CHARLOTTE WAKERLEY
LEVEL 3 MEDIA STUDENT
ARTWORK
How my research into industry photographers will inform my ideas
Platon
Platon is a portrait photographer who employs both low-key and high-key lighting techniques in his work. He was raised on the Greek islands, so he included his culture into his photography. For example, he captured an elderly guy playing his bouzouki, highlighting the instrument's years of scratches. In his photograph of Martin Scorsese, Platon displays his strength and aggression. In the photo, his eyes have dark eye bags underneath them, resembling a skull, and his fists are bigger than his head, implying his strength. The photo was also taken up close and from a low angle, hinting that he has a strong character. For my podcast photo work, I'd like to have a reason behind my photographs as this will draw my viewer's attention. I'd also like to experiment with a wide shot to showcase the subject in my images. In this shot, he clearly uses a wide lens to display the subject from a distance, underlining the location and setting.
Mario Testino
Mario Testino, a fashion photographer, is another photographer I looked at. He employs a white background in his photo of Jennifer Aniston to reduce the amount of light spilling onto his subject. Mario uses white in his shots to give them a more natural appearance. I'd also like to work with a lot of lighting in my pictures so that they look more natural, like Mario's. Mario Testino's photography style is described as 'luxury realism,' implying that his photographs are meant to capture his subjects in moments of engagement or expression. Mario's luxury fashion photography style appeals to me because of the neutral colours and tones.
Rankin
Rankin was the last photographer I investigated. Rankin uses low-key lighting, which makes the pictures darker and more dramatic. This photograph is also taken up close, which adds to the image's emotional value. I'd like to include emotions in my photographs since it will help me connect with my audience on a more personal level. The model's expression is serious and emotional, implying that the photograph's gloomy colours reflect her feelings. I'd like to apply this technique in my work, as Rankin did, since colours allow viewers to experience a variety of feelings.
My initial ideas
My podcast will focus on fashion and culture and how fashion trends are coming back and gaining popularity. I want my artwork to have a quiet and relaxing vibe because that's what I want my presenting style to be like. Pink and white are the colours I'd want to use in my photo as they make me feel the most peaceful, and pink reminds me of flowers, whilst white reminds me of doves. I'd also like to appear in my podcast artwork as I am the host, and I'd like to be holding an object that will make my listeners feel at ease, such as roses, pillows, blankets, mugs, or my cat. On my artwork text, I'll use an appropriate font, preferably a cursive font, because those fonts make me feel most comfort.
My test shoots and edits
We recreated one Platon’s photographs. He is a portrait photographer and we used high-key lighting. We struggled with zooming in and out the photo as we need to get everything in the frame. We also struggled with getting the perfect angle and focussing the camera. It was important that we got the perfect angle as well as focussing the area we wanted focussed. The lighting was the easiest part of this shoot as we had a lot of lighting setup and a white background to help with light. Another difficulty we faced was focusing on various poses. We tried to focus on the subject’s face after they extended their hand to the camera. Another struggle we faced was getting the entire background into the shot. It was hard to get the background into the shot. It was hard to get the background in the shot without getting the edge into the frame.
The editing process of this test shoot on Photoshop was challenging. I first had to use the lasso tool so that I could make most of the background white and I found this challenging as I had to the mouse on the computer to go around the subject. I then had to use the dodge tool to colour the rest of the background white and I found this challenging as I had to avoid colouring the subject and I had to keep changing the size of the tool. I then had to change the saturation of the image to -100 so that the photo could become black and white. Next, I had to use the curves tool to make the image to add/take away the brightness of the image. I found this hard as I had to make sure that the image wasn’t too bright or dark and I then had to use the input tool at the bottom of the curves graph to add black to the image. Again, this was challenging as I had to make sure I didn’t add too much or too little. Afterwards I added shadow to this photo so that the image could stand out and I also added some highlight to create lighter elements in the picture.
Production schedule
My artwork sketches
For my podcast artwork, I had three final ideas for my artwork. My ideas were very similar as I knew I wanted to wear different fashion trends as I knew that’s what I wanted my podcast to be about. I had different ideas for where I was going to shoot my artwork such as the forest, by the fireplace or in a studio but I feel that my favourite location idea would be to do take it in a studio as I feel like it’s most appropriate for my topic.
My first idea was to take a picture in the forest, and I would wear different fashion trends as well. My first idea was the forest as that’s where I grew up and I feel that it would be good for the theme of culture, and I have seen a few magazines covers with models in a forest. If I had picked this idea, I would make it into a magazine cover however I feel that lots of my audience wouldn’t understand that it is a magazine cover if I shot my picture in the forest.
My second idea was to take a magazine style picture in front of a fireplace. Just like my last idea, I didn’t pick this idea as my viewers would be confused as it might not look like a magazine cover, however I liked the idea of a fireplace because I wanted my viewers to know the vibe and presenting style of my podcast and I feel that fireplaces make people feel calm and that’s the vibe that I want for my episode.
My final idea for my podcast was to take my magazine styled picture in a photography studio at college. I felt that this was a better idea as I think it would be simpler and my viewers will understand what the artwork is. I also believe that most fashion magazine covers are taken in a studio with a plain background so this will be suitable for my artwork as my episode will be about fashion.
My equipment list
My photographer will shoot my artwork with a Canon M5 Mark II camera, and I will light my image with lighting equipment. because I want my photo to have a white background, I'll be directing the light onto it. I'll use a camera tripod to keep my image steady. I'll be working on a Mac computer, and I'll be editing my photo in Photoshop. Flare pants, bucket hats, scrunchies, and sweater vests are some of the items and costumes I'll be wearing.
How In will manage hazards during the photoshoot
During my photoshoot, I'll control risks by moving cables out of the way so that it's safer to wander around and take shots. I'll also make sure there's no food or drink near the equipment, as spills could damage the electronic parts. If possible, I'll also use a camera tripod to ensure my photographer is safe when taking images. I'll also ensure the area is tidy so that both myself and the photographer remain safe.
Legal & ethical issues
Copyright restrictions are one of the legal considerations I'll have to face when developing my artwork. I want Vogue magazine covers to influence my artwork, but I need to be careful how much inspiration I take from them. To avoid these problems, I'll design my own magazine cover, using a different font and colour scheme. Some ethical issues I will need to consider are making sure costumes worn in the artwork are from ethical suppliers and making sure everything is eco-friendly. I will make sure my costumes are eco-friendly by making sure my costumes are second hand or from good quality stores. I will also make sure to treat my photographer and assistant fairly.
My contingency plan
Things that may go wrong during my photoshoot:
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Photographers/assistants not turning up to the photoshoot
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Images are too bright/dark
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Blurry photos
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Forgetting props, costumes or shot list
Things that may go wrong post-production:
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Can’t figure out how to edit on Photoshop
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Figuring out where to add my podcast name in my artwork
For my contingency plan, If the photographers do not show up, I will reschedule my photoshoot and inform my photographer of the new schedule; if they are unable to attend, I will replace them with someone who can make it. If the shots are excessively bright or dark during my photoshoot, I will make sure to add or remove some of the lighting equipment. I'll ensure my photographer focuses the camera if the photos are too blurry. If I forget anything else, including props, costumes, or my shot list, I'll take a picture of the shot list on my phone beforehand so I can refer to it later, and if I forget props or costumes, I'll have to postpone my photoshoot. If I can’t figure out how to edit in Photoshop, I will watch videos on how to edit using the editing tools on Photoshop or I will search it on the internet. If I cannot figure out where to place my podcast name on my artwork, I will look at magazine covers for some inspiration.
My pitch in response to the brief
In my artwork pitch, I will ensure that I speak clearly so that my audience understand me, and that I make eye contact with my audience, and that I rehearse my pitch a few times before hand, so I am confident in delivering my pitch. I'll also avoid reading from my PowerPoint since it won't feel like I'm presenting a pitch. When I'm putting together my PowerPoint slides, I'll ensure there's not too many words on each slide, so that my viewers do not have to read or absorb too much information. I'll certainly make sure my speech isn't too long and doesn't exceed the allowed five minutes.
My artwork pitch
According to the comments I received from my artwork pitch, I need to create some sketches of what I want my photographs to look like so I can see my artwork visually. If I create some sketches, I think this will help when it comes to shooting my artwork as I won’t have to think about what angles, poses and shots I need. I will create around five sketches of different shots I want so then I can decide which one will be best as my final artwork after the shoot. I will also need to think about what graphic designs I will add to my image to make it look like a magazine cover, such as text.
My test designs
My contact sheet
I chose these photos as I loved the lighting the most and I liked the camera angles especially on the last picture. I chose to do my test design on the last photo as the other photos are a bit darker and I wanted to work with lighter images.
I firstly used the lasso tool to make the entire background black.
I then used the saturation tool to make the subject redder and it helped the subject stand out more.
I then used Canva after I trimmed down the photo to 3000 x 3000 pixels. I added some bold text as it suited the style of the artwork. I also put the text in a similar place to where I want my text to be in my final artwork design.
Changes I have made to improve the final product
Some changes I have made to improve my final product is adding a shape underneath my text so that my listeners can read it. I also originally chose the colour black for my font; however, I wanted more colour on my artwork as there didn’t seem to be a lot. I think that the black stood out more but I feel that after adding the shape underneath my text made it stand out again.
The process of shooting my images
I had my images taken at college with a studio set up with a white background. After all the equipment had been set up, I told my photographer exactly how I wanted my pictures to look and then we took them. I took around 12 in total, and I expected to take more however I feel like I didn’t need to as my pictures turned out to be like how I wanted them. I also remembered to bring in my stuff such as props and costumes, so I was well prepared on the day. I also followed my sketches and all my ideas from planning when posing for my picture, these sketches and all the planning I did helped me get started when taking my pictures.
The process of designing my artwork
Before vs after
Before I started designing my artwork, I made my background on my image white as I knew that’s what I wanted my background to be. I used the lasso and dodge tools on photoshop to create a white background and I didn’t find this challenging as I used this method in my test shoot when recreating Platon’s images.
I then used the crop tool to make my image 3000 x 3000 pixels as that is required for all podcast artwork covers.
I then went onto Canva to start designing my magazine style artwork cover but after I knew what my design wanted to look like I went back onto Photoshop to use the brightness tool so that I could myself brighter in the image. When I went back onto Canva I added a shape underneath my text so that it could be clearer.
My final artwork design
My final evaluation of the podcast artwork and production process
I am happy with my final podcast artwork as I believe it looks like a magazine cover and from the feedback I received, lots of people feel the same as well. I like the lighting in my photo, and I think the colours in the image go well together. I also like the QR code that I added in the bottom left corner of the artwork as I see a lot of them on real magazines and I think that the QR code makes it look more like one. I wouldn’t change anything about this artwork cover as I don’t have any dead space and the design is simple. When planning my artwork, I feel that I could have done more visual planning. I think that I should have made more sketches and annotated them more as this would have helped me more in the planning process. I feel that I did well when it came to doing test shoots and designs and I looked at lots of different tools on Photoshop which I ended up using when designing my final artwork.