Haleema Saleem

HND Photography

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Fashion Major Inspiration

Was wanting to go for an 80′s grunge/punk vibe of two girls out and about with some attitude.

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"Brand" Shoot Inspiration #brand #studio #location #photography #haleemasaleem #hnd2b

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Something New My set up for this brief to spread even lighting over the subject and white background. #somethingnew #brief #photography #hnd2b #haleemasaleem

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"Something Old" behind the scene shots.

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The Secret Lives of Trees

Take a trip through Spain's breathtaking and diverse scenery in The Silent Friends, which places trees front and center. The Short Film Showcase spotlights exceptional short videos created by filmmakers from around the web and selected by National Geographic editors. The filmmakers created the content presented, and the opinions expressed are their own, not those of the National Geographic Society.

Documentary Research: Trees

For my documentary series I am looking into trees and how in this day and age people interact with them. Trees are something I’m drawn to and is the subject for a lot of my images so doing research has been very interesting. Different cultures believe life and spiritual energy run through the veins of trees and is what helps our everyday environment and yet people take advantage of this. I am going to shoot with this idea in mind. I have also been inspired by Mitch Epstein’s series “New York Arbor” and the angle he took to shoot this.

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Fragments

Some of my final edits for the fragments brief.

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“Something Old” Research

For this brief I have chosen to shoot with a pocket watch. I was struggling for ideas for the background but after doing some research I feel I have some inspiration and a direction.

With these chosen images there seems to be a certain pattern with them. They all have natural tonal ranges with wood and stone-like backgrounds and using paper with symbols (words, music notes) as backgrounds also. There are also props like books and brass/mechanical/wooden objects being used. These images are also close up to the subjects with subtle shadows, with the exception of the third image which holds a bold shadow of the subject.

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Business Card

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Wrong

Some examples from my images for the “Wrong” brief.

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Fragments Research

Richard Wentworth

Looking through the “Making Do and Getting By” series, I’ve noticed that the shots were taken at an angle where the light is nicely complimentary, creating patterns and repetition. This makes the subject looking more exciting and interesting. I feel if these subjects were shot without much thought and technique they would look boring.

The framing looks quite cropped and tight, making the objects themselves the main focus but the background helps emphasise the look and feel of the image. The colours and tones seem cold but natural, giving the series a certain aesthetic.

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The Contact Sheet

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Visiting Speaker Report

Martin Steele

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Social Studio

I feel the images shown above are the most relevant to this brief as these compositions and lightings on the models and backdrops is what I need to provide myself. I also like how each of these images show off a bit of personality.

The most challenging part of this brief was considering how to light the studio to spread light evenly over multiple models instead of just one as this was something I had not done before.

At first I had used two soft boxes on the overhead lamps at my sides in front of the models so that the light spread evenly on the models but I noticed the images looked flat so I played about with the positioning of the soft boxes to create a bit of contrast and structure on the models.

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Studio Location

The main thing I found difficult about this project is finding a subject matter for this brief. I didn't want to just use anyone and take a photo, I wanted the image to be meaningful which I hope come across in my final images.

Having said that, my location was indoors and the event took place at nighttime so was difficult to get all the subjects lit nicely and evenly.

The images above stood out to me because there is a lot nice lighting with contrasting shadows and the backgrounds seem to go perfectly with the models. Also the composition is setup and spread evenly so that everyone is stood out to the viewer.

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Stylish Strangers

This brief was one I was both nervous for but looking forward to as this is the type of photography (street/fashion) I would say I enjoy most.

Doing research I came across these images shown above, taken by the photographer Adde Adesokan, who creates a collections of triptychs of each section (top-mid-bottom) of a person. I found this concept really eye catching and unusual as its something I haven’t came across before.

You can see a wide angel lense has been used and the depth of field is strong, creating texture in the background which is what I really like. Each triptych has its own subtle colour pallete which I also like looking at.

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People at Work

This project at first was nerve wracking as it was asking strangers at work if it was okay to take their photo, but as I got to ask more strangers I realised that the majority of them were fine with their photo getting taken.

What was hard though was finding people that weren’t busy and then having to position/direct them into what I wanted to achieve without being a nuisance and taking up too much of their time. Also what I worried about was taking the photos and make sure everything was in focus and exposures were okay as I prefer to shoot manual as I feel this helps me learn more.

Overall I think my photos were okay, I wish I spent more time with each person so that I could’ve came up with images more creative but my nerves got in the way I think.

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Fashion Front Cover Inspiration

After looking at some artists and directors, I was drawn to the works of Almodovar and his film “Volver” especially.

The abstract colours of the backgrounds and designs in the film poster totally contrasts with the models facial expression which is what i really like. Also, looking at some scenes from the film I noticed the backgrounds can be graphic with either graffiti, flowers, bold colours etc. This is an important part of this project and I feel this will be fun to work with.

Almodovar was inspired by 1950s Italian cinema when it came to the aesthetic of the characters looks as he felt it tied in perfectly with the characters he wrote and their stories, as you can tell with the specific looks they have. The styling is also very relevant to the era Almodovar was inspired by but i feel this sort of fashion is making a comeback in this day and age which is why i want to work with the influence from this director.

I am hoping to go for a similar aesthetic as the Another Magazine front cover with Kate Moss. The portrait is quite straightforward but then there are lots of graphic designs all over which reminds me of the volver film.