Old Foundation Blog

My old photography foundation blog that is no longer in use.

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NEW BLOG LINKS

My photography foundation course has now finished and I have just started a photography degree at the University of Westminster in London which I have created another blog for; so feel free to follow that now :)

The link is: phoebemead.tumblr.com

I also have a flickr account which is regularly updated at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/78135265@N07/

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These are some of my favourite images from the fashion shoot which I have edited in Photoshop CS6. I experimented with converting one of the pictures black and white and also playing with filters and colour balance on the other shots. I also used the heal tool a lot to create a smooth and 'perfect' finish to the models skins which is often seen in fashion magazines which is where I was aiming these images to be targeted - the use of editing to create 'beauty' is not something I particularly agree with as it questions the theory of photography documenting the 'truth' and it also gives people an unreal perception on what they should look like and perceive as attractive. My favourite image is probably the black and white one as I like the ambiguity and mystery it holds which is enhanced by the deep shadows and high contrast. However, I really like the editing techniques I have used in the top right image as it's created peachy tones giving a warm atmosphere.

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This was a shoot that I did in my own time for some Fashion students of City College featuring their textiles final pieces. I used the studio to give a professional, editorial feel to the images and focused on capturing a range of portraits from full body to just the face. I also tried to capture details of the outfits as this is what the photography was meant to be documenting. I used two large soft boxes (or fish fryers) to light the studio to give soft bright light. I used a professional 5D SLR camera and shot in RAW format to retain all the photographic information of the images.

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An example of how someone has digitally created the 'tilt shift' effect using Photoshop. You can also get tilt and shift lenses for digital SLRs which work in a similar way to the large format lens in that they are moveable and can create vignetting. Personally, I feel that using a tilt and shift lens has a better outcome than editing in the effect (shown above) because it is more 'authentic'. However, using large format definitely gives the best effect due to the incredible detail that can be captured by using a large format camera.

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Here we used a large format camera with 5x4 negatives to create a 'Toy Town' effect due to tilting and shifting the lens. This has created vignetting and abnormal blur in parts of the picture; focussing only on a small line within the shot - creating the effect that everything is miniature.

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DAVID BAILEY

Considered one of the best photographers that Britain has produced, David Bailey (born 1938) is an undeniable master of the studio. He has photographed hundreds of the most famous celebrities from around the world such as, Kate Moss, Johnny Depp, Andy Warhol and even the Queen. Bailey's early career started out at a studio where he was a photographic assistant and probably where he learnt how to use the studio space and lighting. He then became a fashion photographer for Vogue magazine, again, having access to studios within his photography. Bailey also undertook a lot of freelance work throughout his career, which is what he is probably most well known for. Below, are some of his classic studio images that have the typical 'David Bailey' style; the white background, filled frame, central composition and film rebate (suggesting no cropping has taken place during post production). To achieve the effect of the white background, Bailey most likely uses two soft boxes (probably set to around f8) to light the background of the studio and another key light on the subject using either a fish fryer, a beauty dish or another soft box - depending on how hard the lighting is. I really like the detail that is included in Bailey's shots due to the use of a large format camera and the clarity coming from the bright lights - this also allows an effect of high contrast in a shot, especially if the key light is lighting the subject from the side because this will create a range of shadows and highlights across the portrait. Another aspect of Bailey's studio work that I admire is the way that the subjects in his shots always seem so natural and relaxed, something that I find quite challenging to do in the studio because the space can seem rather intimidating at times.

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'Emma Watson' 2010, by Mario Testino

The second image I have decided to replicate that I have chosen myself is of Emma Watson, taken in 2010 for Vogue magazine by renowned Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino. I like the way the shot has been set up because it almost looks as if it hasn’t been shot in the studio but rather in natural light on a summers day which is reflected by the fresh, lively atmosphere of the shot due to the warm tones, what the subject is wearing and her fun pose.

I was quite apprehensive about recreating this image at first but I am actually quite pleased with the outcome. My studio layout can be seen in the lighting diagram I have created above and I believe it to be the most complicated that I have done in this project; I used two small soft boxes set to f11 to light the backdrop creating a white background, I also used a fill light of a large soft box with a red colour gel stuck over it set to f5.6 and a key light of a small beauty dish set to f8.  I used the hat as a prop, applied heavy makeup to her eyes and directed the model to pose as similarly as possible to the subject in Testino’s shot.

As with all of my other Echo shots, I photographed in RAW format so that the information of the image was not compressed and, therefore, not lost. Because the image is in colour the use of editing in RAW was extremely useful during post-production in Photoshop CS6 as I could make really precise adjustments to the exposure and colour settings of the shot to try and get the red tones to look almost exactly the same as in Testino’s image. I found getting the red tones to be as rich and deep as the original image quite difficult because I didn’t want it to look too over-saturated. As well as making adjustments to the colour and exposure, I also edited out my model’s nose ring by using the heal tool and slightly straightened and cropped the image as well.

For this exercise I shot on a Canon 650D using a standard zoom lens (but shot on a focal length of 60mm). I set my ISO to 100, used a relatively small aperture of f5.6 (to achieve the quite shallow depth of field) and a shutter speed of 1/125.

If I was to do this shoot again, I would have been prepared with some dark clothes for my model to wear and would have concentrated more on trying to get her pose more similar to Emma Watson’s in the original image – for example, the angle of her eyes.

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'Anouk Aimee' 1949, by Cornell Lucas

The previous three shots I have done for this project (The Echo) by David Bailey, Irving Penn and Julia Margaret Cameron have been suggestions of iconic studio shots given to us by our tutors to try and imitate. Therefore, because reproducing these studio images has really interested me, I decided to replicate some other photographer’s portraiture work that they have captured in the studio by finding them myself and from photographer’s who inspire me.

The first photographer I have chosen is Cornell Lucas. Born in 1920, Lucas was a British film still photographer who was considered to be a pioneer of film portraiture in the 1940s and 1950s and shot many famous film stars of the time. Lucas was also the first ever photographer to win a BAFTA.

The image of his that I have tried to emulate is of Anouk Aimee, taken in 1949, which can be seen above. Anouk Aimee was a very well known French film actress of the time who was considered as a very beautiful, elegant woman. I feel that Lucas’ shot of her reflects this due to the directionality of light and her pose; the light from above is relatively hard as it has created a ‘spotlight’ effect – suggesting that it was quite a small light source – I feel that this use of lighting creates an almost angelic atmosphere to the shot which is also supported by the way she is looking up – as if she is looking up to heaven – the whole shot looks quite ethereal. Her pose is very elegant and her eyes looking up to the light allows her eyelashes to look long, her eyes to look big and the lighting from above that is directly hitting the centre of her face to make her lips look plump, highlighting her cheekbones and giving symmetry to her facial features; something considered desirable and beautiful in appearance. Her hands are also positioned in quite a feminine pose, which makes them look delicate. The black background of this shot has been created by the use of a small key light source (most probably a beauty dish or small soft box) lighting the model’s face only, therefore, no fill light is hitting the backdrop, meaning that it is all in shadow.

To recreate this shot I used a small beauty dish on a stand, which I set up very tall so that the light would be as high above the model as possible. This beauty dish was set to f8 which I carefully measured using a light meter. I then put a necklace on my subject and put a black blanket around her shoulders, similar to the props and general mise-en-scene used in Cornell Lucas’ image. During post-production, I converted my image to black and white and straightened it slightly in Photoshop CS6. I also used the heal tool to edit out any blemishes or imperfections on my subjects face. I also tried darkening my subject’s lips as Anouk Aimee is clearly wearing lipstick in Cornell Lucas’ image but it looked too unnatural so I left them as they were.

For this exercise I shot on a Canon 1100D using a standard zoom lens (but shot on a focal length of 29mm). I set my ISO to 100, used an aperture of f8 and a shutter speed of 1/125.

If I was to try and mimic this shot again I would make quite a few improvements – personally, I think this is the weakest of all my Echo images. First of all, I would get my model to wear dark lipstick, get her to remove her ring and edit out her nose ring in Photoshop.  I would also try and perfect the hand placements further and adjust the black cloth over her shoulders so that it covered more of her skin and the straps of her top. I would also suspend the beauty dish from the ceiling using an overhead pantograph so that I could light my subjects face from directly above as I feel that the lighting in my image is quite unbalanced as one side of her face is in more shadow than the other.

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'Herschel' 1867, by Julia Margaret Cameron

I found trying to recreate this shot of Sir John Herschel by Julia Margaret Cameron, taken in 1867, quite challenging due to the interesting blur of movement that it has. Sir John Herschel is a scientist and I feel that the reasoning for the blurring of the shot by Margaret Cameron was to create the effect of a 'mad scientist'. This is also enhanced by his messy hair and the fact that only one eye is visible apart from a glinting reflection in his eye that is in shadow - giving an almost 'crazed' look in his eyes.

The original image shows a completely black background with only half of the subject's face being lit, suggesting that only a single key light was used. The lighting is quite hard on his face with very strong contrast. This shot was taken in the very early stages of photography and was shot on film and developed using the collodion process.

When trying to replicate this image, I used a small soft box to light the subject at a 45 degree angle but I didn't use the flash; I kept the soft box on the modelling light so that I could achieve the blur by using a slow shutter speed (something that is not possible when using a flash). I also tried ruffling the subject's hair slightly and framing the shot as similarly as I could to Margaret Cameron's. In Photoshop CS6 I converted my shot to black and white and cropped it to try and get a similar format and frame size as the original.

For this exercise I shot on a Canon 650D using a standard zoom lens (but shot on a focal length of 34mm). I set my ISO to 1600 (as I was not using a flash), used an aperture of f22 and a slow shutter speed of 1/2 to achieve the blur.

I think the directionality of lighting in my shot is almost exact to the original due to where the light is hitting the subject's face and neck. However, some improvements I would do if I did it again would be to try and get a completely black background and use film to try and achieve the grainy, deteriorated effect of Margaret Cameron's - her shot also looks like it has a slight sepia tone to it which could be down to the age of the photograph or deliberate toning.

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'Small Trades' series, 1950-51, by Irving Penn

The top image shows an original photograph from Irving Penn's 'Small Trades' series which he shot across 1950-51. I find the whole concept of this series really interesting as Penn introduced relatively working class people with 'small trade' jobs to the photographic studio which, especially at the time, was considered a place for people of significance and importance (for example famous actors, artists and musicians) to be photographed and showcased to the public. The way Irving Penn has set up his shot of a bread-seller reflects this idea of importance as he has taken the shot from below and the the subject's chin is slightly raised; suggesting power, proudness and relevance. I think that throughout this series, Penn could be implying that although their work often goes unnoticed, small trade artisans are very important in society.

The original image was taken in a daylight studio creating soft light, however, the light source was coming through blinds which is why the light is casting some shadows over the subject's face and body. To try and mimic this effect in our shot, we used a fish fryer (very large soft box) set to f11 to light the subject at an angle to achieve the slight shadow on the face and ground behind the subject - this layout can be seen in my studio plan above. The props consisted of a textured fabric sheet to use as the backdrop similar to the one in the original image, a medium format camera and a glasses case to use as the bread and basket props (unfortunately we didn't have any baguettes).

For this exercise we shot on a Canon 650D using a standard zoom lens (but shot on a focal length of 24mm). An ISO of 100, an aperture of f8 and a shutter speed of 1/100.

I am relatively pleased with this shot and think the lighting is very similar to the original. The only thing I would possibly change is the use of props as I think it would have looked even more successful with the baguettes, as seen in Irving Penn's image.

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'Michael Caine' 1965, by David Bailey

The top image shows the original photograph of Michael Caine by David Bailey shot in 1965. The first thing I notice when looking at this shot are the deep shadows across half of the subjects face created by hard light suggesting that a small key light was used. The background is white which means it was most likely lit using two backdrop lights and the image was shot using a 6x6 Rolleiflex camera using medium format film (of which the film rebate is visible).

In my opinion, this image implies strength, masculinity and power due to the low angle that the portrait has been captured meaning that we are looking up at the subjects face and he completely fills the frame. The props also reflect this; the thick-framed reading glasses suggests intelligence and the cigarette, again, suggests notions of being masculine and rebellious. The white background also allows the subject to really stand out, showing lots of detail and high contrast for us as the viewer to examine. What really interests me about studio work (especially David Bailey's) is that everything is thought through and everything is there for a reason, for example, the lighting, the props and even the pose of the model is often pre-planned. I find this concept interesting when considering that the film rebate has been left in this shot which implies that no cropping has taken place in post production, portraying truthfulness - a possible contradiction to the idea of studio work. However, the thick black rebate also frames the portrait which could suggest imprisonment or the idea of being 'trapped'.

The second image is my effort to replicate this iconic David Bailey shot and the diagram below this shot is my lighting plan and my positioning of things that I used in the studio. I lit the backdrop with two medium-sized soft boxes both set to f11 by carefully measuring them with a light meter. I then centrally positioned my subject in front of these lights to create the white background. I then lit my subject's face with a small beauty dish set to f11 - this was the key light. I then gathered the props (glasses and a cigarette) and tried to direct the subject to pose as similarly to Michael Caine in the original image. I took the shot from slightly below eye-level to achieve a similar effect to Bailey's - looking up to the subject. In Photoshop CS6 I then cropped my image into a square format, turned it black and white, edited out any imperfections using the heal tool and increased the contrast slightly.

For this exercise I shot on a Canon 650D using a standard zoom lens (but shot on a focal length of 23mm). I set my ISO to 100, used an aperture of f11 and a shutter speed of 1/125.

If I was to try and mimic this shot again, I would like to try using a Rolleiflex film camera so that I could include the rebate. I would also probably use even harder light to create deeper, darker shadows on one side of the face as I don't feel that my shot has enough contrast.

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Large Format exercise

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My concept board for this project to help me to develop my ideas further.

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Exercise 5A - Different Focal Lengths

Photo 1: 20mm

Photo 2: 24mm

Photo 3: 35mm

Photo 4: 70mm

Photo 5: 105mm

Photo 6: 200mn

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This is one of my own merged HDR images where I combined a selection of five of the same framed images but with different exposures to achieve the tonal range in my HDR outcome. Unfortunately it was a very dull and cloudy day so the HDR effect is not great, but you can still see all of the details in the clouds, trees and road and also the colour and details are vibrant and saturated.