Planning January and February shoot.

So I now have all the designs ready so I know how I want to shoot. The biggest challenge was to now find models that were suitable to creating the look I am after. I have decided to book the photography studio on the 14th February thinking this will give me enough time to get everything organised. When double-checking with Natasha, my student photographer I then realised it was Valentine's day and she would be unable to make the shoot. I had not taken into consideration that it would be Valentine's day and harder to request for models.



My first major issue is that I had a studio, I have the designs, I am just missing the important elements to the shoot, the photographer and models. This is my first major task. 


It is hugely important to scout the relevant people in order to get the desired outcome. There is no point compromising on this as there is a risk of not getting pleasing imagery. When in industry it can take weeks to source the appropriate professionals as it is so important to the shoot. This is why time management is so important in this project and when working within industry.


After scouting on ModelMayhem for a long time, writing lots of emails to photographers that I liked the look of their portfolios and waiting to hear back I had two photographers who confirmed that they would be able to shoot with me on Tuesday 14th. I decided to go with the photographer who I thought would be most suitable. Her name is Magdelena Bieth and she is a freelance photographer who is based in Southampton but travels a lot. Her website is http://www.magdalenabieth.com/. I liked her work because she has a similar style of photography to what I like, simple, clean white backgrounds, soft shadows and a focus upon the eyes. 


After a few emails back and forth she confirmed she would be happy to do the shoot and would be interested in helping for the rest of the project as it would help her build her beauty portfolio. She also said she would be happy to work on a ‘TFP’ (time for print) basis which was a huge relief as my budget is already tight for the project as I plan to pay for 12 different models travel and expenses. I made sure to swap contact details in case there were any problems and we needed to contact each other. I knew this was important for me to do as I have heard about people not turning up on the day of the shoot and I definitely did not want this to happen!


My next step was to email models that I thought would be suitable. I was looking for models that had a commercial look, which would be able to relate to the high street consumer. To go with my trend, I wanted to use models for January and February with blue eyes and long hair. I felt that blue eyes were important because I wanted the blue winter sky of my trend to reflect within the colours of my image. Also as I was going to be using black within my trend I wanted to really make the eyes stand out and I thought blue would make this work. I wanted models with long hair because as the trend has a branching out theme I wanted the hair to look like it was moving and move in a flowing direction out from the head.  


Finding a model was my biggest challenge. I spent days emailing people on Model Mayhem but because I am only limited to sending 5 emails per day and had already sent out emails to photographers it made the model search lengthy which was very frustrating as I could see the 14th February creeping closer and closer. When organising something I like to have plenty of time to plan and not knowing how this shoot could go really worried me. I decided to resort to emailing people through Hotmail if they had their email address on their Model Mayhem account.  


By Saturday night I still had no reply from models, which was causing me to think maybe I should cancel the shoot and rebook. The main issue was that people were already busy in the evening due to it being valentine’s night. It made me realise that in the future I would need to be more aware and selective with which days I am going to book in the studios. I already have the problem of that I am only able to shoot during the week days as the studios are only open then, and the fact that most models are only available of an evening as they already work, causes times to shoot very difficult and needs lots of planning in advance. Another inconvenience is that the studios can only be booked two weeks in advance.  


Luckily by the Sunday evening I had had responses from two models that I was happy to use. The first was Christie Hitchens, a model I had contacted through Hotmail but found on ModelMayhem. She was from Reading so it did mean that I would have to cover the cost of her travel. I did not mind this if it meant that I was getting a model who is perfect to represent the trend. Within industry when carrying out a photo shoot, models can be sourced from all over the country or even world if the shoot is big enough. 


 

  The Second model to reply was through modelmayhem was Meg O’Duffy. She was also from Reading so I would also have to pay for travel.

 

As Meg had a softer natural beauty look I wanted her to represent my February look, which was going to be softer and more natural looking with the silver leaf, black brow and natural face. For Christie I thought she could carry a heavier makeup so I thought she would be appropriate to represent my January look. I decided I wanted to do the blended look but instead of having a black edge and pink inner I wanted to swap it round so the black was bleeding outwards. I wanted to try the brows sweeping upwards like they were branching out of position and because I had these details keep the rest of the eyes simple with a slick of black eyeliner and long branching lashes. I had it all planned by the Sunday evening and was ready to go out and buy certain makeup that I needed as well as lashes and nail varnish. I also wanted to use a lacey black top and big cuff bracelet, which I thought was appropriate.  


I decided that the top would be interesting to use if I wanted to use some further out shots and get more of the body involved. The top was black, which related to my trend and also was detailed but delicate at the same time. The cuff showed the strength of the rugged trend but did not interfere with the makeup causing it to be the main focus of the image. I liked the fact that it was a cold dull grey metal an also the pattern showed the different shattered effect. As Meg was going to have a very natural look with bits of detail I wanted her to wear the bangle and I thought the darker look, which was going to be on Christie would be able to carry the black top.


Once everything was confirmed with the models and details were swapped I contacted the photographer, as she wanted to see the models beforehand. I got a late reply from her saying that she would have to check her schedule and get back to me tomorrow. This was a huge blow, I thought I had had everything sorted and the day before the shoot she had said she was unsure. This made me question her reliability so I messaged back saying if she could let me know ASAP as I would need to get a new photographer otherwise. On Monday morning she contacted me to let me know she was able to make the shoot. I was still a little wary of how it was going to go so on the day of the shoot I text both models and photographer to confirm they were still able to make the shoot, luckily all of them soon responded and said they were.


As a precaution that something might go wrong I ensured that I had a friend also on the same course as me come along to assist just in case I would needed her help (such as collecting models and prepping skin and hair). I also made use of the ‘Buddy Up’ and asked her to come along to watch and help if needed. I was really nervous as this was my first shoot for my project and I was using people in industry, which I had not done for a long time so getting back into doing photo shoots was a little nerve racking. I was confident with what I wanted to do as I had practised the looks and drawn up face charts but I had a very tight schedule to run with as my first model was arriving at 4, the photographer at half 4 so she had half an hour to set up the studio and the second model to arrive at 5 so I could do her makeup when the other model was being shot.   

I came in an hour early to set up my makeup kit in the studio, go and check the studio was okay to use, get the sync leads for the camera and meet up with my buddy and explain the project.  I feel it is very important to arrive early and prepare as it looks more professional and ensures that I am organised for the shoot.

(I have had some problems uploading this blog entry so although it has only been uploaded today it was wrote a few days ago. For some reason it was not saving or publishing so I had to save the writing as a Word Document and copy it over today.)

Testing

I did so much testing for the trend as I did not know how severe I wanted to make the make up. I do want the images to still represent true beauty so I do not want to detract from this. These are images which I have taken of test make up.


This was my first design. I wanted to apply black and grey to the face but not in the stereotypical way (smoky eye). The eye is the epicentre of the shatter so I needed to incorporate the eye into the make up. I decided to apply the blacks and greys underneath the eye. Using inspiration from the pink cheek I decided to apply it in a harsh line and blend out down the face. I kept all the rest of the make up very simple and just applied nude lips and contoured the face. I wanted to keep the eyes the only element as it was very intense. Once taking images I decided I did not like this, it highlighted the bags under the eyes and it also looked like a black eye. On the second image i had tried to drop some black eye shadow onto the eyes, but it did not look severe enough on camera so I decided to scrap this idea.




As I was washing the make up off I decided to capture the water running creating a dirty water mark down the face, this however did not show up very well on camera so I decided to continue with washing it off. I thought it would add to the grungy smudged look but it did not show, the water just reflected off the face with the flash.



















































This was the after effect with washing with water. I wanted it to have a worn look but I did not like it at all! It looks a mess and not beautiful. The water just reflects the flash and the make up does not look well executed. Scrap that idea !
























This was another new design I created. I tried out the pink cheek and really liked the effect. One thing I would change if I was to do this look again was to use a different shade of blusher as this looks red and I would prefer to have a pink washed out colour.Red is too severe. I also tried out a spidery type lash on the eyes but decided to create a line and apply them further up the eyelid. I do like this affect as it is different but I do not think it is extreme enough for the look I want. 

As the look was not intense enough I decided to add a black lip. I decided to make it matt as my trend has a worn look so nothing is new and shiny any more. I do like the design of this look but I do think it needs some tweaking so I decided to continue altering the look. 

I did try a glossy black lip and although it made the lips look more intense I do not think it is right for my trend. 

I did try to add some blue into the make up to bring in the element of the cold sky but I do not like this look at all! It looks very drag like and am-mature which is the total opposite of what I want to portray. 


I worked a black eye shadow over the top of the blue to tone it down and create a deeper blue shade. I do like this colour but I still think the eye shadow wrecks the design. I worked the black up past the eyebrow and to the hair line and went over the red blusher with black but I think it is all too much, there are too many elements going on in one design. I also did not like the way the black went patchy on the skin especially when being worked over the top of another powder colour. I need to home it in, portray the theme but with a much simpler look. 


Lastly I tested out a more extreme approach to black on the face. I applied to make it look like it had been clawed on. I did like this affect but do not think it is relevant enough to my design. 

I wanted to try a subtler approach to the make up but still incorporate a bleeding colour. I created a nude lip and added a pink in the centre to blend out to the edges of the lip. The mouth being the epicentre of the shatter and the colours diffusing out.
 The mouth can come out with strong words which can create a crack in an emotion or feeling. 
The effect was not that noticeable so I decided to add gloss to the lips but I thought it did not enhance the colours instead it detracted from them. I like the idea of the lips bleeding but not in these soft tones, I needed something more striking. So I came up with this lip...

I created a bleeding in black lip. I really like this lip as it is strong with a sharp black edge but blends into a pink in the centre, where it is a fresher flesh. I created this with a black eye liner so Could draw a sharp black line and also blend out.  

I decided to carry on from this bleeding lip to create a overall make up. I kept the make up on the rest of the face quite simple as I wanted the emphasis to be on the lips. I did like this idea but I did not think the eyes had enough going on to make the make up interesting so I continued to experiment. 

I made the eyes a lot more dramatic by creating a black brow and joining up them to the eyes as well as blending black out. I do like this eye make up but I believe it is too much with the lips as well. I think for the design to work I would need to use either the eye make up or the lips, not both. 

I added more detail to the eyebrows. I want to incorporate the eyebrows into one of my designs as I believe they are a looked over element to make up.  
The eyebrows shelter the eyes so they need to have a unfinished look. They branch up towards the sky like tree branches. 

I then added the black cheek which really defines the cheek bone but again i think there is too much going on within the design. It needs to be simplified. 

I filled in the black lips so they were all over black I like the harshness of the black but I think I want to stick using just one element on the face to portray the dirty blackness of my trend. I think I want to use the lips as one of the black elements in one of my months. I think black eyes has been done quite a lot and is predictable. 



Lastly for this look I went to the extreme and thought where else could I use black on the face. I blended black down the forehead but I found that there were some elements that prevented this from looking how I wanted to: one it went patchy, I think in order to make it blend perfectly I would need to use an airbrush. The other issue was that it just stopped at the hair line and created a separated, disjointed look from the hair. I do not want this. I want the hair to be a continuation from the head like the hair is diffusing from the face.  

I went away and thought of other ways I could use the shattered diffusion element in my designs but without so much black. I came up with the idea of gold leaf. I like the way it has an unpredictable shatter look when it breaks. I do not want to use gold as this is the wrong tone, I want cooler harder looking colours. 

I found some gold leaf in silver. A metal tone which would be perfect for my trend. 



I used it alongside of the black but I think I need one or the other and I believe the gold leaf explains my trend better. I decided to apply the gold leaf to the ears and out down the neck as the ear is where sound is taken in. Sound can shatter glass and the ears are very delicate as sound can split the ear drum. This theory made it very appropriate to my trend. Once applying the gold leaf (which I found extremely fiddly!) I realised that the effect on the ear was not as beautiful as I thought it would be. Instead the ear looks bitty. I think I need to apply the gold leaf to a flat surface. I do like it going down the neck though. One problem that I did have with the gold leaf was that it kept lifting so if I was to use it again I would need to apply a lot more Vaseline in order for it to stick well. I am pleased with the effect and would like to use it in one of my designs. 





I decided that because the gold leaf offered a lot of detail, the rest of the make up needed to be stripped right back. I wanted to still incorporate the element of black so I decided to use the black brow. The brow provides a strong structure to the face but does not detract from the rest of the detail within the make up. 



I have definitely benefitted from testing for these looks. My designs have developed so much from the initial idea. I will continue to test for future looks as it has helped me massively. I believe that by investigating and  carrying testing it has demonstrated that I have shown innnovative and appropriate solutions to a brief. 

Inspiration bank for Shattered Diffusion

I know I have fallen behind with keeping this blog up to date already but I can assure you that I have been working solidly on documenting my time.


Since deciding on my theme I collected lots of imagery that I thought would help represent the Shattered Diffusion theme. I intend to take some of these images with me to the day of the shoot so I can show my photographer and model so I can communicate visually what I am wanting from the images. This is something which I believe is important and would be used in professional shoots. It is important to communicate what is wanted otherwise the images could turn out very differently. 


These are a few of the images I think are relevant to the Shattered Diffusion trend:


I like this image because all though it is dark with lots of black there is an element of delicate and feminine with the porcelain skin and the sheer delicate blowing of material across the face. I like the idea of the hair blowing away like the winter breeze or underground wind. The image is strong by her positioning and pose. I do want the image to be closer up than this though so the clothing is irrelevant. 

I like the way the face fills the image so there is no background allowing the image to be striking and the focus of the image to be on the make up. I also like the dark make up. The lips are perfectly painted in a dark shade but not black, allowing the image to not take on a gothic look. I also like the shadows of the eyelashes being cast down onto the skin. It helps represent the shattered diffusion effect. 

This image, although a similar make up is a lot more severe. The lighting is harsher and the models pose appears to be more authoritive and in control. I like do not like the lighting I believe it would be too harsh for my looks as I still want to bring in the softer romantic element. I do like the lash shadows and natural brow. 

  For this image, what interested me was the attitude. The model looks angry and the way her nails are digging into the face and the way the lips are parted to bare the teeth. I love the white space of the image, it makes the image seem very clean cut and not overly busy. I want my images to have a very simplistic look. The colours of the eyes are not relevant to my trend but I do like every other element to the make up. 

The smudged eye and crumbling mascara relates to my trend in that everything is worn and not perfect. I would like to bring this into my design in one way or another, whether this is on the face or not I am unsure. I  want to use both neat and smudged elements into the make up for these to looks. 


The only element to this image which caught my eye was the blusher. As my images are going to be quite plain and dark I want to bring one element of colour into the make up, I had never thought about doing a blusher in this way. I like the strong line but then the way it blends and fades out into the face. 

This paper stuck to the face really reflects the broken and shattered element to my trend. I do not like how colourful the paper is but I do believe this would work well for my looks. I think applying it around the eye has already been done and therefore needs to be put somewhere else on the face. 

I found a photographer's work who I really like and has created some images with makeup and hair designs which relate to my ideas. His name is Iain Crawford and he is a beauty and fashion photographer. These are some of his images which relate to what I would like to create. 
I have chosen this image because it clearly shows the hair branching out in different directions. The white background clearly highlights the quite dark  model. 

This is another image of Iain Crawford's, it has a very similar theme to the previous. The idea of using a backlight to highlight the hair is an idea that I would like to use. 

Again, another similar style image.





Trend one

I know I haven't updated my blog in the past few days but it has been really hectic.
Since Monday i have decided on my final concept for A/W 2013/14.
I have decided to call it Shattered Diffusion


I have created a moodboard that will help to represent the overal theme of the trend. By me doing this it allows a visual reference as to what the trend is going to be about as well as providing a written explanation which hopefully backs up with what is being said. From reflection into industry trend forecasts there is often a mood board created as well as a written explanation, proving that I am creating a professional package. By providing both aspects it also ensures that I am communicating my ideas fully to whoever may see or read it. I am pleased with the outcome of my mood board and feel that I have improved my Photoshop skills as well as communicating exactly what I want from the trend.





Cities provide robust structures and textures. As constant use erodes its exterior a fresher flesh is revealed.  The tarnished content may have a cold façade of adequate hardwearing layers. However, nothing ever lasts, too much light and use dissolves colours that once bright to dimmed shaded tints. Textures become distressed and either shed, disintegrate or become fractured.

As elements wear out or break, alternatives are found, new opportunities and diversity arises so there is no longer one set path. 


A/W 2013 will notice the hype of British events such as the Queens Golden Jubilee and the Olympics wear down to shed a more subdued mood.  Cultures may have come to the epicentre of Britain but now they have gone their own ways in a shattered glass effect. Dust is settling and memories are becoming blurred and vanishing. 


The bitterness has returned and irritation of the frost has heightened. Blacks, greys and tones of dirt emerge up from the undergrounds. Everything is starting to look up, the silhouetted bare trees, branch out and upwards to the stark blue sky in the hope of breaking free from the polluted air.  The recession has withdrawn, tensions are eased and relief has expanded. People seek for the warmth of the sunshine but instead resort to the central heating of the home. Their skin dries out creating a flaky cracked map of lines, soft pinks reveal the tenderness of the unexpected exposure. A/W 2013 will filter out the colour to provide a complex cobweb of muted directions. The outer may be clear but the core is still a little hazy. 


 This is the colour palette I want to work with for my images. I have chosen an off black as I think solid black can be very overpowering in photography. I want models with blue eyes to reflect the cool tones and mood of the trend. I want greys and bluey tones in the accessories and makeup. The skin will be kept very pale and porcelain looking and the lips a very soft pink.
By providing a colour palette to back up the trend it allows the consumer to understand what colours to wear and what works together for the trend. By providing the pantone numbers it also allows people within industry to reference and use the palette in their own designs. I have learnt how to create this during the IT sessions in University and I feel I have strongly benefitted from it as it allows the trend to have a professional looking finish. 

I want the trend to reflect the ruggidness of London City but also the lifecycle of creation. I feel this is will follow on well from S/S 2013 with the bold, choppy, matt and fixed beauty styles. My trend will continue to bring structure to the new season but also add a slight softness of feminity with pinks and references to nature. 

I believe that this trend package is an innovative idea and shows that my research has built it rather than me copying trend forecasts that have already been done. It was important for me to create a calendar for 2014 as I wanted to show that I am being innovative and showing responsibility in my independent learning.

In order for my trend to be reflected through hair and makeup I have created two further moodboards which show the colours, mood and style of makeup and hair. 
This is the mood board for my first look, January 2014. It is quite dark and grungy as January will be in the still in the middle of the season so the grungyness is at its height. I want the images to be full of attitude but also to air a confidence. The styling will include a subtle hint of colour but the main tones will be blacks and greys. I want the hair to reflect a dispursing branch like effect, so I plan to have their hair blowing in all different directions (with the help of a fan). I like the idea of the hair having a glow effect, so possibly using a light behind the model to silhouette the hair as it is blowing out. The makeup will definitely include the use of black. In some element I will need to show the idea of branching out and dispersion, this could be from a makeup running effect, blending out, pieces of short sharp shapes spacing further out etc.  I will need my model to have long hair and ideally pale skin to enhance the dark tones on the face. 


This is the mood board for my second look, February 2014. This look will follow on from the previous but also have an adaption. As it will be the last month in my A/W 2013 trend it will start to take influence from the next trend S/S 2014. I want the next trend to be a lot lighter and more feminine, therefore the February look is a lot less grungy looking and starting to introduce a bit more colour. I still want the diffusion and cracked element to be key to the look, however it will be less dark with less black. 
The mood of the February look will be a lot softer and elegant. I like the idea of showing more flesh as it shows feminity and a element of insecurity. The hair will be more styled for this look it will have a matt texture and brought together at the head and and loose towards the end.  The make up will have a less intense look but still using the same tones of greys and black but with the added colour of pink. 


Overall the theme can be represented as rock romantic. 

I feel that I have created a strong trend forecasts and moodboards that strongly reflect on what is being said. The mood boards have been carefully constructed on Photoshop and I am extremely pleased with the outcomes. I believe that the style and quality is strong enough to be used on a professional project. By creating these mood boards it shows a clearer reflection of what is wanted from the photoshoot compared to a face chart. The mood board also expresses mood and style of the image making it useful to show to the model and photographer when shooting.