Possible Final Photos

For my final photos I am have chosen 5-6 photos that I'm pretty confident with. I'm confident with them because all the lighting is the same, and it all fits into the category. Also the depth of field is all very similar. What helps is there's a beautiful white backdrop that makes my their hair and make-up stand out very well, and helps frame my models.


These photos are all taken in natural light. What I was trying to achieve when taking these photos was a sort of natural, bright but clear photos. I wanted them to look very bright so they can stand out. The focus of these portraits were the hair and make up. There was not much to touch up on camera raw, as the lighting was so good that made their skin look flawless, and the sun was bringing out the colour of their eyes.

The second photo has some interesting lighting going on. Someone asked me if I was trying to do the 'split image' but actually I wasn't. I first thought I should edit the other side and make it a little brighter, but then I thought to myself this is what makes MY photo unique.

Portfolio shoot, week4

So today I took one of my friends out to the city and took some location portraits of her.
The weather was up and down it didn't help, but I took Saras advice and to continue with what we're doing. Luckily the weather settled down a little.

Todays photoshoot went well, but I found it very hard talking to the model, directing the model, and getting inspired. I had lunch with my model before the shoot, so she felt a little more comfortable around me and wasn't too shy.

I didn't use any reflectors or flash, I used a standard kit lens and natural lighting. The lighting has turned out very well, it's so bright and fresh and that's exactly what I was looking for.

I went to town and didn't have a clue where I was going to shoot, so I did a little tour with my model and it also gave us a chance to talk more and swap information with one another. As I was walking towards the viaduct I saw this beautiful wall with such lovely art! So I straight away got her to pose for me their. I wanted her to look very natural in the photos, didn't want it to look like she's posing or anything.

 f8.0, 1/100, ISO100

  f8.0, 1/100, ISO100

 f8.0, 1/80 ISO200
http://donatellaodisho.blogspot.co.nz/2014/10/portfolio-planning-week12.html
The link above show's the similarity of the photo re-search I had done earlier last term.
The difference is the other model is all alone, but my model has people around her, more environmental.

 

This shoot was inspired by Sara Orme, not to take the same exactly photo but to do something similar and different location. To make it look more 'casual' and 'life styling'. I asked my model to dress as like she would dress any other day if she was going out to town for lunch or shopping. She was first nervous to what she should wear. So she ended up face booking me a few photos of her outfits from 4 and we chose these two outfits. The reason to why I chose these photos was because I wanted her to look very natural. I wanted her to fit in with the crowd but then I wanted her to stand out in the photos just as she is on the third photo.

What worked out really well was the lighting as it has shown the pictures really clear and that's what I always look for my photos. I don't like dark photos much, unless it's suppose to be dark. However what didn't work was my model, she wasn't feeling to comfortable posing in font of a crowd.. She was looking uncomfortable on the photos too. So I tried my best to take her to places where there wasn't so many people but of course in Auckland City, that is impossible, right?

Sara Orme Fashion, Location.

Above is one of my favourite photos from Sara Orme. This photo looks so natural, and so bubble as well. I like how the green leaves blend in with that very light green wall. This looks very much to a photo I would do. As it looks so natural and unplanned. If you weren't photographer I pretty much think people would think this photo was taken randomly. I really like the angle of this photo, it almost looks like a slight low angle, with a little twist. I also think there was hardly any post shop production on this shot as it looks so natural but I may be wrong. I'm trying to figure out if she's using a reflector to stop the sun from shining onto her face and dress, but then I don't see much such on the background. So I'm a little confused with this one.

Now here is another beautiful shot from Sarah Orme, Fashion, Located.
The colours in this photo stand out so well. I can see she's using a lot of orange, orange on the tree, orange lips, and few orange spots on her T-shirt. What I think is working in this photo really well is the hair. Looks very natural, looks like the wind blew it and she captured it. I love how she's managed to shoot in front of an actual orange tree, it just makes the photo that much better by adding 'live' things.

Digital 2, Week 3 Contextualise & Evaluating

Who took the photo and why ?

Sara Orme took this photo, and she took this photo as part of a project for a book. 

What is their ethnicity and does this influence their work? 

Sara Orme is a New Zealand photographer, and part Maori. I don't think her ethnicity influenced this project. 

When and where did they take this photo? 

I'm not exactly too sure when they took these photo, but this particular photo was taken in New Zealand. They went for a road trip and took this photo. 

In what decade was this taken? 

This was taken very recently. Yes, this does influence my work as I'm loving to do location portraits myself, but as I've said i'm confused to what photos I want to choose as my portfolio. 

How does this make you feel?

This makes me feel very relaxed and calm. It also makes me feel like the two girls are good friends and they're out having fun.

Were there events happening at the time that may have influenced this work?
Not that I know of.

How is the work presented?
It's presented in her personal project on her website under 'Freedom' she also has a book with these photos.

Where are you viewing this work and how does affect your reading of it?

This work is presented on her website, and I found out all of this information through the lecture she gave us. Her work inspires me to do more fashion photography, as I've always wanted to do fashion photography. As she mentioned fashion photography is hard in NZ as their isn't much to much photograph. 

What do I see? 

• A girl smiling 
• Water 
• Beach
• Waves
• Wearing a jacket/cardigan in the water

What camera and compositional techniques have been used?

I think she's using a medium format camera on this photo. Here's a link for the full photo http://www.saraorme.com/projects/freedom

Fast shutter speed 

Natural lighting 

I'm trying to find out if she's in the water with her, or zooming in. 

How does this make me feel?

It makes me feel very cold but relaxed. It also makes me feel like the model is pretty cold by having her arms crossed. It also makes me feel like it was a very cold day. 

What ideas do I think the photographer is working with? 

I think she's trying to get the word 'freedom' out there in the world. I feel as if she's trying to capture the moment without getting the model to pose and look at the camera directly. As you can see she has no make up or hair stylist on board and she's just having fun and capturing photos.  

Week3, Digital Tech 2

Richard Mosse

What genre does Richard Mosse's 'The Enclave' fit into?
Documentary, Fine Art, War

What is the history that relates to the project?
In the mid 90s the Uganda genocide happened.

Is there anything in his own history that influences his work?
In his early 20s he kept visiting places like that. He had also worked on a similar project previously


Why did he choose to use the Kodak infared film?
He mentioned that he wanted to make his work visible, and more visible. The pink is unusual.

How does the use of this film fit into the documentary genre?
It usually wouldn't but because of the way he used it in his photos it still counts as documentary based,


How many times has he been to Eastern Congo for this project? Why do you think he has been back so many times?
8 times in 4 years. To get more confident with the place, and have a better understanding of what he's trying to capture.

What justification does he have for creating such beautiful images to represent such horrific events?
Usually war images are horrible for the people who view them, but he wanted to make his photos as beautiful as he can for his viewers. He wanted to express what had happened in a beautiful way like he did.

CV in response to the King Size Studio

Donatella Odisho

Nationality: Middle Eastern
DOB: 15 November 1996
Gender: Female

Contact: Donatella09@hotmail.co.nz

              : 0211747476

Education: NCEA L1
                  : Currently doing Certificate In Photography at MIT
                  : 2011-2014 Te Kura Correspondence

Objective: A free lance photographer with 2 years of experience. Seeking for a part time position as an assistance photographer.


About myself 
I'm a very passionate person when it comes to photography. I've been into photography for the past 4 years, and always seen myself studying and learning more about photography. I'm willing to learn new things all the time. I've been taking photos for the past two years. I'm ver reliable and am always on time.


Experiences: I've had the chance to assist with Flash Photos as a second photographer at a wedding.
                     : I've done a lot of portraits with natural lighting.
                     : As my brothers a soccer player I go out and take photos of all his soccer games.
                     : As growing up I've been in hospital so I've also done a few photos of medical things.
                     : I have volunteered at many charity events to photograph their events.


Photos of my work: 

                   

References:

Lee From Flash Photos; 021*******

Charis From Flash Photos; 021*******

Richele: 021*******

Preparing for my shoot

So I have been trying to re-search for some motivation this week.
I'm trying to figure out what can I do that will interest me? So I done some re-search and came across a very interesting thing to read about the art of every day life.

Laura offers a tip to help:

When photographing your child indoors with window light, it helps to turn off artificial lights in the room, especially overhead lights. The conflicting light sources can create unwanted shadows and color casts, such as a yellow/gold color where the artificial lights are. Keep your light source pure window light for the most flattering indoor images.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-davis-smith/the-art-of-every-day-phot_b_4876808.html

I think I have changed my mind on what I want to do I may photograph people, but then I'm also keen to photograph buildings. It's really hard to chose what you want to do.

I found this link very helpful, and inspiring in some ways. The photos are lovely, and also all their tips are very handy.

Portfolio Experiencing week1/2

So on Friday I got the chance to take some portraits of Serviles hair academy..

What was hard was that they wanted studio photos, but the trigger was missing.. So I then just used natural light, no reflector just natural light. I wish I had a reflector with me as the sun was too bright. 

While I was taking these photos what I was thinking about is getting the light right, I wanted them to look professional and bright but clear. I'm very impressed with these photos but looking back now I would do so many things different. I would bring a reflector, a friend or someone to help me as a third person. I would use a reflector on some of the portraits I did as the light was either too bright, or un-even. I'm not a big fan of using reflectors, but at the time I thought it'll help.I also would write up a contract as the tutor there has been giving me a hard time and wanting original photos.. I told them I can give them Jpegs but I don't think they understand photography language. They want all photos un-edited, which for me is a bit hard as I wanted to give them a few touch ups, mostly on camera raw. So for next time I will write up a contract, make sure they read it, and sign it so then I can be assured of what they're accepting. The good thing is that this isn't payed, and they can't do much about it.

The way I approached the lighting was by using natural lighting. In the studio they had big, wide windows that let the light come in very well. It was a bit uneven, as the other side of the room had no windows and no natural light. So I was working from one side. If I was too have an assistant I would have got them to help me with a reflector if I had one. Also to try keep the models relaxed as they were all so nervous and kept asking questions.  

My portfolio is still all over the place, I am still experimenting with what I want to photograph. I'm very confused to whats next? I think I'm still deciding what I want, what I need, and what I'm thinking. It's getting harder as the days are flying and I'm not getting much work done as I should be. I'm trying to fit in all my treatments as well as my portfolio. On the good side is that this term is a lot of 'me' time. Where I can do a lot of my work at home, though that shouldn't be an excuse. 

 f/5.0, 1/125, ISO200

  f/5.0, 1/125, ISO200

 f/5.0, 1/125, ISO200

Week 1, D2, King Size Studio

As I didn't go to King Size Studio, I have decided to do a little re-search on what photographers would want as their assistants.

The first photographer I have chosen is Richele Louisson.
This is what she emailed me back .

• Know my every move
• reliable
• understand how i work as a person
• great time management - mines shit!!!
• Able to take over if needed
• Polite and able to deal with conflicts
• Positive
• Willing to learn
• Understanding of photography or wanting to learn.

The next photographer I asked is Lee from Flash Photos who I have worked with before. 

• Willing to help
• Willing to learn
• Knows about my company 
• Willing to take some phone calls, and email back clients.
• Have a good personality and hygiene as I do weddings. 
• Someone I can contact anytime if they're needed.
• To respect my clients, and look after my clients as if they're their clients.
• Positive attitude
• Has a DSLR camera and can show me some of their work. Whether it's good or not, need to know they have a passion for photography.
• Last but not least someone who can be a friend as well as a colleague  

Also from what I know is that you should have studied the company before you are wanting to apply for the job. Include a few photos in your CV that you're going to hand in to them. To study everything you've been taught, or keep notes of something so you don't forget or mess it up.

Portfolio Planning, week1/2

I have changed my mind so many times for my portfolio.
I'm liking portraits, but then I'm also liking the city. So thats why I'm going to both in one.
I took a few photos last week and felt that these photos are really good, but I will be experiencing more and more as the days come by.

I feel as if we have such little time to figure out what we actually want to photograph, but that's fine.
I've been re-searching a few photos but not much in depth which I should start doing.

So far I've been looking at Alex Abian, Street Fashion.

http://www.alexabian.com/Street-Fashion

Very inspiring I must. What inspires me the most is that her photos caught my eyes really well. I like the colour of this photo, it's like they've used a different white balance? I'm not too sure if a filter can do this to a photo.

This photo makes me feel lonely, as the model is looking very angry. It's like she's all alone, there's noone around her. I feel as if she's trying to express her anger at someone/something. I also think the photographer is trying show off her top, as it's a Chanel top.. but then again you would think the photo would be closer to show the details of the top more.

The photo below is such a beautiful shot. Love the fact he's used leading lines to grab our attention.
I'm thinking of going to Auckland City and seeing what sort of places there are to photograph at.

Nick T

Nick T was an amazing person to have to lecture us.
I learnt so many new things on that day. He taught us so much, and gave us so many good stories.
I think my favourite part of his lesson was the whole free-bees pass thing. I had wondered how I should handle the free-bees for a while and he gave us a very good way of doing so.
He told us to email them a quote anyway, and write down 100% discount. He also said it's better write down what exactly you were told to photograph so it doesn't get too much, and you don't photograph more than you were told. I will be using that in the future for sure!

What I also thought was amazing is the lighting on his food looked all taken outside, but they were taken in his studio. He did a beautiful job on that.

So for this lesson I thought to take photos of in natural light as it looked very good.

Love this shot, the fruit look very refreshing. For this shot I don't experience much with angles as other angles was making the lighting look very boring, and the fruits were looking very un-fresh. I used an AUTO white balance, but boosted up the contrast a little on camera raw. I took this picture around 2-3pm, as the sun was out and giving beautiful light.

As for the quote, I'm still not too sure on how I would write a quote up. I'll do some re-search on what I need to do, and how to present it.

Here is one of Nick T Food photos, where he is studio lights. It looks like very natural lighting. I see he's using complimentary colours. It looks very natural and clear. I'm liking the whole bright lighting as well. When we went to visit Nick T, he told us that all his photos are taken in his studio which shocked me as I thought they were all natural lighting. I see he uses a lot of high angles for his shots, or low angles. If I was to photograph food, I probably would too. I feel that it brings out more texture and details to the photo. I very much like his presentation as well, as it looks very appetising and colourful.  I couldn't save his photos so I print screened it, and also put down a link below to view full photo in better quality (I think)  

http://www.nick-t.com/-/galleries/food/page/2

Portfolio Week 1: Field Trip to Wallace Art Centre, Pah Homestead

So above is the photographer we had a look at. Allan McDonald, a New Zealand photographer.
His photographs were very interested, and we all spent a very long time in there as there was so much to see. I personally liked the way he had presented his beautiful work. It suited really well.

Above is a rough photo of how one of his presentations were. The photo doesn't do it's justice as it looked so much better in real life. He had a story sort of thing going on. He photographed same buildings but different sides of the building. I really liked the way he took these photos, and he has presented them very neatly.

On the other side he had 4 enlarged photos, which were amazing. He also presented them very well, though I don't think I would use that way. Maybe if he he had added on more photo to sort of have a pattern going on, I may of liked it. I loved the photos though, and I also liked the way he had framed them. It suited the photos very well.

Here is the way he presented his 4 enlarged photos. 

Stephen Ellis was an award winner, as you can see above. The photo below me is Stephen Ellis work, it's beautifully done and very unique. 

Now this lovely picture caught my eye. I don't like the presentation though, those clips have really ruined it. They're too big, and show a lot. Maybe if they had used something else it would stand out more. Though I love this piece of art. It's amazing how its done with ballpoint ink. I also wouldn't use this presentation. The thing I would have done differently with this, was to try get something less obvious to hang it up. 

Portfolio Week 1: Introduction to Digital Tech 2

The genre Cecilia and I thought that would need more photo retouching would be Editorial, Creative and Retail.

A photographer we thought that would fit into the term editorial genre would be David La-chapelle.
He fits into the genre celebrity and fashion. It could be a bit of both.

The photo above is an example of his genre. David La-chapelle uses a lot of colour on his work. Above is Katy Perry. 

The photographer that I had re-searched about last term and who I think fits into a creative genre is Edward Wetson. The genre he fits into is Food and Decor. 

Last but least, we chose Anna & Bernard Blume for the creative fine art genre. I also think this photographer can fit into the Editorial genre as well. 

Now to talk about what genre I may go through this term, I'm still not too sure. Will do an update when I have decided.