P3 (A,B,C)

Fitness For Purpose

The images seen below are 12 shortlisted images from my photographic shoot, I believe the style of my photo shoot is an appropriate match to the final media product, as it reflects exactly what this type of media wishes. A style, fashion or celebrity magazine presents many well known celebrities looking their finest, and usually reflecting their glamour and beauty. The purpose is to promote these celebrities and show off their image, which I believe my photo shoot had matched. This is because I have kept the images relatively simple aesthetically, by keeping a white background with very few props. Similar to how many magazines such as Vogue and Elle would. Each image reflect the models beauty in various ways, although currently unedited, it is clear what the images are presenting...simply the model, her class, success and beauty.

Below shows my 24 shortlisted images from my photographic shoot.

Collages Made By Picasa

The metadata above shows the way in which the photograph has been taken to achieve the desired results. Using a low ISO speed rating of 100 ensures the highest quality image with the least amount of grain in comparison to an ISO of 1600 which would result in a more grainy image. The low ISO combined with the shutter speed of 1/180 again allowed me to produce a crisp image that creates a more enticing final image. In addition I have set the aperture at f/4.0, which gives a slight shallow depth of field, giving a sharp, crisp look to the model's face, with her hair being slightly less crisp to create a contrast. Using the soft box lighting allowed me to use the low ISO and quick shutter speed as additional lighting created a brighter effect.

For this image I altered the aperture to create a more crisp and clear image overall. The aperture was increase to f/8, meaning that the whole image will be in focus and clear, rather than a sharp focus in one particular area similar to the previous image. Due to the higher aperture, the shutter speed was made slower to allow more light to enter the lens. I wished for this image to be bright to reflect the happiness and joy seen in the image, and the setting used and shown on my metadata enabled me to do so. 

For this picture I opted for a lower aperture once again, letting in less light increasing the focus of the image again, revealing the true facial features of the model. The shutter speed therefore had to be slowed down to let in more light to create a focused, crisp image that brought out the models assets. Furthermore I set ISO at 400, meaning the sensor is more light sensitive which combined with the higher F number meant more light could enter the lens, resulting in the bright, clear image. A secondary side light enhanced the model's curls, defining them and making them stand out further. 

The metadata shows was similar to the portrait image above, as I tried to achieve a similar image. However for this shot I altered the lighting, using a lamp to create a small lens flare on the left hand side, dramatising the overall image, creating an innovative, exquisite final product for the magazine. 

Once again the metadata shows the lower aperture, longer shutter speed and ISO of 400, resulting in a crisp and sharp final product.  I felt the images I was taking at this point were sharp and definitely presented the overall theme I wished to achieve of the shoot, having the model look of high classand successful. Again I used the lamp to create a lens flare on the left hand side, however opted to leave this image in colour rather than black and white, ensuring variety in my photo shoot and presenting a sharp clear image, where her hair was highlighted by the additional light to enhance her assets and facial features. 

For the image above I altered the camera settings once again. This meant I had a nice balance of the settings again to create a sharp, high quality image. The aperture was increased once again to let in more light to the image, and therefore I altered the ISO to 200 to ensure the light sensitivity was not as high as the f/16, where less light would have been let in. I aimed for the image to be bright and show the model's skin to be more pale to create a contrast with the background, which was achieved by moving the model and the lighting further away from the white backdrop, projecting more light to the subject and creating a darker background. 

The next set of images were set up with similar camera settings, these were my favourite from the overall shoot, and therefore they have made my shortlist as they reflect the initial ideas that I wished to achieve. Initially I wished to create a dramatic chiaroscuro effect, however when rethinking and concluding I wished to achieve bright, crisp images, I decided that an intense chiaroscuro effect could possibly not be fit for purpose for a fashion magazine cover. Furthermore I still used the concept involved with the chiaroscuro technique, positioning one key light from one side of the model's face, creating a more dramatic shadow effect, however ISO was at 200, meaning the sensor was quite sensitive to light, and therefore still creating a bright, sharp image.

Again I opted for the single key light from an offset position, further away from the white backdrop, again to create a larger contrast between the model, her hair and the background due to less light being projected to the background. For these types of images taken, I simply altered the model's facial expressions to achieve a variety of images that would be very fit for purpose, each presenting the beauty of the model, with the mise-en-scene such as the necklace to present her class and success. ISO remained at 200 to ensure I achieved a high quality, zero grain image, especially as I was using just one light, which along with the aperture of f/8, I was able to achieve a striking black and white image.

The image above is very similar to the previous image, with entirely the same set up, from camera settings to lighting, however the post once again has changed, to give me a varied range of final images available for the final media product. I aimed to achieve consistency for some parts of the final product, especially as there will be a front cover of the magazine, as well as an article inside the magazine focused on the model, and therefore I believe consistency was essential in these 'inside article' images. Again the shadows were crated by the specific lighting I chose to set up, and the aperture f/8 gave a very sharp, intense image that could be very eye catching and captivating to the audience. 

To conclude this style of image, I altered the whole positioning to additionally create a diverse collection of high quality photographs. After researching fashion photography I decided to take a picture that was similar to some I had previously researched, which were usually a model looking over their shoulder. Instead of creating a fully turned, over the shoulder image, I simply altered the model's positioning of both body and head, and let her hair fall to create more of an effective image, causing it to look like more of a turn in her body, however it is simply the hair covering a large proportion of her face, creating a dramatic, serious image that draws in the reader.  The camera settings were kept the same, keeping the aperture at f/8 for a full depth of field, ensuring the sharpest image, especially on the model's hair that to define the curls and waves, but then also her eye looking directly at the camera.

To conclude this style of image, I altered the whole positioning to additionally create a diverse collection of high quality photographs. After researching fashion photography I decided to take a picture that was similar to some I had previously researched, which were usually a model looking over their shoulder. Instead of creating a fully turned, over the shoulder image, I simply altered the model's positioning of both body and head, and let her hair fall to create more of an effective image, causing it to look like more of a turn in her body, however it is simply the hair covering a large proportion of her face, creating a dramatic, serious image that draws in the reader.  The camera settings were kept the same, keeping the aperture at f/8 for a full depth of field, ensuring the sharpest image, especially on the model's hair that to define the curls and waves, but then also her eye looking directly at the camera. 

Below shows the initial photo shoot images, many of which have made the short list, however I believe the highest quality images are shown in the section above.

This is the first image taken at the shoot. I decided to shortlist this as lighting is very well balanced, the shot is bright captivating. I had my model slightly offset to the right of centre. Taking into consideration the rule of thirds, I did not want my model directly in the centre, this is because if she is slightly to one side of the image, viewers may notice this and be enticed by the image. I set my aperture at f/1.8, shutter speed at 1/100, and ISO at 100. This meant a lot of light was let onto the sensor reasonably quickly, resulting in the bright image. It is an extremely simplistic shot, which is exactly what I aimed for, although if it makes it into my final 5, it would require editing of the background, framing and possibly hue and saturation.

This image has been short listed as it fits exactly to my original idea and criteria for my shoot. I had my model slightly offset to the left of the image, taking into consideration the rule of thirds, simply to create a more aesthetically photograph, as a completely central image may not have been as interesting. The image is tightly cropped, showing only a small amount of the white background, as my model fills the image, having the image tightly cropped means viewers can see the model's facial features, as the image is sharp. I am overall pleased with this image, however the necklace is slightly out of focus, although this is not the focus of the image, personally I notice the out of focus prop, however I feel this may not be an issue if this is a final product. Lighting is evenly spread across the model's face and body, making the image more high key, allowing a clear and sharp image, perfect for a magazine.

This is my overall favourite image from my shoot. I feel as though I have achieved my idea lighting for the magazine article image. I originally planned for a chiaroscuro affect, however I compromised, and altered lighting to create a mix of shadow and light, resulting in a warm looking, sharp, as well as having a contrast of dark and light. The model is looking away from the camera, which creates a new effect on the image, there is now little connection with the viewers, whereas other images have a connection when the model looks at the camera. For this image, it shows the model in a different view, I feel as though the audience will interpret and see more aspects of the image, and connect with it like that, rather than through the eyes of the model. Again I have the model slightly offset to the left on centre, most of the right third is white, the middle third is mostly hair, and the model's face and body takes up the majority of the left third.

For this image, I tried to achieve a chiaroscuro affect. I aimed for half of the face to be in shadow, and the other evenly lit using a fill light. The model has been placed in the right third, following the rule of thirds. The image has a full depth of field, meaning the whole image is sharp and clear revealing all facial features of the model and especially the curls in her hair.

Again this image has an element of chiaroscuro. The main element I have taken into consideration is the rule of thirds for this image. Unfortunately I included a black object unintentionally, however this could be taken out in post production with cropping. The depth is full and everything in the shot is in focus. The image reflects the model's elegance and success, the contrast between black and white, along with the shadows on her face cause the photo to become more aesthetically pleasing for the audience. The black almost creates leading lines, as there is no fade in colour, eyes could be drawn to the models arm and body. The white background lighting slightly varies from left to right, which is an unfortunate mistake on my behalf, however this can be altered in post production.

I decided to use high key lighting for this image, resulting in a bright and sharp image. The rule of thirds again has been taken into consideration, and the model is placed in the right third, there is no balancing used in this image, leaving a lot of white background, however by using cropping in post production, I can reduce the amount of background seen, creating a more powerful image. The small shadow on her face is unintentional and I failed to light her face evenly, however I still feel this image is effective and high quality.

I again wished to achieve a chiaroscuro based image, I would ideally have slightly more of the face shadowed, however the full depth of field, achieved by the aperture helped to achieve a sharp, high quality image. I framed this image to only fit in the top half of the model, using the rule of thirds, I framed the model just offset centre to right, unfortunately leaving too much white background on the left, however this can be reduced in post production. As she is only slightly to the right, the image remains reasonably well balanced, as there is only one person and no other props in the image, there is nothing to completely even it out, but the image still remains quite balanced, especially if in post production i crop to reduce the amount of white background.

For this image I took a different approach. I decided to alter lighting again, to just give a slight shadow on the left side of her face. This gave a whole different perception and variation the my shoot. I also added a smart desk chair, to possibly indicate the model has been working in business and is successful, which is also reflected by all jewellery. There is a great contrast in dark and light in this image, it seems to fade from completely opaque and black, to the model's skin and hair, to completely white. This creates leading lines as your eye follows the black. It is a high key shot, which emphasises the contrast as well, as the face and hair is brightly lit, so you can really see where light meets dark. I took this as a slightly higher angle shot, which caused my model to naturally point her face up, which could also reflect success and wealth.

This image was also taken whilst my model sat on the desk chair. I again used high key lighting to create a bright, interesting image. There is a more shallow depth of field on this image, as I wanted the chair to be slightly out of focus, to assure the subject of the image (model) was noticed and appreciated before viewers see the rest of the image. Although I used many lights for this shot, I failed to reduce the shadow created on the white background, however post production techniques will allow me to remove this imperfection on the image. The model was placed on the left third once again, and I had a wide range of key and fill lights to brighten her face, creating a shadow and a darker contrast on the opposite side of her face. 

During my shoot, I decided to take a close up shot of my model, this was to really show her facial features and also earrings, as I wanted to stick with my element of wealth and success, so I wanted the earrings to be in shot. I again used a more shallow depth of field by adjusting the aperture, resulting in the model's face being extremely sharp, and the background to be more blurred and out of focus. I slightly modified the lights to be facing slightly down on the model, this was to create a small shadow below her neck, as I used high key lighting, I did not want her chin to blend into her neck and create an unnatural looking image.

This image has very warm and bright tones, which is exactly what I aimed for. Again I opted for a higher angle shot, which showed the model's elegance and success. The overall focus of the image is well lit, and the surrounding area is unfortunately filled with shadows, which is not what I wanted, however this can be removed in post production using Photoshop. The model is just offset to the right third, and the chair fills the rest of it. This does again leave a white space on the other two thirds, however for this image I feel the white works, and could be slightly cropped to change the framing and reduce the amount of white you can see. 

This is one of my favourite images, plainly because I feel it is extremely simple. I have lit the image brightly, which has resulted in a great contrast between the white background and the black clothes the model is wearing. I think the framing is not what I want as a final image, however by cropping and making it more portrait than landscape I can achieve my desired image. She is just offset to the left side, again fitting in with the rule of thirds, and helping to create a more interesting picture.
As I will most likely be cropping the image, there is no need for the image to be balanced with other props, this is because the model is the focus of my image, and nothing else should be included in the photo. I have chosen the shoot a full depth of field for this image, as there is only the model and nothing else in the frame, and therefore everything should be in focus that can be seen.

Lighting P3(c)

Skills in Using Lighting

How I Set Up Lighting

By researching various ways to light an interview, I concluded that the three point system would work best for what I aimed to achieve. Firstly, I set up our most powerful studio light behind where our subject would be sitting (Back Light), however a light dampening umbrella was placed in front of the light to reduce intensity. I placed this behind the subject to illuminate the subject so they stand out from the background, giving s subtle halo affect.

Secondly I placed another studio light offset to the left of the subject, which would be positioned behind an interviewer's shoulder opposite the camera, illuminating the subject's face. 

Lastly I used another side light to the right of the subject and camera, this light fills in shadows created by the key light, meaning the subject can be evenly lit on camera. 

Low Key Lighting

Low Key Lighting is a photographic lighting technique that usually uses a key light, fill light and back light together to create a Chiaroscuro effect. This is the effect created by using a strong contrast between dark and light, meaning shadows are created to emphasise parts of the image. Chiaroscuro photography is commonly shot in black and white, and the contrast and shadows created by dark and light define and create the image, however colour images can also use this effect. 

Photographers

George Edward Hurrell was born on June 1, 1904 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He first began taking pictures at Art School, as many other artists used photographs as a reference whilst painting He then went to visit Laguna beach to continue his painting career whilst a student. He brought an old camera to capture images of landscapes when painting. He eventually became very well known and is said to have made a 'significant contribution to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s.' His black and white images were so sharp, using low key lighting to create a chiaroscuro effect, meaning many people were enticed by his photography skills, resulting in Hurrell becoming head of photography at MGM, photographing a wide variety of Hollywood celebrities. Throughout his career he also worked with Columbia Pictures and Warner Brothers, he is extremely well known for his low key, sharp images of celebrities form Hollywood. 

Richard Avedon

Born on May 15th, 1923 in New York City. Avedon is well recognised as a fashion and portrait photographer. He has worked for various companies including Vogue, as well as The Beatles and Electric Light Orchestra. His unique and sharp images gained him great popularity throughout his career, resulting in him becoming of one America's most respected fashion photographers. Avedon also chose to shoot in black and white, using low ket lighting, again creating a Chiaroscuro effect. Resulting in striking images with strong contrasts from dark and light. Some of his images would contain no shadows, and he would use high key lighting for these, however if he wished to define features of a subject, he would use low key lighting, to emphasise these features, causing a contrast in highlights and shadows. 

Youseph Karsh

Born December 23rd, 1908 in Turkey. Youseph became internationally popular after photographing Winston Churchill after a speech in the House of Commons, which is said to be the most reproduced photographic portrait in history. He was a so called 'master of lighting' taken every single aspect into consideration, even lighting the subject's hands separately, to create the best image. Karsh aimed to capture the emotions, feelings and the most inner thoughts of his subject, by using low key lighting, Karsh achieved this on many occasions, shooting some of the most iconic and distinct images ever taken. 

Setting Up 3 Point Lighting 

I believe this images worked well. This is because there is no huge contrast between dark and light, meaning the subject's face is evenly lit, showing all features of his face. I also chose to put the camera in aperture priority, this meant the camera automatically selected the best aperture for the images I wished to take, leaving me with a shallow depth of field, which with the back light, helped define the subject from the background. It worked better than some of my other images because the light is evenly spread across the subject leaving no dark shadows. 

I also believe this image turned out very well. The overall tone of the image is warm, and bright. But more importantly the lighting in the photograph has resulted in no dark shadows on the main features of the subject, this is because the key light and fill light lit the subject evenly, resulting in his whole face being lit and fortunately not over exposed. There was a lot of light in the image, to I turned the ISO down so light sensitivity was less, resulting in a darker, and warmer toned image. As well as this, having the F-Stop at f/1 created a shallow depth of field, resulting in more focus on the model, drawing the audiences attention to the focus of the image. 

This image overall worked well, however I had my ISO up much higher, although aperture priority was on, which allowed me to separate the background from the subject, having a high ISO meant more light was allowed to hit the sensor, as light sensitivity was high. This resulted in more of the background being lit rather than darker, which is the opposite to what I wished to achieve, I aimed to get more definition between the subject and background. However the subject is well/evenly lit, meaning all features are shown and in focus. 

This image did not work very well whilst using the three point lighting technique. This is because the left side of the image did not receive enough light from the key light, there was more light coming from the fill light on the left side, resulting in a contrast between dark and light, creating more of Chiaroscuro effect, rather than a high key, evenly lit image. 

This is an image taken by another media student of myself. I have analysed this image too, for variety purposes. I believe the overall image is well lit, the key and fill lights have been positioned well to allow very little shadow on my face. The ISO is 3200, meaning light sensitivity was high, resulting in a slightly over exposed image, as much more light was let in than needed. The aperture priority and the head light allow myself to be well separated from the background. 

On Set

Lighting Used for Photographic Shoot