Shooting

My shoot yesterday did not go to plan as I thought it would. I was hoping for a pastel summer and tropical shoot. I have gathered together some tropical fabrics to hang as backdrops but they were not lighting properly and all the texture you can see in the image showed up very strongly and over powered the image. Because of this I had to drop the entire background and just shoot on white which was not at all in my plan or my contingency plan. Had I of given myself 10 minutes to think I could have experimented with some gels on the background to achieve a summer colour but instead I opted for doing this in photoshop later on. This has caused me so much editing work and its going to take my forever to successfully finish it all. The model has been asking me where the images are as its been over two weeks now and I'm really quite annoyed at myself for not just using gels in the first place. I need to have solid contingency plans in the future and do everything I can in camera because I've found that if it takes me longer than about 4 days to edit then I get bored and begin to seriously dislike the shoot.

Plastic Sandwich Visit

I have recently taken the time to make an appointment with the people at Plastic Sandwich HQ in London. They showed me around all their different leathers and showed me options that they do not have on their websites too. I really liked their deep green, navy and burgundy/red options but these colours would not work against the multitude of colours that my portfolio offers. I had originally gone into the office with the idea that I would order a grey portrait orientated 11x14inch portfolio and pay for it there and then. But once I had been shown the colour of the grey and the white option I was spoilt for choice. They grey was alot darker than I had thought it would be and the white option caught me completely off guard as I had struck it off the options list as I was scared of it getting dirty.

I went away that weekend and seriously considered which colour was best for my portfolio and eventually decided on the white. While I was at Plastic Sandwich I voiced my concerns about the colour being damaged and she showed me a white portfolio that had been passed around thousands of people at a photography show very recently and it was almost spotless! I was so impressed that with a little bit of lighter fluid and carefullness you can preserve a white portfolio so well. With this in mind I ordered my portfolio with sleeves instead of binding. I have chosen sleeves because I like the idea of preserving the prints inside. I have less control over how dirty the outside of the book gets but I can exert my control over the inside. Many people have voiced their concerns about sleeves expressing that they're too glossy or 'so 2006' but this option suits my portfolio better because I can slip images in and out easily. I don't have to worry about binding tear sheets as I do plan to have them in my portfolio eventually as I am a fashion portrait photographer and showcasing my publications is very important to me.
This way, when the sleeves crease I can buy new ones without having to re-print, this is also a great option because of how it saves on budget.

I'm very happy with my choice and I think it suits my professional practice perfectly.

Tutorial

In my last tutorial, my tutor and I came to the decision that I had hit a wall with my current project and my idea flow. I realised I wasnt happy with where my project was taking me and decided to take it back to what I have always enjoyed.. Vintage themed portraits with strong colours and strong shadows. This isn't 100 miles away from what I have already been creating which is rather lucky as It means I'm not changing my entire project just the aesthetics of the shoot.

I have wrote a mid-project evaluation in my logbook detailing this.

Also in this tutorial my tutor pointed out that it seemed as though I have been striving for a softness in my image but haven't quite been getting it. This is not something I have been conciously doing and is also a factor into why I have changed my route slightly.

He helped me with some retouching points on past images and gave me new photographers to look at such as Loretta Lux, David Lachapelle and Nadia Lee Cohen.

Collaboration with Tulle and Candyfloss

I will not be uploading evidence of every conversation I have had with Karen from Tulle and Candyfloss as there is alot of it but above are a few screenshots as evidence of our communication.

I have sent Karen 'thank you' prints of the collaboration shots as a gift for the time and effort she has put into collaborating with me. She did not ask for physical prints but this gesture will ensure that she remembers our collaboration and will hopefully remind her of it when she looks at them in the future. This could lead to a future collaboration and will strengthen or professional relationship.

I GOT THE JOB.

I have recently been in a 3 week interview process for the job role of Photographer at Revolution Portraits in Norwich. The role is a studio orientated role and involves taking images of clients ranging from babies to families and dogs. This is not a fashion orientated role which is my forte but it is portraits and photography so I couldn't be happier that I have been given the position!!
I'll be working part time at weekends until after uni finishes and then I'll be taking it up full time!
I'm ecstatic!

Portfolio

I have begun debating my portfolio options. I've been looking at the colour choices Plastic Sandwich offer and the types of paper Hahnemule offer. I'm going to order a sample pack of Hahnemule papers so I can see which type benefits my images better. I really like the idea of going for a grey portfolio as the colour is neutral and my colourful images will be complimented by it. I think black is too harsh of a choice and white is a little bit risky with potential staining. I will however be taking a trip to the Plastic Sandwich HQ in the near future to get more information and view their products in person.

Jenny Brough

I really like the colours in this image. The shimmer on her skin alone communicates a summer heat to me. This combined with the tanned skin and punchy colours is flawless.

I think if I were to photograph in this style while combining an element of texture into it, it would fit well with the last shoot I did and begin to move my work from a dark editorial feel to a brighter punchier feel.

Tutorial

After having a tutorial yesterday, my thoughts towards my whole project have changed. I discussed my frustration with not being sure where to go with the project and my tutor proceed to ask many questions about what it is I want to be photographing. After narrowing it down I realised that I have always known what I wanted to photograph but have just been putting it off for various reasons.

I don't know whether to continue with my seasonal affective disorder or not. If I do, it may come across quite theatrical which is extremely different to what I have been doing with it so far. But then again, new approaches are always a good idea.

I would really like to take my work in the direction of Nadia Lee Cohen, Charlotte Rutherford and Alex Prager. Prager has been an influence in my life for roughly 5 years now and Rutherford, 3.

Workshop

During yesterdays workshop we made a list of everything we were yet to complete in our logbooks and reflective journals. I have found this so helpful as alot of the points were things I had completely forgotten about!

Job roles and requirements

Below are some examples of current job opportunities open to me in the creative industry. I have used the below key to indicate things about each job vacancy. I found these vacancies on totaljobs.com, a-p-a.net and indeed.com.


RED - An explanation of the company and their relevance to my chosen area of practice.

GREEN - Skills or qualities I have that make me applicable for the job role.

BLUE - Skills or qualities I need to gain to make me applicable for the job role.

ORANGE - Why the role is a great opportunity for a graduate of my level of skill.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creative Assistant at FRIENDLONDON.TV

Friendlondon.tv are a creative agency who produce moving image for animation, music videos and fashion moving image videos. This is relevant to my area of practice as moving image is just as important as photography in this day and age and fashion moving image is becoming extremely popular.

This is an entry-level position. We are looking for someone who can primarily help out on visual treatments with directors, as well as assisting around the office. You should ideally have a graphic design background, a sunny disposition and an interest in moving image - commercials, music videos, and fashion.

Good knowledge of Photoshop and design, and knowledge of video editing is required.

Main duties

• Graphic design (Pages/Indesign/Photoshop/Illustrator)
• Visual research
• Office management and administration
• Asset/data management
• Knowledge and interest in visual media and production technique
• Ability to handle, transcode video files
• Ability to use Final Cut/Premier Pro/AE
• Production assistance
• Answering phones

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photographer - Fashion/Retail

An experienced fashion product Photographer is required to join a top designer clothes retailer based in the North West. Stocking brands including Nike, Umbro and Reebok you will join a creative studio and help getting involved with a number of their high profile in-house fashion shoots. 

Your main responsibility as Photographer will include: 

•Collaborate with and on test shoots, bringing the various retail brands products to life through high quality digital photography
•Working alongside the stylist, taking digital images of the various retail brands and products,
•Aid in implementing and executing creative direction from editorial team.
•When needed Retouch / Crop / Upload Digital Images
•Oversee the studio team 

The Photographer will have:

•Previous experience within a similar role - ideally from a fashion or large retailer. 
•Ability to work within multidiscipline teams.
•Experience of studio lighting technique
•Good knowledge of Adobe Photoshop CS, Capture One Software

If you are a passionate Photographer who has a keen eye for the fashion industry and is now looking for your next challenging in-house role then get in touch now! This is a great opportunity, offering excellent company benefits and huge career opportunities! 


Blue Skies specialise in Marketing Recruitment covering Clientside, Account Handling, PR and Executive. We also have a specialist Creative Recruitment team. We offer unrivalled opportunities across all specialisms and industry sectors, presenting you with only the best marketing jobs. Although we try to respond to all applications, the high number we receive means this isn`t always possible. If you have not heard from us within 72 hours, please assume that your application has not been successful. For more information, visit www.blueskiescareers.co.uk and we`ll make sure we do our best to find you the perfect marketing role.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Retoucher

Jane Norman have an exciting opportunity for a fashion conscious Retoucher/Graphic Designer with a keen eye for the latest trends to join their Marketing team! 

PURPOSE OF ROLE: 

To work closely with the Senior VM, E-Commerce team and Brand Managers, providing a high level of retouching and creative work on various projects for the Jane Norman brand. 


TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES: 

- To action retouching across a variety of digital media – web graphics and homepage updates, email marketing campaigns and social media.

- Design and creation of print ready artwork to include adverts, look books, window graphics and POS.

- High end editorial image retouching to include, garment perfecting, skin and hair polishing and general clean ups of background and sets.

- Occasionally working on creative concepts for marketing and PR activities for various projects.

- Maintain job folders for each new project, ensuring they are updated at all times and images are readily available amongst numerous teams.

KEY SKILLS 

- Strong visualising skills with a creative flair
- Graphic design background – degree level professional qualification 
- Strong typography skills 
- 2+ years experience in a similar role 
- Excellent artworking skills with strong attention to detail 
- Excellent understanding of Adobe Creative Suite 
- The ability to perform under pressure and work in a fast paced environment 
- Effective time management skills 
- Strong team player 
- Flexible approach – respond to changing priorities when required

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Potential Employers

While bearing in mind the key aspects and characteristics of my chosen practice area - Fashion Portrait Photography - I have done some research into potential employers.

Assisting
Photography
Retouching
Styling
Fashion
Organisation

A potential employer for myself in relevance to my chosen practice area could be some of the visiting lecturers from university. I could offer my assisting services as I already have a connection with them and then go on to continue assisting or meet contacts through them. So for example, I could assist Ellen Rogers as her work falls into a similar category to my own.

A have a great and extremely relevant example for a potential employer for photographic services and that is Revolution portraits in Norwich who I am currently actually in the middle of an interview process for a role of photographer at their studio's. They photograph anything from pets to families and creative portraits. As the studio sessions are available to hire for anything, they get a huge range of clients through their doors. While this is not strictly fashion portrait orientated, it is portrait orientated and fantastic experience.

Being self employed retoucher seems to be the way to start your retouching career. Gaining experience through self-marketing and building a portfolio of local connections and using this to work your way up to a larger client base.
However becoming a retoucher through approaching agencies such as Factory311 (.com) is also a great route into the job role. They have a career's section on their website and always have positions available at their head office in London. A great way to work your way up through the company would be to take on one of their creative roles which is relevant to your degree so that you then have access to the other vacancies through the company.

A career progression route for becoming a stylist in fashion would be to build up a portfolio whilst gaining experience or interning at a fashion related company such as retail offices or studio's whilst also networking and making connections. It is through this experience and the connections that confidence should build and with that the opportunity for exposure and opportunity.

Through researching on job websites such as indeed.com and a-p-a.net there are actually a huge amount of vacancies for members of production teams across the uk such as working for the BBC, and other creative companies. This is a fantastic route into working for a production team because there are so many opportunities that with the right portfolio and qualifications it wouldn't take long to secure a position.

Key Characteristics of my chosen practice area.

• Fashion
• Styling
• Photography
• Studio lighting
• Organisation.
• Retouching

I would say that the above bullet points are the key points that go into my chosen area of practice.

Fashion and styling are key because in order to create the fresh and eye catching editorial style images that I want to create, I have to pay attention to what fashion trends are current and pleasing to the majority of my audiences eyes. Styling is an important role that I participate in as there are limit local stylists to collaborate with. Studio lighting and technical skill is key in my field of work as I shoot mainly in studio's using Bowens lighting equipment as my source of light. I feel as though my skill with lighting has improved greatly and hopefully will continue on improving. Lighting is key because different styles of lighting communicate different types of feelings in images. Organisation is probably the most time consuming element of my entire practice. It is essential to running a smooth photoshoot. I have to manage a team successfully, ensure everybody knows where everything is, everyone is booked in etc etc. The photography element speaks for itself in relation to my chosen practice. I can't create the images I need to without my camera, eye for design and technical skill. Retouching is key in my area of practice as all my images need to be completed to a high professional standard and retouching is the final step in doing this.

Suitable job roles for key aspects - 

Organisation - Production manager, being part of a production team, an agent.

Studio Lighting - Assisting a photographer, becoming a director, being a photographer.

Photography - Being a photographer or Assisting one.

Styling - Becoming a stylist, a hair stylist, a makeup artists, an assistant of any of these or an assistant to a photographer. 

Fashion - Becoming a fashion styling or their assistant, working in an agency.
Retouching - working through an agency, freelance or for a specific photographer.

The only example of a defined progression route into a job role would be working your way to the top through assisting photographers. Starting out with smaller roles and then meeting the right kind of people and making connections that help you to assist the larger known photographers and get extra work for your own portfolio. As for all the other roles, specifically if I were to go into styling of any kind, I would need to take courses in hair styling and makeup in order to know the technical skill that would gain me work in that field. For the organisation job roles, having experience of managing a team would help to secure the job in a production team when applying for work at an agency or at a studio.

Letter heads and Mini cards

In all absolute honestly I do not feel as though I am in need of letterheads and mini-cards and I already have business card designs and post card designs. But as it is likely that I will need to send an invoice or two in my time I have designed some letter heads which would go on the top of my physical invoices.

 

The above designs are a few picks that I think would be suitable for my letterheads. Particularly image 1 with the information down the left hand side. I like this idea as it is not a conventional style of letter and I think it would flow really well with an invoice on the right hand side.

I like style two particularly because of the badge on the right hand side with my initials in. The badge is a bold way of stating my presence and brand as a photographer but does not match my current logo so wouldn't be consistent with the rest of my marketing package. The third option however, matches my business card design so would be extremely consistent. Sadly it is not quite as eye catching and unusual as design 1.

Postcard design 1.

I think if I were to get my postcards made up now, I would choose my seasons images as so far they are the strongest in my portfolio. As I am waiting a few weeks before I print these I will wait to see what other images I create.
I think one side should contain my artist statement as it links the image to my brand and explains what the image and my practice is influenced by. This is different to a business card as as business card simply connects an image with a name and contact info.

Post Cards

Above are a few potential options for postcard designs.  Number one shows a logo on one side and information on the other side. I'm not sure I like this design idea too much as it is basically an enlarged business card. What appeals to me about the other 3 designs is that on the information side there is an artist statement which makes me think that my postcards could be used for the end of year show and provide an insight into my work and who I am as a photographer.

With that in mind, it would be fitting for there to be an image on the other side of the postcard. I particularly like the portrait orientated postcard as it fits in with my personal style and is consistent with my business cards. I think keeping a marketing package consistent is extremely important as everything needs to flow well and accurately convey to its viewer who I am and what my work is about. I do however like the idea of having my logo on the information side of the postcard so my final design would be a mix of all the above designs.

Business cards

After having previous experience with the company, my first thought when debating new business cards was to head to the moo.com website. Their designs are modern and contemporary, reasonably priced and extremely good quality. When I hand over any of my current design business cards people are always so impressed with the quality of them and I feel as though they instantly take me more seriously. Like the first page of a website, a business card is the receiver's first glimpse into who you are as a photographer so my business card must convey what I need it too.

• Fashion and portrait photographer.
• Professional and reliable.

Instantly I have ruled out:

•  anything with impersonal graphics.. For example:

This is because there are no images of my own work on there which is exactly what a prospective client needs to see in order to consider working with me.

Anything retro.. for example: 

This is because my brand is not retro. While I dabble in the 1960's and 1970's my intention is not to photograph kitschy style images. I also do not shoot the majority of my work on film which rules polaroids irrelevant to my style of imagery.

Right now I am highly considering keeping my previous design but printing with new images. This is because my name is branded on both sides, one side has an image and one side has information. The format is very standard and classic but the design has an edge as it is portrait orientated unlike the usual landscape orientated business cards. This is very relevant to my personal practice as I photograph portraits.

Slideshow to Thumbnail

After tweaking my website navigation header I realised that the slideshow style of viewer for my images no longer functioned correctly. The images were now too small to be viewed correctly.

I have rectified this by having them as large thumbnails which can be clicked on and then a slideshow of the full sized images can be seen. This is much more efficient as this way the images are seen on a pure white background with no distractions like my logo or the navigation bar.

So far I think the layout of my website is beginning to mimic that of an up and coming professional photographer. I would like to redesign my logo however as I feel that it no longer fits my website design.

Navigation bars

With Anrike Piel's website design in mind I have played around with the navigation bar on my own website. One problem with having the navigation bar at the top of the page is that when you click on it to see the options, my menu bar is so long that it fills half the page. To rectify this I will remove the menu options and I may see what it looks like with a different colour.

I have settled upon this white header with permanent links to other pages. This is for ease of access as I found that with the previous header, clicking the corner icon to open and lower the menu options became tedious.

Website update

The types of landing pages that my website host offers.

I definitely prefer the firs two options as I feel like the grey band on the 3rd option covers the majority of the images and considering this is the first impression that the audience will get of me as a photographer, seeing this image is very important.

I have however, realised a problem with a landscape landing page.. the majority of my images are in portrait format. With this in mind I will go into my next shoots in search of landscape orientated images because not only will this be better for website use but also on blog feeds and to be used as a headers and in double page spreads in magazines. Portrait format can be very limiting.

Website design

I am actually very happy with my current website design.

I tweak it every time I upload a new set but removing old images no longer relevant to my style and portfolio and adjust fonts and layouts.

I have been looking at Anrike Piel's website as his photography is very relatable to my own. He works in high fashion portraits completing editorials for magazine which is my exact target audience when producing my work.

One thing I noticed that was paticularly different between my website and Anrike's is his opening page. I think this is really dramatic and demands presence when loading his website. it states his name and has a strong image which has been produced to an extremely high degree. This is the first thing anyone see's when viewing Anrike's website and portfolio and so it defines his images in a single second.

I much prefer Anrikes task bar in comparison to my own as it appears much sleeker in white rather than grey. The positioning of it along the top of the page is also unusual and is very rememberable. 

Michael Woloszynowicz

I found out about Michael's youtube tutorials through Kyle Grace when he taught his masterclass at uni a few months ago. I have been watching the tutorials in order to get better at retouching. This is really important to me and my practice as becoming a retoucher is a potential career route for myself and regardless of becoming a retoucher, knowing these things will benefit my photographic practice immensely. The standard of retouching that these video's is extremely high.

https://www.youtube.com/user/vibrantshot/videos

Expenditure

Expenditure.

As this is the final year I am in two minds about spending money during this project.
I know that it needs to be done in order to book models and makeup artists and have appropriate props that will all come together to create some fantastic images but I am also conscious of the fact that the portfolio and exhibition frames will be expensive and I will be moving house during the last term which is also very expensive.

- Average model cost - travel expenses - £10
- Average MUAH - £30
- £40 Per shoot per week
7 weeks x £40 = £280

Prop cost per week - £10 x7 weeks - £70

Portfolio cost estimate - £350
Paper cost estimate - £50
Exhib Frame cost estimate - £200

Total estimated expenditure for the next 7 weeks -
£950

(not to mention the £1,875 i have to pay upfront as i'm moving house soon)

Calendar

This is my timetable for the final project and exhibition commitments so far.

It will be updated throughout the rest of the project but it has important key dates on it such as hand-in dates, exhibition installation dates and when to have portfolio's done by.

I have added some of my own personal commitments into the planner as they may affect what I get done that week.