This was my first time shooting a trio in the studio. Obviously photographing groups is very different from photographing an individual. I now have to do more directing and I have to give stronger consideration to how the image flows.
Use Of Photoshop
This was the first project where I’ve had to extend a background in Photoshop. This had to be done for all the images, mainly the CD book. Extending black was actually a lot tougher than I expected it to be.
My Talent
My band was very onboard for this project, as you would expect when you consider they have just formed so they are in need of imagery. They were also on board because of the message that the band was all about with them being about trying to end/control knife crime and youth violence in the capital.
Happy Client
The client was happy with the imagery that I’d created, I wish I could say the same
Even Better If:
The End Product
For the first week after the shoot I was feeling pretty happy with the results. However all of a sudden I no longer felt so happy with the images. They felt very repetitive and I definitely didn’t feel inspired by what I’d created. I don’t want to sound like I’m hunting for sympathy but I wasn’t myself during the shoot. It happened two days after my nans death so I wasn’t exactly going into the shoot wanting to create fantastic imagery. I just wanted to have fun to end a week where I had experienced nothing but loss and now as time has gone on. I’m starting to think that maybe I could’ve just put a bit more effort in.
Apart from one image, my lighting feels very dull and doesn’t really do anything to the image apart from light them.
Lens Choice
Another way that my images could’ve been better was my choice of lenses. I decided to go with the wide angle lens for my shots as I simply thought a wider lens would be better for photographing a trio. However, I think backfired this. As a result, the perspective doesn’t look right and in some of the shots the talent look like their uncomfortable which you don’t want in a portrait shoot. In hindsight, it probably would’ve been better if I took a step back and shot with the standard 80mm lens. This would’ve given my images a much nicer perspective.
Typography
One of the places where I could’ve put a lot more effort into was the writing on the clothes. No More was very important as it’s the name of the band and there are loads of shots where it isn’t as eligible as I would’ve liked it to be.
This was my first time producing a video, albeit only a 30 second one it was still a new skill for me to learn. I obviously knew planning a video shoot was different from a photo-shoot and this task showed me just how different it is.
Using Adobe Premiere was also a new skill.
Public Awareness Campaign
This task gave me an insight into public awareness campaigns. However I feel there was still a lot more to learn, I think more research would’ve made my idea generation a lot easier.
New Sport
Photographed rowing which is a sport I’ve never really been interested in and my lack of understanding did kind of show when speaking to the London Rowing Club but I finished the shoot with a good relationship with them and it could lead to more work in the future. After I shot the video and they were made aware of my sports photography background, they asked me to come and take some pictures at the Head Of the River Race and these shots actually became part of my submission.
Big Challenge
Shooting for a leaderboard was incredibly challenging. It was a lot more challenging than I anticipated. I think it’s fair to say that I did confuse the leaderboard with the 96 sheet billboard and I forgot about the lack of room. However, I am still pleased with the imagery I’ve used
Getting Permission
This was the first time where I’ve had to ask permission to shoot somewhere
Even Better If:
Wider Choice of Photography
I didn’t really have a wide range of images to choose from in the end. Out of the 11 layouts I made from the 3 days of shooting. There were images that simply didn’t work because of how small a leaderboard is, there was also some imagery that was repetitive or not engaging.
I think I would’ve had more imagery if I printed out the leaderboard and had it in my bag. I was considering printing the leaderboard to the size of my cameras LCD screen and putting it up against to act as an in-camera overlay tool but I never got round to making it.
My Video
I’m not overly impressed with the video that I created. It was my first time but I feel I could’ve done a much better job. I’ll be honest, with this task I was just ticking the box, I wasn’t feeling passionate about my work.
In this task, there were two other students that did rowing and seeing their videos made me realise the opportunity that I had just missed.
More Planning
I think it’s fair to say my preparation could’ve been a lot better. I’d only settled on rowing four days before sign off so this meant that I was rushing around on the final week doing recces and trying to find a location that would be willing to help me with my project and because I shot it very much on the spot, I could only use basic equipment and natural light.
Grey Cards
I didn’t shoot any grey cards for my images. I didn’t think they were necessary because I wasn’t doing any mixed lighting element
I am very happy with the single image I have produced from this shoot with my great team that comprised of Molly Percy as Digi Op and Tiana Lea as a lighting assistant. I feel the image is very strong as a stand-alone portrait and it works very well in the layouts. Maybe it could’ve been a tiny bit better in the 48 sheet but this image has been composed in three unique ways but still feels cohesive. I think it’s fair to say this is definitely my strongest image from my Images That Persuade submission. It is probably very well the strongest work I’ve shot to date. I am definitely very proud of it, I just wish my nan was here to see it because she turned me towards the Poppy Legion when I started to tsje an interest in the military. I’m also proud of the fact that I was basing my shoot around this idea of remembering those who gave their lives, seeing on how the First World War centenary is still fresh in our minds thanks to productions like Peter Jacksons They Shall Not Grow Old
The Subject:
Asa Butterfield in Journeys End [2017]
I had two subjects for the shoot, one of which was the actor Luke Ward-Wilkinson to be the Tommy and I think it was quite a coup to get him involved. I think the tutors were definitely impressed with me getting Luke involved. Not only did the attire fit him perfectly, even the service cap I purchased whilst panicking for £30 fit him perfectly. However, most importantly, his character was perfect. He was spot on for the young lad who jumped at the opportunity to enlist to fight on the Western Front. Looking back on the shoot, I’m reminded of Asa Butterfield’s character in Journey’s End. The young British Tommy. This shoot definitely had that feeling of it was meant to be and everything fell into place.
Style:
I’m very happy with the style that was achieved in the hero shot. As a recap, the style I wanted was the early First World War British Tommy. So very simple uniform and no virtually no webbing or equipment. The headwear was very important for the style and the profile shot is perfect for my intended style. I wanted this style as I wanted to take the Poppy Legion back to its routes when it was founded as the Haig Fund after the First World War.
On the note of style, I also feel the shot was poetic as well. I didn’t use the classic paper poppy for this shoot because it was too small in the frame, I also only had an ANZAC one and not a Poppy Legion one. This meant I used a much large poppy which had the feel of it was actually picked up on the Battlefield, maybe ‘In Flanders Field’ “In Flanders Field the poppies blow”
Lighting:
The lighting was absolutely perfect for the shoot. Funny enough it was made perfect by a mistake. I envisioned a perfect silhouette to truly make the poppy pop at the viewer. To achieve this, I would’ve needed a bigger studio as I would’ve needed a lot more separation from the background. However because Luke stood pretty close to the background, those lights started to illuminate the back of his neck and in a few instances, one of his eyes.
This was a happy accident that led to the lighting setup I used. We had the silhouette to be a metaphor for those who gave their lives fighting however the unintentional light brought the human factor back to the frame ever so slightly. It helped us relate to the image, a normal silhouette might’ve been too graphic to call it a photography campaign. The lighting also helped the composition and flow of the image which is very important in a poster campaign. Chris put it as there is a level on anonymity but there is still a human factor to the subject.
Composition:
The image works really well in all three layouts. As mentioned, the 48 could’ve been a bit tighter, however it respects the golden ratio. You start on the left-hand side of the poster, you see the type, then you’ll see the glint in the eye, which is in line with the type, then the gaze of the viewer will come down to the Poppy which is obviously what this shoot is all about. I feel the 96 works well because the viewer will most likely only have 2 to 3 seconds to see it so the message has to be instant. Type, poppy, uniform and that’s it. In the 96, the type sits very nicely on the body of Luke and the entire pose is heroic.
Financial Side:
Images That Persuade is the first unit where we saw the financial side of photography. The process of getting an estimate approved usually isn’t a quick process, there is also pro forma invoices for payment that is needed before the work can begin. This will definitely help me going forward. My final invoice is lower than my estimate because I didn’t have a make up artist or stylist for my shoot.
My Team:
I had a very strong team behind me for this project. Not only was Molly & Tiana both fantastic in their respective roles as Digi Op and Lighting Assitant but they were also great calming influences on the day and in the build-up which was far from ideal. Molly Percy actually helped me come up with the idea of shooting for the poppy legion and her eye for detail was very helpful in getting a strong heroic pose out of the talent. I honestly could not have done the shoot without them.
Progression
I think that my idea has progressed a lot since the concept stage where I had my brilliant drawings of the break dancing soldier. My image had definitely undergone a lot of progress between the test shoot and the final image, the model has definitely improved.
Loads of Assisting:
A benefit outside of my shoot was the amount of assisting/digi oping I’ve done during the billboard assignment
Bryony [Studio Beauty]
Chiara [Studio Food]
Tiana [Location Sport]
Elle [Location Sport]
Molly Percy [Studio Drinks]
This has given me a wide range of experience and learnt a lot of names
Even Better If:
Digging myself a big hole:
I think it’s fair to say I dug myself a massive hole for billboard. I was very determined to find an actual soldier for the shoot as my outside collaboration. I think I was incredibly determined to do this to make up for the fact that I was going to do yet another shoot with a makeup artist or stylist, so seeing on how I was going to be falling short in that aspect I thought I really had to wow the tutors by trying very hard to find a currently serving member or a veteran.
However, the after effects of my nan’s death meant that I was never on the ball and I actually never started emailing places until a week before the shoot. Not only was this short notice for a subject, but this was also very short notice for legal reasons. Current soldiers aren’t allowed to wear their uniforms outside the barracks without permission and they need special approval to be used for photo-shoots. So on a whole, I left it too late and I was initially very gutted and very embarrassed. It really felt like I had over-promised and under-delivered once again. However, this meant that I had to find someone who fitted the uniform I had and most importantly, we didn’t have to go through military procedures, so I’ve come out with work that I can easily put in my portfolio and in competitions.
I think it’s fair to say I took it too seriously, I had to take a step back and remind myself that this is just a university project. I don’t need to boil myself down in the ethics of using a solider so the campaign has integrity. Let’s say if 10 years down the line the Poppy Legion hear about this and want me to recreate it for them, then yes, maybe I’ll try harder to find a solider.
Another shoot:
The silhouette shot was an unbridled success. The lighting was perfect but a minor regret from the shoot is that I didn’t shoot some portraits of him in the attire. As I mentioned he was perfect in the service dress and I just wish I could’ve shot some normal portraits of him. However now that I’ve passed POCP, I am considering booking out a Phase Kit from Kitstore and doing a shoot with Luke another time, of course, I’m bound to change my mind when I see our timetable for next year.
More experimentation:
I think there is another way I could’ve shot this. Lighting the poppy was a big challenge, trying to find that perfect balance between shadow and highlight proved to be very tough. Also, I had to put the snoot incredibly close to Luke to achieve this lighting set up, so close to it very nearly peaked into his wardrobe. Keeping the modeling light on was not a good idea in hindsight.
I think there is another way I could’ve lit this and it might’ve produced the true glow/spotlight effect I was hoping to achieve. I wish I gave light painting a try. A second exposure and a phone torch might’ve produced a really nice effect.
Overall, I am very happy with the work I have created for billboard. It is a project where I’ve had a lot of fun during incredibly testing circumstances. It is a shoot I will definitely look back on with a lot of pride. Yes, I will look back and wish I’d organised it a lot better.
The Back I Used
Unfortunately, I could only shoot this on an IQ1 because the first year photographers and fashion had pinched the IQ3’s.
On the advice of Julian, I’ve decided to print the CD Book image and put it in a CD case so I can ask myself the question, does it work.
Looking at the print, I’m wishing that the word No More on Sarah was straight because that is currently serving as the title of the image and it doesn’t seem that clear. I’m also not a fan of the skin tones but I need to remember that these have been printed on an ordinary printer so the colours aren’t going to look that good anyway.
Seeing on how I wasn’t able to have a tutorial with Chris Frazer-Smith this week due to me studying for POCP, I decided to have a tutorial with Julian Hawkins. This tutorial was just to run his eyes over my image selection for Images That Persuade.
So, firstly we looked at Music Industry. Julian agreed with my image choice for the CD front and back. They worked together and I extended the background to fit the left side of the frame.
Julian agreed with what I said about the Facebook image I need to give the subjects more breathing room and I need to bring the word No More higher into the frame.
On the left is the Facebook image with the background extended further. The original is in the slideshow below.
Julian also recommended printing out the CD Inlay and actually putting it into a CD. This will let me know if the image works or not.
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Next we looked at the leaderboard images for River Thames. Julian liked two of the images but felt there was one that shouldn’t be used and I agree with him. He wasn’t a fan of the one of the kayak on the celing. It was too abstract for his liking and he had to think about what it was.
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I also have to remember that a leaderboard only appears online in the press and sometimes can only be around 7 cm’s wide so it would be squashed down too much. Whereas the silhouette image is perfect for that. It gives off a nice dynamic shape where you instantly know it’s rowing, Julian said it’s dynamic, it’s backlit nicely and it shows the action. It also shows how rowing can be an individual sport and then the final one shows how it’s also a team sport. Which I was worried that the logo would be too small but in Julian’s opinion it doesn’t matter as it still shows rowing.
So as a replacement, I’m considering using this image instead of the abstract kayak one. I feel it shows the team spirit.
Finally, we discussed my Billboard, which I’m putting most hope into, it is without a doubt my strongest assignment in ITP, but then again there isn’t really much competition from River Thames or Music Industry. After much debate and jumping backward and forewords, I came to a decision for my hero shot. It was different from the one I chose for the AoP awards. Julian liked it, he said that the side angle does the style the most justice. When Luke was shot straight on, the style could be perceived as contemporary. it could be a modern officer at the cenotaph.
However by shooting a profile. It does have that feel of the young British officer in the trenches of 1914 France and I wanted that to be there for the narrative of where the Poppy Legion started as the Haig Fund.
I also asked Julian about a variant of the layout. Following on from POCP, I went back and masked the Poppy and leaf again, this time I used Auto Mask. I then inverted the mask and desaturated everything but the Poppy. It does feel like colour pop but Julian agreed with my thoughts of how this adds to the narrative of remembering those who have died.
However it detracted from the style as the Khaki tones were lost. Also the First World War is a very black and white subject and Julian feels it has to be brought into colour, like Peter Jacksons They Shall Not Grow Old. This makes it feel relatable.
I didn’t really have a wide range of images to choose from in the end. Out of the 11 layouts I made from the 3 days of shooting. There were images that simply didn’t work because of how small a leaderboard is, there was also some imagery that was repetitive or not engaging.
Looking at the print, I’m wishing that the word No More on Sarah was straight because that is currently serving as the title of the image and it doesn’t seem that clear. I’m also not a fan of the skin tones but I need to remember that these have been printed on an ordinary printer so the colours aren’t going to look that good anyway.
Julian agreed with what I said about the Facebook image I need to give the subjects more breathing room and I need to bring the word No More higher into the frame.
Finally, we discussed my Billboard, which I’m putting most hope into, it is without a doubt my strongest assignment in ITP, but then again there isn’t really much competition from River Thames or Music Industry. After much debate and jumping backward and forewords, I came to a decision for my hero shot. It was different from the one I chose for the AoP awards. Julian liked it, he said that the side angle does the style the most justice. When Luke was shot straight on, the style could be perceived as contemporary. it could be a modern officer at the cenotaph.
I also asked Julian about a variant of the layout. Following on from POCP, I went back and masked the Poppy and leaf again, this time I used Auto Mask. I then inverted the mask and desaturated everything but the Poppy. It does feel like colour pop but Julian agreed with my thoughts of how this adds to the narrative of remembering those who have died.
Ben Peters Digital Photography 