Zeus - reshoot inspiration

Zeus was the god of the sky and rain as well as ruler of the Olympian Gods– he was also brother to Hades. He was a wise and merciful paternal figure, protector of the people, and watched over the welfare of the whole community. Zeus was described as “lord of justice“ as he “brought peace in place of violence”.

Inspiration

This image was created by Rankin, I like the lighting in this image as i feel like it gives a strong impact of the models body and makes him look strong and powerful. 

Image found at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTK5gGadYDQ63iB0exy3q4nwQu09Dx8bej8jcVYxd4AczU5u693BBTT47bKgqH7icR5EpFpie72L4-dnwq6hi7tY-Hc8WvOYSFOCRJYhLVu4IaubiYLkK5LT7vHyl5gbti3GOFlAXGlOVO/s640/Scan+26.jpeg

Lighting

For the shoot i want to use lighting that gives shadows and highlights as i think this gives a strong feeling to the images. 

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6d/b8/06/6db8068f1db7bdb7f46194d9b67aa72c.jpg

Pose

For the shoot I want to capture some close up images of the models face enabling to see the laid on beard up close. This will be the best way to show my practical skills of how I have created this hair and makeup look.

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e5/7c/f2/e57cf24d450cc7fc1d537b431c83fdba.jpg

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d7/87/96/d787969e92c7b9d3224f9c053d922635.jpg

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/1c/41/e2/1c41e265f6876b78c7046e7587fd0484.jpg

I will use glycerin in a spray bottel to create a sweaty and muscular effect on the skin. This is a technique that I have not tried before but I know that it is used a lot in fashion photography and for food photography. I have brought the glyecerin from boots and will use it in a spray bottle like shown in this image below. 

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/05/f3/aa/05f3aa852c955034138921ba8c98a666.jpg

Makeup

For the makeup for this shoot I want to keep it really natural. I will use a little bit of highlighter on the models cheeks and brow bone so that his face will photograph a bit better with an even skin tone and depth. I will also lay on a beard using spirit gum and black crepe hair. I learnt this technique in a session at the beggining of first year and Im excited to finally try it out for a shoot.

Hair

As my model has afro hair I will not be styling his hair however I will be laying on a beard for the shoot. 

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/4f/0b/a4/4f0ba4bc998fec9cadfd9b12b255e6d6.jpg

Image found at http://www.living-postcards.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/art_inside/slide_homepage_1240x800_0.jpg

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/9a/28/cf/9a28cf0a3f6c4f3b600aa78856502278.jpg

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/b7/1d/1e/b71d1ecfcd55b4c5ce6767f294b6f38e.jpg

Prepping Athena's hair style

To begin creating the designed style for Athena hair I needed to cut the wig to mid length as it was a very long wig. I then used the frizzing technique in all the hair ends, I only used this technique in the ends of the hair because I wanted to keep the hair straight at the roots. The frizzing technique means wrapping a small section of hair in the figure of 8 around a hair pin and then using grips to hold the hair in place. I left the fringe section out of the frizzing as I created a bohemian style braid in the front which would wrap around the head.

Using the frizzing technique which I learnt in my second year of study allowed me to create this look easily, however I spent all day in the studios prepping the wig as it took me 7 hours to wrap the hair around the pins. It was really difficult to use this technique on a synthetic wig as the hair kept slipping and I had to hold the hair really tightly to keep it in place.

Once the wig was all prepped I used a steamer to set the hair. Once the hair was cry I brushed it out and wrapped the braid around the head and began dressing out the bottoms of the hair. I had left this small section at the front of the hair as i wasn't sure if I was going to need it or not for the braid. Once i had created the braid in the front section i realised that i didn't need it so also used the frizzing technique for this small section.

Once this section had also set i then brushed the hair out and pinned it in place to cover the stitching of the wig. I really enjoyed creating this style in this wig because it allowed me to learn the best way to deal with the technique in synthetic hair. Im also really excited to be able to use this for a shoot.

Mentor meeting 22/2/16

When I met with my mentor this week I showed Sharon the images from the Aphrodite shoot. She said her only worry about the images is that they are 'too beautiful' however this is the only character that will be shown in this light, now I can begin editing the images.

We spoke about inspiration for GIF's and cinemagraphs for my project, I wanted to speak to her about how I could create interesting images within the studio, Sharon suggested looking at Reed and Radar as they direct films and animated GIF's set in 'uncanny virtual worlds'. They're earliest images were all created within the studio.

Reed and radar have worked with clients such as Adidas, Stella McCartney, Victoria's Secret, Ray-Ban, MTV and W Magazine as well as many others. Below are two images of their work which I can use as inspiration for my own work. These images below that have been created by Reed and Radar 

Image found at http://www.reedandrader.com/images/motilo01.gif

Image found at http://www.reedandrader.com/images/motilo02.gif

Reed and radar have also created interactive images which can be accessed by CLICKING HERE. This series called Naptime include images that can be moved by using the curser to move the model, the face of the model or the shadows in the background of the image. From researching about Reed and Radars work I am feeling more confident that I will be able to create simple but effective interactive images for my project by shooting in the studio. 

I also spoke with Sharon about possibly finding someone to help me build the online exhibition as I don't feel very confident with creating the exhibition from scratch myself.

#cognitiveskills 

Reference

Pamela Reed + Matthew Rader (no date) Available at: http://www.reedandrader.com/info.html#content (Accessed: 2 March 2016).

Zeus shoot

Last night I had the studio booked from 7-9, I don't feel very happy with how the shoot went, I feel like the photography doesn't look exactly how i wanted it to even though I had previously given her a mood board. During the shoot the photographer seemed to be very grumpy when i asked her to change some of the lighting which was frustrating as I had showed her images of exactly what I wanted the final images to look like.

The model was great for the look as he had a beard, how ever it was very difficult for me to do his makeup as his eye area was very sensitive, this made applying eye shadow very difficult. The gold of the makeup design looks unfinished. I will not be using this for the reshoot of Zeus.

 #cognitiveskills

Aphrodite shoot inspiration

FASCINATION

Movement in the eyes for a cinemagraph - i tink this will be interesting to create for Aphrodite as it will create a soft and romantic effect to the images. 

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/23/89/e6/2389e66dce08ffbf5cd2594e90fc47e5.gif

Movement in the face for GIF

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/95/8a/40/958a403f81835d7028f49df2063f714a.gif

I want to use flowers as props in the hair for Aphrodite as it will create a romantic feel to the ahirstyle. 

Bright beauty images - hair main focus, i think that this type of lighting will be great for Aphrodite because it creates soft and romantic feel to the images. It is important for me to have an understanding of lighting techniques so that i will be able to direct the photographer for the shoots.

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11219659_1015955488455675_558305981963214346_n.jpg?oh=25f850e8661f35500d10071f1febccaa&oe=5739B3B9

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/45/b2/23/45b2237567184d19a8df0ee6ee77d0cf.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/78/59/36/785936cb53e081a3a11acd8900e5c385.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/da/e3/f5/dae3f59f3c68f5cc34c354f8faaa99aa.jpg

Pose


I want to pose of the model to be soft and beautiful, i think that a straight face will be great for the images bacause i still want some mystery to the final images so that the audience will be interested in the images.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c9/b3/1c/c9b31c950aa27a1f5eeda460e9749246.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/8a/08/28/8a08285809011040c870da834461b805.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/c4/a4/0d/c4a40d814881813d2f4af5e585ce152f.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f4/7c/b3/f47cb391354fa17be03772bb2563fcae.jpg

Makeup
I want to use soft colours for aphrodites makeup desing so that it is not to bold or over powering this will also keep the hair as the main aspect of the shoot.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/9d/23/fb/9d23fbd40510caaa796ea7a6173f544e.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/2e/c6/25/2ec6257e1f8abde7e86082c7cb00f720.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d4/3c/67/d43c67275e3e0f33fe28d716aaaed006.jpg

How the shoot went

I had the studio booked from 10-12 so planned to meet the model at 9 to do her makeup and prep her hair and apply the wig. I was feeling confident as I had confirmed with the photographer and the model the yesterday about times and meeting places for the shoot. This morning I arrived at uni at 10 to 9 as I needed to collect the wig from the fourth floor and didn't want to be late. I arrived down in the photography store just before 9 and set up ready for the models arrival, however at 9.15 she still hadn't arrived yet so I sent her a message and she hadn't left her house yet!! I began feeling anxious as I knew I had a time schedule to keep to, once the model arrived at 9.40  I applied the makeup and braided the models hair as quickly as I could to begin shooting at 10. The photographer was also late I was feeling even more anxious about the shoot.

However i feel that the shoot went well and I'm excited about collecting the images from the photographer so I can begin editing the images.

From my first shoot I have learnt that in the future I need to follow people up in the morning by sending a quick message to ensure that they're also on time. Now I have realised that I need to manage other people as well as I can throughout this project. 

Unedited pictures from the shoot

#knowledge #und

GIF & Cinemagraph inspo & how to

Before beginning to shoot any of my looks I wanted to do a bit of research on possible ways of how I could edit my images to create GIFS or Cinemagraph's. As I haven't had the scheduled IT lesson for creating GIF's get I thought it would be good to so some primary research of how to create GIF's so that I get the right materials to be able to do this after the shoots. 

Undertaking this research made me feel excited but scared all at the same time! Im excited because i feel that if I could achieve these types of outcomes from the shoots they would look amazing. However i feel scared because i feel uncertain if cinemagraphs would be achievable within the studios with what I have planned for my shoots so far. 

I think it's a really exciting way to show case my work although I'm not completely sure on the aesthetic of the final outcomes yet. As a cinemagraph has movement within it I will be planning the shoots with this in mind, movement for a cinemagraph could be moving lights, fabric, hair or eyes.

GIFs stand for Graphics Interchange Format, and it’s a bitmap image format that supports animation. This supported animation is

what makes any movement possible. This magical movement hit the world wide web in the late eighties, so it’s nothing new. However, the animation in GIFs are generally characterized to be rather jumpy and irregular.

Then came along Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg. This talented team of fashion photographer and motion designer crafted “cinemagraphs”—incredibly sleek and sophisticated GIFs. A cinemagrpah is a still image which has just a part of it moving, it in between a photograph and a movie - a living moment. 

All of these animated images have given me inspiration of the possibilities of how I can edit my images after each shoot have taken place. From this research I have discovered that to make GIF's, just images can be used to create movement in an image. To make a cinemagraph 10-20 seconds of filming will be enough footage, however I will need to plan the scene before the shoots. Any movie files will beed to be compatible with photoshop, therefore must be a MOV or AVI file.

Cinemagraphs by Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

Video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9KiIjyCTpI

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/64/07/76/640776eaaaea6d9679e9af9fccc93c03.gif

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/a9/4b/5e/a94b5e62f38aa7fe74ed5399bb6a6796.gif

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8d/2f/8f/8d2f8f7372a804d548019ee5dcaf9de2.gif

Image found at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/65/da/0c/65da0c12880ead7a92ba936c5a849da4.gif

Video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot5GwpQPjF0

Video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPi0kl4L3_o

#knowledge #understanding 

Reference

How to make Cinemagraphs — still photos that move like movies! (no date) Available at: http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/how-to-make-cinemagraphs-photos-that-move/ (Accessed: 2 March 2016).

Preparing for next weeks shoots - Aphrodite & Zeus

In preparation for next weeks shoots for Aphrodite and Zeus taking place on Monday morning (Aphrodite) and Wednesday evening (Zeus) I have been prepping the hair styles for these designs. I have also created the final makeup looks.

Aphrodite

These images are of the mermaid braid which has been styled onto this lace front wig. I wanted the wig to be full with lots of hair therefore I sewed another wig into the base wig. I also hair to set the wig in small rollers to create some texture in the hair so that it would hold in the twist better and flow with the movement of the hair style than my previous post with this wig. I feel that this style works well because it is soft and elegant which is what i wanted to achieve for Aphrodite. 

Below are the images of the test shoot of the wig in one of the studios in the university.

For this makeup look I wanted to use colour to show Aphrodite's characteristics. I used  Patti Bellantoni's 'If it purple someones gonna die' as reference:

Yellow - to resemble the sun - a powerful energy, yellow is also a obsessive colour.

Orange - a warm inviting colour which I think is important for Aphrodite as she is the Goddess of love desire and beauty. 

Zeus

Below are the steps of making the hair crown which will be used for the Zeus shoot. I have created this crown by using cardboard, wire, tape and jumbo braiding hair. This took me all day to create however I am feeling unsure of how it will look for the shoot especially as it is meant to be for a male character. The makeup design for this look is inspired by a painting technique called 'chiaroscuro', translated from Italian meaning 'clear, light' and 'obscure, dark' a juxtaposition of contrasting colour. Gold has also been used within this makeup design as it can be associated with Gods and wealth.

#practicalskills #knowledge #understanding