Shoot 6 - Steve McCurry Shoot - Work Diary

In this shoot I decided to go on location instead of shooting in the studio.This allowed me to experiment with depth of field by blurring the background and focussing on the subject in the foreground. This shows a great link and influence of Steve McCurry's work due to the fact of my shoot being on locations, showing depth of field and also through the use of a sari for costume. I brought in a sari and got a model to wear the sari around her head and top half of her body. In doing so I was able to display the similar sense of culture and ethnicity to Steve's work. However, I wasn't able to photograph a more cultural/religious model which I originally wanted so I could in future shoots photograph this type of model. Despite this I feel that I have still remained to produce successful pieces which show a great influence to McCurry's work.

Here I intended to create a type of pastiche of McCurry's work. However my work is slightly different due to the ethnicity of the model and I feel that it provides a sense of mystery. Above, the left image depicts my original unedited photograph and next to it is my editing which illustrates the grate amount of editing which I applied to gain the final outcome. The costume of a sari provides a sense of culture due to their association with religion. I desaturated the background in order to allow the vibrant subject to stand out very effectively. I then selected the sari by using the lasso tool and altered the colour balance to change the colour of sari. I transformed the sari from a pale purple to a bright saturated blue/turquiose which is very similar to one of Steve McCurry's photographs. I feel that the fact that the model is placed slightly below eye level as the camera is looking down on her makes her look innocent and vulnerable. The eye contact made is considerably mysterious and I also slightly edited the colour of the eyes to match the colour of the sari in order to form a blue colour scheme. I then used the burn tool to make her to dirty and gritty and sharpened these areas to make it seem more realistic and less edited. This slightly difference is shown through the image below where the image looks more realistic and provides a sense of texture in the skin. I also changed the colour of the subject's lips in order yo make her look more natural and also altered the curves and levels of the piece in order to increase the amount of contrast.

Progression:

In my next shoot I will explore and experiment with Steve Mccurry's work further by doing a location portraiture shoot with a model of asian ethnicity.

Shoot 6 - Steeve McCurry Shoot - Straight Images

Shoot 6 - Steeve McCurry Shoot - Contact Sheet

RAM SHERGILL

Ram Shergill is a an internationally acclaimed British fashion photographer who has worked with some of the most recognised names in the industry. Shergill's photography is strongly influenced by memories of his early childhood, when his early poor sight led him to imagine a fanciful rose-tinted, perfect world in which everything was beautiful. Shergill’s work has been exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum and Sotheby’s London, as well as at the Galerie Du Passage in Paris. He is also founder and editor of Drama Magazine, a publication dedicated to fashion and performance.

Ram's work is very influential to mine when considering the shoots I did when dressing my model in formal attire. His photography provided me with inspiration towards poses, light positions and also colour schemes. Below are a couple examples of his work.

Photographer Research Iain Crawford

                                                            Iain Crawford

                                                                     Biography

Iain grew up in Africa and Malaysia and developed a passion for photography at an early age. On moving to London, he worked as an account handler for Saatchi & Saatchi but left to pursue his photographic career. After spending several years living and working in New York, he is now based back in London but continues to work internationally. His career has lead him to shoot campaigns for many of the world's top brands and receive commissions from a host of top international magazines.

                                                        Why I chose this photographer

I chose Iain because he loves to capture images that have a strong graphic and textural quality while maintaining the personality and emotion of the subject. He loves the mix between paint and model. The excitement and anticipation as we waited to see the next piece of unpredictable chaos was electric. There was something magical about how random chance materialised into beautiful images in front of our eyes.

This photograph is a longshot taken in a landscape orientation. It depicts a woman merged into fog where only the top half of her naked body can be seen. This produces a mysterious feel to the piece as the female can only just be seen. The fact that the fog is pink allows for a very feminine atmosphere to be created. The dark background allows for the fog and subject to be seen clearly as they are light in comparison. The density of the fog can be seen through the tone of pink in the composition. The lighter tones of pink indicate a thicker density whereas the darker tones imply a thinner consistency. Where the fog is thinner, the female begins to become visible. It seems that there is a light source positioned towards the right of the composition as highlights can be seen on the right side of the model whereas there are shadows on the left side. 

This is a close up of what it seems to be a female model who is wearing a wet sheet of transparent fabric over the top of her face. This transparency provides a very light tone of the subjects face. There dark green paint placed over the top half of her face. There seems to be a light source coming from over the top of the subject which causes little shadow where most of the darker tones are on the neck of the subject. However, there are slight shadows which illustrate the form and shape of the subjects face. These shadows also depict the facial features where outlines are created. The shape of the features allow it to be clear that the subject is a woman. The lines on the subjects face and hair illustrate how the fabric is wet which enhances the shape of the subjects face. The structure of the models face is very feminine as she has a petite nose, big round lips, prominant eyes and jaw line.

Here in this photo colour is introduced through the use of paint. It is applied very messily  and rash which seems very abstract but also implies a sense of beauty as can be  considered to be art. The side profile of the subject can be seen through the light  background. This also shows the hair which is illustrated through the long wavy lines seen. There are a lot of shadows caused in this piece which allows for the focal point of the piece  to be the model's eyes and face. This is due to the very dark shadows around the throat  which gradually lightens towards the cheek, implying a sense of form and shape which is  also shown in the mouth of the woman.

Here a particular colour scheme has been created. The overall colour palette consists of blue/turquoise. This is created through the fact that the background, props of balloons and the eye make up all be the same colour. There are very round shapes include in the frame of the piece as in the background there is a circle and there are also two other semi-circles where the balloons are partly out of the frame. These shapes can be seen through contrast between the dark tones and the bright colour. There are patterns seen on the top of the subject. The subject is facing towards the left of the composition whilst looking directly at the camera. Her very serious facial expression implies a mysterious mood as it looks as if she is looking down at the viewers which is also shown through the level of the camera being lower than eye level. It is possible that lighting gels have been used as there are both  colours of blue and red seen on the right side of the subject's face.

How they have influenced me 

Iain has inspired me to create colour schemes in my photography which can be formed by  the use of background, clothing, make up and props all being the same colour. Also he has made me want to experiment with paint and materials which I can apply to the face of the  subject.

Shoot 5 - Army shoot work diary

In this shoot I decided to explore the importance and effect of using costume and makeup in order to create a certain mood. Here I got a male, military aged model to wear two sets of army costumes which I had purchased. One of the outfits consisted of a smart attired with a blazer, shirt, tie and hat which were stereotypically worn in the official soldier portraits. The other costume was a camouflage overall with a bullet vest and a helmet. These costumes are very recognisable and make to identity of the subject very clear. In this shoot i experimented with different lighting techniques to see which suited the costumes best. I tried using brighting lighting with the smart costume as I tried to replicate the original portraits layout, colours and composition. However, I felt the most successful lighting was the much darker low key lighting which worked very well with the camouflage costume. This also worked very well with the makeup I applied to the subjects face which enhanced the dirty gritty feel. I also experimented with the intensity and positioning of the light source in order to gain different moods and themes. I also experienced a problem in this shoot as I applied makeup to the subjects face but forgot to apply it to the neck so therefore it didn't look very effective. However, by using the burn tool in photoshop I was able to eliminate this problem. Overall I felt that this shoot was very successful and felt that the colours used and makeup/tools/costume all come together in order to produce successful outcomes shown below. These can be considered to show elements of Steve McCurry's work due to the content and themes surrounding war.

Lighting Diagram

In this portrait photograph I used low key lighting in order to create harsh shadows towards the left side of the subject's face which contribute to the mood greatly. The light source is coming from the right side of the composition which causes shadows, which are very effective in showing the form of the face and neck. I like how the lighting has caused a reflection in the subjects eyes, allowing them to stand out. I sharpened the eyes of the model to allow them to stand out even further. Here I also applied makeup to the subject's which in attempt to make him look gritty and dirty and seem as if he has been in action, providing stereotypes associated with soldiers and the army. In photoshop I used the burn tool in order to contribute to the dirtiness of the neck and some areas on the face. I also sharpened some areas more than others in order to imply a sense of texture. I ensured that the colours of the photograph remained very dark with shadows and browns which contribute to the overall earthy mood. Also the black background furthers the darkness in the image which works well with the dark tones and shadows. The fact that the figure is looking away from the camera and is deep in thought provides the sense that he reflecting on his time in the war.

This photograph is from a different angle to the previous, this time I took the photo from a side on angle whilst being more zoomed out. I also made the subject where the helmet as well as the rest of the costume. By taking the photo in this way I was able to capture the country flag/badge on the arm of the model which I feel provides a sense of pride and identity. By using a black background and placing the lighting in front of where he is facing, the profile of the model's face is enhanced and the shadows form shows the structure and form. Once again through using the makeup and burn tool I was able to make to subject seem very dirty and made it seem as if he has been in action. Here I also applied the burn tool and also the paint tool on the costume of the subject to show continuity and also to continue the dirty theme. By sharpening areas, specifically on the cheek I was able to show the texture very well. This rough texture works very well in attempt to imply slight grazes and deterioration to the skin. The colours are once again very dark and gritty which I feel works very well with my intensions. I reduced the warmth slightly in order to gain a colder effect which can be related to war.

This photograph has been taken from a close up front on angle with the model looking directly at the camera. His facial expression appears to be straight but holds great emotion and seems very intense. Through the use of the low key lighting the majority of the left side of the face is covered with shadow. This implies a sense of mystery as it seems like he is hiding something, his past. The shadow is dominating the image and therefore resembles how his past is dominating his and still effective, demonstrating the effects of war. I sharpened the eyes again which allows them to stand out and make the eye contact more tense. I then decided to apply a black and white effect which effects the mood and feel of the piece very well. It causes for a very emotional piece to be made with the big contrast. I once again used a black background which contributes to the whole dark theme. This implies themes of sadness and even regret through the colours and facial expression used; illustrating the psychological effects of war. 

Progression:

In my next shoot I would like to continue with improving my editing skills in regards to making the model seem dirty and gritty. I could perhaps relate this to Steve McCurry's work in order to provide a sense of culture through the use of costume.

Shoot 5 - Army shoot Straight Images