Independent Shoot 3 (Tone & Form)

This independent shoot will be a combination of the formal elements tone and form. I plan to incorporate actual physical objects into these photos since I've tested portraiture with nothing added in, and portraiture with complex edits. 

Research
David Bailey
Bailey is a very well known British portrait photographer. His work changed the cliche of portraiture in Britain, with his alternative black and white contrasting and composition. He's captured many celebrities such as David Bowie, Will Smith, Jean Shrimpton, etc.

This portrait of the actor Johnny Depp is a good example of how Bailey's work owns a high contrast in his work. It's typical in male portraiture for the tone to be a lot darker since it subconsciously represents a more masculine appearance; this photo owns deep shadowing giving an example of darker tone working with male portraiture. The heavy shadows defining Depp's facial features, mainly cheekbones and jaw, creates a presentation of form since his dimensions are harshly defined. The composition directs all the viewers focus onto Depp and nothing more; the white backdrop and black shirt create a clash, so all the grey tones are the middle ground, which is where the focus will be put. Depp's hands through his hair and stare into the camera suggests a sensual atmosphere, this typically entices a viewers attention more.

Image Bank

These photos from David Bailey represent the style of portraiture I enjoy the absolute most. The simplicity and high contrast in tone, while with slight suggestions of distortion is my favourite style for portraiture and I find very admirable. For this shoot I will be incorporating physical objects with to experiment with what I believe looks best for my portraiture, I plan to do a simple edit since a more complex one doesn't seem necessary for this shoot.

Contact Sheet

These are my raw photos for my first independent shoot, captured on my DSLR camera.

Best Photos

These are my best-captured photos, untouched.

Photos that require improvement

I believe these photos do not present this shoot in the way I intended, the composition appears awkward and unprofessional. For both photos, the shutter speed was at 1/50, aperture on F8, and exposure at ISO 6400; the photos in these settings make the photos appear fairly dark, but that adds a more dramatic effect I feel and if any higher in exposure, the photos begin to become grainy in quality like in the last shoot. These photos were near to the end of the shoot and I was beginning to run out of ideas for how I could incorporate the book in a different way, so positioning the of my hands suggest uncertainty, same with my facial expression. The entire composition appears unplanned and awkward in appearance. If I were to retake these photos, I'd previously plan more certain poses and come up with better ways to incorporate the book with me so the photos appeared more professional.

AO3: Record ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions reflecting critically on work and progress.

My Ideas

My intentions for my third independent shoot was to experiment with physical objects since it was something I hadn't done yet. I wanted to incorporate books since I think they represent my personality and fascination best, and these shoots are meant to link with identity and the human form. I enjoy portraiture that involves more abstract concepts and finds that they can be intriguing easily, personally though I find simplistic portraiture more enjoyable and plays better into my strengths. I believe my photos technically met my intentions for this shoot, but I've realised that with this shoot that I excel better with simplistic photos and if I wanted, complex edits; I'm unsure of how to incorporate physical things well with a variety. It's not the most enjoyable either so I believe if I want to add in objects to my photos, I'm better off editing it in.

Reference to my best photos

The second photo of me with the 'One Of Us Is Lying' book while appearing as if I'm silencing the viewer I believe owns a strong linking with each other. Even if the viewer isn't aware of what the book is about, the title already makes the photo suggestive and when you add in my gesture, it creates a malicious atmosphere to the photo which I think is more enticing and dramatic.

The fourth photo of me with 'The Psychopath Test' covering the top half of my face, but slightly merging with the cover owns a slight humorous appearance, removing stereotypical portrait beauty standards. The book itself already creates a linking with identity, and to place it over my face creates a slightly dark effect since the connotations with psychopaths are negative and this photo suggests that I am one.

The fifth photo of me flicking through the 'F**k It' book I think presents an accurate representation of the book's title; my facial expression and posture appears careless and owns a slight attitude. My best photos are the ones that owned a strong link with me and the book because it sticks with a theme.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques, and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Use of Camera

I used a Nikon D3400 DSLR camera and a tripod for every photo taken. Since these photos were taken of myself, I had to capture myself using self-timer while my camera was on a tripod, I used someone else to make sure all the camera settings, focus, and alignments were right. The camera was in manual mode, shutter speed being at 1/50 fraction of a second, aperture on F8, and exposure at ISO 6400 since the light setting was dark and struggling to capture me in any other setting. Once making sure everything was set right, I put the camera on self-timer (taking a photo every 5 seconds for 5 photos each time) and captured myself in various poses while with a book (4 books = 6 photos with each).

Final Pieces

Since my inspiration is based on tone and form, and the photographer David Bailey who is well known for his monochromatic portraiture, I need to edit my photos in the same style. I used the dodge and burn technique for this shoot since I believed it was best appropriate.
I firstly pressed CTRL+SHIFT+U to remove all saturation from the photo. Then pressing CTRL+L to open up 'Levels...' just so I could bring the mid-tones slightly up to reveal any smaller imperfections on my skin for the next step.

Then I used the 'Spot Healing Brush Tool', and removed any blemishes or open pores on my skin so I appear more soft to the face. I also have specs all over my wall/background and thought they seemed distracting, so I also removed those with the healing tool. If it was necessary, I would also use the 'Blur Tool' to smooth anything else out.

 

After this, I moved onto the dodge and burn technique. Firstly, I created an adjustment layer of 'Curves', this layer I dragged the mid-point down, making the photos mid-tones darker in appearance drastically, then pressing CTRL+I which inverts the layer. This should make the tab appear black instead of white. Secondly, I create another adjustment layer of 'Curves', this time dragging the mid-point up, making the photos mid-tones lighter in appearance drastically, then pressing CTRL+I once again to invert this layer.

After this, I used the 'Brush Tool' on a 'Soft Round' brush on a white colour since that is the opposite of the black adjustment layer, meaning it'll reveal the layers affect wherever I paint. Depending on where I was revealing either darker or lighter points, the opacity on the brush would depend on where. I'd highlight the points where I wanted more attention to or where the light was hitting, and darken areas that were too distracting or not necessary to be dominantly visible.

 

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

David Bailey was my full inspiration with this shoot since his work owns a strong use of form and tone, and is always perfectly composed. He taught me that I shouldn't be so against stronger contrasts since if done well, it owns such a dramatic appearance. Overall, I believe I excel best with simplistic portraiture that just owns a distortion in stereotypical portraiture work, I know I could improve with incorporating physical objects but I personally don't enjoy the process of it all and it isn't necessary so I won't develop that most likely.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.  

I believe my third independent shoot has been relatively successful with my experimenting with physical objects. Some photos own a strong link between the book and myself; I find these to be the strongest. This is my third independent shoot.

Remastered

Independent Shoot 2 (Form)

This independent shoot is going to focus on the formal element form. Since I'm continuing portraiture/human form, form seems to be the most appropriate for this work. As a reminder, form is a three-dimensional shape, created with the use of light and tone.

Research
Annegien Schilling
Schilling is an indie photographer, well known for her movingly dramatic editing skills in her urban portraiture on her Instagram.

This self-portrait of Schilling is a very well known photo of hers since it symbolised body image and identity; something discussed often in media forms. The barcodes edited on her body say derogatory terms while she owns a slightly distressed expression; this conveys that the photo is clearly presenting identity/self-image issues. It's stereotypical for women to own these views on themselves either due to lack of confidence or they have been told so by others. Schilling is covered in black I believe ink smudges which create a distortion to any natural features on her. The light is directly facing her creating a lacking in shadows and depth; this is made up for with the ink on her skin though. The light shadows on her collarbone to define it present her form and dimension; this makes her appear more fragile in the photo. The background is plain and Schilling is in the centre of the frame while taking most of the space around, making her the only focal point.

Image Bank

These photos represent my ideas and enjoyed the style of more abstract portraiture. I considered incorporating physical objects into this next shoot, but before I do that I've decided to use more complex photoshop edits to make it appear more abstract in my portraiture. The last three photos from John Yuyi obviously is just physical portraiture with prints on the skin, but this can obviously be done with editing also. Schilling's work always owns complex edits and I find this admirable so I plan to attempt the same with my next shoot of portraiture.

Contact Sheet

These are my raw photos for my second independent shoot, captured on my DSLR camera.

Best Photos
These are my best-captured photos, untouched.

Photos that require improvement

I believe these photos do not fit up to par with the rest of my photos. Both appear awkward in composition, making them appear unflattering. For the first photo, the shutter speed was at 1/50, aperture F8, and exposure at ISO 12800; I feel as though the exposure was too high since the quality is slightly grainy, and since more of my skin is visible than in the other portraits, the photo just appears over-exposed. The position of my head creates an unflattering appearance since its tilted too far back, removing comfortable access to my face for the viewer, the facial expression also seems mid-motion and makes the photo seem more awkward in composition. If I were to retake this photo I'd lower the exposure to ISO 6400 so the photo is less grainy and doesn't appear over-exposed, and also re-position my head it's at a more flattering angle.

For the second photo, the shutter speed was at 1/50, aperture F8, and exposure at ISO 12800; this photo also appears grainy in quality, proving the ISO needed to be lower. Besides it appearing slightly over-exposed, my facial and body expression appears rigid and once again awkward; my shoulders are visibly stiff and my face suggests discomfort. If I were to retake this photo, I'd lower the exposure to ISO 6400 so the exposure is dimmer, improving the quality of the photo, and also just, in general, have a more comfortable exterior, since if I appear uncomfortable, that is likely to reflect on the viewer, which is not my intentions.

AO3: Record ideas, observations, and insights relevant to intentions reflecting critically on work and progress.

My Ideas

My intentions for my second independent shoot were unclear at first but decided I wanted to get more complex with my editing skills to see if this is something I could continue for the future. The edits are going to own a man vs nature aspect since I thought this would be interesting for model portraiture. When I first did a form shoot, they were also self-portraits, but there was nothing to them edit wise, nonetheless,, I enjoyed the form topic, and it inspired me to continue portraiture. I believe my photos have met my intentions for this shoot. The photos allow me to experiment with my editing skills and stick to my portraiture aesthetic, my only struggle was the attempt to brighten the exposure in the photos, causing them to appear slightly grainy.

Reference to my best photos

The first photo of me in a dark setting looking away from the camera owns a slight dramatic effect which I personally enjoy. This photo was with the group that are slightly darker than the rest; making the shadowing more intense and creates a stronger depth. I think this helps with edit effect I'll add onto it later.

The fourth photo of me pulling slightly at my face while staring into the camera I believe is a good example of my love for alternative beauty. Pulling at my skin adds a distorted appearance to typical beauty modelling in portraiture. The positioning of my body is also centred evenly, creating a clean composition.

The last photo of me looking into the camera with my finger dragging my lip slightly down owns an editing intention. I plan to edit both sides of the face, with different pieces of nature to present different seasons. I enjoy the composition of my body posture and facial expression since they seem relaxed and welcoming to the viewer.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques, and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

Use of Camera

I used a Nikon D3400 DSLR camera and a tripod for every photo taken. Since these photos were taken of myself, I had to capture myself using self-timer while my camera was on a tripod, I used someone else to make sure all the camera settings, focus, and alignments were right. The camera was in manual mode, shutter speed being at 1/50 fraction of a second, aperture on F8, and exposure at ISO 6400 in the first 6 photos, and ISO 12800 in the rest since the lighting setup was very dark and I re-adjusted midway through. Once making sure everything was set right, I put the camera on self-timer (taking a photo every 5 seconds for 5 photos each time) and captured myself in various poses and areas.

Final Pieces

Firstly, I pressed CTRL+SHIFT+U to desaturate the whole photo, then using the 'Spot Healing Tool' to remove any blemishes and the specs on the background so nothing grabbed the attention besides the subject (myself). I used a layer mask of curves to burn the background/backdrop, so I'm in a better contrast and defined better.

Now I started the process to create the illusion of nature sprouting from my face. Firstly, I created a solid colour black layer over the photo. Then duplicating the original photo, and placing it over the black layer.

I selected the Pen tool and started to select the area of my face that I wanted to cut out. Once created I right clicked and pressed, 'Make Selection', then using the 'Marquee Tool' and right clicking to press 'Cut via Layer' to make sure the area has been selected and is its own independent layer, I'd then delete this layer since it isn't necessary for how I wanted my work to appear.

 

Simply cutting an area of my face out appears flat and removes depth, so I double clicked onto the duplicate layer, and pressed 'Bevel & Emboss', adjusting the depth, size and angle to fit appropriately to the direction the light and depth I want to the face.

Now I add in the actual piece of nature. Please note that I didn't have the time to actually capture my own pieces of nature, so the pieces used in this set are taken PNG files from the internet. Firstly, I simply dragged the piece onto my photo. I dragged this layer in between the duplicate and solid black layer after adjusting the layer so it is an appropriate place to create an illusion. I duplicate this layer, placing the duplicate over the original photo layer, then pressing control and clicking on the model layer while still on the plant layer, to then press layer mask, CTRL+I to invert this, so the plant layer appears still behind the face.

Now using the brush tool on a white soft brush setting, I'd paint areas where I wanted it to appear as if the plant was coming out of my face. After that, I added another layer above the original plant layer, to paint on some shadowing to add more dimension.

 

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.

Annegien Schilling was my main inspiration for this shoot, her strong edits I found impressive and admirable. Schilling's photos always own an urban style that is moving and calming at the same time, which is the intentions I want with my photos. With my next shoot, I'm going to actually incorporate physical objects in.

AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.  

I believe my second independent shoot has been successful with my experimentation of editing. The edits were successful and add a more symbolic presentation to my portraiture. This is my second independent shoot.

Remastered

The original final pieces involved photos found online for the complete edits; this was to save time, but obviously, all resource needs to be mine in the end. I capture three different fake flower bouquets in different angles.

I selected the flower itself with the 'quick selection tool'.

I right clicked and clicked 'layer via cut' which separated the flowers from the background.

Then double clicking the 'background' layer, to turn it into an editable layer. Then deleting this layer since it's not necessary.

The selection isn't always perfect so I use the 'quick selection tool' again or the 'lasso tool' to select areas that are still background pieces or not wanted in general.

Once selected I simply delete it by pressing the 'backspace' key.

I do this to any unwanted areas, then it's complete and ready to be used in my final edits.

....................

The editing process for these was the exact same as the first edits, I simply just used my own pieces of nature this time.