Photo Shoot Ideas...

Since the experimenting I did using Photoshop the other day I've really been thinking about how I will go about my photo shoot. I'm considering having ago at the shoot on my own, possibly being my own model eek. Even thought I'd like the photos to look good naturally, as the photos are already going to be manipulated on Photoshop I should be able to alter any lighting issues/problems I may come across.

I have looked at several different poses and been thinking about locations and props etc. I'm really getting quite excited about the idea. Below is a photo I found which I think is a really good idea and feel fits into my theme perfectly.

I'd like my photo shoot to appear quite busy and vibrant and the black and white print newspaper provides a busy background which will also help the colours of the garments to stand out. The print fits in well to my theme which is all about digital art/print. It should also be an easy and cheap set to put together. I've had several other ideas which I will document in my research book.

Experimenting with Professional Project Photo Shoot.

A few weeks ago, with help from tutors, I came to the conclusion it would be a shame to simply try to find clothes from the high street which use digital art/prints and dismiss all the digital prints I have been creating myself. I'd love to be able to use my digital prints within a photo shoot without actually printing onto fabric which could prove time consuming and expensive - and this is where technology comes in!!

I have spent part of this morning's lesson with Jamie experimenting with different techniques I could use to help produce my photo shoot. Using plain white garments in the photo shoot I will be able to import the photo's into Adobe Photoshop and digitally manipulate the photo to incorporate my own digital prints. I'm really happy with the result and I feel I could create some really effective, dynamic photo's - and I'm so happy that it means I'll be able to make my prints into garments!! The photo below is the image I started with... The next two images are digitally produced images which I have used as a fabric prints. The two bottom images show the two images brought together! I think the photo's look really realistic and effective.

A Report on Britain's Next Top Model Live Event, London. October 2010.

This was the most fashion related exhibition I have visited recently. The event was a spin off of the reality television show ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ which was aired last year during the summer. The exhibition claimed it was a chance to ‘immerse you into the world of the BNTM lifestyle.’

Although on a far smaller scale, similar to Clothes Show Live, the show included exhibitors, a shopping experience as well as several fashion and beauty tutorials and workshops. As well as this there were model and press agencies and a ‘BNTM Catwalk Show’ with the BNTM contestants and winner. In my opinion the fashion show was the highlight of the show. The choreography and general production was amazing bringing together singers, dancers and models to produce a very creative performance. Although visually stunning I felt this busy choreography at times took my focus away from the garments too much.

The selection of fashion exhibitors were rather different to what I was expecting and there were brands I had never come across before which I felt was unusual as the show seemed so similar to Clothes Show Live.

Overall the show was very enjoyable. There were several different stalls, for example, vintage stalls, jewellery stalls as well as food, beauty, health and fashion stalls. This kept the exhibition interesting a varied.

Below are a couple of photographs from the event and show.

A Report on the Tate Britain, London for PPRD 2.

The most recent gallery I have visited is the Tate Britain in London. I had never been to this gallery before, only the Tate Modern which shows ‘international modern and contemporary art’ compared to Tate Britain which is ‘the home of British art from 1500 to the present day’.

The Tate Britain building itself is very attractive, full of opulent features and character. In my opinion, the grandeur of the building and rooms enhanced the entire gallery experience and created a feeling of class and sophistication.

This gallery was rather different to the Salvador Dali gallery in Prague because there was such a vast variety of artists, styles and media within each room. To begin with I found this quite disconcerting and, compared to the Dali gallery, found the artwork slightly muddled. On the other hand, this method of displaying artwork ensured each separate piece stood alone and stood out as an individual piece of art.

There were several pieces I found particularly inspiring including ‘An Autobiography of an Embryo’ by Eileen Agar (the first image below). I thought the name and idea behind this piece was fascinating and I enjoyed letting my imagination run wild while studying the painting. The piece is very colourful and busy and it was great to search out the random, slightly concealed items and objects within the piece.

I also like the middle image, a painting by John Singer Sargent called ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.’ I really like the colours in the painting and the way the lanterns appear lit. The atmosphere is one of beauty, innocence and tranquility.

A Report on a Salvador Dali Exhibition in Prague for PPRD 2.

This exhibition was the first I had been to in some time which I feel worked in both the galleries and my own favour. I found the atmosphere of the gallery very relaxed and inviting. The simplicity of the presentation of the artwork was very effective and allowed one to focus and appreciate the artwork itself. I felt the display and organisation of the artwork was very successful and followed a very cohesive, logical direction. This allowed me to acknowledge the sheer volume of Dali’s work and appreciate that, although similar in style, Dali uses several different media and techniques. The different techniques included watercolour paintings, drypoint etchings and sketches with different coloured pens.

Throughout the gallery there were a number of portrait photographs and busts of Dali. I felt this was another effective, successful feature as the photograph’s and sculptures reminded me of the character behind the artwork and gave an insight into Dali’s life. They were a good contrast to Dali’s work and broke up the artwork.

Below I have included several photo’s from the exhibition and a couple of pieces I particularly liked. The bottom image is painting called 'Le Chevalier Chretien' which means 'The Christian Horse Rider'. I love the shapes, textures and colours in this piece, it stood out from the other paintings it was presented next to. The third piece down is called 'Homage to Fashion' which I thought was very appropriate to our course. It's a very interesting piece, I particularly like the bouquet in place of the models head! The model gives across such a feeling of confidence and passion.

Prague!

So our trip to Prague has been and gone and, although I now feel it’s time to seriously get back to work and get on top of my uni work, it was really nice to have time away - even though it was a uni trip, it was good to escape from uni work for a while!

I really enjoyed the trip, all it involved (bar the flying!) and spending time with everyone on our course. It was a good opportunity to spend time with the designers who we (promoters) are often separated from.

The city itself is beautiful - so clean and tidy! The architecture is stunning in places! I found the tour on Monday interesting and it gave us a great insight into the city and helped us find our bearings. Unfortunately I was disappointed in the market we visited which was nothing like I expected. Generally each and every stall was selling the same sort of stuff, none of which I found very inspiring - I had been hoping to see more cultural, traditional art and craft from Prague. Our trip to Prague Zoo was AMAZING! I had such fun on this trip and it’s a really lovely memory. Many people saw animals they had only ever hoped to see and this meant it was quite breath taking at times! On Wednesday we were taken to a fashion uni in Prague which allowed us to see and understand the other sorts of environments people study in. Their studio was so full of character but perhaps not so practical.

Myself and my room mates also took the chance to visit a Salvador Dali exhibition which I found to be one of the most enjoyable exhibitions I’ve ever been to. His work is fascinating and it was so interesting the see the sheer volume of his work and the various different styles. I will report on the exhibiton as part of the PPRD unit.

I’m so glad I took part in the trip from both an educational and sociable perspective. I have included a few pictures below showing the city and some nights out!