David Bailey weds Catherine Deneuve

27 March 2010

Photo Shoot No 1

For this photo shoot I have been trawling the Internet looking for inspiration as my original plans of doing the shoot in the studio and using some of the other photographers I have already looked at like Richard Avedon and Alfred Eisenstaedt unfortunately are no longer. My model is very restricted for many reasons as to when she is available. So I have decided to do location shoots with the use of the portable lighting equipment from college. I have taken my first bit of inspiration from a camera magazine. Below is a scanned image from this mag.






This picture jumped out at me instantly, although completely different from what I was originally looking at. This picture is more of the current times rather than from 50's and 60's. It's a fashion, edgy photograph created by what the model is wearing the angle in which the photograph is taken and the harsh lighting which gives a sharp shadow down one side of the models body.


Then I have looked at Mario Testino in particular the Versace Autumn/Winter 2009. Please click on the link to look at the photographs I have been looking at. These pictures again are edgy, fashion pictures using harsh lighting to create a sharp shadow on the wall. The use of the white wall with the royal blue carpet and the models outfits all add to the modern edgy feel. Pictures are taken from different angles (to show off the different items of clothes/accessories) the ones of just the models legs have direct lighting from the front possibly slightly from the right to generate the shadow which is cast on the wall and the photograph is taken from the left one I suppose as to not create a shadow himself but most importantly to get the correct angle to get the perfect image. The skirt which the model is wearing has a slit up the side which keeps your eye going up although the picture stops here your imagination doesn't.


Next picture I have looked at is a bit different from the others. Although modern and the same era, its more subtle with a bit of old mixed in. It's by Drew Gardner. Again I have had to scan the image onto my computer.


Obviously this picture is of Lilly Allen and it reflects Lilly's own style in fashion and music and tells you exactly who Lilly Allen is. The background is a flowery pattern which looks to be quite 50's style wallpaper or curtaining but she is wearing large gold hooped earrings which are more modern. The main focus point are her eyes with the flower leading the viewers eyes to hers and is also probably covering up the obscenities which are coming out of her mouth. The overall image depicts a very soft and sweet side with subtle lighting, no harsh shadows like the others.

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Techniques, materials and resources used for portrait photography 1.1

There are many different formats and techniques that can be applied to portrait photography.

Framing is a technique where by you draw attention to one element of an image by framing it with another element of the image. This gives an image depth and draws the eye to a point of interest in the image.
You could do it by placing your subject in a window or doorway, have them look through a small gap or even use their hands around their face.

Shooting with a wide angle lens attached to your camera can help create some memorable shots when you’re doing portrait photography.
At very wide focal lengths you can create some wonderful distortion. Using these focal lengths will enlarge parts of the face or body that are on the edge of the frame more than what is in the centre.
It can also give a wide open and dramatic impact when your subject is in an impressive setting.

The person in your portrait is the main point of interest – however sometimes when you place them into different contexts with different backgrounds you can dramatically alter the mood in a shot.

Having parts of a portrait in focus draws attention on certain parts of the face or body, or a completely unfocused portrait can add a dreamy effect and make a picture quite abstract.

Black and white portraits can be just as dramatic as colour. By adding a shot of colour can draw attention to certain parts of the photo.
"When we shoot in color, we do not depart from what we see everyday, so our eye expects certain details in order to fill out the image. Black and white photography gives us the opportunity to diverge from this norm, and in a way view reality as an abstraction."

Equipment I have at home and what is avaliable to me at college 1.1

I have at home the Canon 450d camera which comes with the standard 18-55mm lens.


At college there is a wide range of lenses avaliable to use along with higher quality cameras. There is a studio which contains a wide range of backdrops, studio lights, reflectors and soft box.

Canon 450D

Canon 450D

Canon 450d

This is the camera which I have started out with, the basic entry level canon 450d.  For specification details click on the image.
I don't really have any experience of digital SLR's, the only cameras I have used previously are point and shoot digital and film SLR's.  
I don't have an opinion on my camera yet as I haven't really used it enough to comment other than I find it fairly easy to use and understand. 

Standard 50mm lens

What makes this lens ideal for portriture is its angle-of-view is the closest to our own eyes and the easiest to use to get the most natural looking shots. You can even visualise shots without putting the camera to your eye. This doesn’t mean this lens is boring compared to the extremes that a telephoto or wide-angle will give. On the contrary, it’s just a lens that works well and keeps your photography simple. It is also ideal, as long as you remember not to get too close to your subject, which will lead to unflattering distortion to your sitters face. It works especially well with full-length portraits, but you can get some very nice head and shoulder shots.

Standard 50mm lens

70-200mm Lens

The telephoto lens allows you to take tightly composed pictures of subjects where it is impractical to get any closer and to use a wider lens, therefore they are useful for candid photography, this lens is small, lightweight and unobtrusive.
Short telephoto focal lengths are widely used in portraiture for their unnatural, non standard view makes objects at different distances appear closer together than they are in reality. Using a wide angle lens for head and shoulder close ups makes people's noses and other facial features more prominent - while a slight telephoto focal length flattens the features a touch, to give a more flattering result.
Telephotos are also useful in portraiture because when used with largish apertures, it is easy to throw a background out of focus thus drawing the viewers attention to certain parts of the scene.

70-200mm lens f/2.8 IS