Objective Fashion Portrait check list

 This check list will be updated each day you're in.

Remember as much as you can use images to illustrate your knowledge and learning.

You can use these bullet points as headings.

• Thomas Ruff research focus on his 'Creative Intention' *Note there's very little info on the materials/equipment. use the links on the right-hand side of the blog here.
• Photographs/diagrams of the Pentax K1000
• Photographs diagrams of how the camera is loaded (Screen grabs from a Youtube video) with notes about the 2 really important bits that they never mention.
• Details about the camera (Basics).
• Images of the HP5+ 135/36 film + descriptions of its key features (First few lines from the Product data sheet)
• Screen grab of the product data sheet (First page) to demonstrate you know what it is.
• Diagrams of how you measure the light (The needle diagram from inside the view-finder).
• Explanations of how you take the light readings off peoples faces.
• Details about where you focus and the composition rules (Diagrams of the composition options). 
• Explanation of 'Objective photography' and the use of the deadpan expression and use of neutral body language (Creative Intention). 
• Photographs of 'The set' e.g. your set up when shooting - usually a wide shot done on your phone or DSLR showing your model and the background and how and where the images were taken.
• Explanations of the light and why it was fit for purpose.
• Pictures of the developer tank and all its component parts.
• Pictures of the developing sink and all the chemicals and equipment.
• Pictures of the developer chemical bottle with the times and mixing ratios. 
• Screen grab of the 'Digitaltruth.com' page with the data on how to mix up the developer. The details for the way we used the film are on the 4th row. 
• Details of how the film was processed from taking out of the cassette in the dark to drying and washing. 
• Pictures of the drying cabinet with film hanging up (Set this up again if you didn't get the shot). Or use this one here...
• 
• Images of Enlargers, easels, timers, the dryer and contact sheet printers with explanations - either your own versions of the diagrams on the walls at college or photos that you've taken of them.
• Your contact sheet, test strips and your prints with explanations of the process.
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  

Objective Fashion Portrait guidance

 In this assignment it's essential that you demonstrate 'Development' of your Basic idea and use your MTP's in a way that is appropriate in order to pass. (See below 9/B.P3) and 9/B.P4).

In order to attain the higher grades you need to address the criteria for 9/B.M2 and 9/B.D2. This means your work needs to demonstrate the confident selection of MTP's in the production of your final images and your choice of how you use the MTP's needs to be innovative and the work imaginative in its execution and production. 

So what do I have to do...

You'll be introduced to Thomas Ruff's "Portraits" series from 1986-1998. Note The Creative Intention with this set of images is that they are 'Objective'. So one of the key parts of your research is show that you know what makes the images 'Objective' and what does Ruff do with materials, techniques and processes in order to make the images 'Objective'? 

Top tip - Look at the definition of 'Objective' and use your understanding of Objective to write up your initial response to the images from this series.

Practical Activities in college

The work that you produce must show development - this means that it has to start off as a very basic idea that gradually comes together overall several stages ending up with a set of images that meet the requirements of the brief "Objective Fashion Portraits".

All of the projects that you produce you will generally involve 3 or more shoots before you attempt the final shoot. These initial shoots are known as Test Shoots where you test our ideas out. The test shoots are used to help make decisions about things such as... 

(1). Where you'll shoot the images and the light you'll use.

(2). Who your models might be.

(3). Whether you're going to shoot on Digital or film.

(4). What the models might be wearing.

(5). Whether the idea works well.

(6). Whether you have the skills and knowledge to execute the shoot and be successful - the shoot might be a practice run where you try things out and make sure you know what you're doing so that the idea and the shoot come together perfectly. In this scenario you might use other people prior to the real shoot with your designated models.

(7) What equipment/camera you'll use and whether it's fit for purpose.

Week one you'll be using using 35mm film cameras, processing and printing the film. In the 2nd half of the week you'll be using your phones and your DSLR cameras to shoot portraits in the 'Objective' style one of these shoots will be in the studio using studio lights.

Week two you'll need to have decided which of the methods you used in the first week you feel will be the best and most appropriate way to shoot your own self-directed shoot (Mobile phones are excluded in week 2). The options available will be - 

*Colour film shot in the studio.

Black & white film shot in the studio.

Clour film shot using daylight.

Black and white film shot using daylight.

DSLR camera using the studio.

DSLR camera using daylight.

* Shooting colour film involves having the film processesdat 'Snappy Snaps' in the high-street  - Victoria shopping center https://www.snappysnaps.co.uk/stores/southend/

This involves shooting the film and then taking it to the shop and leaving it with them to print. When you do this you need to ask for - "Process and prints 5"x7" or smaller + a contact sheet". Make sure you keep the negative strips. This service is usually 1 hour or 1 day - the 1 hour service is more expensive than the 1 day service. 

Your own shoot will need to have a fashion element to it and it will need to be obvious in the images - for instance the fashion element might be coats, jackets, hats, bags, hair-styles, glasses or it might be based around a colour red tops or blue jeans, but it's important that when the viewer looks at the images they're able to tell what the fashion element might be. See here 

Shoot more than you need to for your own self-directed shoot, allowing yourself a good choice of final images in order to select the final 4. 

Import the final four images into four separate A3 pages. Choose either full pages if they're good enough quality (Full bleed) or smaller inset images approx A4 in size within the A3 page...

Combine the whole thing and convert to a PDF file before submitting.

Use the Thomas Ruff links in the sidebar 

Search – ‘Sold at Auction Thomas Ruff portraits” look at the materials and the size of the images.

http://southendasphoto.blogspot.com/2013/10/deadpan-aesthetics-thomas-ruff.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djopeab8VYo&t=33s

Unit 09 - Pinhole checklist

 Here's a checklist of the kind of content that you should look to include in your Pinhole work.

1. Two pages of research - Lauren E Simonutti
2. Two pages of research - Deborah Turberville.
3. Intro page to the practical work - explaining the basics of what you need to do and how it links to the work of the two photographers above.
4. Picture of your camera
5. Diagrams or images of the components of the camera with explanations of how it was made. 
   
   
   

Do not use this image in your work - draw/copy your own version.

6. Include a picture of your paper box with the details from the product data sheet here 

7. Explain how the paper is fixed in the box and the light conditions this needs to happen in. (Use diagrams).

8. Explain how the shutter works to control the exposure time. 

9. Use a photo of the set and explain how the image was taken showing where the camera was situated in relation to you. This can also be done with a 'Floor plan'... a diagram of the set as viewed from above, see below for an example.

10. Describe the light conditions you shot in - what light was it 'Point' or 'Diffuse'? Use the diagrams you were shown in class to help explain the difference between the 2 types.

11. Then start to put your images into the design sheet in the order that you shot them in or as close as you can remember - use both types negatives and positives from Day 1.

12. Explain how you turned the negatives into positive images. (Photo-shop Invert and Curves). 

13. Use images of the 'Flatbed' scanner and the Photo-copier scanner and explain what setting were used.

14 - Use these links here to describe the materials you've used. 

Aluminium drinks can - The lens
Black Polpropylene 'Safe' bags
The camera body Cardboard
Duct tape 
Masking tape

15. Use a picture of the darkroom with the trays in and describe the process/sequence.

16. Put the images into the design sheet from Day 2 on-wards. Primarily use Positive images and discuss and explain your ideas development - reflect on whether you feel that the images are increasingly becoming 'Creepier/sinister/disturbing - what more can you do to improve the sense of the images being creepy/sinister.

17. Show further development of your idea discuss the use of the background and props.

18. In the last few days - try and shoot your 2 best images with your best idea. 

19. Write a final evaluation - All that is required in the evaluation is (A) Seven brief descriptions of things that you have learned about photography/light/cameras. (B). Four things where you think you have weaknesses/deficiencies in your knowledge that you need to improve and learn more about. Title the first section (A) Development of my own practice and (B) What I need to improve further. This goes at the very end of the work. 

Explore Photographic materials, techniques and processes

In the first lesson you're going to be making your own personal camera to use for the first project and any subsequent projects you feel it can be used for.

Your work will be written up and recorded in the same way that you've produced your research work e.g. the 3 column method aiming to fill the pages/columns with 70% images and 30% written.

You'll be using a range of different materials to make the camera and produce images with it. In this assignment, for this unit you need to write about the equipment and materials you use, explaining why they are fit for purpose and are suitable for this purpose theme and assignment.


Aluminium drinks can - The lens
Black Polpropylene 'Safe' bags
The camera body Cardboard
Duct tape 
Masking tape

The links above take you to the general descriptions of the product and you can use these descriptions to explain why these materials are used (Remember you cannot copy any of the text). This can be potentially done before you see the camera and start using it.

When you search for information about such materials a pre-fix that you can use in for internet searches is Product data sheet followed by the product ...

Another pre-fix that you can use for more technical details is Materials Safety Data sheets these are normally found in a PDF form and normally the information on the 1st or 2nd page are sufficient. It's good practice to screen grab the front page of the PDF in order that you can add it as an image to show that you have accessed it. Then include the key safety points you find that relate to your use of the material.

As much as you can fill your design sheets with images to show what materials you're using. Ideally photograph your own materials using your camera/phone if not find suitable image from the internet.

Using images should help with limiting the amount of written work you do - use the images as much as possible to illustrate what you're identifying in your work. An ideal balance between the use of images and written content should mean your design sheet pages should be 70% images 30% text. Again use small text 10 point Calibri or similar.

Techniques - see the link here

Connecting your work with your research

One of the main reasons that you have to do your research is so that you learn how other Photographers work and produce their images. The more you research and learn about photographers the greater your knowledge of the subject. With this, will come the potential to see the huge variety of ways in which photography is produced using a vast array of different approaches and MTP's. All of this knowledge will help you generate ideas for your own work.

Nothing is new

Everyone is influenced by someone else, nothing is entirely new, there will always be elements of people's work that they have borrowed from someone else and this is something you need to adopt for your own photography.

So look at as much photography as you can, especially 'Significant' photography, photography that is recognised as being of some importance. Generally this tends to be Historical photography and contemporary 'Art' Photography. Read about it and discover why it's seen as being significant and important.

As much as possible, the Photographers that we direct you to look at as part of your research fall into this bracket and because of their significance, it usually means they've been written about, discussed and interviewed.

Influence 

It's pointless if you do some research and then you produce work that doesn't connect with the research in anyway. Your work needs to connect and by that we mean you borrow an element of their work and apply it to your own. Avoid copying the idea/images and ended up with images at the end of your project that are virtually the same.

Instead, look to adopt different aspect of their work...

Lighting; Compositions; use of materials, techniques or processes, subject, approach, concept, theme, genre etc and apply it to your idea.

When do do this - make sure that you acknowledge the connection between the work... Write a paragraph about how you've been influenced Note this is often found in your plans.