Images I didn't use

These are the two images I planned to use on my finished board but I didn't. I'm not happy about that because I think they are really good images. I photoshopped 6 images to use on my board but eventually decided not to use these two. In photoshop I made the image black and white, and kept the heart coloured. I also used photoshop to make the models clothes look less bulky and make them stand out more from the background. I used it to get rid of things that didn't fit in with the photographs like the path or the man on a bench in the background.

I took a few different shots of each different pose and picked out the best ones. Then I decided which six I wanted to use in my final piece of work and altered them in photoshop.

I decided not to do this in the end

I just thought that I could have put captions under each of my images describing what they are about, like the heading of a newspaper article. But I'm not very good at thinking up things like that and it might not look right once I'd done it so I decided not to. I think they look good on the board without any writing.

Board Layout

I have had several ideas for how my board should be laid out. I am definitely not using the photo where the models head has been cut off. I have noticed on one of my images that the heart is a slightly different colour so I'm not sure if it will work with the others. I think this is a pity since in my opinion it is one of the best images that I've done. Anyway I've tried it out and I'm not sure it works so I won't use it.

I have tried different layouts using the board as a portrait and as a landscape. I think the landscape one works better so that is the one I have decided to use.

 I have laid out the photos in a way that I think will be eye-catching to anyone looking at my board.

My favourite idea is this one. The close-up of the heart is positioned in the top left-hand corner of the board so it catches the eye of anyone looking at the images then the eye will travel down and across my images as though it was reading.

Last Minute Problem!

I've just got my photographs back from the printers today. I had six images printed because for my finished piece of work I planned to mount all of the images on an A2 board, like a story board. But when I got home I looked at my photos and noticed that in one of the images, my models head had been cut off! This is a serious problem since I have to hand my finished work in tomorrow. I don't want to include the image where the models head is missing, so I will have to rethink the layout of my images.

Photoshoot

I've done my photoshoot now. I actually did it a couple of days ago. They weather was really good on the day of the photoshoot. The models were ready on time. Everything went really well at first. I got the first few shots done without any problems. I had planned to do my photoshoot in two diffeerent locations but just before the last couple of poses my camera stopped working. I tried putting new batteries in it and carried on with the photoshoot but the camera kept turning itself off. I went to a shop and got another type of batteries and it seemed to work. It was going to be dark soon so we moved on to the second location. That didn't work as well as I would have liked it to. The pavement was very narrow so I had to keep running across the road to take the photographs. Then people kept walking in front of the models and cars kept driving past and getting in the way. I think the poses were very good but the wall was too low on the photographs. I definitely preferred the shots I did in the park.

Trying things out

Before my photoshoot I tried a couple of ideas out in my flat with the models. They didn't mind being tied up with red tape so I tried that out. I think it looked quite interesting. In the photos they are wearing the clothes they are wearing for the actual photoshoot. I just asked them to wear their own clothes and do their make up as they normally would for the photoshoot because I wanted it to look as natural as possible. In the actual photoshoot though, they will be wearing coats and gloves etc, as we will be doing it outside and it will be cold. I think it is better if they wear their coats anyway because this will make it look more natural as well. For my theme of friendship I want them to look like two friends having fun with the red tape and the heart. I want it to look as though they could still be doing what they are doing even if I wasn't there with the camera, even though they probably wouldn't.

Making the heart 2

I've been so busy sorting out stuff for my photoshoot for the past couple of days I completely forgot about my blog! Now I've got my photoshoot done (more or less) I can relax a bit and catch up with my blog. I finally finished making the heart for my photoshoot.
It turned out a bit flimsy, which I am a bit dissapointed about, but that won't show on my photoshoot. I think it looks quite good apart from that though. It turned out too big at first so i had to cut it down a bit. I think it was a good idea but I'm worried about the red not showing up very well on the photos.

I probably should have put this in earlier

I have found an interesting website featuring lots of different photographers
http://www.masters-of-photography.com/index.html
I really like the black and white photography on there. It also gives the names of books about photographers which I think would be interesting to look at.

More thoughts on the photoshoot location

I wanted to do my photoshoot in the city centre somewhere. But everywhere I thought would be a suitable location was crowded with people. I wanted to find a location where there wouldn't be too many people getting in the way. So I decided to go back to my original idea of doing the photoshoot in a park. I found a park in the town centre with lots of trees, tree stumps and fallen trees. I thought the red and white tape would create an interesting contrast with the natural environment of the trees. I could also use the trees as props in my shoot. I could have one of my models tying the other to a tree with the heart and the red and white tape. I found it a lot easier to visualise what my photoshoot images would look like in the park than in front of a building site or in the city centre. I found this image on http://lilithia.deviantart.com/ and thought it looked really interesting. I could take some photos of the models where they are hiding their faces, or I could use the benches in the park like this artist has done.

Experimenting with making the heart

I thought it would be easier to make the heart using a ready-made frame but I couldn't find one anywhere. I thought of making a frame out of a garden hose, but it would be very thin and may not show up well on the photographs. Then I found some plastic mesh and I thought if I twisted it into a spiral shape and fastened it together, then I could wrap the the red and white tape around the mesh spiral and bend it into a heart shape. I thought it was a very good idea but it was more difficult than I first thought. When I twisted the mesh into a spiral it wouldn't stay in place. So I tried to hold it in place with sellotape, rubber bands, sandwich bag ties and even hair grips to hold the mesh in place. Nothing worked so I thought I could wrap the tape around the plastic mesh as I made it into a spiral, and secure it with double-sided tape. This would keep the mesh in place. So I tried that and it took me a couple of hours but it worked. So now I have to bend the spirals into the shape of a heart. I expect this should be easier. I will upload images of this when it is finished.

Making a Heart

I've started making the heart for my photoshoot. After about four hours experimenting and a long list of things that didn't work I think I've finally got it right.

Location and Lighting

I don't want to use a studio for my photoshoot, I would like to do it on location. My original idea was to do the photoshoot in a park with my models playing with the heart wrapped in red tape. Playing tug of war with it, playing catch etc. I'm not sure about that now because I want to do some close up shots. I also thought that since red and white tape is used on building sites I could do my photoshoot in the town centre in front of a building site or in front of and old factory. I thought the industrial style background would tie in with the striped tape but at the same time create an interesting contrast between the heart and the background. This would also work if I did my photoshoot on a rainy day. I have been thinking about doing my photoshoot in front of Preston town hall but I think the street might be a bit too crowded and people might get in the way. If I am doing my photoshoot outdoors then I can just use the natural light but if I decide to do it indoors then I will need to find out what sort of lighting I will need to use.

Models

I've asked my flatmate and one of her friends to model for my photoshoot. They have agreed and are really excited about it. I have decided that I will have to check what they plan to wear for the photoshoot beforehand but it isn't a big problem. They don't have to be styled a particular way as long as they look photogenic. For makeup I think I will probably go for a natural look. I need to look at poses, though I have had a few ideas I haven't decided on anything. I want the heart to be featured in all the images somehow. I would like to have a distance shot with the two models having a tug of war with the heart. I would also like a couple of close-up shots as well.

Lots to Update!

Since I last updated I've decided more or less what I want to do for my photoshoot. I found an image of a person wrapped up in red and white tape. http://img3.visualizeus.com/thumbs/08/11/05/black,,,white,photography,red,tape,white,xiffy-f52fdf2105912786c903def67d5d1c22_m.jpg It was originally by a person called *oniNON on deviantART but for some reason I couldn't view that version. This has inspired me because I think using red and white tape in my photoshoot might make it more quirky. I am still using the theme of friends and family but I think the red and white tape will make it more interesting. I would like to make something for my photoshoot so I've decided to make a large heart shaped frame and wrap it in the tape because I don't really like the idea of wrapping my models up in tape. I need to start experimenting to work out how I'm going to make the heart shape.

More ideas

I have just been on the British Heart Foundation website to look at previous competition winners to give me some ideas. Adult Category:

Juniour Category

Student Category






I am not sure I want to do a black and white photoshoot now. I think it could look really effective but it could also look a bit dull. I could use bright colours to make the image look really cheerful but then the red might not show up as much and it could look messy.
I've just had another idea. I could take black and white photographs for my photoshoot then use adobe photoshop to edit them so that the background and the models are black and white but their clothes are bright and colourful. If I did this then I could use photoshop to find out which colours work and which don't.
Another idea - I could have my models wearing white with a red light shining through their clothes over their heart.
I like my ideas so far but I still think they could be a bit more quirky and interesting.

Initial Ideas

Today I did some research to give me some ideas for my photoshoot. I thought it might look really effective to do black and white photography with just a bit of red to give it colour.
The British Heart Foundation is a charity that raises money to help people with heart disease. I could tie this into the theme for my photoshoot but I think it may be a bit too morbid. I've been thinking about the theme "heart" and hearts are meant to symbolise love. I thought of using the concept of relationships between friends and family because I think this would really appeal to a wide range of people. I think this concept sounds quite good but a bit obvious and too safe. I would like to make it more quirky and unusual.
I think I need to do more research before I go any further with this.

My Blog

This is my first post on my new blog! I've never done a blog before so I'm really excited about it. I'm not really sure where to start on this new photography brief. I've decided to do the British Heart Foundation option. I suppose I'll start by researching photography since I don't know much about it.