Final Evaluation:

This project for me was pretty successful as I had achieved what I set out to do. Due to the fact that I have three successful images that have turned out how I wanted them to do. In my opinion they look like David Baileys work but also my own as I created something slightly different.

I had improved my work throughout this project, such as the lighting for the portraits I had shot and adapting the lighting to what I wanted to create. For each shoot I used flash lighting but for more centred light I used a reflector elinchrom rather than a softbox as they disperse the light around the subject. I had never used a reflector elinchrom before so it was a good experience to do so as I would like to use to more in my work, as it makes the lighting harder and creates good shadows.

My portrait work has evolved from this project as my work is based around portraits. This project was a good idea for me as I do enjoy taking portraits of people and it has been good to do so, as all three of my pieces are very different from each other. I’ve developed many skills from this project from, editing to the lighting. Each skill I’ve learnt has taught me what makes a good portrait and what aspect of that skill makes the photo successful.

The unit 9 aspect was really helpful and had really opened my eyes to where I want to go and what I wanted to do with my future and how I was going to get there once I had finished my two-year course. Doing the progression talks was good as it allowed me to see what course I wanted to do and what they involve.

If I was to do this again I would change small parts about the photos to make them look more alike but I wouldn’t want to change the photos I have now. I think with slight changes it would make my images stronger. I would also try to do other photos that David Bailey has created, as I really enjoyed doing his work. Having more images would create a better range for the viewer to look at. I think that it would have been good for me to do more images as it is more practise and experimenting within my work.

Editing my images didn’t take a lot of time at all as it was quite simply editing that I had done. I didn’t want to over edit my images as I didn’t want them to lose their originality and rustic feel to them. Editing them into black and white made the photos look so much better than what they did when they were in colour. I think that adding them into black and white gave them a different feel to them and adding more dimension into the faces and shadows. I mainly dodged my work as I liked the highlights that it created on the faces and skin.

With the research aspect I really enjoyed it as it was something that I wanted to do, and enjoyed researching into David Bailey. By researching into him into depth it helped me improve my work and get the results that I wanted to achieve. Whilst doing the shoots I printed out David Baileys images so that I could get the adjustments and positioning right. My idea had changed from my original idea as at first I wanted to do different eras but once I had looked into David Baileys work my idea had changed into something so much better and which I have enjoyed doing for my project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison; The Krays:

These two photos I feel that they look quite similar due to the placement and expressions on the faces. There is quite a few differences but not ones that jump out immediately, such as; the highlights on their faces on the original is really harsh, but works as it matches with the white background, as there is a barrier from the edge of their face and the background. Where as I had done the same but with a black background. I didn’t want to edit the photos in the same way as I feel like it is too over done and I wanted to keep it quite simplistic.

Comparison; Michael Caine:

With this photo I took it straight on rather than at a downwards angle. I had also swapped which side the shadow was on, due to what I thought looked better. Although this was an experiment shoot I feel like it played out quite well for what I wanted to achieve in. I would change the angle and how the cigarette is placed, as I like how in the original Michael Caine’s cigarette is practically come out of the print. I also prefer how I decided to shoot him on a black background as I feel it works better when in black and white, as his face doesn’t get as lost, as it would if the background was white.

Comparison: Jean Shrimpton;

Looking at the two photos next to each other you can clearly see that they are not quite the same.However that makes my version of the photo my own, as I haven’t completely copied the original photo. The more I look at my version of the photo I notice how different they actually are, if I was to do it again I would lift her arm up and bring her arm out more so her posture was better suited to the pose.

Although I see these things I can improve on I do like my final outcome as it shows that I haven’y copied the photo exactly, which gives it my own finish.

Jean Shrimpton Shoot; Final Image:

I think this shoot went really well as I had got the image that I wanted and what I think represents what I want it to. Even though it took a lot of trial and error photos I feel like it was worth it as in the end I had achieved the result I wanted. By having Sara in her floaty top I think it adds to the photo as the ‘wind’ makes it look soft and glamorous in a way. Although David Bailey doesn’t have Jean Shrimpton in a floaty top, by doing this it makes it my own and it shows how I have interpreted it.

For this shoot I used one flash light without a soft box, I didn’t want to use a soft box as it diffuses the light and I wanted it quite harsh and directly onto the model. This works a lot better as you can then manipulate the light how you want it to look, creating shadows and where you want them. I also used a light reflector but not to reflect the light but to use it to create the wind to blow her hair, at first it was too much but then the person who was helping me with my shoot, worked out a balance on what works with what I wanted. Just like the other photos I had taken I had done the shoot on a black background as I feel like the model pops out more when the photo is converted into black and white.

The editing process was in photoshop and again like the other photos not a lot of editing was involved. To make the image look softer I duplicated the image and made one of the layers clarity really low and revealed it by using a layer mask. Then made it black and white by using fill. I didn’t want to do a lot of work to the photo as I wanted it to have a natural feel to it, rather than having it over edited and lose it’s originality.

 

Jean Shrimpton; Contact Sheet:

Although my final image for this shoot wasn’t included into the contact sheet, here are some of my outcomes. I incorporated two different styles into this shoot as I wanted to try and do two different photos that David Bailey had taken of Jean Shrimpton. By trying out the two different styles it gave me a range of images to work from, and helped me develop which style/pose I preferred in the editing stage. I prefer the vertical images as the composition works so much better with what I am trying to achieve. My final image is similar to DSC 5138, I didn’t choose this photo as her back and hands wasn’t in the position I wanted them in. My models back was to forward and her hand wasn’t lifted up in the right way.

British Values:

The four British Values are:

• Democracy – A system of government by the whole population or eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
• The Rule Of Law – Restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws.
• Individual Liberty – The liberty of those persons who are free from external restraint in the exercise of those rights which are considered to be outside the province of a government to control
• mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith
• Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith

In 2010 35% of 18-25 year old’s did not vote in the election

In 2015 34% of 18-25 year old did not vote out of 64% of people who did vote.

The next general election is happening on the 8th of June 2017. Before I had this talk about the general election and the manifesto’s they are offering, I feel like 18-25 year olds should vote more as soon enough we will be the adults who have to deal with the changed polices, whilst the people who are voting now it wouldn’t really affect them in the long run.

David Bailey – Michael Caine; Practise Shoot:

I wanted to edit a photo from the contact sheet to see the if the end result is something I wanted. It turns out that this is the outcome I want to achieve for my final photo shoot for the Michael Caine shoot. Even though I have got somethings I need to improve on to get the correct outcome, looking at this photo makes me kind of want to keep it how it is. But using this and another photo shoot I can then compare and critique them and work out which one worked best. By doing this it will help me understand where I can improve and how I got to my final outcome.

To edit this photo, I used Photoshop and Photoshop RAW. I adjusted the clarity, shadows, highlights and contrast to get the desired edit I wanted. Once I had opened it into Photoshop I had added a 50% grey fill to it to make it black and white. I played around with the levels which really helped bring up the shadows and highlights. As the levels didn’t give me enough shadow without making the image look black, I dodged and burned around the face and hair. This then created the shadow on the light side of the face that I wanted. Even though the shadow is on the opposite side compared the actual photo of Michael Caine, having the shadow on the left looks better in my opinion. I had also added a little bit of a crop to the head, I only cropped it a little bit as I didn’t want to overdo it, due to him having his hair pushed upwards, there would be too much forehead in the shot. Whereas the Michael Caine photo is cropped all the way down to his forehead. However, it works for the framing of the photo as it doesn’t just show his forehead making him look bold or over cropped.

There is a few things that I would change in this photo and that is the cigarette not being straight, it would look better if it was straight as it would look like it is coming out of the photo, making it look less flat and more 3D. I would also change the lighting from beauty lighting to having it 45 degrees right of the model so that the shadow is on the left side of the face again, but I will experiment with the lighting more to create harsher or less harsh shadows on the face and chin.