A trip to London

Last Sunday the 15th of Jan 2012, I went to london with fellow Photography course students/friends.

The aim of the trip was to go to the Novotel Hotel, which was the venue for the 2012 SWPP Conference, see a couple of demonstrations and have a look around the trade stands.
After this we would go into the heart of the capital, (around 3pm ish) to get some photography in.

Things went to plan and I found the SWPP conference a very good experience, There were lots of trade stands all showcasing there different products, these included, Wedding album suppilers, printing firms, Printer suppliers, (I saw the Epson) Lens suppliers, (I saw Sigma) and all round suppliers like WEX.
The 3 demonstrations we/I saw were, 2 by the same man on lighting in a studio, using light from behind as well as in front, then using a Lastolite Hilite background.

The other talk I saw (by myself) was about wedding photography, explaing how using a portable power pack and small flash, held by an assistant, can create and give some really good shadows and feel to images. The talk was done on behalf of Phototraining4u, there webssite can be found here:
http://www.phototraining4u.com/

The trip round London went well, We started at Big Ben, then walked over the bridge, down past the London eye, The Tate and then over the Millenium Bridge towards St Pauls.

We walked around St Pauls, then back towards the Millenium Bridge, but not over it this time, instead we walked along the river in the direction of the Tower Bridge.
Below is a photo I took, It's from underneath, looking up at the Millenium Bridge. (The lines of colour are from the upload, and not in the image)

Along the way we stopped and took various pictures of various things. The others had there cameras out and were looking for and finding unusual Architecture/angles. This ment alot of stopping on the way, but this was good for socialising/chatting and looking about for other shots.
The next photo I took was of a lit up sign, this had a stone wall underneath it which protuded slightly forward as well so gave a nice reflection of the light.
The reason I took this was because I wanted some night shots, but like and idiot, didn't take my tripod, so I was having to think on my feet. So using the combination of a releative good amount of light for the shot, and the hard solid wall to use as a tripod, I hand held my camera and took the shot. 

After the above shot and a bit futher along the walk towards Tower Bridge, Eric kindly offered to let me use his tripod, being as he hadn't used it or even taken his 5D out of his bag, I didn't feel to cheeky in using it.
I used it to take just 3 different shots, (multiple's of the same shot, playing with settings, were taken.) they are:

The Shard.

London skyline, including, The Shard to the right and I belive the Mayor's office is the building to the left.

And finally the Tower Bridge.

Vogue Diaries: Rihanna on Vogue's Shape Issue Cover Shoot Video Vogue

So following on from Steven Meisel shooting for Vouge Italia, this is a video of singing Superstar Rihanna, on her 1st shoot for the cover of american Vogue.
Although she is being shot by Annie Liebovitz, who isn't one of my research subjects, it again shows some of behind the scenes and going on's.
You also get to see again the wide range of shoes and clothes provided.

SHOWstudio.com: Nick Knight shoots Lady Gaga for Vanity Fair

This is a video from behind the scenes of a Nick Knight showstudio shoot with Lady Gaga, which was shot for vanity Fair.
Unlike the video I have posted from Steven Meisel, which showed alot of the behind the scene stuff, this is more just Lady Gaga posing for Nick Knight.

Shrink To Fit by Steven Meisel

This is a behind the scenes video of a photoshoot for Vogue Italia 2010, the shoot was called Shrink to fit as the style of clothing was of a preppy nature, but smaller as if "shrunk"
I think it shows the amount of work and effort that goes into a proper fashion shoot for a big name, as you see in the video there are countless amounts of different jumpers, tops, skirts, tights, belts, shoes and accessories.
You also get to see a table of equipment that Steven has with him, which i'm sure wasn't everything. You also get an idea for the amount of helpers/assistants needed on a shoot so big.

Assignment 211 Task 1a

The above images shows my working through in photoshop of making 4 photo's into 1 image.

I started by opening the photo I wanted, a new layer, I then applied a grid to the new layer, this would be used to help get all the photo's the same size and in the same position.

I then moved the 1st photo over, Selected Edit>Transform>Scale, then scaled the photo down to the size that I wanted, this was then positioned in the top left corner. 

I then repeated the above process for another 3 images, but changing the position of the photo's, going top right, bottom left, bottom right. 

Once all photo's were on, I adjusted the position and scale to get the borders equal all the way round, and removed the grid. 

The below images show my working through in Lightroom, from the raw image off my camera, to the finished photo at the top of this post.

The 1st thing I did was to open the image, (above) I then decided to crop the image down slightly, (Below) this giving the shot a use of the rule of two thirds.

After the crop, I then needed to remove any bits of dust/imperfections, which there were a few and can be seen in the image below. The white circles on the image below are the repaired areas.

The next thing I did was to play with the adjustments, I made the Blacks slightly deeper they went from 0 to +7, the Contrast went from 0 to +30, lastly the Vibrance and Saturation both went from 0 to +5.

The last adjustment I made, was to add a very slight Vignette which went from 0 to -15.

Once happy with all my adjustments I added a Copyright Watermark as the images will end up going on my personal website as well as on this blog.

There is a tool in Lightroom that allows you to create and save multiple Watermarks. Pretty much every detail of the watermark can be altered, from the Style/Size/Colour of the font, the position and orientation of the watermark, be it Horizontal or Vertical, Even the inset from the edges and the opacity can be changed.

The way to apply a watermark in Lightroom has to be done when exporting the image out of the program, at the same time when exporting you can change the format of the image, choose the location where it will be saved, the size of the photo etc.

for this one I kept the size and the dpi original, choose the location, changed the format to JPEG, and added a light Grey watermark to the bottom right of the image.

The result is the 1st photo in the top left of this post.

Theme 1 research 2 Michel Comte

For my second research subject I will be using Michel Comte, his website can be found here :
http://www.michelcomte.org/

Michel Comte was born in Zurich in 1954.
In 1978 he received his 1st international photographic assignments, working for Ungaro and Chloe in Paris, before moving there in 1979.
In 1981working for American Vogue lead him to move there, and within years he became one of the most sought after Magazine/Advertising Photographers.
More work follows for Vogue and Vanity Fair, where he gets to photograph some of the most famous Celebs, from Jeremy Irons to Demi Moore and even Mike Tyson, I have chosen some of these images to look at.

So the 1st image I have chosen is a simple model (Actress/singer Amanda Seyfried) against a white background. After a bit of searching on the net, I found out this was a shoot for the cover of in style hair magazine.
Due to the nature of what the image was for dictates who the image looks and was shot, so it's a simple composition of model and background, maybe later on a few bits of hair decoration/hairbands may have been used.
The model is obviously the Focal point with there being nothing else in the image. Cropped close to make the models hair fill the frame.
A bright well lit image, with the background being lit as well to keep it pure white. A good contrast with the only shadow being under her chin and inside her hair line.

So this image is one of Demi Moore, and although it is a portrait shot, it has been shot or cropped in Landscape orientation.
It's a lot darker than the previous image, this might have something to do with what the message is trying to say, which to me looks like she has been crying, so a feeling of sadness comes from this image, with sadness is normally a dark place.
The depth of field is shallow, so that the small strip of background on the left hand side is blurred out, this helping to keep the viewers attention on the subject.
The contrast between her light face/hand and the darkness of her hair/the background have been controlled work well.
The tonal range in the image is fairly limited, the grey/green colour of the background and her pink/reddish lips being the only real colour. Her face is almost white, whilst her hair, although brown, appears close to black with the darkness of the image.

In this image we have Cindy Crawford, Cropped further out than the previous 2 images, this allows the viewer to see the details of the bra/top that she is wearing. This top not only adds colour to the image, but also shapes/patterns and another dimension to to composition. Had it been cropped tighter just on the face it would have been very similar to the 1st image.
So the shapes in the bra/top is circles, not only do the out line to top of the cups, they also hang from the bottom of the bra/top, each of the hanging circles is also capped with a half circle detail on the top.
I think the Cindy's face is the Focal point of the image, with her striking black eyebrows and red lips standing out, the viewer then notice the above mentioned top.
I think there is a Connotation/Denotation of "Glamour" and "Sexiness" to the image.

Another image of Cindy Crawford, this time in Black and White, she is wearing more casual clothes, her hair has been left messy and a bit wild, yet she still looks attractive.
Although the pose has changed from side on to straight on, the crop is about the same, tight round the shoulders, cut off just below the bust and with a bit of room just above the head.
Obviously with it being a studio shot Cindy is the focal point of the image, with the background possibly a bit out of focus.
The contrast has been set fairly dark, with the background coming out grey,  (I suspect would of been white) to the deepness of her black top and again eyebrows.

This image features Eva Herzigova, it's potentially for an advert/advertising campaign, due to the matching jewellery that's on show. The reason I think this, is it's been tightly cropped around the model, it's very well lit and the model isn't looking directly at the camera.
The composition of the image is made up of a few different colours and textures, from the gold metal of the jewellery, to the black, purple and blue in the detailed top, also the skin and hair colours and different textures.
The model is stood tight against the background, so any depth of field has naturally been kept deep, causing the background to be kept in focus.
Overall the image has a light feel to it, with strong lighting the skin is almost white in places, this also causing deep shadows behind the model.

Another image featuring Eva Herzigova, this time the orientation is more Landscape than Portrait and has been achieved with the crop using the rule of two thirds.
It's slightly darker than the previous image, this is a combination of the softer light (which is probably further back) and the deep red and size of the chair back.
The little bit of background, that can be seen to the top left of the image, appears to be out of focus which would of been achieved by playing with aperture, this affecting the Depth of field.
I think this would of been shot for advertising, I think the Tattoo on her shoulder represents and holds the brands name, with her looking straight at the camera catches the viewers attention, which then allows you to see the tattoo. With that in mind, plus the fact she appears to be undressing, I would say the connotation/Denotation of the image is definitely of "Sex Sells"

This is the last image I have chosen to look at which features Eva Herzigova, it's very similar to the 1st one featuring her, the pose is almost the same, with the exception of the hand positions being swapped and her head pointing in the opposite direction.
It's light, with a lot of white and very little variants of colour to the image, the only bits of colour being her skin tone, the gold and pearls in the necklace and her blonde ish hair. The lighting is again bright, close and direct to the model, making sure it's a bright image, it's also causing deep shadows beneath her chin and under her left hand.
The crop is similar to others from Michel and tight to sides, a bit of room above the head and cut off under the bust. This I think is again to help keep the focus on the model and the Necklace, which could be being advertised.
With the image looking like she is in bed, wearing nothing but the necklace, I would say again the Connotation/Denotation of it is "sex sells"

This image is similar to the one I looked at featuring Demi Moore.
The overall feel and maybe even a Connotation/Denotation of the image is that of dark and sadness again, depicted in the fake tears on the models face.
The lighting is less harsh, with a deep dark red background, a black top and black patterned frame to the right of the model (as you look at the image).
The composition is a lot more complicated than the Demi Moore image, components making up the image are, the pattern of the wall paper in the background, the pattern on the frame, the leaf details in the headband, the fake tears and then the combination of colours, skin tone, black and gold frame, red not only in the background, but also a hint of it on the models cheeks, a hint of blue under the eyes, silver in the headband and lastly the blond hair of the model.
The background is further away this time, allowing the depth of field to be used, but not overly, this keeping the pattern in the background to still be made out.
The crop this time is slightly wider, allowing the viewer to see more of the background.

So this image is another head and shoulders shot, tightly cropped, this time cutting off above the bust and some of the models hair off.
The main focal point is the models face, this has been achived buy using bright colours on the face, and with a use of curves to frame the face.
The colours are a nice bright blue round the eyes, bright red on the lips and the blonde hair, which all stand out well against the models pale skin and the grey background.
The use of curves appears all over the image, there isd the big long curve of the dress at the bottom of the image, the long almost stright curves of hair around the face, the tighter curves of the outside of the hair, the pose of the mouth is almost round in shape, then lastly the eye makeup accentuates the rugby ball shape of the eyes.
The model is away from the baclground, so the depth of field has been kept shallow and the background has been blurred out.
I think a possible Connotation/Denotation for the image would be something like "dare to be different and stand out form the crowd"

 

This is the final image of  Michel's that i've chosen to look at, it features actor Jeremey Irons.

It's a darkly contrasted Black and White, with the only white in the image coming from thr cigerette in his mouth and the reflection of light on his Monocle. The rest of the image is either light Black (his top) or grey.

Like the previous image it's a head and shoulder shot, which also cuts off across the chest at the bottom and some of the models hair at the top of the image.

A simple composition, being the model, the Monocle, the cigerette and the background, the only thingthe protudes from the model is string attached to the Monocle.

I think there is a possible Connotation/Denotation of class and sophistication in this image, due to the simple nature of the image and the props used, which would of been related to people of class and sophistication in older times.

The lighting is  close and fairly bright/harsh, this causing shadows under the cigerette and to the left side of Jeremy's face/shoulder. Also I think the background may of been a white back ground when shot, then when converted to balck and white has come out grey.

Theme 2 Research 4 Andrea Klarin

The 4th person I have chosen for my research is Andrea Klarin.

His website can be found here :

http://www.andreaklarin.com/

Andrea was born in Belgrade in 1972, at the age of 18 found his passion for photography and at the age of 22 decided to go for it.

He studied photography at INRACI in Brussels for 3 years.

Now living and working mainly in Paris, he has worked for Vogue, TANK, Harper's Bazar, Air France Madame to name a few.

This is the 1st image I have chosen to look at from Andrea and it is photo's put into 1 image. 

The over colour temp of images is warm, very soft golden light to watch that of the jewellery the model is wearing.

The 2 photo's are, as is obvious, From the same shoot, but the crops of the images are completely different, the image on the left has  tight crop around the models face and neck area, whereas the one to the right is a half body shot.

The compositions of both images is fairly simple, a model against a plain background. The one to the left has slightly more complicated jewellery and hair over the models face, this makes it more complex than the other image, however still not overly complicated.  All this helps to make sure there is little or no distraction from the model, the products she is wearing and advertising, therefore keeping her and the products the focal point of the image, also the depth of field might of been kept quite shallow to slightly blur out the background.

This image is nice black and white, full length body shot. It incorporates the use of a rope as an added dimension.
Much like the previous shot it is simple in composition, with just the model and the rope against the plain background, the background has again been take out of focus with a shallow depth of field.
The model is the main focal point, I would say that the image is advertising the clothes and shoes the model is wearing.
It has a nice balance of lighting, shades, and contrast between the highlights and shadows. The lighting seems to me to be light yet soft, with no real harsh shadow behind the the model.
I think the way the rope winds down the models body, helps to draw the viewers eye down the model to shoes, before it disappears out of shot.

This image is another close up crop on a models face and neck area, I would say it again is advertising the jewellery. The pose in my opinion has been set so that the models hair falls to create a dark background for the earring she is wearing, therefore making it stand out, it being exposed by the model holding her hair, which also allows the hand to be decorated with rings and showing them off as well. The lighting on the models face would suggest the lighting being used is quite bright, but the balance between the highlights and shadows is well managed, the models face is well lit but not over exposed, however the shadow created under her and from her hair is a very black. This shadow is due to the pose and crop, pretty much the centre of the image, when you combine this with it being a dark area on quite a light image, it grabs the viewers attention.
I think there is a connotation/Denotation of glamour, sophistication and sexiness.

This image is another close crop on the model, but is lightly bigger than a head shot. I think the way the model is wearing nothing but a purple fluffy coat and necklace, then the crop of the image, has made the coat a good frame for the image, the lighter skin colour stands out from purple coat, therefore making the models chest and the necklace, the Focal point of the image.
There is a definite Denotation/Connotation of sex sells to this image, from the suggestive undressing and the clear nakedness of the model.
The composition of the image is simple, with only a few components, (the coat, the jewellery and the model) but all the various textures in the image and also the eye make up, give it a feel of being slightly more complex.
The nature of the image means the only deviation from the model is found in the top right corner, as a piece of background, because of this the deep of field isn't really a contributing factor as everything is in focus.

This image is the 1st one I have looked at from Andrea that is shot in landscape orientation and is close to using the rule of two thirds.
It's a bright image, well lit and balanced, with plenty of light on the legs and lovely soft shadows around her on the wall.
Again it's a simple composition, being the model, the jewellery, the outfit and the background. The decorative details in the background are well picked out without it being over exposed and blown out.
The textures are again, due to the not so complex nature of the image, are limited to about 4 different textures, being the skin, the pink fluffy clothing, the jewellery, the hair and the wall behind.
It's again an advertising shot, this can be seen from the name in the bottom right corner, not sure if it's for the Jewellery or the pink clothing, after doing some research on the brand it could be for either or both. I do think though that the positioning of the pink clothing helps to almost underline and frame the Jewellery, making it stand out more.
With the model sitting so close to the wall there is no separation or distance for a depth of field to be developed.
Again I think the Connotation/Denotation of this image is of "sex sells" "Glamour" "luxury"

A simple composition, the model against a plain background with just the bright light as a third element. This light I think has been used to not only inject a bit more light into the image, but also to help force the viewers eye upwards, therefore making you look at the brand on the T-Shirt.
A very tight crop around the model, with no room left around the sides for product information or brand names. I suspect this is because the brand name is there in the middle of the image, and it would of been for a full page ad in a magazine, so no more information would of really been needed.

This image is a very simple yet effective way of advertising jewellery. By having just the 1 item of jewellery, which is also a contrasting colour to the skin tone of the model, then the brand name in big capitals underneath the item, makes it stand out and get the point across.
A simple composition again, the model, the ring and the smallest amount of background on show in the top right corner. Cropped tight around the model, keeping the background out of shot, this helps to make the ring the Focal point of the image, this is also helped by the way the model isn't looking into the camera, so the viewers eyes aren't drawn to hers.
It's a light image, with a light contrast and mainly soft shadows, the most highlighted area is the models shoulder, which is very nicely lit and far from over exposed or too bright.
The small amount of background that can be seen, looks to me to be out of focus, so a shallow depth of field has been used or naturally occurred with the model being the foreground and the majority of the image.

This image has a great use of colour, with the models pale skin against the white background, the blue of the accordion, the head wear and models nail varnish and eyeliner stand out really well. If you combine the colour with the position and shape of the Accordion, you can see that again it's been used to underline the product being advertised, which in this case would be the Necklace.
The crop of the image is pretty tight, cutting just a little off the head wear at the top and the Accordion at the bottom, also had the crop been wider at the sides, the viewer may have been distracted from the product, by the models arms, which would effectively be creating V's or arrow shapes at either side.
Again the model is against the background (looks to be lying down to me) so there has been little chance to create a depth of field, the only way this could of been done, would of been to blurr the accordion out slightly, but this would of taken away from it and therefore it's purpose to guide the eye to the necklace.
The composition is more complicated than some of the previous images I have looked at from Andrea, although there are only really 4-5 components to the image, (model, necklace, Accordion and the head wear) the little details of colour, the round shapes made from the models hair help to make it more complicated, as they not only add different textures, but they also add to the general feel of curves. (Curly necklace, round buttons on the Accordion, the curve of the Accordion, the round head wear, and the round balls of hair)

This image again has a used colour to advertise the Jewellery, but this time rather than the colours directing your eyes to the products, the products are the stand out colours, only in a more subtle way as the golden jewellery is a complimenting colour to the skin/background colour.
The crop is wider this time, allowing more of the model to be seen, and I think this is important, as the pose and positioning of the jewellery go with each other. I think there is a use of lines in this image, if you start at the models face, (which I feel is the Focal point of the image) in her right ear is an earring, the thin necklace line leads you down to the main part of the necklace, which has just below it the bracelet, (which looks like a curved line/lines) the direction of the arm comes into play, it leading your eye upwards where you then see the ring on her finger. To a certain extent there are also lines of hair across the models face/shoulder.
The model is again stood tight against the background, so Depth of field has not been able to develop, this along with it being the model against a background, with no props, items protruding form the model, makes this a simple composition.
The lighting appears to me to be fairly soft, with a good balance between the light area and the soft shadows, behind the model and to the bottom of the image.
Not quite sure of the Connotation/Denotation of this image, though possibly "sex sells" and "sexiness"??

 

This is the final image I have chosen to look at from Andrea, what I like about this image is it has an overall appearance of being light and airy, yet there is still a lot of  area in shadow, this shows of a very good use of lighting and contrast.

The dress is highly detailed, this not only provides patterns but also textures to the images composition, along with the added detail on the background in the top left, the models hair being lit from behind to the right.

I'm not sure if it's an advertising image or not, The only thing it could be advertising is the dress, but due to it being cropped tight on the models arms and just under her bust, it doesn't really show it off the dress.

I think there might be a small amount of depth of field, just to blurr the background out, then the detail to the top left will have been added in post processing.

With not really knowing what the image is for, it's hard to say what the Connotation/Denotation might be.