Sparkle shoot

Differences Work Diary

In this shoot I decided to shoot a variety of different people displaying a variety of different beauties, I completed this shoot in the studio. I only used girls within this shoot as it is mainly girls who struggle with insecurities, so I did this shoot as a message to show beauty doesn't just come in one form. If I was to do this shoot again I think I would gather more girls for my shoot and do a 4x3 multiple imagery piece and I would have the girls beauty ranging more from different styles, e.g. gothic, nerdy, natural etc. I think this shoot went okay, apart from the multiple imagery piece I didn't really think about the other shots which were possible for the shoot, I think I should of done more planning for this shoot considering single shots which I could edit. This shoot was very quick for me to complete as I didn't need to prepare my models and I didn't need to arrange them as such, I let them pose how they was comfortable, as i think when a model is comfortable it is visible within a picture as opposed to them being forced. This shoot fits my project brief of beauty because it is displaying different types of beauty within different people and that some beauties are natural and most beauties feel the need to adjust themselves with the use of make up, however each within themselves, each is just as beautiful as the other.

In this image I made a multiple imagery piece of all of the different models I used, each model has their own pose, even if it is just a smile, they each have their own smile that does not look like the others. I think this piece worked very well as each model looks different. In this image I did not edit the singular pictures within the multiple imagery piece as I wanted it to appear natural. In this image my models range from having no make up to wearing a full face of make up, however each model looks comfortable and this is the kind of message that I wanted to send, to be comfortable in your own skin. I used a black backdrop which turned out to be completely black in the image, which worked very well against the complexion of each model.

In this image I took a picture of one of my models covering her face, I think this came out quite nicely with the use of the saturation tool, making her a lot more subtle against the black backdrop. I think this picture by itself has its own little message about the girls of todays society, how they are very insecure and feel the need to hide. Within this image i told the model she could pose however she wanted and she hid behind her hands, this showing that she is camera shy and not very comfortable in front of a lens. I think this shot was very good for the title of the shoot of differences as along with the other pictures it shows how some girls are confident and how some girls are very shy and perhaps insecure. I like in this image how her hands cover the entirety of her face as it sends the message more forcefully as opposed to if she was peaking through her fingers.

By doing this shoot it has made me think of future shoots which I could pursue, for example, I could do a shoot showing various different styles which I have mentioned in the first paragraph. I could also do a shoot involving boys as well showing that they too have insecurities and each look different and simply select boys who don't look similar. Prior to this shoot I completed a 'candid' shoot which showed beauty in its most natural element as the images were shot without my models knowing when I would take a picture, and due to them being boys, they were not wearing make up. I progressed from my 'Candid' shoot onto my 'Differences' shoot, through the theme of being natural as I thought this was a nice idea to have running through my beauty project.

Cultural Beauty Work Diary

In this shoot I used the studio to do a shoot of myself wearing a headscarf, the aim of this shoot was so show a different kind of beauty. I achieved this by making my eyelashes really look and putting on extra eyeliner as they are all that would be seen, and they would hang over the headscarf. I got the influence to do this from a picture I found on a social networking site of a girl in a white headscarf with long black fake eyelashes, the picture was very eye-catching. I think this shoot went very well, i didn't take many pictures because I was doing close ups and they would all end up looking the same, however the shots that I did get came out very good. I did this shoot using a selfie pole and despite the fact that i couldn't control the camera very well, the images came out very clear and definitely in focus. If I was to do this shoot again I would do it with a different headscarf as the headscarf I used had zebras all over it which slightly took the attention off my eyes, also a zebra scarf is not what they would use in a country that wears them, the headscarfs would be plain (of any colour) or only with a slight pattern on them. I did a shoot with a headscarf last year which came out really well, however I prefer this one solely because of the focus on my eyes.

In this image when enlarged you can see my eyelashes hanging over the headscarf which is a really nice effect, also because I have taken colour out of this image (using the saturation tool) which makes the blue of the scarf more subtle and the black of the eyelashes a lot more prominent. I like the framing of this image as I like how my eyes are almost central making them the focal point of the image. Apart from my jumper (which is barely seen) my eyes are the darkest part of this image, producing the most eye-catching colour against the subtle tones, which automatically makes them the focal point of the image. I used a black backdrop within this image and due to the use of saturation it became a lighter tone which worked well against the blue of the scarf.

In this picture I created a multiple imagery piece of me wearing a full head burka, therefore the main focus of this entire multiple imagery piece is my eyes as they are all that can be seen. I kept the colour within this image which I think worked quite well as my eyes were still very prominent within the picture because they were hard hitting against my complexion and the light blue of the scarf. All I changed within this image was the levels which brought each image to the right lighting. I think if I was to do this shoot again i would face differently in some shots because as you can see within this image I am solely facing towards the left, which can make the image look the same as I can't really pull any different expression. I also like the use of the black back drop within this image as it brings out the blue of the burka making it very noticeable.

By doing this shoot it has made me think of other possible shoots which I could pursue in the future, for example, I could do a shoot showing what beauty is in more cultures, for example, a geisha, or in an indian setting (including a bindi and traditional indian wear). Prior to this shoot I completed a 'differences' shoot which showed range of different peoples version of beauty, in the differences work diary I commented that I wanted to explore various different styles, I progressed onto this shoot by showing a different version of beauty by visiting another culture of beauty. Within other cultures, the burka is worn however beauty can still be incorporated, therefore I continued to show 'differences' of beauty.

The image that influenced this shoot.

Cultural Beauty shoot

Best 40

Overall Project Evaluation

In this topic I experimented with the topic of beauty photography which I think had its positive and negative elements. I found this unit to be quite difficult because I was constantly wondering if what I wanted to shoot would fit in the criteria of beauty photography, which means I struggled with ideas for shoots, and some shoots which I would think of which would be quite artistic, I found too hard to create and I could think of a feasible way to create it.  I also feel that this unit has been very long, and has seemed to drag out, making me become very bored very easily. I wouldn't say I am happy with the work I have completed in this unit despite my efforts to try for an A*, I think it is all very mediocre, I have not really enjoyed this unit at all.

What I have liked in this project is my experimentation with face paint and glitter. I liked the fact that it was original and no one else in my class had done it. However despite my enjoyment with the experimentation of face paint I think I should have practiced more as I think the day of the dead face paint could of been more precise, it looked okay however it wasn't completely straight on some points.

I disliked all of the contextual work as I felt it took so long where I was trying to improve it to an A* standard, I also think this effected the concentration of my actual photography work. The thing I disliked the most however was the 3000 word essay, the history part was the hardest as it required a lot of research and it was difficult to keep the times/eras in a consecutive order as I kept finding new things that I felt had to be added into my essay.  I found the other paragraphs much easier and they took me a lot less time as they did not require as much extensive research.

I think the technique I have used the most is easily multiple imagery. I used this technique in my last unit however this year it was a lot easier because photoshop got updated and the spaces between each picture became a lot easier to judge. I have also enjoyed the use of video, however only in the particular context of showing things like a home video, for example, when showing the technique of video I made a video based on every day love, which I really enjoyed as it was simple yet original and music could accompany the video. I have also used gifs quite a lot, at the beginning I found them quite difficult to master however 5 months now down the line I feel I can do them with ease.

I found connecting essays the easiest within the entire process of this unit and they took me no time at all because I found them very easy, which meant that I didn't actually mind doing them. I enjoyed the research log as well because it opened my eyes to a lot of different photographers and I was able to see what beauty photographers had done and build some possible inspiration off of their work for my own. What i found the hardest was the 3000 word essay because of reasons which I have mentioned before, I thought the history part of the essay was too prolonged and I found it very hard to research as I wasnt completely sure of what I had to find.

My favourite shoot was easily the shoot where I had glitter all over my face, it was very itchy, hard to get off, and went everywhere, however it is the shoot I am most proud of from this unit because I think it came out very well when the pictures were edited. I wish I had done it again and wore a top which made it seem as if I had no top on so I could have put the glitter on my shoulders so it would have seemed as if it was over all of my body. My least favourite shoot was the shoot where I used a mask, I dont think I decorated the mask that well. I think I should have decorated the mask with more precision so it came across a lot prettier so the message was more appropriate to the shoot. There was a coupe of pictures I like from the shoot however I think it would have been a lot better if decor on the mask had been prettier.

Overall this unit has been very long and therefore quite unenjoyable, if I was to do it again I would organize my time keeping a lot better as I think this is what has made it feel so long, because I left the majority of contextual until the last minute and I have put in a lot of effort with each piece of contextual where I am trying to make it reach such a high standard. I wouldn't do beauty photography again as despite how broad it is, I somehow felt very limited which made me limited for shoot ideas.

The Last 4 Weeks

In the last 4 weeks I have left to do

• The conclusion and bibliography of my 3000 word essay 
• 2 connecting essays 
• 3 computer experiments
• 2 physical experiments
• My best 40 pictures of this unit 
• 20 final pieces 
• overall project evaluation
• 3 shoots 
• 3 work diaries for the shoots 
• Add what shoots I could do to each work diary 
• Reupload a video which I have created as it has been deleted
• Differences Work Diary

Possible shoots? 

• Secret Garden 
• Skeleton 
• Gothic 
• Preppy 
• Childish 
• Powder Paint 
• Pop Art