Evaluation
Through my research stage, I learnt and understood numerous issues related to the theme `waste`.We tend to think of waste as something we no longer want. Over the years I believe we have become so used to putting our "waste" out for someone else to deal with, that we have become a throwaway society. However, there is now a realization that dumping items we no longer want into landfill sites is not a sustainable option, not only because it's environmentally unsound, but also because we are simply running out of holes in the ground. How to dispose of the ever-increasing amount of waste we generate has become a huge problem and we are now under enormous pressure to minimize what goes into landfill. I think every single one of us; can help make a difference if we take some responsibility for the waste that we produce.
After analyzing and taking careful thought, I believe the context of my work belongs in is a fashion journal. When viewing my project I wanted to take a risk and progress vintage couture to a higher level. I wanted my work to resemble a striking display, deconstructing, re-cutting and completely transforming people’s perception of second-hand clothing or recyclable material, and create ethical fashion with a sense of right and wrong?
My main inspiration for my shoot was the Vogue UK November 2009 issue “Make, Do and Mend”. The editorial was based on, how to NOT spend too much on expensive clothes during the global crisis? But the editorial choices made me think, how i could portray my narrative through camera?
For my shot, I wanted to use an eye level camera angle. From using this type of angle, I was able to highlight a fairly neutral shot, positioned as though it is a human observing a scene. By portraying this, I was also able to focus onto the model yet leave plenty of background to establish the environmentally friendly theme.
For my shot, I wanted to use an eye level camera angle. From using this type of angle, I was able to highlight a fairly neutral shot, positioned as though it is a human observing a scene. By portraying this, I was also able to focus onto the model yet leave plenty of background to establish the environmentally friendly theme.
When choosing my focal length, i did some research on different types of lenses, and learnt, that if I chose a standard lens it would make the image in the photo appear in perspective similar to the original scene. By using a standard lens I was able to achieve a wide aperture, which was perfect for my shoot. I 'm glad I chose a standard, as when viewing the final image's, I thought it helped focus attention on the subject, rather than distracting the viewer with an unusually distorted image, and was great for including some surrounding to put the subject in context. I also thought when viewing my final prints the images show a comparison towards the recyclable fashion magazines I researched, as a lot of the covers used a similar type of lens allowing the model to be seen capturing the chosen narrative of the story.
For my shoot I decided to use natural light. I was debating whether to hire some lights or to use natural light. In the end I chose natural light as the day on which I was shooting appeared to be clear and nice. During the shoot day there was some Direct intense light, which in some shots appeared quite harsh. When looking back I think the harsh light intensified the contrast between the light and shadows which looked very unflattering. When i took the pictures in harsh sunlight the model often ended up with shadowy eye sockets which I thought made her look tired.
Due to the sun appearing, I tried looking for some cover. As I know from previous shooting, shade can act as a great diffuser, so therefore I tried to photograph my subject under shade or by a tree. I did this, as I thought any specks of bright sunlight shining on them could detract from the look of the picture.
As I shot over two days, luckily the second day was slightly overcast which was good for shooting with natural light, as the cloud cover acted as a natural diffuser. Even shooting on an overcast day meant I still found myself in need of a fill flash to help my subject’s features stand out in the picture.
As I only had a flash on the canon I slightly edited the images to make them appear clearer and portray a golden tint.
As I shot over two days, luckily the second day was slightly overcast which was good for shooting with natural light, as the cloud cover acted as a natural diffuser. Even shooting on an overcast day meant I still found myself in need of a fill flash to help my subject’s features stand out in the picture.
As I only had a flash on the canon I slightly edited the images to make them appear clearer and portray a golden tint.
As the first day was sunny, naturally I assumed that the best way to position my subject was with the sunlight shining directly into her face to light up her features. But this wasn't the best choice. After looking at some test shots I realized, looking towards the sun made her squint. It also caused shadows around the eyes that made her look tired. Luckily they where test shots. So when experimenting with areas to shoot I tried positioning my subject with the sun behind her. The backlight provided, gave nice highlights around the hair. With the sun behind her, I wanted to use a reflector or a fill flash to fill in the shadows and light up the face for the picture. As I had none of this equipment placed her with the sun to the side and slightly behind her, I also was able to edit slightly as well.
When evaluating my schedule, or how i spend my time, I always try and consider my goals and priorities. Attending lectures and seminars and completing assignments is a top priority for me, as I believe this helps towards my studies. I also try and create a work area that is free from distractions and commit to staying there for at least one to two hours, if for whatever reason I get side-tracked, I remind myself how this task will help me to meet my goals. Prioritizing is another aspect I try and consider: What has to be done first? When is it due? This helps organize my weekly schedule in order to succeed my goals.
Making the costumes was a significant challenge to me, as I had never created something of this nature before, and was totally blind to the development of how these designs would finally be seen. Having not produced any designs from recyclable material, it was very much trial and error, as no patterns can be obtained for this type of design. To overcome this in the future, I could have asked fashion promotion for advice or consider making the garments, as this would have allowed more time of the photography process of the project. However I was more than happy with the final product, as I felt not only had I achieved in the photographic process but also in the manufacturing of the product.
My selection of model became a un-for-seen problem. Due to the age group I selected, my particular model was still attending full time education, and became difficult as the importance of the final shoot had to be of good quality, as the availability of the model was limited. This problem could be solved in the future, by checking availability not only for the final shoot but of the models schedule as well.
The magazine process was very fascinating. Although I had no experience with indesign or creating editorials the research and creativity was an enjoyable and interesting part of the project.
I wanted my magazine to explore the concept of how waste links into the fashion industry, and how certain problems involving the issue of waste could be solved? All images used are all fashion based, which helped me decide what output I wanted to explore and create? The fashion magazine inspired me the most, and therefore decided my output would be an editorial, showcasing how the public audience can still be fashionable yet environmentally friendly at the same time. The concept of my magazine is to encourage clothing recycling and up cycling to help stop mass consumption in the fashion industry.
The reason why I chose to research Positive Magazine was because i wanted my work to be seen in a similar format covering photos, stories, reportage's every fragment that tells what’s happening in the world through different points of view. I liked how the magazine dealt with topics that are happening in the world, which complimented my project as the topic involved the importance of recycling in the fashion industry. I also appreciated the modern feel the magazine had, and how they used different page layouts throughout the editorial.
Whereas the magazine PDF format `dazed and confused` was seen as a more formal layout featuring topics such as music, fashion, film, art, and literature. I defiantly wanted my magazine to capture the awareness of recycling and therefore did not want the design to be seen as formal. Due to this matter i thought about researching the Stitch newspaper, as it was viewed as an awareness pack to generate a change of attitude and behavior towards clothing care.
16- 30 is the target audience I selected for my magazine. I thought by selecting this age group it focus's on the next generation, encouraging them to recycle regually.
The style I chose portrays a Modern, minimalistic, and powerful approach! The style of a magazine i wanted to create had to be noticed as modern as this will appeal to the younger target audience. The style I thought also represents a minimalistic theme, so all the attention is kept on the images showcasing how fashion can be recycled. Throughout the magazine I tried to refer back to `positive magazine` and liked how they used the + sign through out the spread, so I came up with the idea of having the recyclable logo on the top of every left page.
Throughout the task i learnt many new skills including how important research is before starting a publication. I understood, researching is vital especially when thinking about layout, format and narrative. Through researching, I understood the particular visual methodology magazines and how they create their narrative. This was an important aspect when thinking about narrative for my publication. InDesign was a tool i used to help design and create my fashion magazine. The desktop publishing application gave me pixel- perfect control over designs, photos and typography, and helped create elegant and engaging pages for print, tablets, and other screens. From using this program, i learnt how to design and create a magazine.
After creating my prints and magazine, the only tasks left where to create a crowd funding page and contact some publishers. Both tasks where interesting as they helped build upon my photographic career and enter the world of advertisement. Due to time, the crowd funding page was un-sucsessfull, but the challenge was to be said `exciting` as it gave you the belief of perhaps achieving a goal, which would help establish your skills and perhaps promote yourself and work in the photography world. I'm still waiting for reply's from publishers, but even that task was exciting, as it made you believe that perhaps your work could be published and be noticed by the photographic industry.
Overall, i am very pleased with my outcome and enjoyed every minute of my project. I would defiantly consider producing a fashion editorial again, and focus deeply into the world of fashion.
