Getting a bit of practice and easing myself back to photographing.

Due to my work with Cambridge Style Week I spent the day at their Model Search. This gave me the perfect opportunity to get back into the swing of things, I cant remember the last time I picked up my camera before that as I have felt ill for so long.

The day consisted of models who had applied to walk in our week of shows basically auditioning in front of our celebrity judges. The best male and best female would also be selected to become our model ambassadors. I was given the job of shooting all of the head shots.

The model search took place in a college in Cambridge so understandably lighting was pretty poor! I tried using the built in flash as I did not think to take my external flash. I ran into problems straight away as the photos had to be taken in front of a rather reflective banner. In the end it was necessary to increase the ISO and use a smaller aperture. I had at least remembered my tripod which meant that once I was properly set up I didn't need to keep making adjustments while the models were waiting. The tripod of course also allowed for a much slower shutter speed to let in as much light as possible.

After this I also starting photographing the models while they were practising their walks in front of the judges. Again lighting was not great even though we had moved upstairs to where there were lots of windows, unfortunately it was such a dull day.

I am hoping I will be able to add a few of the images into this blog post once I have supplied the relevant people with copies.

I do think that the day boosted my confidence slightly and after a brief panic I was able to navigate my camera and start to get back in to photographing again. By the end of the day I can safely say that I was completely exhausted, a reminder that I still shouldn't be pushing myself too much.

Reading : Fashion Photography.

This week I have been spending my time reading and learning about various fashion photographers. This has lead on from watching the documentary last week. I had been given Fashion Photography: A brief history, list of publications, and most influential figures in fashion and editorial photography edited by Monica Millian.

The book is not quite what I had expected. For a start the information had been collated from a variety of 'high quality' Wikipedia articles. This meant that I then had to double check that all of the information was correct mainly for my own piece of mind - it was all accurate.

The book started with a brief overview of photography in general and then specifically talked about fashion photography. I am not sure that the section regarding advertising needed to be as long as it is. Information on fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar was particularly interesting to me as I am also a fashion writer and am of course very familiar with these publications.

I think that the chapter on 'The Pioneers of Fashion Photography' was a long time coming - it starts at page 79 (of 129). Some of the photographers I had heard of such as Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon but others I had not like Louise Dahl-Wolfe so at least this proved to be a worthwhile exercise.

All of the 'Fashion and Portrait Photographers of Today' were known to me but it was nice to refresh my memory.

Generally the book was helpful in providing a basic overview, I think for more detailed info I will have to look elsewhere. This was a useful starting point.

Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion.

When I ran ideas past my tutor for the subject of the final assignment one of my topics was fashion. This is probably no shock given that I am a Fashion Writer and Fashion Blogger. My tutor suggested that I take a look at a program about Rankin in which he recreates seven iconic photographs that shaped fashion photography.

After much searching (it is no longer available on BBC iplayer) I eventually found it. You can view it here.

 

Cecil Beaton - Hat Box - Vogue - 1934.

 

 

I think that Sophie Ellis-Bexter was a great choice here as she naturally has a 1930s look about her. Rankin shot two versions of this image; the first he used a similar camera and light, the second he shot digitally. The authentic version actually captured the look much better because it was truer to the original.

 

 

 

Erwin Blumenfeld - Vogue Cover - 1950.

 

 

Rankin used Heidi Klum to recreate this Vogue cover. In the original Blumenfeld actually bleached out and added colour at the printing phase -I had not realised it was actually shot in black and white. After shooting, Rankin had the image manipulated using 21st century techniques. By Klum sticking her tongue out in Rankin's version they have created a cheeky update of a timeless classic.

 

 

 

 

Richard Avedon - Dovima with elephants - Harpers Bazaar 1955

 

This image saw Rankin take a trip to Whipsnade Zoo with Erin O'Connor. As Rankin himself says this is the "perfect photograph combining grace, beauty and creative inspiration", and I very much agree. 

 

 

 

David Bailey - Jean Shrimpton - Vogue 1963.

 

For his own take on this striking image by Bailey Rankin has chosen to shoot his own girlfriend who is a model. This is probably the only image in his series that I am unsure about. I would of expected him to select someone who looked like Shrimpton as he has with the majority of the other images. Aside from that he did initially keep to an authentic technique by using the same camera that Bailey himself used. Also instead of a wind machine a large piece of card was used to go get movement through the hair. The shot was then produced again digitally for comparison. I still remain unconvinced, yes the pose is nearly identical and I guess you could argue that Rankin has used someone he has a personal connection with which definitely puts his own mark on the photo.

 

 

 

Helmut Newton - Rue Aubriot - Vogue 1975.

 

Again the details are as accurate as possible with even the original street being used and Rankin receiving assistance from the model in the original shot. Jade Parfitt was used for the recreation an her position is almost spot on.

 

 

 

Guy Bourdin - Untitled Vogue 1970.

 

 

Again I was a little unsure about this photo. Rankin has used model and fashion designer Daphne Guinness for the recreation. Bourdin was well known for creating commercial images that have the feel of art, and I just don't think that Rankin's version has the same feel about it.

 

 

 

Herb Ritts - Fred with tyres - Per Lui 1984.

 

 

Rankin shot this photo of model David Gandy with the same camera Ritts used and then with a Polaroid. The background of the image has been digitally altered so that it appears darker like Ritts original so that Gandy stands out more.

 

 

I really enjoyed watching this program and found it particularly interesting. I think that it has successfully illustrated how fashion photography is constantly reinventing itself and how these original images helped to mould what we know as fashion photography today. Rankin has made me want to try something similar and select images I feel a connection to, to then recreate my own interpretations.

 

 

 















One thing after another....

It feels like forever since my last update. My glandular fever had started to improve which was great, but sadly my mum passed away suddenly two weeks ago. Even though she had suffered with dementia we thought we would have longer with her.

I have decided to gradually get back into working towards my degree. It may take me a while but I will get there. Working for myself now gives me the freedom to schedule time to devote to studying so my aim is that I shall spend Friday each week getting some of the projects and research done.

Today has been my first day back so to speak and I have spent the time looking through the whole of the DPP course, familiarising myself with what I have already done. It feels like I have been away for so long that I couldn't remember what I was doing when I stopped studying. I have also been taking a look at the exercise sharpening for print and it has been good to get back into the swing of things.

I am trying not to put too much pressure on myself now and just take things easy. I am still not 100% and do get tired very easily but  feel better than I was and think now is the right time to resume the course.

Update...

Since my last post things have not been going well. I had been feeling very unwell, extremely exhausted and thought I was getting a throat infection. After putting up with it for a couple of weeks because I was working notice out on my job, I then decided I had better see a doctor. After running tests they told me I have glandular fever-which explains the unbelievable tiredness.

This could not have come at a worse time. I should have been working on my final assignment for DPP but I have just been feeling too ill. To top it off now that I am self employed as I am not working I am obviously not getting paid. I spoke to my tutor about it, and he was really helpful. I had applied for formal assessment in November and I was obviously worried I would not be well and have the work done in time. He suggested that I contact OCA and explain the situation as my health should come first. I am hoping I will hear back this week so that I am not worrying (something else I should be avoiding).

Glandular fever can unfortunately drag on for months and there is no treatment for it, you just have to sit it out. I have been researching anything that may help so I am drinking and eating all of the best foods. My aim is that on the days I am feeling better and a bit more awake I shall try and get more of my research done and onto the blog. I shall also start loosely planning the assignment as I am hoping to photograph my own fashion shoot.

Personal Development.

It was mentioned that I should try and include more of my own personal development and journey through the course.
Through being a social media intern at Cambridge Style Week I was asked to go along to a private viewing of work by local artist Tess Ainley at a boutique in Cambridge called Boudoir Femme. Tess was taking part in Cambridge Open Studios for the month of July.
This was a great opportunity for me to try something different. I am very much into fashion and have a love of art so it was nice to be able to combine the two.
Below I have included some of the images I shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is definitely room for improvement. This is the first time I have done this kind of shoot. I found it quite difficult to get the lighting right. I could also have experimented with the aperture to create different effects. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and would definitely shoot in this kind of environment again, hopefully a little practice will see my technical ability vastly improve.

Computational Photography: The snap is only the start.

In my feedback for assignment four I happened to mention that I feel I am continuously learning and my tutor commented that "as visual artists we must all continue to feed our knowledge base and learn new skills as the technology we use for our craft is forever evolving". This is very true and something that I had not considered. As a student I expect to be learning all of the time but had never really thought that even experts in the field to not know it all.

My tutor suggested I read this article on the BBC News website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23235771)

This really illustrated the point well that technology is forever evolving and we must all be prepared to move with the times to stay up to date with what is happening.

I found the concept of 'computational photography' fascinating. The idea is that the camera will allow you to see through a crowd and "have a clear view of someone who would otherwise be obscured, a smartphone that matches big-budget lenses for image quality, or a photograph that lets you change your point of view after it's taken".

Whilst these ideas are amazing and they all have their place, I can't help but think that in a way they are ruining the art of photography. What happened to waiting around to get that clear shot of someone? Having a smartphone in some incidences would be helpful when it is impractical to carry a lot of heavy camera equipment, but does camera phones not make everyone a photographer? While some are trying to really learn the craft, others may be their with their smartphones merely pointing and pressing. I have many times taken a shot and post processing wished I had gone for a different viewpoint, but this is all part of learning and going for several different compositions at the time of shooting.

I do welcome advances in technology but part of me will always feel that the fun is being taken out of what we are trying to honestly achieve.