Digital Imaging - Fire

I have been rather busy during my two weeks off, but we have been set a few digital imaging techniques for when we return back to University next week. One technique we have been set is to photograph fire. After focusing on fire for one of my previous projects last year and really loving my final image, I thought I would use this as one of my images for this task. I spent a lot of time and effort in getting the right image last year. I was in the studio and it took me atleast 50-60 images before I got the right one that really expressed fire in the way that I wanted it to be conveyed.

I used a model the accompany the fire itself to add something different to the whole concept. I wanted the fire to be the main part of the image, but at the same time, I wanted the model to be in the background to allow for people to understand the dangers of fire, how it causes a phobia and almost the dark and dreary side of fire and what it can cause, rather than the beauty of it. I am so pleased with how my final image came out. The image below was my final image (which took a lot of patience to capture!). I wanted the end of the flame to be in line with the models eyes and for it to be gradually moving out of the image, towards the viewer. I did this by opening the shutter speed up slightly for a few seconds, and when I pressed the shutter, id slowly turn the lens from its smallest aperture to the widest the lens could go. With just a slow turn of the lens, I was able to capture and image like this one, which was really what I wanted my image to look like, spooky and dream like against the pitch black background, yet technical and interesting to look at.

 

 

 

Below are some images I took recently to go with overall task to round off the task as a whole.

 

 

 

I would definitely love to do something like this again. I chose fire because it was something that I probably wouldn't think about photographing, and it really took me out of my comfort zone as a photographer. I really enjoyed using a model within my images as it added something extra to the whole task and concept. I believe it makes the image look a lot more effective, especially as the image is quite spontaneous to where the light, flames and models face ends up in the final image. I didn't know how the image was going to turn out so it was definitely a trial and error type of shoot but I couldn't be happier with the outcomes :)

 

Band Practice

During the week, I had the opportunity to shoot images for a 'Hijack the Airwaves', a newly put together indie/rock band from Chippenham, during their band practice. I have known one of the band members for over 17 years, so I wasn't nervous at all, I knew that it would be a very relaxed environment which I could shoot away and be in my own little bubble whilst they rehearsed.  I was very excited to shoot this particular shoot because it was a new experience for me. After having no experience in shooting in the music genre, I spent abit of time looking through ideas on Pinterest and Flickr beforehand to help capture the feeling and mood within the room and to also help with the sort of images that I would like to shoot and that would best portray the band. After arriving, there wasn't much room to work with but I soon got into the swing of it and started to shoot away like there was no tomorrow! I am really happy with the results after moving out of my comfort zone with this shoot and I can now say that I am their official band photographer so I will continue to shoot upcoming gigs and practices with them which is very exciting!!

Make sure you give them a like on Facebook!

Here are a few of my favourite images from the shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interim Assignment Evaluation

As part of our Specialist Practice Unit for one of our assignments, we were asked to set up a blog that was personal and unique to ourselves which showcased our work online to the world. Before we were given this assignment, I wasn’t really sure on how blogs were set out or what you had to include in them. I previously read a lot of beauty blogs or watched vlogs (video blogs) which were interesting and in addition, was just someone talking about what they were interested in. I was actually really excited to begin this project and to see the reception I got from it once I began to blog.

After setting up my blog I linked it to ‘Bloglovin’, which is a platform that allows users of the site to look at other blogs, discover popular blogs and their most preferred ones and to also organise their own if they have more than one blog. So it is a very useful site. From this, I linked my blog to my photography twitter page, which started to gain me followers, likes and views on my blog. From then on it allowed them to follow me and my photography on both platforms in which they would comment or like my work so I could see what the outside world thought of my work. I was also able to follow them back, and reach out to aspiring photographers, artists, designers and make-up artists that I liked the work of. I tweet as much as I can to keep my online presence known to my followers and also to people who aren’t necessarily  following me, but who have the same interests as me. By using appropriate hashtags, it is likely that my tweet was seen by a wider audience that was perhaps following me at that specific time. This is actually a very important part of photography or any creative job, is that you read what other people think about your work. Gaining valuable knowledge and criticism about your own work from people that are perhaps in that business or who do it as a hobby is always significant in improving your own work. I would sometimes spend hours scrolling through twitter and various blogs that were of interest me; I was able to gain a lot of inspiration and it opened my mind up to a lot more ideas and concepts that I could then incorporate individually into my own work, future photo-shoots and college assignments.

My blog has been mainly about my own personal work, whether that is for a college assignment, photography work that I have acquired outside of college, or recent fashion shoots. My blog has been centred mainly on photography, which rightly so, was what I wanted to purely focus my blog on. I think that in future I will be blogging about other bloggers work, and also artists work because to gain a wider knowledge of the art and design world, we have to venture into researching about other artists or designers work, rather than just photographers, which I believe will benefit me into gaining a broader knowledge of the creative world that incorporates photography. Having a blog is a great way of showcasing your work whilst talking through your thought processes, ideas and improvements for next time, this way you are able to talk about your ideas thoroughly and evaluating them at the same time. It is almost like an online portfolio, which gives you that extra boost or platform to work with besides just putting images into a workbook. After recently having an interview at University to gain a full degree, I was able to present my blog aside to my main portfolio book, which I wouldn’t have ever thought about doing before we were set this assignment. After a good reception from the interviewee, I was offered a place, after positive feedback about my blog. So it really does help and it feels very rewarding and beneficial to encourage me to do well.

I have absolutely loved blogging these past few months, all about what I'm getting up to with photography and my interests, and to know that other photographers and people, who are interested in the same passion as mine, are reading my blog and posts gives me the incentive to blog as much as I can. I have also been able to learn about what makes a good blog and how to put together a successful blog from the wording, to the design and what should be included. I will definitely be continuing my blog for as long as possible; it’s definitely improved how I write articulately about a piece of work rather than just posting up my images. It has also allowed me to gain skill and knowledge from other bloggers that will help me in the future with my own photography as I grow, improve and become much more experienced in time.

Bunny Pumpkin Boutique

So recently, I had the chance to shoot for Bunny Pumpkin Boutique - Bunny Pumpkin Boutique is a bespoke customised vintage footwear business that offers unique designed footwear which is created by hand, and that is exclusive to each customer who makes a purchase. The shoes are amazing and I had so much fun organising this shoot around the theme of the business. The theme was 1950's pin-up, so I had a lot of ideas and spent a lot of time researching what I thought would be best for this specific brief!

My make-up artist was Elle Darby. Elle posts her make-up tutorials on YouTube, and after only posting a couple she has gained amazing reception from friends, family and other make-up enthusiasts, so after doing abit of homework and with me being a fan of her YouTube videos anyway I thought she would be the best person to ask! We decided on a typical 1950's look, with the winged eyeliner and red lip look, this worked so well and I couldn't of been happier with the results from hair and makeup!! I will be keeping in contact with Elle so we can both gain experiences and help from each other! Check out Elle's wonderful YouTube channel here: Elle Darby

My amazing model Ami-Lou, who you can find on Facebook, Ami Lou, again was an absolute pleasure and joy to work with. When Elle and I arrived she was so welcoming and friendly, (made us both a lovely cup of tea!!) and time flew by! She was so easy going and brilliant to work with, she was also beautiful!! I honestly couldn't of asked for a better model for this shoot and I will definitely be staying in contact with her for future shoots!

Here are just a handful of my favourite images - I found the most amazing airstream diner for my chosen location, which I absolutely loved shooting at. It was such a quirky location and it was definitely perfect for the whole theme of the shoot! I hope you guys love the images as much as I do! :)

 

 

 

Let me know what you think guys! :)

Laura xx

Ghost Sign Secrets

So for part of our assignment for visual language, we have to produce three pieces of creative work that incorporates text and image into them. I decided to focus my attention on Ghosts signs. I find Ghost signs absolutely fascinating and I try and look for them wherever I go. A ghost sign is an old hand painted advertising sign which has been preserved on a building for a prolonged period of time.

Ghost signs are seen and preserved all over the world, some are visible, whereas some are occasionally revealed after buildings that were built after them, have been demolished to find these old advertisements behind the newer buildings. I wanted to use these as part of my assignment as something different, something that is part of our history and towns, and by preserving them conserves and reminds us of the historic side of our surroundings, that include text and image in a natural way.

I shot a few ghost signs I have seen on my travels, but because I only needed three, I picked the best three out of the handful I had to choose from. One ghost sign is from my hometown Chippenham, the second one if from Warmley, on the outskirts of Bristol and the last one is from Bradford-on-Avon.

Old 'Bookshop' sign in Chippenham -

I came across this sign just opposite the railway station, I spent a lot of time researching this ghost sign but I had no luck in finding out what it was, how long it has been there for and the history behind it. I really love this sign and I feel like it still carries a part of the town’s history during this present day. It also holds a lot of secrecy behind it as I was unable to make out what the first word says. I will definitely be researching this sign in the future to find out what it was.

Old 'Raleigh and Humber Cycles' Sign in Warmley -
The Rayleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle manufacturer which was originally based in Nottingham, and it is now one of the older bicycle companies in the world. One shop, based in Warmley, which is called ‘Webbs of Warmley’, is one of Bristol’s oldest established businesses. It has been trading in the same shop for more than a century, in which recently it has moved to bigger premises. The shop still remains, the sign of ‘Webbs of Warmley’ and the ghost sign also still remain and it has been preserved very well, seeing as its been there over 100 years! The sign is very visible and because of the very interesting history behind it, I had to add it into one of my final images!

Old 'Swan Hotel' sign in Bradford-on-Avon -
Bradford on Avon is a very historic town and I believe this sign is a rarity amongst other ghost signs of this time. This is down the Swan Hotel still trading in the same premises, under the same original name till this present day from that of when it was first built, which dates back to the 1500’s, as seen on the front of the hotel. This is my favourite ghost sign out of the 3 I have taken, it allows the town to keep part of its history present, rather than removing it, the hotel has kept its original name and kept the sign visible for everyone to see. I really love this sign and it has to be my favourite out of the three.

 I really enjoyed shooting these signs and finding out the history behind them, and I cant wait to find more in the future!

Until next time, Laura xxx

Digital Imaging - Levitation

So for our weekly photography assessment, we have been given the task to shoot an image that represents levitation. Levitation is the photography technique in which an object or person is seen to be 'floating' in mid air, to make it look like it or they are levitating.

After deciding what to shoot (which was the hard bit!), it was actually quite easy to get the effect of levitation on the image, and here is my first attempt of this type of photography with a levitating cat and my levitation sister!

 

 

Ill be blogging again soon with upcoming shoots! :)

Laura xxx

Vintage vs Modern

For one of our assignments at college, we have been given a brief to design and produce a vintage and contemporary style poster based on an idea of our choice. We have to make sure that it advertises the same thing but in a way we feel both advertises either the vintage or modern style of the certain era we are looking at.

I decided to look at vintage and modern day perfume adverts and posters. I choose this idea because perfume ads have been around for a very long time, and its one of those ideas that I believe has changed dramatically from the 1950's through to the present day. I wanted to challenge myself with this task and re-create a vintage and contemporary style poster that was as close to the originals as possible. I spent a lot of time researching and looking into vintage and contemporary style perfume posters and I wanted to specify my final outcomes on 'Chanel'. With Chanel being one of the most famous perfumes brands currently, it was the same back in the 1950's. It was a very high end perfume, something that everyone wanted, but not everyone could afford.

I used my mum as my model, as again after a lot of research, I found that ever since Chanel was first founded, the models have always been older women, then compared to the models that are used in other campaigns, where very young models are scouted and used, even as young as 15. So again, to get it as accurate as I could, I decided to use my mum as the model for this specific shoot to meet the requirements of the brief as much as I could.

I am over the moon with my final 2 images!! After spending time on Photoshop to make them look how I perceive a vintage and a contemporary Chanel perfume ad should, here are my final images! I hope you like them!

Vintage Style Poster

 

 

 

 

Contemporary Style Poster

 

 

Please let me know what you think!!

Love, Laura xxx