Research - Portraits - Michael Williams

Michael Williams is an iconic photographer from just outside Manchester and is famed for Creating images of Bands and Artists in the music industry. His most accomplished work was with La Roux and Pixie Lott. I have chosen to research some of his images because they are creative and very modern.

The two/four images above show 2 different compositons for each artist. I like the way that he portrays two different emotions with the same model by just adjusting the positioning. The first image hints that the light was positioned near the camera as the shadow of the model falls just behind her. The second one may have been positioned just to the right of the camera where the model is looking. The background in the second image has interesting shapes and match the artests personality.

The above three images are of the same artist but have four significant compositions and three different and interesing edits. The individuality of this artest really comes out in these images and Michael has really cleaverly inhanced this with the editing of the secong image. You eye is drawn, naturally, to the models face and her expression is stone like, this gives the images an added emotion of almost haterid.

Eventhough im doing studio portraits, these images interest me and make me think how i can create this in the studio using different equipment. The framing of the first image puts the model in the center of the image with a look of antisipation. I like the composition and the nightclub like feel of this image. The second image is almost peeping tom like and sultry. The lighting is simple and the doors frame the model perfectly.

The two images above go together where the top image is the band in a typical album cover shot and the instruments are aligned below. The four models each have a different look and sence of individuality eventhough they are wearing almost the same clothes. The composition hints that the lead singer is the model at the front. The editing has been toned down to give a cold feel.

Planning for Photoshoot - 7th May

Im slightly conserned that i wont get much out of this shoot because my model has to shoot off early but we will try our best and i know what i want out of this session. I want a Mid - Low key fashion image of just head and shoulders. I have some examples prepaired:

Conclusion - Photoshoot 30/04/11

The photo shoot itself went, in my opinion, extremely well. Before i went into the studio i had an idea of what i wanted and the image i wanted were mainly head and shoulder shots with an on camera crop. The lighting i had in mind was high key initially and then depending on the model adjusted to suit but as the model had blond hair the bright lights worked well with her.

The un-edited Shortlist from the first half are as follows:

I like the way the light casts shadows over the models face which adds texture and when editing i can enhance this with tools in photo shop. the cropped look also works well with the model looking off camera, it adds mystery to the image.

This is the light setup for the above images.

The second half of the day we moved the lights around and gave the images a more subdued lighting effect which, in turn, gave the images a more relaxed feel. The composition was the same as the above images and i was looking for a more cropped image but i was hoping for a full length shot of the model but as we were working as a group i had to make some compromise. The shortlisted unedited images are as followes:

 The lighting in these images give them a more subdued feeling with soft texture. Although the composition is pretty much the same as the first set, they look and feel completely different because of the lighting. My next step is to edit these in photo shop to enhance the natural feeling.

The lighting set up for the above images.

Maternity Photography.

For my first studio session i have decided to enlist the help of my friend to model for me, the catch is...shes expecting a baby! The reason I'm choosing to create some maternity images of my own is because i simply find the images interesting and hold a story behind them. Taking classy, tasteful, low key images of pregnant women is a beautiful way of documenting an important rite of passage and natural progression of a woman. I have a clear idea of what i want and i have searched the Internet for examples of what i want to create and they are as follows..

Those images are what i want to base my images on but with my own twist on. I have been sampling some images at home using my kit and a speedlight, then working in photoshop to enhance the image further and removing some of the imperfections to create a polished and smooth overall appearance..

ISO-100, 1/80s, f/10

ISO-100, 1/80s, f/10

Statement of intent - Studio Portrait photography Theme 1

Intention.

My aim for this theme is to create a mixture of low and high key images. The purpose of creating  both low and high key images is to explore how the mood of an image changes when you adjust the lighting.

Reasons.

Ive been naturally interested in Portrait photography for a while and whilst researching established photographers such as Rankin, Wolf Kettler and Bart Leger i have come to the conclusion that i would like to do a mixture of high and low key images so i can distinguish between the differences in lighting. I have chosen two images that i would base my final decision on for each as follows:

Low Key.

The low key session will be maternity shots because i see them as being interesting images. I think that they fit in well with the sensual feeling of low lighting and a mixture of colour and black and white images.

High Key.

 

The high key images i intend to produce will be fun and bright. A complete contrast to the images i will produce in the low key section.

Equipment.

The equipment I'm using will the studio equipment at collage and the same for the lighting. 

Camera - Canon 5D

Lens - EF 24-105mm ISUSM

Studio Lighting

Tripod

Techniques and Lighting.

As i will be completing more than one shoot and more than one model to produce my final images the visual messages will be different. The low key session will be low, moody, sensual specifically highlighted images where as the high key work will be bright white and happy.

Health & Safety.

Because the lighting hangs from the ceiling, this reduces trip hazards but walking into the lighting units could be an issue. For the high key work then the room will be brightly lit so every potential hazard can be seen, for the low key work the room will be dimly lit so clear walk ways to the door will be specified.