I love... (shoot 3)- Work Record

Basic information:
Date: 14/03/17
Location: College grounds
Camera used: Fugifilm Intsax Wide Shot
Editing program: Photoshop CC 2014 
Camera settings: 3m-Infintity

Plans for shoot:
In this shoot I will be focusing around portraiture and presenting something personal about the subject to the viewer.

What I hope to achieve:
I will be selecting members of the college community to photograph in the college grounds.  The locations chosen will complement the subjects outfits colourisation in order to create a visually pleasing image.

I will be using an Instant film camera in order to allow the subject to write their own name and something that they love on the white border of the image.  I have chosen to have the subject write their own details on the images in order to give the images a more personal feel as each image will feature the subjects own handwriting.

I have chosen not to edit the images in this series in photoshop other than to crop them after scanning as I feel that further editing would reduce the raw and personal appearance of the images however cropping allowed the images to have a clean and finished final appearance.

Outcome of shoot:
This shoot was successful as it allowed for the subjects to present a personal aspect of themselves in a creative way.  The most effective images from this shoot are those that featured a background with colours which contrasted and complimented the subjects outfit.  This element of composition allowed for the subject to stand out effectively against their background and therefore stand out to the viewer.  The subject also stands out to the viewer through their positioning in the frame as a central positioning was generally used throughout the shoot to enable the viewers eye to easily find the subject.

Progression:
I enjoyed this shoot and felt that it was successful as a whole due to it's personal elements such as the use of the subjects own handwriting.  The nostalgia created by the use of the instant film camera was also interesting to me and I would like to create a more more complex collage based piece in the future using intent film in a scrap book form.

Favourite image:

This is my favourite image due to the way that the subjects blue grey shirt matches the grey of the railings and the dark bricks break up the images background preventing the wall form blending into one block colour.

The stairs also create an interesting aspect to this image as they create leading lines which draw the viewers eye from one area of the image to another from the handwritten message, past the subject and up to the top of the image past the subjects head.

Denotation: This is a landscape image shot on instant film featuring the subject in the images centre third.  The flash used creates a washed out effect which is typical of instant film cameras.  There is handwritten text beneath the image which reads "Ollie- Cuddles" as the subject was asked one thing which they loved.

Connotation: The fact that there are a lot of blue tones featured in this image can be seen as relating to the fact that the subject is male as blue is a colour stereotypically associated with masculinity.  The fact that the subject has stated that he loves "cuddles" may be seen as subverting masculine stereotypes as this would be a traditionally feminine thing to state.  The fact that an instant camera has been used carries connotations of nostalgia and memories as instant film is a historic form of photography often associated with youth.

Context: In our current culture people are breaking away from specific gender norms and roles and this image can be seen as an example of this.

Least favourite image:

This image is my least favourite image due to the way that the image appears empty and the subject appears small in the image.  I also feel that the flash overly washes out the subject in this image.  

Denotation: The above images features a subject against a brick wall there are contrasting colours between the blue of his shirt and the brown/orange of the wall so he stands out however the cameras flash washes him out making him blend into the wall.

Connotation: The blue of the subjects shirt can be seen as a suggestion of gender norms as blue is a traditionally masculine colour however the subjects handwriting is in cursive which is associated with femininity in modern times the fact that the subject loves "gaming" can also be seen as a masculine interest as gaming is viewed as a more masculine hobby by society.

Context: This images context can be linked to nostalgia through the use of instant film as well as gender expression through the subjects personal elements of the image.