For this photoshoot, I went to Gorey with my two friends to take photographs of them whilst they were doing various things such as dancing with each other and playing in the park. I wanted to try and capture them in a way that didn’t look staged and so I didn’t give them any instructions on how I wanted them to pose. This allowed for more natural images that really reflected their friendship. Once I had taken all of my images, I then imported them into Lightroom and used a specific system to narrow them down. I began by giving each image either a white flag (if I wanted to use them) or a black flag (if I knew I didn’t want to use them). Next, I used the filter tool to only make my images with white flags visible and then began rating these images on a scale from 1-5 (1 being the worst and 5 being the best). I then began to adjust the exposure, contrast, highlight, shadow, white, black and clarity of each image I had previously given 4 stars or higher.

I then noticed that some of my images had shadows in due to the sun being behind and casting a shadow onto the ground in front of me. In order to fix this, I decided to open up these images into Photoshop and use the remove tool in order to make the shadows disappear seamlessly. I think this makes my images look cleaner and means that the shadow doesn’t take away the focus from my two friends seen in the centre of the image.

Final images

These are the final edited images from my photoshoot. Overall, I am happy with how they turned out. Overall, I feel the shoot was successful in capturing my friends in a relaxed, semi natural way. One of the key elements I focused on was ensuring that the photos didn’t feel forced or overly posed, which allowed their personalities to shine through more authentically. Rather than giving specific posing instructions, I let them interact with each other and their environment, which resulted in moments that felt more genuine and candid.

In terms of lighting, I chose to photograph them in a way that allowed the natural light to illuminate their faces and make them the focal point of each shot. The direction of the light was critical in this process because I wanted to avoid harsh shadows and ensure that the subjects were well lit. The sun not only highlighted the details but also helped to create a positive and uplifting tone in the images which reflects the warmth and closeness of their friendship, capturing the essence of who they are as individuals and as a group.

However, next time I photograph my friends I would like to do it in the studio. This is because working outside with unpredictable weather sometimes limits my creative freedom. By working in the studio, I will have more control over the lighting and mood of my images. Additionally, in the studio, I will be able to focus more on each individual friend, exploring their unique personalities through more intimate, personal photographs. I feel that it is essential to understand each of my friends in their own context in order to gain a greater appreciation for their friendship.