the one on the top due to the classier, extreme high contrast style to it. I like the one on the bottom as I like how the model is posing and with some shadow.

To prepare I need to;

·         Get a model

·         Book studio

·         Plan lighting

·         Plan what I want my model to wear

·         Plan poses

What I hope to achieve;

In this shoot I hope to achieve a beauty portrait shoot that shows modern fashion and beauty through a variety of poses.

 

What I actually achieved;

I am really happy with how this shoot turned out, as it shows contrast well in a different way to how I usually show it. I did originally plan on taking the photographs in black and white, but I am glad I decided against it as taking them in black and white as having them in colour gave me more freedom with editing, such as tone and brightness. I also got a few good colour images, which was not my aim but as I thought they turned out well I saved them in colour as well as black and white. When taking the photographs, I did use various different lighting, but the one that worked out best for me was the ringflash as it gave a brighter, higher quality finish. When editing, other than making them black and white, I experimented with different amounts of shadow, brightness and contrast intensity. Overall I am really happy with the result I got.

 

This image was not intentionally in colour, and it is also in black and white. Although it is in black and white, I do prefer this one in colour due to the vivid colours and how bright it is. For this I used the ring flash, and therefore this image has no shadow. I like the pose that the model is posing as it looks fun and natural. I also like how the colours and sunglasses makes the image look happy and summery.

 

This is most likely my favourite image from the shoot, as I like the retro feel to it and how fun it is. Another thing about this I like is the reflection of the ringflash in the sunglasses looks like eyes which adds to the fun style. In terms of editing, I am really happy with how this looks due to the high contrast, bright style of it. The fact that I used the ringflash increased the contrast and the brightness as well.

 

 

This is another image that I think worked out quite well, as it is not as bright and shows less contrast than the rest of the images. I took this without the ringflash, but there is still minimal shadow. I like this one mainly because it shows movement which I think was captured quite well as there is no blur. When editing, I used the dodge tool to highlight the hair a bit more.

 

 

 

 

What I am going to do next;

There are ways I could develop this idea such as doing the photographs outside or changing the theme, but as this shoot is the last in my unit, I am happy with leaving it as it is.





Work Record April 8th 2013

Preparation;
The aim of this shoot is to do a “mock up” of the shoot and editing I plan to do for my exam piece with the topic being Contrasts. This shoot will show the contrast of dead/undead and inside/outside of the body by creating an effect that my face is being unzipped. One of the reasons I chose to do this idea is because it means I can use myself as the model, therefore I would not have to find an available model, and also because it links in with my work where I have focused on the idea of horror and used myself as a model
 
 

This image on the left gives me inspiration on how I am going to do my makeup. This is the most crucial part to get right, as if it goes wrong, it will mess up the entire shoot and the edits will not look as good either. Although it does not really go with my idea, I have chosen to include this image on the left as I like the way it is lit. Up-lighting is something I want to experiment with in this shoot as I like the eerie look it gives the images.

To Prepare I need to;

·         Decide on the lighting

·         Book studio

·         Decide on what background

·         Plan poses

·         Plan/do a practice run of the makeup

·         Decide on any specific editing I want to look at

What I hope to achieve;

From this shoot I hope to achieve shoot giving me a clear indication of how I am going to do my exam shoot, including things such as whether or not this shoot is a good idea, lighting, backdrop, and edits.

What I actually achieved;

I am really happy with how this shoot turned out, and not I have a clear idea and plan of what I am doing foe my exam piece. Due to the fact I feel this was a successful trial of this idea, I am going to continue with this idea. When it came to shooting, I got a range of images with different compositions and poses as well as different lighting. I chose to use the grey background for this shoot as it is not too dark, but with different lighting and editing I have the option and it worked really well. When it came to lighting that is something I am really happy with how it turned out as I experimented with having the light coming up to give the images a darker, more horror style feel. With the editing, I had to use the clone stamp tool, spot healer and paint on them all to smooth out the zipper so it appeared as part of the skin and looked realistic. This was something I was not sure would work out too well and one of the main reasons I wanted to text my idea, but it worked out a lot better than I thought it would.

This is one of my favourite images from this shoot as it was done with the lighting going up. It makes the image look more sinister and evil, which is different to the rest where I have tried to make them seem more innocent. I also like the composition with this as I am central and looking up above the camera which I think looks good.

 

 

What I like most about this is how it looks quite bright and normal – except the zipper area which is what I was going for as it shows the contrast well and in a natural way. I also like this as it is quite close up and you can see the zipper in more detail,  and it smoothly goes into the skin.

 

 

I decided to make this one black and white as I think the fact that it has quite a bit of shadow and shows a lot of form goes well. To get this lighting, I stepped closer to the camera and just beyond where the lights were which turned out to give a halo type of effect which I think works well. When editing, I used the dodge tool on the hair to make it a bit brighter and enhance the halo effect.

 

 

 

 

What I am going to do next;

As I am really happy with how this shoot has turned out, and how the editing went, I am happy to go ahead with this idea for my exam as it is goes with the theme of Contrasts and during the editing process, there are quite a few ways I can enhance the idea and images.

 

 

 

 

 

Work Record April 8th 2013

Preparation;

The aim for this shoot is to show nature and the contrasts I see within it, such as colour and the contrasts between natural and manmade. I decided to do this as the majority of my work is in the studio and I want to explore shooting outside a bit more.  

I don’t really have any specific plans with this shoot, but I do plan on using the macro lens when photographing things such as flowers as I like the way it makes the camera focus on the subject and its detail whilst slightly blurring the background.

To Prepare I need to; 

•   Plan where I am going to go

What I hope to achieve;

From this shoot I hope to achieve a range of photographs showing various contrasts within nature.

 

What I actually achieved?
I am really happy with how my shoot went, especially as it was something I am not used to doing, and I got a variety of images showing various contrasts and compositions. As I got a range of photographs showing different things ranging from churches to flowers, this shoot shows a range of different contrasts such as contrast between light and dark. When editing, I did keep them consistent, as each image is different and needed different editing, so it ranged from just using levels and curves, to using different filters to create different effects. Overall, I am really happy with how this shoot has turned out and the range of images I got.

This is one of my favourite images from the shoot, and it did not take much editing. What I like most about this is the sun shining over from one corner through the trees and slightly hitting the pipe, emphasising the form. I also like the composition, with the camera looking down the pipe showing depth. When it came to editing, I just enhanced the contrast using levels and curves, as it did not need over editing, just enhancing slightly.

This is another image that I really like, although it does stand out against the rest of the images as it is not to do with nature or the scenery of where I was. I took this with the macro lens, focusing in on the tear in the shoe, which is obvious as it is central of the composition. As this image without editing did not have much to do with contrasts, so during editing I decided to use the selective colour technique which also emphasised the subject.

I think this is a really effective image, as it is simple yet shows good detail and strong colour. I also took this using the macro lens as I wanted to capture the detail of the flower precisely. When editing, I made the background more blurred using Gaussian blur. When it came to colour, I only had to enhance it slightly using levels and curves.

 





What I am going to do next;

As this was a one off shoot, there is not much else I can do to continue this, as the idea cannot really be developed further so I will move onto a new idea.

Work Record March 26th 2013

Preparation;

The aim of this shoot is to show the contrast between life and death by creating a scene were a zombie is eating a human. For this shoot I plan on using myself and someone else as models.

To prepare I need to;

·         Get a model

·         Book the studio

·         Get any props – i.e. heart

·         Plan makeup

·         Plan poses

What I hope to achieve;

During this shoot I hope to achieve a shoot that shows the contrast between life and death through the ideas of horror. 

What I actually achieved;

During this shoot, I managed to achieve what I wanted which was to show the ideas of life and death in a eccentric and horror themed shoot. Due to the fact I was also part of the shoot, I was originally planning on putting the camera on a stand, but the stand would not go as low as I needed it too, I instead asked Paul to take the photographs with me directing him. I am happy with how the images turned out, however  there was not much variation in pose and composition due to the fact I knew what I wanted to get out of the shoot. When shooting I used a heart as a prop to make it look more realistic like the zombie was eating the heart. When editing I experimented with adding backgrounds and re colouring them.

This is my favourite edit from the  shoot as I re coloured it and gave it and green hue in order to make it look more eerie, whilst keeping it bright and vivid. I also like how the composition is, with the heart central, making it the focus with everything happening around it and linking the zombie and the human. I also like how at the top of the image you can just see my eyes, and it looks as though I have been caught off guard.



 
What I am going to do next;
 

As I am happy with how this has turned out, I am leaving this shoot as it is, but I like looking into the idea of horror so I am going to continue looking at this style.

Work Record March 12th 2013

Preparation;
The aim of this shoot is to show the contrast between fire and ice/ good and evil by using a model and makeup. I have decided to so this so that I can show contrast in a different way to how I previously have, and also use a model.

I like these two images as they both show similar ideas of what I hope to achieve. The image on the bottom shows a similar idea of what I hope to achieve in my shoot as I like how the each side of the face is representing different ideas, this is something I hope to achieve as it shows how one person is capable of both good and evil. The image on the top shows a more detailed look of what I hope to achieve in terms of makeup design.

To prepare I need to;

·         Get a model

·         Book the studio

·         Plan what I want the model to wear

·         Plan any poses

·         Plan a makeup design

What I hope to achieve;

By the end of this shoot I hope to get have a range of photos showing the contrast between good and evil using contrasting colours and makeup.

What I actually achieved;

I am quite happy with how this shoot went, as I got what I wanted which was to show the ideas between good and evil through the model and makeup designs and for it to look effective. Although I am really happy with how the shoot went and in general with editing, there was one edit which I have included but did not turn out exactly how I hoped, as it looks false and messy. During shooting I got a wide range of shoots using both lights and just one to show more form. I also got a variety of different angles and compositions so that I got photos showing both ideas together and on their own. I decided to use a white background as it reflected the light better and goes well with both the good and the bad ideas in this shoot. During editing, I decided to play around a bit with different effects and tools to create more natural and eccentric ideas. These generally worked out really well and overall, I am happy with the result.

This is most likely my favourite image from this shoot as I really like how it turned out, especially in terms of editing, as I spent quite a while editing this, such as using the clone stamp tool to even out the patchy glitter, used the brush and eyedropper tool to enhance the colour. What I like most about this image is how the colour and the strong colours on the eye make this seem a bit surreal and more like some fairy-tale type of shoot.

 This is another image I like a lot. I like this one as it looks really natural, but them the fact that the eyes are two different colours gives it a sort of supernatural edge. For this I kept editing quite simple, just touching up colour and using Gaussian blur to soften the image. I also like the composition for this image as there is some blank space left so the model is not filling the composition entirely.

 

 

Although this probably is not the best image from the shoot, it is something I really like as it turned out better than I expected. The aim from this computer experiment was to make the model look a bit like a reptile. I done this using the texture tool, and layering it about the image repeatedly, each layer creating a more graduated effect. I them use the clone stamp to erase the nostrils. Other than the editing, I like the composition of this, how the model is off to one side and looking directly at the camera as it makes the model look powerful.

What I am going to do next;

As I am happy with how this shoot turned out, I am not going to continue with this idea as I do not think there is much I can do to develop this idea. Next, I am now going to create an animation to show contrasting ideas of living and dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Record March 21st 2013

Preparation;

The aim for this shoot is to show the contrast between mental and physical age. To do this I plan on using someone aged 17, and dress them to look like a baby to show how they are physically 16, but mentally they are a baby.

I like these images above as they show adults acting as babies/toddlers. I like these as they look natural and are in a realistic environment; however, I will be using a studio. I like the one on the top due to how it shows a sleepier more calm representation of a child. I like the one on the bottom as it shows the use of a teddy as a prop which could work in a number of ways and extends the image and what it can show.

To prepare I need to;

• ·         Book the studio
• ·         Get a model
• ·         Plan any specific poses
• ·         Get any props

What I hope to achieve;

From this I hope to achieve a shoot showing the realistic contrast between mental age and physical age by dressing up a 17 year old as a baby to show how although she is 17, she is mentally about 3 years old. 

What I actually achieved;

I am really happy with what I achieved during this shoot, and would go as far as saying it one of the better shoots I have done due to the outcome. For this shoot I decided to use a white background as it represents more innocent ideas which are how babies ad toddlers are seen. To keep in with the bright, fun and innocent theme, I decided to use both lights so it was well lit and bright. Although I did experiment with using just one light, but it created too much shadow which was not what I was looking for. I decided to use props including nappies, a soother, a doll and a “blankie”. I used these as props as they are general props associated with babies. I got a range of shoots showing different compositions and ranging from close ups of the head to full body images. None of these poses worked better than the others and I got a good and varied range, and achieved what I was aiming to.

 This is my favourite photo from the shoot, mainly due to the angle and composition. What I really like is how her head looks really big due to the angle and the fact that I zoomed right out on the camera, and I went right up close to the model. When editing, I chose use selective colour as I thought it would make it look dramatic, and keep it looking humorous and silly. I made the pink in the dummy a lot brighter, and made the light reflecting, shiny areas brighter as well. On the eyes I used the dodge tool and made them brighter to make the model seem more excited and more like a child. 

I also like this one quite a lot as instead of showing her as bold, it shows the model using the doll and dummy as if for comfort or protection, while still keeping the image light and happy. I spent a lot of time editing this image, and before deciding to turn it into a cluster image, I spent a lot of time working on editing the face. When editing the face I re coloured a few areas, and removed dark circles, making her face brighter and using Gaussian blur to make her seem younger. I then chose to turn this into a cluster image as I think the image works with the layout.

This is another image that I really like, due to the editing. I also like how the composition is looking down on the model, making her seem inferior slightly. For this, the idea of turning her into a puppet was not planned and instead, we was experimenting with different poses which are to do with babies and toddlers – which led to the  teapot pose in relation to the nursery rhyme. When editing, I at first kept it really natural, just adjusting colours and perfecting areas. But then as I did not want to crop the image, I decided to turn her into a puppet. To do this I first used surface blur as it gives a false, plastic effect. I then added lines using shape, and then warped them on transform. 

What I am going to do next;

I am really happy with how this turned out, and therefore do not feel the need to go back and re shoot it. I am now going to develop the idea I previously looked at which is life and death using the idea of zombies.

Work Record March 19th 2013

Preparation;

The purpose of this shoot is to get images of me as a zombie and looking normal. This is to show the contrast between the dead and the living. To show the contrast effectively, I am going to create an animation.

The image on the top relates to what I plan on doing as it is natural and normal, which is what part of my shoot is going to be, as I want the contrast to be strong and obvious. The image on the bottom relates as it is showing zombie/dead makeup and the model looks lifeless. 

To prepare I need to;

• ·         Plan makeup ideas
• ·         Book studio
• ·         Plan any specific poses

What I hope to achieve;

By the end of the shoot and editing, I hope to get some good photos that I can put together to create an animation showing the change from “human” to zombie.

What I actually achieved;

I am really happy with what I achieved with this shoot, as I effectively got two different shoots done in one – one normal and one with zombie FX makeup. I chose to use a dark background to make the makeup and expressions stand out more, and because black goes with both ideas I was showing in this. The poses I done were obvious dead zombie poses, natural smiley and poses and shut eyes so the transition between human to zombie would be smooth. As this was exactly what I wanted and needed to do I did not try out other ideas. I did how ever try out being close to the camera and further away which created more shadow which was better for the zombie photos. When editing, I focused primarily on creating the animation rather than the editing single images.

Animation;

For the animation, I kept the editing really simple and chose to keep the colours natural for the natural shoots, but then the images showing the zombie idea I decided to make my skin seem whiter and greyer, and make the blood more vivid. I did not need to edit my eyes as I was wearing white out contacts. When choosing the correct images, I had to choose ones that were similar sizes and composition to make the transition smooth, but when I was layering them, I did use free transform to size them to fit better. As this is my first animation, I am really happy with the result of this. 

The animation can be found on this link here; 

http://alicesophiephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/zombie-animation.html

For this edit, the idea behind it was “everybody’s got a dark side”. To show this idea, I decided to use a natural image and keep it natural by just perfecting the skin and making the eyes stand out more. To show the dark side I layered one of the zombie images on top and turned the opacity down so that it was visible but not overpowering. This shows the idea I want well, as it looks like the “darker side” is fighting though or just slightly visible.

For this edit I wanted to just focus on the zombie side, and make it seem more “early Hollywood zombie movies” style. To achieve this I added noise to distort the image and make it seem more vintage. Before I added the noise, I made the reds brighter and the white on the eyes whiter. I then desaturated the colour a bit, but not so much that the red was not vivid.

What I am going to do next;

As I am really happy with the result of this animation and shoot, I am leaving this idea now. But I do plan on revisiting the idea of life and death with the zombie theme as it is one of my favourite and most fun ideas to shoot, create and edit.