For this shoot I wanted to get some still life’s. I went and brought six bottles of wine, and got some single images of just the bottles, some more abstract images of the labels and some of them grouped together.
Contact Sheet
I started with 69 images from this shoot, I then selected the ones I liked best.
Editing
Most of the images only needed brightening up.
However, for the image of the label, I cropped in on the text and emblem more, so they took up most of the frame, to bring out some of the harder to see details with in the image. Such as the embossed lines which run along the label .
Finals
This is one of my favourites from this shoot. the ambient light give a nice sheen to the bottles, bouncing reflections back at the viewer. As the bottles go back they blur creating a interesting depth of field that sifts as the last bottle is turned slightly. The colours stand out with warm whites and creams, and deep reds working together to create a mixed colour palette of autumn.
Evaluation
Overall I’m happy with how this shoot turned out and I got some really good images. however, in the future id like to try a black backdrop for some images like this and see if it creates a different feel.
Here I went into the studio to take some portraits of the model, most of these portraits of the model show that the model isn’t really posing and is simply just smiling, however when taking these photos there was a dark shadow left behind the model and I had to use photoshop and Lightroom classic to get rid of it, simply by asking AI to select the background and leave the model out, then I was able to change the hue/ saturation of the background, I turned the saturation all the way up so that the background was fully white and no shadow was showing. I had to repeat this for each photograph, due to the shadow overpowering the photo. I also did the basic editing changing the levels and adjusting them to make the photo look more coloured and bright.
If I were to redo this photoshoot I would have simply make the model sit a little bit further away from the back wall as that implemented in the shadow being quite dark and powerful and I would also like the model to do a range of poses and less portraits that look quite boring and simple, this would help spice up the photograph and make it more original, as from my inspiration photos the models aren’t just taking basic portraits, the model is doing a certain face is is standing a certain way which makes the photo look different and unique. I do also feel like these photos may have been slightly over exposed as they look really bright and have quite a hard light shining on them. This can be fixed in photoshop as I can control the levels of the photo but it can be more difficult due to changing the hue/ saturation of the background interfering with the model. I did manage to get a few good photos but I would have liked to have captured are with either the same or different model wearing different clothes to make it stand out more and make it less obvious that it is the same model. I will be doing some experiments with these photos to see if I can capture and create any photos similar to surrealism and how that can help to make the theme of union come to life. My main goal is to try and implement the idea that everyone has a life and everyone is living it. We only live once and people make mistakes as its part of learning and living. I tend to go by with the key word ‘sonder’, meaning everyone has a problem going on in their life but some choose to hide it and others don’t, you cant always know that someone is fighting a battle especially the people you don’t know and the people walking past you the street every day. I’m trying to represent this word with my photos by showing that the model can feel a certain way in one moment and feel different the next, for example when editing these photos together I will be putting a portrait of the model as the man focus and then picking a suitable photo I took to go on top almost as if the model is standing n herself, both these models may be feeling a different type of way and each photo was taken as the same time within a space of minutes. It just shows that peoples feeling can sometimes be over looked and not taken into consideration.
I do think that this photoshoot went well as I was able to capture a decent amount of good photos. Although these photos are really basic, this will allow me to edit them with different colours and graphic design, for example I really like the threshold filter as it makes the photos look a lot like Andy Warhol’s photographs. I can also make them more original to me by making the photos into black and white whereas Warhol makes his photos stand out with a pop of colour. I can also experiment with the blending tool and put my photos on top of each other and select a certain blending mode, this will make my photographs look quite interesting and different. Overall, this photoshoot went quite well but I did do a mistake with having a shadow present in the background which makes it really difficult to focus on the subject (the model).
For this photoshoot, I decided to explore unity within a different context, family. I focused my images on the men in my family and captured images of them in different ways, some candid and some where I instructed their poses. The aim of this photoshoot was to portray the unity between the men and boys in my family, specifically focussing on them as their is a certain stereotype around men suggesting they are tough and almost emotionless. This is why I photographed them in an emotional environment, showing the love between them.
This photoshoot took place in one location where the subjects are most comfortable – their own home. This was so that I was able to capture photographs of them in their natural place to ensure the images were an authentic representation of themselves. I think this photoshoot turned out successful as I was able to capture a variety of images which show the narrative I was aiming for.
My recent photoshoot in Egypt was a very interesting one as I explored a whole new culture outside of Jersey and had many new experiences, During this shoot I took my time to try and capture both the beautiful sunsets I was encountering daily and stunning landscapes, culture and surroundings of the country. The locations I chose to take photographs of gave off a real feel to the surroundings as I was aiming to create a sense of awe towards the natural beauty but also the differences in the culture of such a different country to where I am from. However, for me one of the challenges I had to face was working with the Egyptian sun as it was very bright and sometimes gave off to much of a glare in the lens, which is why I had to consider carefully when I was planning my shoots. The weather was unpredictable at times, but I embraced it, using the natural light to my advantage, and just worked around what was the best times for me to take photographs to get the best results.
As for the technical side of things within this photoshoot, I used a combination of natural (the sky, lamps etc) and artificial lighting (My phone flash) to create the right mood for each shot. I used my iPhone 12 pro camera for the shoot in Egypt as I wasn’t able to take my canon camera with me. Some challenges came up, like the unpredictable winds which were quite large on some days or getting the right moment while people were walking around. The results were very good and I feel I really captured a lot of the specific area in which I went in Egypt while also making sure each image was telling its own story and view of Egypt.
Photoshoot 3 was all about capturing daily moments where the sunset was peaking through and making an appearance. I didn’t have a lot of structure with this photoshoot as I took them spontaneously on different days and at different times. I made sure to always have my phone readily available to me so that I could capture these images purely in the moment and not have to plan my day around a shoot.
I feel these shoots turned out great as I ended up with a huge variety of different coloured sunsets and all had different backgrounds as I made sure to take them in a new location each time. I also feel each of the photos I took have a story of their own, whether its something as simple as the connection between two people, or purely the colours of the sky.
This was a short and very minimal photoshoot where I used my little sister as a model with a sunset in the background. These photos were taken down at St Ouens beach during sunset hours. My aim was to arrive at the beach at a time where the sun was set enough to capture silhouettes of her as she walked along the beach.
This shoot represented the theme of ‘UNION’ as it shows the union between the various blend of colours in the sunset. All the different hues and shades of yellows, oranges and blues. These colours give me a sense of peace and comfort, tranquillity filling the air, knowing in these moments I can be free and relax without any worries whatsoever.
The second way it represents ‘UNION’ is the connection between nature and mankind. My sister walking along the beach brings two things together in union as she spends her time out in the nature taking it all in and enjoying being in her surroundings.
Another connection I want to mention is how both the sunset and my sister bring me Joy, comfort and peace. spending time with my sister makes me feel at ease in the same way that being surrounded by a sunset in nature also makes me feel.
I took these images using an iPhone 12 pro camera and had my sister taking a natural walk along the beach. There was no direction involved when taking these images it was all raw and natural.
For this photoshoot, I wanted to create a joiner of St Aubin’s Harbour. I wanted to do this photoshoot as I thought it would link well to my previous two joiners, creating unity in my work.
Camera Settings
For this photoshoot, I used Shutter Priority with an ISO of 100 and shutter speed of 1/800.
Visualising potential photo layouts (unedited)- My photos feature either a warm and cool tone, or both. This I will keep in mind when I am deciding on my layout, along with potentially organising the different motifs, for example motifs of time (clocks/watches), methods of communication (telephones), etc.
For my first sunset photoshoot, I aimed to capture union through the merging colours and silhouettes, exploring how light and shadow interact to create a sense of connection. During the shoot which I took over a weeks worth of days, I focused on capturing the different colours in the most detailed way possible, to really represent the bonding and combination of different hues, colours and how they all nicely blend together to create the full sunset shown in my images. One of my main challenges I faced was not being able to control the intensity of the sunset, some days were more vibrant and colourful than others where on some days there wasn’t a wide range of colours in the sky so I had no choice but to work with what I was given. I adapted to this by taking images no matter what the sunset looked like that day to give a realistic view of daily life showing that even though not every day has an amazing sunset there is still a very visible representation of unity in our every day lives. In reviewing my images from this first shoot, I found that I was able to capture a variety of different forms of unity even just within one weeks worth of sunsets. While I also noticed that I could perhaps have taken more for each day and should have spent a bit more time trying to really capture the sunsets to the best of my ability and not being so rushed. Moving forward for the next shoots, I plan to put more time into planning perhaps a specific location in which I want to be to capture the sunset so that I create a variety of different scenes to better convey the theme of ‘UNION’ in the most natural way.
Best 3 images from photoshoot 1 -
I took this image while on the way back from a quick one day trip I had to take to London. This image captures a plane in flight against the backdrop of a sunset, viewed from a plane window. The composition of this image naturally conveys the theme of ‘UNION’ in multiple ways. Firstly through the seamless blending of warm and cool tones in the sky which symbolize harmony and togetherness. The presence of the plane reinforces the idea of the connection between places, people and moments, as air travel physically unites distant locations. The window acts as a subtle barrier yet also serves as a framing device, which emphasizes the perspective of the viewer which was me, being both an observer and a participant within the journey. The contrast between the light colours of the sunset and the almost dark silhouette of the wing of the Plane highlights the balance between movement and stillness, again reinforcing the idea that union is not just about physical closeness but also about the relationships between elements within a shared space. I would say that this image successfully reflects the theme of ‘UNION’ capturing a fleeting yet meaningful moment where nature and human presence align effortlessly hence why I feel this is one of my strongest images from this shoot.
This image features a sunset with the front of my moped positioned in the foreground on the right side, creating a visual contrast between nature and a man-made object. The composition represents the theme of ‘UNION’ by blending the organic beauty of the sunset with the mechanical presence of my moped, which also symbolizes the connection between human movement and the natural world. The positioning of my moped almost suggests a journey, either one that has just begun or one about to begin, highlighting the relationship between travel, freedom and the passing of time. The warm hues of the sunset merging with the darker silhouette of my moped create a sense of balance, reinforcing the idea that union is not always about similarity but about coexistence and contrast. This image captures a natural yet meaningful moment where two very opposite and different elements being transportation and nature exist peacefully within the same frame.
Thirdly, this image captures an almost silhouette of me walking along the beach towards the sea, carrying my bougie board ready to catch some waves with the sunset in the background, embodying the theme of union through movement, nature and self-reflection. The composition creates a sense of connection between the individual and the vast, open horizon, symbolizing the relationship between humans and the natural world. The warm merging of colours in the sunset contrast with the darker silhouette, emphasizing the balance between light and shadow, presence and absence. The act of walking towards the water suggests a journey whether that be physically or symbolically representing the unity between past, present and future. The image also reflects the natural union as it captures a simple yet meaningful moment where an individual becomes part of the landscape, merging with the elements in a way that feels effortless and natural.
For this final photoshoot, I wanted to focus on flowers, trees and grass to expand on my images from my first photoshoot. I think this was successful as I was able to differentiate the types of images I took by instructing the model to pose and interact with nature in different ways than the first time. This was because I was able to look at the photographs from the first shoot and decide what I wanted more of, wanted to re-do or change slightly or come up with completely new image ideas. So, for this photoshoot, I went to the same location as my first one to broaden the types of images I shot. Although it was the same location, the park, I discovered different areas of trees and plants that I was able to incorporate into my images. Overall, I think this photoshoot was very successful and the images from this shoot will help my project a lot.
