Shoot 7 plan

Backlight - Honey comb (with coloured gels)
Key light - Snoot to light model (keep above head height to give a spotlight effect and to NOT light the backdrop!) 
keep around 1/8 - 1/4 power for a faster flash to freeze movement
White backdrop with black material on the back
Shoot low (If jumping she won't have to jump as high plus it will give the feeling that the model is strong and dominant)


Needed:

White backdrop
Black material
flash kit (2 lights)
Snoot
Honey comb
light meter
DSLR Camera

Baby powder
towel
dressing gown 
hair brush
makeup brush

Shoot 7 - Powder shoot 3 (sofie 2) FINAL SHOOT

Possible final piece

My final (unedited) Set

I have chosen to swap the two end images on ether side purely because I feel that they balance better and with last image is a better final image

Proposed cut final set

So I have been told that I have to cut my series down to 3 because of wall space... Il be honest Im not happy, the red pair where in the set to bring more feminine coloring to the set but Mike prefers these 3. I tried to argue my point that cutting the series would crumble the meaning of the set because there is more beauty in the two that have been but but he wasn't having any of it so Iv ended up with these 3. There are the stronger images to its not a massive problem I just don't like being told I have to cut my work because of wall space, not for any genuine reason like they don't work in the set or they are a lot weaker than the others. Sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and listen to those in charge.

editing final set 5

Left is Jpeg straight out of the camera

Right is the raw edit ready for printing












To edit this image I have cropped, adjusted the levels and single colour levels to tone the red down ever so slightly again, retouched her skin and burnt in the floor and then dodged and burn in the cloud for enfises

editing final set 4

Left is jpeg straight out of the camera

Right is raw ready for printing













To edit this image I have cropped, adjusted the levels and single colour levels to tone down the red a touch, retouched her skin then dodged and burn in the cloud for enfises

editing final shoot 3

Left is jpeg straight out of the camera

Right is Raw edit ready for printing

To edit this image I have cropped slightly, adjusted the levels and contrast, deleted the cloud above the right hand using the clone and patch tool, burnt in the bottom of her legs and retouched her skin

Editing final set 2

Left is jpeg straight out of the camera

Right is the raw edit ready for print


To edit this image I have cropped, adjusted the levels and single colour levels, retouched her skin and the floor and then dodged and burn in the cloud for enfises

Editing the final set 1

<- Jpeg (straight out of the camera                                                                            Raw edit, final version ready for print ->

To edit this image I cropped slightly, adjusted the levels and contrast, composited into a head from another image that works better than the original position, burnt in the bottom of her legs and retouched her skin

Exhibition arrangement

So now that I have been given my space for showing my work and my prints have got back from the printers I have a bit of a problem the end right one in my final arrangement is too dark by the feet and it has thrown the balance of the image completely off (I have edited the image below using the burn tool in photoshop to show how I have received the print) Also looking at my prints I feel that one of the images that my tutor advised me to take out of the series is actually stronger than the end right image now so I am considering swapping this one out for another. 

I have created a template in photoshop using a quick photo I took of my space so that I can more accurately see how the images could be arranged. 

I opened the original photo of the studio spot i had (I had placed paper the size of the prints on the wall before so that it would make it easier for me to size correctly)

I then "placed" one of my finals into the image.

After that I used the perspective tool to adjust the image to a more realistic (This tool is really handy, all you have to do is move the corner markie and it automatically stretches or compresses evenly on both sides)

This is after I used the perspective tool, it is now in a more realistic position and shape.

To finish I used the free transform tool to compress the image sideways so that it really looks realistic

Finally I repeated the process for each of the images to create the set.

Here is the final 3 possible arrangements

Final Peice up for Exhibition

 So this is a quick photo of my final images up on display, after receiving my images back from print i decided to swap out the 'angel' pose for the red ballet pose below. This was for 2 reasons, the first being that I wasn't happy with the extra contrast that the colour lab had added onto the image, you could no longer see the models feet and it completely threw off the image's balance, it was way too top heavy and there was no longer an anchoring point. And the second reason being that the red image brought the series back to the original idea of using dancers for my project, I feel like this image brings an extra element of beauty and grace to the series and really highlights the femininity in the series.

I love the size of the prints, I'm really glad that I fought to get them in this size. I feel that if they had been printed smaller than it really would have destroyed the point behind my project and even though my work has been put in a corner it really calls the viewer across the room. I didn't only want the viewer to see the strength in the model as a woman but I wanted the person looking at my work to turn around and really be smacked in the face so to speak when they come across my images, I want my work to shout "Yes Im a woman but I am strong, beautiful and graceful all in one!"

Although I would have loved to have seen the full set up on the wall I feel like these 3 have really done my project justice, I feel that they as a set really portray what I was trying to get across and each viewer will not only get what I was trying to show them but I think that they will also be able to look into the image and find their own personal meaning, this is a very important element for my project as I wanted not only to show the strength behind female beauty but I wanted the audience to stop and really take in what they are looking at.

If I were to do this project again I would have definitely stuck with the change in the middle, I feel that  not being so constricted by only using dancers and then adding the dust element really made this project take life. I do plan on taking this concept forward in the future and I have learnt that you definitely need a big, well ventilated room if you cant do it outside! I would also like to have multiple models on set when shooting because they can get very uncomfortable fast because of the dust. One thing that i will remember to bare in mind for future shoots of this type is to clean off the models clothes between shots so that i have less post production work. The one unexpected outcome of this project is that I have gained so much confidence in myself and my work! Overall even through the ups and downs, this project has been very enjoyable and has really pushed me to think outside of the box as a photographer.

Foundation Evaluation

Foundation Evaluation

After spending two years on a photography specific course I opted to join foundation as I wanted to make my images more artistic and learn how to be more creative with studio lighting, hoping that this would allow me to come away from commercial photography and to move into fine art.

Doing the exploratory stage of the course I found that drawing really is not my forte. However during this stage of the course I expanded my knowledge in creating shadow, texture and depth and how important these factors are within art. This has given me a new appreciation for fellow artists and their artistic ability. Within the silk screen process I learnt importance of colour, composition and a clean working process.  I also found that silk screen was a more efficient way of working for me than drawing as I was able to constantly develop my work and I learnt how important it is to speed up my development process if I am to go onto a career in the art and design world.

During the pathway section, I learnt how to be more creative with studio and location lighting and how to be more experimental with both props and concepts. It has helped me develop confidence within my ideas and putting them into practice. I have also grasped the skill of being able to make my thought processes easier to understand to others. This has practically become useful to me as I can now expand my options with the amount of knowledge I have and I now know the possibilities are endless. I am capable of so much more than before I started pathway and I have now learnt to transfer my knowledge from commercial to the more controversial fine art photography. I now realize that photography is a maze of ideas and opportunities.  

I believe my FMP was successful due to the combination of my white on white project in pathway and my final project idea. I found in my first project that the force behind each throw could create ether a masculine of feminine outcome and taking that into consideration I chose to continue using the dust within fmp because I liked how it could create an extension to the femininity within the image. I started off with just the basic beauty and movement of the female body, by adding the dust idea from pathway it has emphasized the graceful movements of the model and I believed it made a good series into a great series.

I believe that this course has given me a broader knowledge of both the photography and art industry as a hole and the different avenues that are available to me. My confidence has grown in all aspects of my work including shoots, concepts and final imagery and I now have a greater understanding for other artists and their work. It has given me the opportunity to expand my own techniques and ideas which in the future I will be able to call upon this new skillset. This year has given me a thirst for knowledge and taken me from my original plan of specializing in newborn photography and made me realize that my dream of being a fine art photographer really is attainable.