Rachel Vere

On the 2^nd of December we had a talk from Rachel Vere who is a picture editor, illustrator, art buyer. She has worked with so many interesting people and has worked in Japan for many years, which i feel is so brave. In Japan Rachel met a graphic designer which there she started her first project. and She has worked for many companies such as channel 4 in the archive department and Ford magazine and so many more. At the moment she works with the guardian.

Talking about her experiences was so fascinating. She didn’t really say how many hours in the day she works but it was very obvious she was so passionate about her job. Rachel broke down her daily work when planning a project and it was so inspiring. Her team start of the day looking through books and magazines to start her imagination running, to find fresh ideas. They also brainstorm their own ideas, set scenes and photographers “a lot of it is word of mouth.”

Rachel loves planning projects because she sees the different stages from 2D sketched on paper to 3D in her magazine.

Her advice and notes will stay with me for along time. I didn’t realise how many people a magazine needs.

Editor- takes the concept and finds journalists that will fit the brief.

Art editor- visual overall style.

Picture editor- overlooks the photography.

Designer- works with art editor and directs them.

Sub editor- all words with in the article.

Account manager- money production.

Production- makes sure everything works and communications.

I would love to spend time with her even if it will be just for one day. Just to see physically how much time, effort and creation goes into a project for her magazine.

The magazine industry is always a pathway i have been interested in. Listening Rachel Vere talk about her day and her team just inspired me to build my confidence further, and actually get my self out their to get experience and to be noticed. Being a picture editor is defiantly a career i will research further.

personal projects

whilst i work very hard at uni i also work as a waitress at a lovely little restaurant. i have been asked to take photos for the restaurant to replace the boring ones it has now. this is such a good opportunity for me and is such a great start.
i researched so much into restaurant photography. i researched techniques for food photography, table photography and interior, i was looking for fresh and keeping away from tacky. i was also researched websites which are in competition with the restaurant i work at.

researching all of this was quite surprising for me, i noticed restaurants don't want to pay for a professional and use self done photography which is quite obviously done with a compact camera and just a flash, and they actually post them to the public! researching this made me feel so much more confidant.

the photoshoot went so well, i have still got behind the scene shots to do but its best to do that after christmas and not when they get annoyed with me in their face with a camera! the photoshoot took a few hours, i didn't realize how self critical i am when their is no need to be.

doing the photoshoot for a well known restaurant and knowing that my name will be on their website and my own images will be on their business cards really pushed my confidence further. this opportunity really makes me feel i am on the right uni course and on the right pathway.

project website

i have been designing my website all over summer. i wanted something simple yet elegant and keeping the theme around my chosen brand name.

My aim is to keep my design as simple and as classy as possible. Keeping with the French theme, such as; the writing, the little black dress sketches (as the little black dress came from a French designer.) also the little French striped makeup box.

I think a black and white theme throughout my design will fit my “little black dress” title and logo perfectly. Less is more!!!

I love the idea of using images on every page. I feel this design gives a personal feeling and represents who i am and what i love, which is designing, photography, fashion and themes.

I will be writing a short paragraph on each page. Just to describe my work, why i love working as a photographer and why i am different.

I will be showing 8 or more images of each category on a slide show which can be controlled by a scroll button.

i chose the brand name "little black dress photographic by sophie barley" because i think that name just describes me all over. since i was little i watched my nana dress up in a black dress and she always refured to Aydrey Hepburn. this website and name is very personal to me and i think the design shows... which is a good thing.

my brand logo was designed by my friend who is a graphic designer also studying at Staffordshire uni, the design is so simple and pretty..its perfect!

notes for the future

Notes.

Lecture by Ian Shipley.

To consider.

· Location

· Where useful points are

· Communications

· Clothing

· Caution when using derelict sites

· Take someone/ let someone know where you will be.

· If at the coast- tide timetables

· Using private land- check for cows, animals ect/ chemicals

· HSE guidelines

· Keep eye on weather

· Alternative routes out

· Rescue points

Communications.

· Check phone signals

· Be very clear on contract

· Be very clear on pay and petrol costs

Clothing.

· Where right gear/ foot wear

· Hi vi’s vest or bands

· Torch

· Map of the area

Night Shoots. (Working at a building site am and presentation in the pm.)

· Car/ reliable transport

· Change of shoes and socks

· Hairbrush/ freshen up wipes

· Deodorant/ spray

· Hard hat

· Torch

· Water proofs

· 1^st aid kit

· Hi vi’s jacket and bands

· Change of clothes.

· Map of the area

· Safety checks

These are notes from a lecture Ian Shipley did about safety when doing a photoshoot on location.

There is so much to think about, but these notes will keep with me and help me in the future. I feel lucky to be on a work base course and is helped to be prepared for professional work.

project Commercial

When we first received the commercial projects i was so excited. I knew straight away what i wanted to do. I was first told about this project when i was on holiday through email. I was on the beach dreaming that my images were in the Vogue i was reading. This project was the perfect chance to show what i was capable to produce.

To fit the brief for Ian Shipley’s project, I will be creating six commercial images involving female and male possessions. I will be shooting four out of the six images of females. As I have mainly female accessories and items. Two out of the six images will be the males; I will be using my boyfriend’s items.

By the second week of this project being set i already had the studio booked, sketches, planned, props, models and even backup props and back up models.

My influence for this project was every season of Vogue but mainly the fashion photography Mario Testino who did a series for vogue called “a touch of pink.” I became obsessed when i researched Testino’s work.

The day of the studio shoot I turned up three hours early to get a car parking space next to the studio to help with the heavy props. All of the models were unable to make this certain day but this didn’t really bother me as I could work around it. When I finally got the black backdrop positioned it ripped right down the centre, so it was totally unusable.

I am usually good at improvising but this major set back really effected me. My first option would be to leave the photoshoot until the back drop can be replaced. My second option was to rethink a new idea and my third option would to carry on with the photoshoot but on a white background. Waiting for the replacement of the black back drop would be time consuming. I fell in love with my idea and I felt It would be incredibly proud of the final image, and using the white background was defiantly not an option as white wouldn’t give the dramatic effect I imagine in my head and also the white was incredibly dirty.

My whole idea was based on a black background, i feel using a black background would give a dramatic effect. In my head i could imagine the lighting just focusing on the subject and with the help of a black background the subject will stand out so much more. I love the atmosphere that a black background gives.

I was so annoyed and upset. It took me a week to get over what would have been an affective and beautiful image. I couldn’t think of an idea that would match or be as good as my last idea.

As time is running out I have decided to work with the title “Possessions.” This idea came from an argument involving me and my mum as she keeps borrowing my accessories, shoes and clothes without my promotion or she uses my possessions and doesn’t put them back where they belong.

I wasn’t really influenced by any photographer for this last minute idea. I just knew i had to do a series of images to pass the brief i was set, that was all that was important to me.

As i was shooting items in my room for this project, i thought the images looked a little basic. I needed some atmosphere and some edge to them. As i was editing i chose to use effects from my favourite era. I love the textures and contrast of old style photographs. I love the grain, the bold contrast between black and the white and sections in and out of focus. I then began to research old style photographs.

If i could do this project again i wouldn’t have let the black backdrop destroy my idea. I really didn’t see that disaster coming, i thought i had everything sorted. My tutors advised me that i could buy black material and use that, but researching how much material i needed and how much it would cost that advice was ridiculous! All i wanted was a simple black background and i couldn’t get that considering how much i pay to use the studio already. I love my vogue idea and i will be reshooting it again very soon for personal work.

I also wish that i let myself have more time to improvise and research more into my new idea. If i had a chance to do redo my new idea i would use film and gain more experience in the darkroom instead of editing them to the era effect.

Overall i am pleased of the outcome of my series of images. Every project and every photoshoot is a learning curve for me, sometime no one can prepare you for the little disasters. I just have to work with them and change the idea in my head slightly instead of giving up altogether.

project Millennium

Millennium was the best by far. it was the first project for me that has a great opportunity at the end.
Millennium images is a library of high quality contemporary photography. they sell reproduction rights to the images and arrange commission. Staffordshire uni had the chance to work with Millennium images and had set us an assignment for us to produce in any format, fifteen to twenty images of our choice with an accompanying artists' statement.

When we first received the millennium project everyone was worried about the amount of images we had to provide. For me this wasn’t a problem. I knew exactly what my idea was and i was grateful for the perfect opportunity to do it for this project.

I feel a little bit lucky that my idea was so diverse and undemanding to produce a wide range of images. The hard part for me was choosing the 20 finals as i had over 300 negatives to choose from. I chose not to show all 300 negatives in a contact sheet as not all of them were not suitable to show.

I chose to experiment with sensitive female photography, by doing this i thought using the studio was more suitable and warm for my brave model. I have done sensitive photography a few times before but i haven’t come out with as many images before.

I used soft lighting that always focused on the model, as no other objects was important and i needed the black background as dark as possible. When i booked the studio my first aim was to use both the black backdrop and the white backdrop, but i found myself leaning towards the favouritism of the black background. I think this is because the subject looked so soft and attractive especially looking at the images on screen. The black background gave the atmosphere of the subject such a dramatic effect and the subjects stood out perfectly especially with the bold colours of the material used.

There were not many changes from my action plan, schedule, aim and chosen idea, this was the perfectness of my idea because if there were any changes it wouldn’t affect my final outcome.

If i were to do this project again differently i would photoshoot more and more, but i will defiantly do this in the future for many other projects and personal projects. Before this project i have always wanted to practice sensitive photography but i never really had the confidence too, there is so much i had to think about and a lot to research; i had to think about what makes the ideas in my head sensitive? And not just bordering on typical female glamour or even porn. As i have answered these questions to myself now i have the confidence to create similar designs in this genre of photography. I think finally i have found my pathway.

i really enjoyed this project, i didn’t dislike any of it or my final images. I enjoyed planning, buying props and experimenting different positions with the model and angles for an achievable sensitive photoshoot. I mostly enjoyed using the extra strong fan machine in the studio; i love the outcome and the effect on the images.

Over all i produced 25 sensitive images but the brief what to produce 15- 20, this wasn’t a problem to choose. I have presented 20 images which are millennium standard, some of these are similar but this gives more choice to the client. Printing them on a rough contact sheet we have voted as a group that 8 out of the 20 images are strong, i think 8 strong images are acceptable for this millennium project. I am pleased with the outcome for this project.

Writing my own artist statement was difficult for me because i have never know why i enjoy using female models only in my work. i found it difficult to understand my self so how could i explain to others? To find the answers to my questions i researched and asked my tutors, I researched on the internet. Herb Ritts and Nick Knight have always been my main influential photographers but i also found a local sculpture artist Julian Cox who sketches the outline of female curves, his work is beautiful. I looked at Julian’s website to see if he explains why he only uses the female body in his work but unfortunately he doesn’t explain, i was hoping he would so my understanding on why i only use females would click.

I also research “female nude photography” on Google images, in the desperation to answering my question. I found so many beautiful, tasteful art work of the female body, looking at these images from students, professionals and famous fashion photographers help me to realize i use females in my work only like so many others because the curves to a female silhouette is beautiful and so attractive especially when used in art. Portraying and showing of the curves, shapes and textures of a female is nothing to be uncomfortable over when coming to explaining it to others and it is how you do it is the most important thing not why.

starting

i started my 2nd year of my foundation degree i few days late. i was quite worried i would be missing out on a lot. my uni friends kept me roughly informed by email but it was also said by them that i was missing a lot.
the emails sent by my friends was very helpful, they told me the briefs for all of the projects and straight away i started sketching ideas and planning.
my 1st day back at uni was interesting. i was expecting to get stressed because i was "so" behind. it turns out that i was further than most people with my sketches and ideas for all projects. i shouldn't have worried.
we were all set 4 main projects and i knew straight away i will enjoy them all.