Final Images Unedited- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Product

These are my final 10 images for my Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Product Unedited.

In total - 2 for Autumn, 3 for Winter, 3 for Summer and 2 for Spring.

Again I wanted to go through my pictures before being edited to why I like them and pick them for my final portfolio.

Going from left to right, Top row first.....

Autumn 1 - This is one of my favorite product shots out of my final images.... And this was actually one of the first images I took being in the studio.  I used my leaves as a prop to make the season and used the wooden boards from out of the studio as a base.  I love the dark woody feel to the picture and have a real feel of Autumn looking at this image. 5.6 F Stop - 2 Shutter Speed -  ISO- 100

Autumn 2 - This shot is similar to picture 1, however I loved the angle on this picture and will be edited in a different way to make it look more individual.  5.6 F Stop - 2 Shutter Speed -  ISO - 100

Winter 1 - These are Christmas Party Shoes....  I was unsure how to take pictures of shoes and did find it a little difficult with the straps and was hard to get them at angle where they looked good.... But after a lot of persistence I think I manage to get a decent shot which follows with my theme.... 5.6 F Stop - 1/13 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Summer 1 - I did a lot of research in to how to take pictures of sunglasses and even though sunglasses go with my theme, I did use the sun umbrella in the back ground to provide a little colour.... I did take a number of shots of various glasses but this one is my favourite and am aware that it is over exposed but really do like how it looks and could be advertising the Sunglasses in any magazine. 5.0 F Stop - 1/6 Shutter Speed - ISO- 100

I loved Leo Acker's work - it was so colourful, different and young and I feel that that is the direction that I would like my work to go... So I tried to recreate Acker's picture of the sunglasses- obviously I don't have as many pairs as he does so I designed my own but with the same kind of theme and I feel with the use of light and exposure on this picture I have created something similar to what he has done....  Post photoshop I hope this will look even better.....

Summer 2 - This shot is of a pink flower ring... I did enjoy taking pictures of the jewellery and did find it the easiest out of all the product shots.  I like the depth of field in the frame and think it shows the product well.... 5.6 F Stop - 1/80 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Summer 3 - This is one of my favorite pictures in the product theme and used a patterned wallpaper as a base and some flowers just slightly in the background.  The beads are colorful and fit with the bright season.  I wanted to have the beads in focus and background blurred which I have achieved.... 6.3 F Stop - 1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

I did try to create this image in a similar way to one of Edward Edwards photographs above.  Edwards was one of the photographers I researched and felt I could try and imitate to a certain degree.... Obviously my jewellery is no where near in the same league as the expensive jewellery in his photograph.  However by using a patterned based and some flowers just fluttering in the back ground I feel it has given as similar feel of nature as Edwards frame.  I enjoy his photography and even though not exact, I did enjoy bearing his work in mind while in the studio.

Winter 3 - I did struggle with the glass a little as was quite reflective and haven't taken pictures of glass before but I like the composition of this picture and feel with a little editing will make this picture come out a lot more.... I used Xmas star decorations as my prop just slightly in the background.  7.1 F Stop - 1/100 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Winter 2 - This is a picture of a Chanel scarf....  This picture will change dramatically after editing as I am not pleased with it how it is now but have an idea in my head how to make it look like it would be in a fashion magazine! 5.6 F Stop - 1/100 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Spring 1 -  I used another wallpaper pattern for my base and laid the necklace out - I love the depth of field on this as well as the main effect i.e the butterfly is in focus and the chain blurs out the further you go along... 7.1 F Stop - 1/100 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Spring 2 -  Again depth of field and focus I like on this shot.  I will probably edit this picture a lot different to how it is at the moment - I also like the tint of pink the back ground has which has come off the base wallpaper used and the contrast from the colour of the earrings. 8.0 F Stop - 1/100 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100 

Overall I am happy with my final images and look forward to seeing them post photoshop where I feel the pictures will come together and fit my theme quite well....  This theme was a little harder for me than portrait but feel I also I have learnt a lot more from it which is what I am here for!

Preparation and Shoot for Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Product Theme

The product research helped me big time for this shoot.  I enjoyed looking for the different fashion/product photographers and taking the ideas forward for my shoot.  

As stated in my prep for the portrait shoot I did a survey for the seasons of what people associated with each season.... 

Reminder......

Winter

Christmas trees and decorations

Cold

Hat, Scarfs and gloves

Presents

Halloween

Skiing

Autumn

Wind

Leaves

Getting dark

Summer

Seaside

Shells

Sun

Sunglasses

Warmth

Spring

Flowers

Easter

Colours

So I decided to use Christmas decorations to represent the Winter party time.  Autumn I took along some leafs I gathered from my garden.  Summer I used shells, sun umbrella and the lighting in studio to represent the sun. And finally I used flowers and colours for Spring.

For the shoot  I took along my trusty fashion magazines for inspiration along with the research I had already done logged in my head!

Being in the Studio was very different taking pictures of a model to taking pictures of still life....  Having someone else there I think there was a little bit of a adrenalin rush and more pressure with the camera and to get decent shots.  I felt I had more time being in the Studio this time only having objects and myself to put me under pressure.

I used similar props to what I had used with my portrait theme as even though they are separate themes I wanted there to be a connection.

Again I used my Canon 20D camera for all of the pictures and made sure I had all of necessary props and studio time booked. All pictures were taken with a standard lens.....

With my pictures I tried to use as many different depths of field as possible and as may different angles to get different kinds of images.  I tried to use as many of the different lights and did concentrate on the spot light to create a warm softer feel in the Autumn and Winter months so used a higher F stop and shadows etc.

 For the Summer and Spring months, I want to use lots of light, so will try and use more of the studio lights and also work with my camera by using a low f stop t let lots of light in....  The ISO was kept at 100 to make the frames nice and fine and clear.

My pictures are very relevant to my theme..... Jewellery, shoes, glasses, Sunglasses are all fashion objects and would feature in any fashion magazine obviously to try and sell....

The lights were a lot easier to use this time round and new what buttons to press and which angles and where to out the lights to get which affects - this definitely came in handy for Winter and Autumn.

I took care while in the studio and made sure all health and safety procedures were met at all times and kept bags and props that were not needed out of the way.  Ensured lights were moved correctly.  Taking care when moving around the studio at all times.  I was also very careful with the cables/wires and took care when moving around to get different angles.  I also used the tripod for more of my pictures than I did with my portrait theme as wanted the pictures to be a bit more controlled.

Again I took around 20 shots for each theme and ended up with 2 or 3 for each Season making a total of 10.  I do feel the my portrait theme is the stronger of the 2 but am very happy with my final images and would believe you could see them in any fashion magazine on the shelves today!

The reason I picked my final 10 to be my final 10....

I took a lot of time deliberating over my final images for this theme and did find it harder which mean probably had more stronger images in my portrait theme.  However I am very happy with my final 10 and with the camera and lighting work done and feel the pictures chosen fit with each season and obviously my theme.  I will go through each image in depth in show of Unedited final images.

Final Images Unedited- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Portrait

Here are my final 12 images for my Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Portrait theme.

I wanted to show them pre photoshop and go through what and why I like about each picture and some comparisons from some of the photographers I researched, to what I ended up doing in the studio.

From top left going horizontally....

Winter 1 - I loved this picture.... I wanted to included a basic forward front portrait shot in my collection and  thought that this one was a little different.  I love the hat and have used pink wallpaper as my background.  She has a natural no expression on her face and really shows the make up perfectly! 5.0 F Stop -  1/6 Shutter Speed -  ISO- 100

This shot I tried to recreate from the Stephen Eastwood research I did..... I found his work appealing and think I did a pretty good job at imitating the fashion look.  Obviously after editing this will look better and more similar.  I will be keep my picture colour though as I feel this is quite important to my work and want to keep my theme consistent.


Winter 2 - This is a typical fashion shot what you would see in any fashion magazine.....  I love the black dress and the colour scarf I think it makes the picture more interesting.  I also like the slight shadows of her legs which is an effect similar to one of the photographers I researched.... 4.0 F Stop - 1/6 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

The fashion in these pictures are very different.... However the pose of the model's are quite similar and with the picture being portrait feel that Alex Styles work had an influence in my work here...

Winter 3 - The pose of the model is a little different and liked the face shes looking straight into the viewer if the picture which makes it personal.  I have purposely over exposed the photo which gives it a little bit of a 'wacky' view which goes with the pose of the model.... 4.0 F stop - 1/6 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Autumn 1 - I love the angle of this shot and makes the frame more interesting with the subject not just being in the centre of the shot.  This is my only landscape shot of this theme and like the fact there is space in the top right hand corner, again this was on purpose and could be for a number of fashion products. 5.0 F Stop - 1/6 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Autumn 2 - I love love love this picture.... I love the angle that it has been taken and cropped.  I used a wind machine and love the model pose especially on her face.  I know its very important for the camera to connect with a subject and normally that connection is through the eyes but I feel that this picture could be used for some sort of sensual product effectively.... 5.0 F Stop - 1/6 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Autumn 3 - This is one of my fave shots out of the whole theme.....  I used a desk from out of the studio and leafs that I bought in myself to make the season a bit more convincing.  I love the model pose and the angle that the picture was taken..... 5.0 F Stop - 1/6 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Summer 1 - This is quite a simple shot and I think I have made use of the lighting here to influence my theme.... Summer! I believe that it looks like the sun is actually shining and the parasol that she is using is to cover her from the sun.....  The make up is simple and hair pushed back for effect.....  I bought in a sun umbrella as one of my props and like how it has been used in the shot.  The way the picture has been taken/cropped, you could think she has no clothes/bikini on i.e on the beach. 9.0 F Stop - 1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Summer 2 - This is another one of my favorite pictures.... I have used a block for the model to squat on, I had to get the shot quite quickly as it wasn't the most comfortable position to be in for the model.  I used the wind machine to create a breeze and again lots and lots of light from camera work and the lights in the studio to have an effect of Summer.  9.0 F Stop -  1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Summer 3 - This picture is lovely.... I again have used a large amount of light from the studio and camera work (low aperture). I like that there is space on the right side of the frame creating a great angle of which I think the model looks like she is leaning over slightly.... Makes the picture more interesting, I think!  I love hoe light the bottom right hand corner is just an effect for the Season! 9.0 F Stop - 1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Spring 1 - This is quite a casual shot with the model looking straight at the camera.  I used the prop of a brown suitcase from the studio and think it went with the model's clothing quite nicely.  I like the composition of this picture with the model on the left hand side but there is still a focal point at the bottom of the shot of the suitcase. 8.0 F Stop - 1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Spring 2 - I love the over exposure on this shot and the shadows from the legs and body....  Again trying to compose a picture like on of the photographers I researched.  I also like the fact you can see the cord going off the picture - makes it more real! 5.6 F Stop - 1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Spring 3 - I know Ive said for a few, but i really think this is my fave picture for composition.  The model has changed her clothes in to a theme and found some fabric to match the theme of the clothing and used the studio blocks to create a background.....  The hands are already half cropped out and love the angle which I took this.... 7.1 F Stop - 1/25 Shutter Speed - ISO - 100

Preperation & Shoot for Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Portrait Shoot.....

I asked my friend Claire Bache to attend as a model as she is a make up artist and fantastic at doing different looks.  She is also very comfortable in from of the camera and this is what I wanted to make the experience run as smoothly as possible.

So we arranged a date and booked some studio time and then I started to think about what I wanted my pictures to look like.....  I did some research on the sort of shots I wanted to get out of my time in the studio but also started to think about putting my twist of the seasons on to each theme.  (Please see researched photographers....)

I decided to split the seasons in two.  Autumn & Winter and Spring & Summer.  I decided to do Autumn & Winter first.....

So I started thinking about the seasons and what people associate with each one.  I did a bit of survey to get peoples thoughts.... The results are as follows:

Winter

Christmas trees and decorations

Cold

Hat, Scarfs and gloves

Presents

Halloween

Skiing

Autumn

Wind

Leafs

Getting dark

Summer

Seaside

Shells

Sun

Sunglasses

Warmth

Spring

Flowers

Easter

Colours

So I decided to use Christmas decorations to represent the Winter party time.  Autumn I took along some leafs I gathered from my garden.  Summer I used shells, sun umbrella and the lighting in studio to represent the sun. And finally I used flowers and colours for Spring.

I asked my model to bring a selection of clothes for each season and went through before what would look good together.  We also discussed make up and what sort of look I was looking for within he image but left the technical side to her as she is the professional after all...

Even though I was working with someone who is comfortable in front of the camera  I wanted to make sure we were going to be covered for different ideas reference modelling poses.  So I took along a fashion magazines and also printed some poses off different websites by just searching model poses in to google.  These did end up being quite handy at the start to get thing warmed up... But then things started to come quite naturally after a little while.

Coming in to the studio the following week to do the Summer & Spring shoot were similar but obviously with different clothes and different make up and different props as above....

I used the wind machine as an effect for Autumn as well and did use on each Season to see what would look good....  I used some props from the studio as well such as tables, chairs, flowers, suitcase, telephone and different coloured cloth.

I used my own personal Canon 20D camera for all of the pictures.  I used a tripod sometimes when I felt necessary.  I kept my ISO at 100 so I would get a good quality fine finish and adapted my f stop and shutter speed to vary light and sharpness.  I tried to use as many different depths of field and angles as possible to get a good choice of images so I would be happy with my final shots.  All pictures were taken with a standard size lens....

Within the studio I think I made use of the space quite well, with making sure the lights were not getting too hot and that props were put away safely after use and when altering the lights i.e brightness, position that I always considered health and safety of me and my model at all times.

My main aim with my pictures were that could be found in any fashion magazine in the supermarkets today.  I wanted to use up to date looks and the feel of high end fashion.

I took around 20 frames for each season and first picked my favorite and then whittled it down to 3 from each with a total of 12 shots for my final Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Portrait theme.

The reason I picked my final 12 to be my final 12.....

Overall I decided on my final 12 because each image was a little different from lighting to props and model poses.  I felt the clothes and make up along with camera work made each image believable as a high fashion image in each season which was my aim at the start of the project.