evaluation

Hannah Whalley

Evaluation

My experience of this assignment has been very enjoyable, I have really enjoyed the whole experience of developing this idea that I had a few weeks ago and developing the ideas and now having a finished result that I am really happy with.
Firstly my ideas began with me knowing that I wanted to do beauty shots but to add a little but of a twist to it. I began to research beauty shots and focused on the ones that had something to them. I found shots from Americas next top model were the models were covered in make up and I liked how the beautiful the models looked even though they were not what beauty shots usually are.
Also during my research I found photographs of models who had been decorated with crystals and decorative things like ice cream sprinkles and what looked like sugars and I found this to be really interesting and then my idea was settled that the idea of my beauty shots using various things for decorations and make up.
I researched further and found that a lot of photographers have had the idea of using sprinkles in shoots before completely covering the models lips. This was good research to have as I could see what looked good and what didn’t look so great.
After buying all the cake topping I could find in the supermarket I went to a craft shop and bought all the pretty shiny things I could find and began to experiment on myself after making some initial sketches. I found that the best way to stick the glitter down was to use lip gloss and the best way to stick down the heavier pieces was to use eyelash glue as it is ok to put on your skin.
A photographer I found called Milena Lausecker used a lot of different things like coloured gems and paints and this was a big inspiration for me for about a year now. I find her work to be really beautiful an unique.
Stephen Fastwood was another photographer who I have found doing this work and and I absaloutly love him. His work is so beautiful and unique. And there seems to be an interesting theme in every shoot that he dose using different objects and props to give his work diersity. I hope to one day be able to achieve such work myself.

For my first shoot I used ice cream sprinkles and coloured glitters. I stuck all of these down using lip gloss as they were light enough to stop in place.
I found the spinkles to be very difficult to work with as they kept on dropping off and we had to keep replacing them. Although it was a little difficult it was a lot of fun to shoot. My model and I tried to stay relaxed while shooting and even though we found it to be a little difficult I think it was a a susessful shoot and I really like the images I have got from it.

In my second shoot kept it simple and just used black eye shadow coverd by silver craft glitter. I didn’t want to make it too over the top as my model was already so beautiful naturaly. I was really impressed with how the model took my direction and how she gave me to many images to I could use. I felt realy good after shooing this model and I will definetly be using her again in the future.

For my third shoot I used coloured gems and fine coloured glitters. Again these were stuck down with lip gloss. The lipgloss was not so great for sticking the gems down but as I was sticking them to my models lips I thought that eye lash glue was not the way to go. It was difficult to keep them stuck down but it was just something that we had to work with and give extra time as the gems took a long time to apply and we used a lot of them. The main problem I had this this shoot was that as we had been shooting in the day already and when it was time to shoot for this we had lost the best light of the day and the photographs were not what I wanted them to look like so I decided to use my flash gun for the second lot of photos. The pictures dose look a little different to the others but I am happy for this image to stay in the set as I wanted them to look different from each other anyway. I am still happy with the images I got from this shoot.

For my forth shoot I again used coloured gems but to create a geisha style look this time and I also used sugar flowers to decorate the eyes. The gems were stuck down with lip gloss again and the sugar flowers I stuck down with eye lash glue. In this shoot my model was a little nervous although I have used her before in the past and she has been relaxed. I found that making conversation while shooting and staying ralexed myself she joined in and gave me what I think are the best images of the assignment even if it did take a little longer.
The model that I used for this shoot was also 5 months pregnant and I wanted to make sure that she was comfortable and made sure that she had a break every now and then when I would give her cold drink and an ice lolly.

My model to shoot was definetly my most shy model and the only model that I have not shot before in the past. I coloured gems of different colours. I used them in a way that I had seen done in my research. I didn’t want to over do it with her because her face is very delacate looking and I thought that using something large like the suger flowers may be too much. I also think her eyes are so beautiful so I wanted to focus on them.

For my sixth and final shoot I used myself as a model. I had thought about using myself but was not sure on the idea but found that I had no choice when my model contacted my last minute and told me that she could not make it for the shoot and would not be able to make any shoot that I set up for her.
I used red craft glitter/power and silver sugar balls in this shoot. The silver balls were something that I had seen done in my research and was interested in trying It myself. I don’t enjoy photographing myself as I become too vein in the editing but I tried to pretend that it wasn’t me in the images. When it comes to editing photos of myself I will never be 100% happy but I do like the images that I have and I am happy to have them in my set.

All the shoots took place in my bedroom with my light gray wall as the back ground. I found that sitting with the models on the desk next to my window I got some really nice light and depending on the time of day I would change the exposure accordingly.

Overall I am very happy with my photographs. I think that these may be some of the best images I have produced on this course and I look forward to deeloping my skills further in third year.