​Exaggeration
By Chantelle Morrell
1st Photoshoot
For my first photo-shoot I had the idea of creating a photo-shoot inspired by my first artist Craig Schlewitz. I have looked at his work in my research on Pinterest and as shown on here. I have looked at one image I chosen in particular from this artist and planned my shoot around the piece and why I like it. I have also looked at other images from this artist and I wanted to create a shoot that shown a link between all of this artist’s work and mine. For this photo-shoot I have just stuck with a basic, natural shoot taking images at every angle that works in a stop motion way. I wanted to create edited images in my work using Photoshop and overlay including nature and flowers in my work just like Schlewitz does. I also had a few ideas of placing the image and changing the orientation and angle each time then changing the opacity to 30% to see what the outcome would be. I have shown an experimentation edit of this in my Edits page. I would also try and experiment using stop motion however when I have transferred the images on here they have became pixelated and this shows they has been a fault with the camera settings. This has caused a problem and therefore I cannot experiment with stop motion due to the overall images not looking at a high quality. For my next photo-shoot I would take some images transfer them then see how they look online. If I have the same problem I will change the settings on the camera to create a higher quality photo-shoot.
2nd Photoshoot
For my second photo-shoot I wanted to create images inspired by my first artist Craig Schlewitz. I had the idea of creating another similar shoot like my first but more developed using a lighter background and making sure the setting are at a higher quality checking each image individually. I have looked at this artists work in my research for inspiration but picked out one image in particular that I have shown on my 'Photo-shoot Planning' page. I had decided to experiment using nature and flowers within my work but I wanted to create them after I have taken the natural images of my model and using Photoshop to experiment. Some of these edited images are shown in the 'Edits' page. This photo-shoot has been more successful than the last as it has a sharper focus point and I have used various angles for my models position. I have also had a few ideas of working on top of my images using paints and other materials I could find. However once I have completed the photo-shoot I believe I should plan a better shoot that will interest me more into inspiring me using different techniques and methods on top of my own work. In my future work I will plan my models clothing and makeup more, spending more time prepping rather than editing. I will choose relative clothing that links in with my theme or overall look I am wanting. I will also create the models makeup using more colour and designs that will interest the audience. I don’t believe creating a stop motion like photo shoot works well for my theme and I believe using a different style of portraiture will work best just creating images using zoom and various focus points in my work.
For my third shoot I looked at my next artist, Rankin and looking at his work with the makeup artist Alex Box. The combination between the two artists works well together and shows a strong focus amongst all of their work. Each individual piece is different and unusual due to the variety of colours and makeup techniques throughout all of Rankin's work. I decided to take a shoot basing my work on Rankin’s Photography. I was inspired by one of these artists’ images of his model with a mirror to show different angles of the model from a different prospectus and to show variety. For my models makeup I wanted to keep it natural just using a brighter more vibrant lipstick to compliment the colours in her top. However I do not believe this photo-shoot is successful due to the lighting used being poor. I don’t think the final outcomes for this photo-shoot has worked well due to it not being very successful. I believe I could’ve done better to create a more planned and interesting photo-shoot. I also could have improved the mirror to being a plane mirror without a frame or any details. Also when I created this shoot and started taking images I should have moved things around in the room due to seeing different objects throughout the mirror and not the model she. For my next photo-shoots I will move onto a different artist and start looking at different ways to apply makeup onto my model and using paints and different materials and techniques in my photo-shoots. I will also complete more planning into my shoots using more in depth costumes and clothing for my model and changing the models hair to link in with my initial ideas for my photo-shoot.
4th Photoshoot
My next photo-shoot was based around the artists I have previously researched. I have gathered information and examples of their work in my studies and taken inspiration using 'Pinterest' and their work combined. The artist I have chosen to focus on for this photo-shoot is Laura Bello due to her high level of interest and unusual facial makeup she uses throughout all of her work. When planning this shoot I wanted to create a piece that was unusual and different from my previous work. I didn’t believe that my previous shoots were as successful as they could be and I know I am capable of achieving higher. I also wanted to make sure I used more planned clothing and costumes within my future work due to not focusing on a specific theme and colour scheme in my previous work. Taking more care and planning within my next shoot I gained ideas for these images as shown here and in my 'Photo-shoot Planning' page. I went shopping and bought some materials I could use for this shoot including glitter paints, blue eye shadow and makeup, and peacock eye temporary tattoo's that I thought looked interesting and unique to other items I had in mind to use. When I completed the models makeup I also brought an outfit that linked in with my overall theme and expectations for the photo-shoot. Once the makeup and preparation for the shoot was complete I believed it looked good and at a high quality that I was very happy with. I styled the models hair in a particular way that brought all of the audience’s attention on the models face and makeup that I have taken time and effort into planning. I then decided to use a white background to take my images on due to it giving the soft and bright lighting to link within my ideas. I wanted to create a cold and subtle look within all of my images for this photo-shoot, which I have achieved. When taking images I decided to position the model in particular ways and vary poses to compliment the models makeup and costumes that looks effective and interesting within my work. I also took images using different effects such as close-up, portrait and landscape to show variety in my style. I believe this shoot is very successful and the lighting has really complimented each image to make it engage the audience and show an unusual and style that I believe I am mostly confident with compared to my previous work. If I were to improve this photo-shoot I would add more makeup to the face and neck of the model (perhaps body glitter) to add more beauty and elegance within my work. For my next photo-shoot I would like to continue using this style of work but using a different image to base my work around adding a little more body glitter to my work instead of the temporary eye tattoo's. I will continue to look at the same artist but try and create more of a warm feel to my images using gold’s, creams and browns within the photo-shoot to achieve a different perspective and outcome in my work.
5th Photoshoot
The next photo-shoot I completed was based on the artist I have previously been looking at called Laura Bello. My previous photo-shoots have been based on this artist due to having a strong interest within all of her work and images. I believe this artist has the strongest link within my work and hers. In the previous photo-shoots I have based my work around this artist and I will now continue to show a link between all of my work and start to focus onto my next artist for my future work. I believe working from this artist, taking her work as an influence works well and effective due to the colours I have used and worked with in my work. In preparation for this shoot I decided to focus on using more soft and subtle tones using gold’s, browns and soft pinks to compliment each other and show a combination and link that achieves the overall look I am wanting. I had gone and collected certain materials and equipment to use on my model. I also collected pink body glitter that I could place on my models facial features such as lips and eyes. I have varied the style of glitter I use and used lashes as well as sparkles to vary my style and show development from my previous shoot. I have also experimented using different materials and using the soft flowers that I have placed on the models face to change my style and ideas from previously. For this particular shoot I looked at an image from Bello and wanted to use similar colours and vary the materials I have previously used. When I was taking this photo-shoot I don’t believe it was as successful as previously due to the lighting changing and the flash going on and off repeatedly. I had some technical problems that I tried to fix but unfortunately it stopped working. I believe this shoot was successful due to the lighting error that occurred. If I were to continue this photo-shoot and show development in my next shoot I will take more care in using flash and checking that it is working for every image I take. I will keep varying the angles and positions of my model to show variety within my work and make my shoots more interesting. I will also continue using Photoshop tutorials within my work to achieve different outcomes and colour techniques within my work. For my next photo-shoot I will use materials that work better on the model and achieve a higher and more unique outcome that links within Laura Bello and my next artist Laura Ferriera who uses more makeup and details within her work that makes her work stronger and will show more development from my previous shoot.
6th Photoshoot
For my 6th photo-shoot I decided to base my work around Laura Bello and a particular image that had inspired me to create using more colour and depth within my work. I chose to use black makeup on my model, which will stand out and catch my audience's attention. I wanted to create a soft tone within this shoot to create more of a interesting and smoother image that is more pleasing to the eye. I decided to add this style of makeup to my model, as I wanted to continue with my theme of using exaggeration within my work. I decided to use black due to it being bold, this will help my images stand out and show my theme. I also decided to place the paint onto the eyes and eyebrows, which are the subject area to my model. I decided to add depth and thickness to create a unique look that is only seen throughout professional images. I wanted to achieve this type of look by adding particular lighting using soft subtle tones and positioning my model in different compositions to create development and experimentation from my previous shoots. In my previous shoots I have used similar lighting and this has worked well for my individual images as shown above. I decided to continue with this effect as it compliments my models features. For this photo-shoot I wanted my model to wear a bandeau top so I could take images of my model with a bare chest and shoulders so I could attempt to draw and paint on top of my images once printed. I got this inspiration from the artist I got the initial ideas from, looking at a particular shot the photographer had taken with the model wearing body paint as well as facial. If I were to complete this technique I don’t believe it would look as effective due to not being able to create perfection and keeping a steady hand when applying the paint. If I were to complete this I would experiment adding the body makeup on the model after the image has been taken adding paint using Photoshop or practical. I took particular images keeping this idea in mind so I had enough of my models shoulders and chest to work with adding the makeup if I went ahead with this idea. I believe this has worked well and I would like to experiment adding colours and shapes within my work changing selected successful images and editing them within Photoshop. I also think that changing some of my images into black and white would work well and compliment the shoot due to only applying black face paints to my models face. Overall I think this shoot is successful, however there are still improvements that could be made. For my future work I would like to experiment working outside the studio and pick a location that would compliment my ideas and develop them further looking into different ways of expanding portraiture.
7th Photoshoot
For my 7th photo-shoot I have decided of focus on using colour within my work still but using a bold colour of black. I have decided to use simple clothing which can help me capture an image of my model rather than looking at the clothing I have chosen her to wear. I then decided to look at different ways of applying the makeup and chosen to keep it a natural shoot and not use makeup and paint in the way I have in my previous shoots. For my recent shoot I applied black face paints to my models face and this worked well, however I don’t think using paints precisely works well with my theme and my profession. I decided to stick with using black within my work and took various images of my model looking at the different angles and positions she can use. I chosen to take a lot of face on portraits, but also look at portraiture where the model isn’t looking straight at the camera, as this has portrayed to work at a higher level within my work. Once I completed this photo-shoot I don’t believe it has worked as successful as previous due to the little interest within the work I have created. I was not intrigued into the images as little colour and attraction was brought to me. However some of the images have worked well and would show good experimentation once using Photoshop to create different edits such as overlay. In my future work I would like to continue using bolder colours within my work that can catch my audiences attention better and stand out. I will look at including colour to my portraiture work but without applying it to my models face. I could experiment with using coloured gels to achieve this look.
8th Photoshoot
For my next shoot I decided to continue creating images that relate to my previous work but without applying colour to my models face. I chosen to use coloured gels within my work and held different colours in front of the camera lens to achieve this look. I also experimented layering various colours together to get a richer and brighter tone as shown in the purple and pink toned images. I chosen my model to wear a top that was a plain but elegant crochet top, which had embroidery, worked into it. This would show patterns within my work and keep within my theme of 'Exaggeration.' I asked my model to face different directions and position her body in different ways that can vary my work and make it more interesting. I then chosen to look at different camera angles I can use and took various images that add colour within my work. However for some of my images the coloured gels didn’t work as successfully as I was hoping and only shows a little blue or green within each shot. In my future work I will look at continuing to use colour in an interesting way that shows my development within ideas and also link within my artists' work. I will look at my next artist Alexander Straulino for my next photo-shoot and think of different ways of adding colour and makeup to my model.
9th Photoshoot
For my next photo-shoot I had developed my ideas by focusing onto other artists that have inspired me since my previous. I looked at a artist in particular called Alexander Straulino who uses paints and art materials within his work instead of using makeup or practical portraiture equipment as I have previously used. Within my previous shoots I have used face paints or materials such as glitter and eye makeup to enhance my models eyes and show my main focus of the image and why. I have been experimenting using different mediums to see which works best for my style of work and the models angle and position in each photograph. I have also been experimenting adding paints and materials on the image once printed. I wanted to create both effects that would work well onto my potential final piece. For my development towards this photo-shoot I looked at the artists I have previously been inspired by and taken ideas from different ways I can use portraiture thinking about the location and lighting within my work. Previously all of my work has been taken in the studio due to the weather and lighting being unpredictable outdoors. I have not yet experimented within working outdoors but thought this could work within my theme of exaggeration. I decided to create this photo-shoot and complete it outdoors, which is near a forest catching the background of the trees and lighting behind. I decided to get my model to stand in different compositions and angles that could also capture the background and the foreground together. I wanted my model to wear clothing that will catch the colour and allow it to be visible, as a brighter colour wouldn’t. At the beginning of the shoot I wanted to focus on just using warmer colours sticking to a colour chart adding yellow, orange and red paints to my model. I then got my model to throw the powder above her to create a different look and feel that could portray explosions and add colour in front of the model and the lens of the camera. I used manual focus to focus my model and the background for various images to catch various effects and views that could work well due to my models positions and angles. I then started experimenting using higher angles using the tripod within my work, however I don’t believe this worked very well due to the lighting not allowing the model to be the subject of the image, brightening all parts of my image and not just my model. I also wanted my model to play with the paints pouring it into each hand capturing the flow of gravity as the powder separated and poured. This works well as the paint is now the subject of the image, not just the model. However once I did these techniques and developments I decided to rub the powder onto my models face to create more brightness and depth. Once I did this I don’t believe the shoot looked so effective as it made my model look false and unprofessional. I then waited for the sunset to drop and taken more images with a darker background that could then help the subject of my work stand out. Once completing this photo-shoot, I believe this worked well but could be developed using different materials such as real powder paints and not crushed up chalks as this did not totally powders and was a difficulty once applying to the model as it was not sticking to my models face and clothing as well as I was hoping. I will also choose a different location, thinking about the sunset in the background and the colours I use within my work. I will create another photo-shoot using powder paints but creating more of a cloud like image instead of adding the paint to my models face. I will also look at providing different clothing for my model using looser clothing with long sleeves which can help show the colours better and hold the paints at a better quality.
10th Photoshoot
For the tenth photo-shoot I have chosen to look at using slow shutter speed amongst my portrait photography to include colour amongst my work to achieve different outcomes that can exaggerate my theme and show how my project has developed. For this shoot I have taken influence from my most recent artist Damien Blottiere. I wanted to continue developing my project further changing my ideas regularly to keep my personal investigation interesting looking at fresh ideas. For this shoot I wanted to continue using the studio within my work and took images my model with some dyed fabric that I had prepared. I wanted to use colour in various ways to create different images and choosing which techniques work best within my theme. I asked my model to move the fabrics and keep flowing it in an elegant way relating to my artist's work. However the artist used floaty clothing and I wanted to experiment with this to see how the outcome would turn out. I think this worked well but if I were to improve, I would change the lighting and use darker tones but also including brighter clothing on my model to define my topic area stronger and show the link between my own and my artists' work.
