The location shoot
Explain the thinking behind your front cover image?
Fashion photography has pushed and perpetuated the idea of the perfect body shape showing flawless skin complexions models without any imperfections. The perfect body images, body shape, weight and looks, making many people feel inadequate and suffer issues of self-esteem especially in the target audience of the fashion magazine aimed at 16-24 olds, although body image issues are becoming increasingly observered in younger children and with older people that have remained or become body consious.
I want to show a different view from the usual fashion and fashion photographer’s image. I want to experiment with a style of fashion photographs that move away from the stereo type ‘perfect body’ that can cause or add to the stress and peer pressure to try and attain the body beautiful look. For women, the thin hour glass shape, for men the triangular chest and torso shape with defined muscles, both sexes with perfect skin.
Think that is what the models look like showing people a distorted truth and fantasy on beauty in the fashion industry.
Model
I will be using a fellow student from my course as my model, they will be within the magazine target age audience of 16-24 year olds. The intention is that the viewer will better identify with people of their own age.
Fashion
The brief does not demand the models wear high fashion costumes. The model will therefore be wearing casual ‘everyday’ high street clothing.
Location
The location I want to use I would like to try several backgrounds, depending on what I can find suitable, the weather conditions at the time of shooting.
- Simple uncluttered background, the use of a brick or concrete wall to be used as the most simple backdrop.
- If a wall can be found that is colourful well painted with artistic graffiti, I would to try this as a contrast to the plain brick/concrete wall.
- Urban industrial environment, multi-story car park with industrial lighting, the strong horizontal, vertical and straight lines to contrast with the curves of the models clothing.
- Find a location that has a large reflective surface such as a shop window so that I can photograph the reflection of the model, ensuring I as the phtographer is out of shot. The intention is that other objects may appear in the frame from the shop window adding to the composition. The colours reflected will change depending on the light.
- Find a locations of a meadow or grassland with the model laying down, if the model has long hair, the hair can flow around the head like a halo, or be combed over the models face to hide the face.
Lighting
Lighting on location will be by natural light, artificial lighting will be too heavy to carry and take too long to set up. The use of reflectors to bounce light to create or remove hard shadows will be used when it is considered needed.
The Canon dSLR has a flash that if needed can be used. The flash is located immediately above the camera lens so there is a potential risk of ‘red-eye’. The flash would be used as a fill-in flash, paper can be taped over the flash if needed to reduce the power of the flash.
What is my idea?
My idea is to take portrait pictures of a model, I will then make the pictures blurred or slightly out of focus making it difficult to concentrate solely on the model in the picture as an object. You will see the outlines of the model in the picture you will get an impression of the model.
I will accompany the main picture with 3 more pictures of the model from different angles, from the side of her and looking up towards her from the ground. I will then have the model were bright coloured lipstick so it would stand out in the pictures bringing your attention to the person.
My idea Tester shots
Cover composition
The image has room above the model to accomodate the magazine title, details of the issue and price information.
There is space available for additional feature titles about the content within the magazine should it be rquired.
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