At the beginning there was a 'Time' Project - retrospective notes

Right at the beginning of the course, our first assignment was to take a photograph that represented time. Quite a broad subject with many possibilities. I must admit, I struggled with this one. Looking back at it now, I could have come up with several much better ideas. Hindsight is a great thing. The photos the group took were presented to the management of Worcester's Spires (College) Restaurant and a few were selected to decorate the restaurant wall. Needless to say mine wasn't amongst them. 

The photo I took and submitted was a studio shot of Christmas tree decorations and a sphere shaped clock that I borrowed for an interior design shop in Worcester. Light reflections and setting the scene proposed the biggest challenges. The bright studio lighting caused a glare on the shiny bulbs when directed straight on the setting. It may have been better to shoot them with a soft box or some sort of a diffuser. Lacking that, the next best thing was to bounce the light off the ceiling. This reduced the reflections significantly. Building the set was yet another thing I have not done before. The first few shots were a bit bare, to say the least. As time went on I kept adding and adjusting to get the right angle and to fill the screen. The first photo below is an earlier attempt, while the second one was the final submitted picture.

A further technique that I have experienced with was capture of movement as representation of time passing. The shot below is of a moving carousel from the Christmas Market in Birmingham. The picture was taken with a 70-300mm Tamaron lens. The two main challenges in taking this photo was to find the right aperture and shutter speed balance and setting the focus.

The photo was taken in relatively dark conditions on an early evening in December, so I assumed a large aperture. To capture the movement, however, I had to leave the shutter open for a relatively long period. I had no tripod, which meant that the photo could be potentially out of focus from the slightest movement of my hands. The lens I used was manual focus only and I can  only assume there would not have been sufficient time or light for the lens to automatically focus, had it been capable of it. Focusing manually on a moving subject is not something that comes easily to me. Even still objects cause problems sometimes. It may be down to me being short sighted and looking through the viewfinder puts a strain on my eyes. I hope my manual focus will improve with practice.

All in all, if I had to do this project again, I would re-think my studio shot. I would probably use some props that represent the passing of time. One idea that came to my head was an arrangement of carriers for images and how they evolved. I'd arrange a set with a 35mm film, a Polaroid photo, a floppy disc and an SD card maybe or more, depending on how many items I could get my hands on.

The main learning outcome for me was the need for more research and inspiration.

Fashion Shoot - What have I learned, how did I learn it?

I know it is hard to believe, but I got to the end of the assignment. I have a lot of people to thank for their help and patience. I have to say, I did enjoy the assignment and hope to be doing this in real life one day. Maybe then I will look back at the photos that I am so proud of now, and think, uhm, could have done better really. Anyway, for a first, they aren't too bad. Apparently. 

A few things I have learned... First, and most important thing, it is pointless to take images that will not fit the final frame. I took hundreds of photos, which I can use in a portfolio and as reference in future, but most of them could not be used for the purpose of this assignment. The image sizes set in the templates for the magazine were awkward and I had to scan through several images to make sure I can crop them to the right size. So learn from my mistake! Don't just go taking photos because they look pretty when you are doing commercial work. Save yourself time and effort by taking a few, but well thought out images. 

Other things revolve around lighting and set-up, make up and your models. Take time to set your set. If doing studio work, make sure that the lighting is right, your set is spotless. It is much harder to correct these things later on the computer. And quite frankly, I still believe this is a photography, not a photoshop course, so take a good photo!

As for make up and models... There is no such thing as too much make-up. Keep it light and fresh for natural shots and don't turn your models into drag queens (unless that's your theme), but emphasize everything, skin tone, eyes, cheekbones. I have never worked with professional models, but one thing's for sure, if a pose is too staged, it is very  rigid and obvious on the photo. It is difficult to get non-pro models to act naturally, so try to distract them. As soon as you make them unaware of the fact that they are being photographed, they will smile and act in the most natural way, which will show on your pictures. Remember, they cannot see themselves, so you have to guide them. Tell them a joke if you want them to smile or tell them they are fat if you want them to look angry on your shot.

Photoshop - the evil of all evils?

The time has come for me to at least consider using Photoshop. Not that I have any problems with it, in fact it's very welcome when used to iron out imperfections on photos taken of me! Anyway, I think I have by now established, my main problem is not with Photoshop itself. It is with the Mac. Before all you Mac lovers and users tell me how brilliant it is, I am sure you are right! I love my iPod my iPhone, I know! I have been brought up on a PC. I have been using a PC for the last, uhm, well, quite a few years. So using a Mac makes me look for files in all the wrong places, there is no 'right-click', and I have no idea how to copy stuff from one folder to another. I mean, no 'right-click'? What's that about?? It feels like having driven a normal car all your life and suddenly trying to drive an automatic. Yes, much easier, but admit it, you are looking for the clutch all the time, right?

Anyway, I need to get a copy of Photoshop for PC. Apparently that will solve all my problems. At least the ones concerning editing my photo images. The rest of my issues remain unresolved. For now.

Fashion Editorial Photo Shoot - Saturday, 19th of Feb

Weeks of nerves, excitement, brainstorming for ideas and finally, the actual shoot... First of all, I would like to thank Joanna and Bridget, my lovely housemates, for being models for me. I would also like to say a huge 'thank you' to my friends Abbie, Susan and Bridget's sister Jocie for all their help. It would not have been possible to do this without you girls! Special thanks to Marc Bullock, my tutor at the college, for letting me borrow the lighting.

Last Saturday we turned my home into photography parlour for the day. Starting at about 8 am in the morning with  lots of coffee and jim-jams on, the spare room got cleared, sofas moved, lights carried upstairs whilst Bridget picked up some nibbles and pizza from the garage to feed the troops. Around 9 Susan and Abbie arrived. 

I have done some research online and in magazines to see what sort of pictures and poses I wanted. The main theme was shoes, so we tried to focus on that. The weather was horrible, cold and rainy, so any hope I had for outside shots was gone, we had to do them all inside. The space and equipment was limited, but I feel we have brought out the best of what we had. All the clothes and shoes were chosen on the day, and the make-up and hair was done by Abbie and me. Susan and Abbie not only helped with the make-up, lighting and arrangements, but also took photos of the preparations, which I hope will give a feel for how much work has gone into the final photos. They are beginners pictures, so please don't be too harsh judging them, but I could not have dome these at all before I started the course.

Bridget's make-up in the making

Trying to get the correct angle on Susan's tripod

And some of the results... They have not been touched up, cropped or edited in any way, so please take that into account.

Preparation for photo shoot

Our latest project on the course is to take photos to suit a high end either fashion or food magazine. We need to present a double page spread, some small shots for an editorial and a cover. 

As much as I love food, to eat that is, I opted for the fashion theme. I have more shoes and clothes than food ingredients in my pantry to make beautiful dishes that would look stunning and appetizing on photos. Some shots had to be taken in a studio, which I have done already. The next step is to take the rest of them, at my home. I have never done anything like this, so I am equally excited an nervous. My two lovely housemates, Bridget and Joanna, agreed to model for me. Both stunning girls, who will look amazing whatever I get them to wear. I am also lucky enough to have friends come around and help me with the make-up, setting up the scene and general assistance. I had some ideas about some of the shots and the props we will use, but I will have to see how it will work in real life. Some ideas, that seem great in my head don't actually work on set. Well, watch this space! As soon as I figure out how to attach photos to this blog, I will do!

For now, I must make a note somewhere not to forget to pick up the lights from college on Friday that Marc let me borrow!

Last week we stepped into the year of the Metal Rabbit. Apparently, this is a great year for creativity. So far I have not seen much of it...

I started a photography course at the Worcester Tech College last September. I always wanted to do something more creative than the daily number crunching at work. Drawing or painting is not my forte, neither is patience. I have, however, noticed that looking at old family photos brings back so many nice memories. I remember being about 11 years old when my grandparents moved from the house they had lived in for 42 years to a smaller apartment. Lots of old treasures came down from the loft, amongst them boxes and stacks of old photos. Weddings, summer holidays, new babies. I sat on the floor with my mum, her sister and my grandma looking through them. The paper photographs themselves were fascinating, old tiny pieces of black and white pictures of my family. Memories of past times, when taking a picture required more than just clicking away on a compact machine and saving images onto memory cards that will never be looked at again. I remember, we were always taught not to touch the surface, just the edge of the card, not to leave finger prints on the image. So I learned to respect the photos. Then the stories came. Of summers spent at great-grandparents, first school uniforms, how an old auntie was already pregnant when she got married, and hence her dress was so baggy. It was frowned upon in those days.

I wish people did this more often with their kids. Just sit down and tell stories of their families on old photographs. Sentimental, I know, but a big eye opener. We are who we are because of our heritage. So I made the decision to take pictures at every opportunity and share them.

Today, if you visited my house and used the downstairs loo, you'd find pictures of me with my friends and family on the wall. It is a growing, living photo album of memories that bring a smile to our faces.

As part of my course, I am supposed to keep a sketch book. Guess what, I haven't even started one. Well, the photos are there and the bits and pieces are there, but it's not been put together properly and this is bugging me now. So when my friend Sarah asked our tutor last week if we could have an electronic sketch book, and he said yes, I jumped on the idea. So here it goes, my electronic sketch book....