What to do now

Now I have done my test shoot, and decided on the styling of the images, I must now do my real shoot. Once I have done this, I can look at the final format of the book, and what will suit my photos best. I will also start writing the piece that will go at the end of my book.

I also plan to design my book from scratch using InDesign, but I will have a look at the Blurb software, as this may actually be able to give me a better finish to my final piece.

Styling

Having done my test shoot, I have been looking at ways in which to style my model. Hair wise, I would like something quite glamorous. This is an example that I will work with:

I think that this works well, as the shots will only show the shoulders, upwards and hair like this will give good height to the image.

As I said before, the images will only be shoulders up so I have looked at these dresses as examples. They have enough detail so that they will add a touch of personality to the photographs.

Test Shoot

The above images are from my test shoot. I have worked out the basic lighting techniques, and I think that it's been quite successful. One of the issues I had, which has effected the photographs, is the backdrop, which was creased which has shown up in the dim lighting.

As you can see from the first image, I used two lights to come from each side, and another to give a slight gradient on the background.

Styling wise, I would like to use an asymmetric dress, a bit like the one in the last photograph, but more decorative, possibly quite a bright colour to contrast with the dark background. I would also like to have very polished hair and make up to complete the styling.

Test Shoot

I was hoping to put some images from my test shoot up today, but unfortunately, I don't have any. After a very long day of several bulbs and lights blowing up, I will have to conduct the test shoot another day. Damn.

Elisabeth Hoff: Lips

In the lead up the this project, I have looked at Elisabeth Hoff's series, Lips. This is not strictly relevant to the subject I am approaching, but I have considered just focusing just on single part of the face. This takes away the aspect of personality from the subject. I also like the use of props, as this adds a touch of interest back into it. I may not necessarily use this idea but it has been quite important when I was putting my idea together.

Recent Articles

These are just three of the most recent articles regarding the issue I am focusing on. 

The first one is about a girl told to lose a stone before she was allowed on the catwalk, even when she weighs just eight stone already.

The second article is about a young girl that suffered from anorexia, because she had ambitions to enter beauty pageants, but she is now gaining weight so that she can be more successful.

The third article is about Miss England. This is not strictly about the fashion industry, nor is the one above, but she talks about overcoming body confidence issues, and is now on her way to the Miss World pageant. 

Robbie Cooper: Immersion

Robbie Cooper

The first artist I will be looking at is Robbie Cooper (www.robbiecooper.org), particularly the lighting technique he used for 'Immersion'. It is a good example of classic lighting for advertising, and it is also a very intense way to light a photograph. The photographs in his 'Immersion' collection are very polished and present his idea very clearly. I think that it works as he is trying to put forward a serious subject, which is the effect video gaming has on children, and the lighting provides the subject with the clear attention that it needs. 

Robbie Cooper's main body of work tackles a social issue, much like the book I am intending to put together. He also has a blog running alongside the project, which is also like the piece of writing I wish to put at the end of the book. It has been successful in this case, so I would hope that it will work in book form.

Blurb

For this project, the final outcome will be a book. There are a number of websites that will produce books that you have designed yourself, but not all of them offer everything to fit your requirements. Blurb.com is probably the most popular, and has a lot of variety, but I will also be looking at lulu.com as this offers a cheaper service, but has less options, particularly for hardback books.

The book I have in mind requires a large landscape format, although this may be reconsidered after shooting, etc. Lulu.com doesn't offer this option as hardback (although it does as paperback), Blurb does, at about £35, although all this will need to be considered when I start to put the images and final book together.

Putting books together is becoming more and more popular, and artists, (particularly photographers), are using this to promote themselves and their work; a task which is becoming increasingly difficult these days. This is why websites like this have become so popular, it is a way to produce a book, tailor-made to your specific requirements, or as close as you can get.


To put a book together you must consider several things, for example, the number of pages. To create a book that works, the number of pages must be divisible by four, a book cannot physically be put together without this, so I need to make sure that there are enough images and enough text to take up this many pages. I plan to have eight, or twelve images in my final book, so I will need to come up with a strong layout for my final book to make sure it works.


Self-Published Books

The above examples are all self-published books, made using Blurb. The have been entered into the 'Photography Book Now' competition that they are running, and I think they these three in particular are great examples of photography books. They are quirky, and interesting and very topical, which are three elements that a book requires if it is to be successful within their target audience.

These are the sizes of the books available on Blurb. I will have to consider what orientation my images will be before deciding on what type of book I will be using.

Initial Ideas

For my book, I have decided to tackle an issue that I find compelling. It is also quite a personal issue, as for many females (or males), and it may have been somewhat repeated, but I am hoping to attack it at a different angle. I do not want to expose the fashion and beauty industry as size obsessed, that has been made clear, and it makes what it is. I would like to somewhat satirise it, and make it ironic. My idea is to produce a glossy, coffee table book, which at first glance will look like a set of beauty images, and, combined with a piece of writing about the issue, it will become clear as to what I am trying to do.

I would like to get one, or a set of perfectly produced models, and have them tucking in to sweets, chocolate, burgers, chips, cakes, and whatever I can get my hands on, and photograph them having fun with it. I am also considering adding quotes underneath the photographs, to show what they are really saying, and whether it contradicts they're expression, as they do their job, modelling. This will be paired with a piece of writing, from my point of view, from the models point of view (possibly an interview), and various other people who may feel effected by the media's projection of perfection.

This week I'm planning to do some tests, and work on the lighting to see what will be the best way to get my message across.

Hannah.

Alright everybody,

My first post on my first blog, have been putting some ideas together, look forward to sharing them with everybody!

See ya x