In this series of photographs we can see how the different positions of the camera affect the very mood and representation of the character of the individual portrayed.







Here is a selection of photographs for the ongoing fashion shoot series
I have tried to emulate the style of Finlay MacKay

In this photograph, I have chosen to use Rembrandt lighting to represent the character as an enigma as she blends into the surrounding darkness. I have aimed to portray her femininity as she is not shown to be dominant in any way
What is depicted here is a woman in the spotlight, caught by a sports light with "rabbit in the headlights" expression. It is connoted that she is trying to run away from something but it is not clear what as the background is completely dark. Therefore, the audience is left wondering about the context of the photograph.
To create this Rembrandt lighting, I placed the key light facing the subject at a 4o degree angle to create darkness on one side but by placing the flash head at a great height far away from the subject this has created a very distinctive spotlight effect as we can see from the intense beam of light as the light source only gets weaker around the edges due to the distance.

To create this very extreme shot, I used special ways in which to light the subjects and lens helped me to create the implicit drama.

Specs - 17mm which helped to create the very wide angle and almost superimposed appearance of the feet as they seem so large due to the way in which they are photographed.
I also placed the lens directly on ground level to show the contours the ground and a frontal view of the feet which would not normally be seen in this way.
Shutter speed 250 - this helped to create very extreme contrasts of light and shade thus increasing the mysterious, enigmatical nature of the image. At 250. the shutter speed is so fast that it does not take in any ambience light
F Stop 22 - Due to the high F Stop the immense detail of the floor was created and emphasized the contours and textures of the surrounding environment.

Lighting set up -
The key light was at 45 degrees to the subject and set at F.6 due to the high aperture and placed 3 to 4 feet away. The fill in light was placed at 180 degrees to the camera set at F.3 pointing towards the woman's legs so the backs of them are highlighted as the background is so dark Thus, the superimposed appearance of the feet is created.
Using without soft boxes or shoot throughs this created harsh lighting and dark prominent shadows

Editing - To change the colour balance more towards the purple spectrum in colour balance and white balance. Also, in lens corrections putting on a vernetting on the image to create a pinpointed area on which the audience is supposed to focus. The rest of the photograph falls into darkness.

In this photograph, we can see that the representations are very clear and decisive.
The woman is given absolute authority and power as her feet are shown in front of the man and they actually appear larger than his due to the way in which they are photographed. Despite her dominance, she still retains her femininity due to the style of her shoes and the pose.
The environment helps to contribute further meanings as it is a very urban and run down area. It seems to be suggested that she is able to rise above the poverty and crime around her.

In this photograph, we are presented with a juxtaposed image with the woman's and man's feet jumbled up as if attached to one body . In this photograph, I have used a great deal of post production to suggest that the couple are floating in space to make the image stand out more and be as eye catching as possible
The way in which I created this was by lens correction in CS3 and by scaling it down and extending edges to create the floating mid-air shot in darkness, maybe suggesting to the reader the flat earth theory as only one dimension is portrayed and narrow minded view of gender representation. The iconography of the photograph helps to create connotations of mystery
as the lighting is so low key that it is impossible for the audience to determine exactly what is going on.An enigma is thus created.

In this series of photographs, I was trying to replicate Finlay MacKay's style of lighting.
For the concept of this series, I was trying to explore ways in which small sections of the body can tell whole stories by the interpretation of body language. For example, in this photograph I only selected the feet, an often ignored section of the body and it is clear that a man and a woman are being portrayed. The way in which the feet are positioned connotes inferences by their body language so the audience are able to make their own interpretation of what is going on in the photograph. The representation of the man is strong as his feet are spread apart in a confident stance. The woman is shown as being shy and weak and feminine by the type of shoes she has chosen to wear as well as the way in which her feet are positioned.
The environment also adds to the storyline. It is obviously a run down urban area in which the couple have encountered each other.
The CD on the floor further adds to the storyline, suggesting that music brings people together

Examples of portable kit electricon . In these photographs I was aiming to create images in the genre of fashion photography using low key lighting in urban scenes
As you can see, I have put quite a lot of post production work through them as I felt that fashion photography relies quite heavily on this technique to create striking images with dramatic colours and contrast.
Flash set up was with two flashes with a shoot through umbrella to diffuse the light at a high angle replicating butterfly lighting as the light falls directly below which is more flattering to facial features than overhead lighting. f6.3 The fill in light was set at 3.6 and was at a low angle
250s so no background falls into darkness f22 iso 22