Fashion

It was easy enough for me to do a fashion shoot for this image, but I wanted to something else fashionable rather than just clothing (the obvious!) I brainstormed some ideas of what fashion is and what makes something fashionable. As well as this, I began to think of things that aren't necessarily fashionable right now, but were at some point. My final idea was to use my Dad's Vespa and photograph it. As the scooter is just kept in storage now, I couldn't take it very far to photograph, so had to use the surroundings nearby as a background. 

3 images combined, levels adjusted

After taking a picture of the Vespa every angle possible, there was always something in the background that wasn't particularly appealing to the picture eg. someone's car or a young child running around on the street. 
I decided to try and incorporate 3 of the best images together, and do something different. Although I really like the image I produced, I would have much preferred to have an image of the Vespa alone. However under the circumstances, I wasn't able to capture anything better - so I could only work with what surroundings I had. 

Laughing 

I was in London this Summer and I looked like a typical tourist. Camera around my neck I wandered aimlessly into the crowds pointing my camera and bumping into angry Londoners on their way to work. The image that I chose to take for laughing, instantly caught my eye. The Comedy Store was based on the club in the United States, after Peter Rosengard (club opener) had visited it. The club promoted alternative comedy, and helped a lot of comedians build and begin their careers. I chose to photograph The Comedy Store for 'laughing' as it is where a lot of now famous comedians began their careers and provoked laughter from their audiences.

f 14.0     shutter: 1/125     ISO 400     no filters

 Like I said, all the pictures I took in London had to be taken quite quickly as I was in the middle of bustling crowds everywhere, so the composition on this image could be a little better. However, the main thing was to get a picture that represented laughing, which this does perfectly. I didn't feel that i had to put this image into Photoshop, as I didn't really want to change anything about it. I like how this picture is a little different to all of my others in regards to not being Photoshopped, I prefer it how it was taken. In reflection though, I would have made sure the composition of the image was slightly better. 

Party 

As most of my images were, this one was also taken without the word in mind. For the word 'party', I wanted to capture something that you could instantly relate to a party. That being said, I didn't want my image to be the typical 'party image'. I went to my Grandad's gig and halfway through a lot of people got up to start dancing. I thought it was so nice to see that the older generation still enjoy getting up and slow dancing together rather than some of the dance moves we see today... 

f 5.6     shutter: 1/60     1SO 400     filter: noise, hue/saturation

I found this image amongst the ones I took, and loved how natural it is. The two people dancing aren't aware their photograph is being taken so aren't in any way posing for it. I decided that I wanted the photo to look more old and dated, as this picture could have easily been taken 50 years ago. I really like the outcome of this image and I definitely think it goes well with the word party. 

Mystery and Time 
I didn't initially plan to link these two words to one image, however, when I took the image for mystery, I realised that it very much represents time as well. I thought that I'd think a little differently for the word mystery, and rather than taking a picture of something looking mysterious (eg. a dark forest), I thought I could do something that wasn't blindingly obvious. 

f 7.1     shutter: 1/125     ISO 3200     filter: colour balance adjusted

I think that this image initially depicts the word 'mystery' very well. The meaning is subtle, as first off you may just think this image is a picture of some train times. However, the person looking at these train times may not know where they are going, what train they're getting... their life is a mystery. I linked in the word time to this image too, as this may be more obvious than mystery. It is simply a photograph of the train times in a station. I particularly like how this image is quite obvious that is an image of time, however it is more appealing than simply taking a picture of a clock on a wall.

Glass 

My first idea for this image was to take a picture of a glass building, and include the surroundings in the reflection. However, I happened to capture a shot by mistake. I was bored one day waiting to go out and took a picture on my iPhone through a glass beer bottle, and the result of it inspired me to try it with my camera. I had my camera with me so decided to experiment.

f 10.0     shutter: 1/125     ISO 2000     filter: colour balance

 I really loved the way this image turned out. Because I took the photograph nearer the top of the bottle, the roundness of the neck makes the image distort a little, which makes the image more unusual. As well as this, the bottle was brown in colour, which gives kind of a sepia tone to the whole image, which you wouldn't get if it was taken through a clear bottle. I also like how the shape of the bottle can be made out, however because it is not completely in focus, it makes it less obvious. 

f 10.0     shutter: 1/125     ISO 3200     filter: colour balance 

I took a few pictures and this was another that I liked. Unlike the first image, you can't tell that this has been taken through an object, as there is no shape around it. I like that about this image, as it isn't obvious that the image is supposed to relate to the word glass. 
On both images I really love how they are distorted and out of focus. They both sort of remind me of The Wizard Of Oz!

Anonymous

I knew for this image that I wanted to be quite literal with the meaning of the word 'anonymous'. On looking at the complete definition of the word, I decided that I wanted to use a model for my image, but someone who would not be showing their face. I thought I could maybe shoot in a dark area, whilst the model wore black clothing and maybe had a hood covering their face. I wanted the person to be of no particular significance. 
However, I came up with a slightly better idea. The 'anonymous mask' (or Guy Fawkes mask) became famous after being used to depict the most famous member of the Gunpowder Plot in the film 'V for Vendetta'. After that the mask became a well known symbol of the online hackers named 'Anonymous'. From that point on, the word anonymous became associated with the Guy Fawkes mask. 

a·non·y·mous  

/əˈnänəməs/

Adjective

1. (of a person) Not identified by name; of unknown name.
2. Having no outstanding, individual, or unusual features; unremarkable or impersonal.

f 7.1     shutter: 1/125     ISO 800     filter: none, layered image and eraser

On putting the image in photoshop, I thought I could play around with it. I decided to layer the original image on top of itself 6 times. I set the opacity on each new layer to 42%, so that they would all match one another. I then moved each layer across to make each layer visible. I wanted to give the effect of confusion, as something anonymous often provokes confusion. It also intrigues the viewer of the image to find out the meaning of it... a lot like when something/someone is anonymous, people are interested to know more, and why this particular person/object has no identity. I am very pleased with how this image turned out, and I think I have achieved what I wanted from it.

As usual I'm finding ways to distract myself rather than working on my college blog... Today I'm window shopping on the internet. Although currently I have less than £5 in my bank account, a girl can dream! 
I really LOVE this RI bag, it's a must have! What looks like a plain leather bag from the front, is made attractive with the block pink coloured sides. I will definitely be adding this bag to my collection in the near future. 


These high waisted shorts from Zara are perfect for winter! Throw a knitted jumper on with them, or for a more formal occasion how about a black blouse? 
I definitely want to see these hanging on my clothes rail this Winter season. 

If for any reason anyone feels like looking at my college work blog, then you can find it here... yasminphotogcollege.blogspot.co.uk 

I know I post a lot of my college work on this blog too but I also include my personal blog on here too, so the other one will just be my college work and nothing else! Hopefully if I keep up blogging I may actually attract some followers rather than just talking to myself hehehe 

 P.s I was messing around with my camera on the tripod earlier this week & ended up taking a picture of myself posing... so here it is x

Content. 
I thought for the word content, the easy thing to do was to take an image of a pet content with it's life. However, I looked at the opposing definition of content and decided on photographing the contents of something. I thought that I could maybe take a very simple yet effective picture of the contents page of a book. However, I wanted my image to be more interesting. I decided upon taking the contents out of a handbag, and photographing the things on top of the bag. 

 

4. Content      f 4.5     shutter: 1/125     ISO 3200     filter: levels & vibrance

 I wanted the image to have a very plain background, so that the main focus would be solely on the contents of the bag. I used a plain black tiled floor, and then adjusted the levels on photoshop to make the background completely black. Although I usually think that having a background on the image makes it more interesting and appealing, I think that the vibrant colours in this image are enough to attract the viewer's attention.

Advertisement. 
I had a few different ideas whilst brainstorming for this word. At first I was thinking pretty 'inside the box', and thought I could maybe use newspapers or magazines for my image. However, whilst out one day I took this image of a B&B's window. Although not an obvious advertisement, the sign for 'No Vacancies' of course is an advertisement. I didn't first plan to use this image for the word advertisment, however I thought it would be an unusual one. Something about it just draws your attention and catches the eye - hence the reason I first took the image. It was only upon looking through the photographs I had taken on this trip that I thought it could work, and I hope it has done! 

3. Advertisement     f. 16.0     shutter: 1/125     ISO 800     filter: levels adjusted

 I adjusted the levels on the image to make the reflection in the window more visible. What I love about this image is that although the main focus is initially supposed to be on the 'No Vacancies' sign hanging in the window, there is also so much detail around this. The reflection itself of the houses opposite attracts so much attention, that it is not immediately obvious what the image is showing.

Everyone loves a bargain. Today whilst shopping for my brother's birthday presents I spotted these beauties. How could I resist adding more owls to my collection (I'm really just fueling my own obsession).

I also spotted a lovely chunky winter cardigan to add to my wardrobe - a cardigan always comes in handy to throw on in this English weather. £8.50 is something I couldn't resist, however the cardigan was an age 11 - hey, there are perks to being small at 18 y/o. 

Date night. No, I'm not ignoring my lovely boyfriend while I blog... How could I? We had pizza and then put a film on, typical date. What is also typical is the fact that he is currently sleeping on my knee whilst I enjoy the film on my own. I suppose I can let him off since he treated me to Dominos!! 

I plan to add some more pictures from my summer project over the next couple of days - maybe not tomorrow as I'll be partying it up for my brother's birthday. Definitely Sunday though. 

Freedom.
Earlier this year I went on a trip to South Africa and visited Robben Island (for those who don't know what that is, it's the island where Nelson Mandela was jailed). While on the island, we got a tour around the cells - including Nelson Mandela's, and surprisingly all his belongings are still present in the cell. At first I thought I could use the photograph I took of his cell to represent the opposite of freedom. However, I took this image of Cape Town from the island, and I thought it could work. 
The photograph shows 'freedom', the exact same view that the people imprisoned would have seen, and longed for each minute they spent locked up. 
I chose to make the image seem quite 'ghostly' and 'cold', as that would have been the atmosphere on the island compared to the island of Cape Town. 

2. Freedom       f 10.0     shutter: 1/125     ISO 100      filter: black & white, colour change

I like how none of the detail in the image has been lost by editing this image to black and white. However, on editing the colours within the picture, the image became slightly 'grainy'. This however, I feel works well for the photo, as it adds to the atmosphere and kind of takes you back in time to when the prisoners would have been on the island. The atmosphere within the photograph is so poignant, and you can almost feel the emotion that the prisoners would have felt.  

(part 2) 
I thought I'd add one of the images I took of Nelson Mandela's cell, for those of you who were curious to take a look! It goes well with the word 'Freedom', however would be used as the opposite of the word. 

part 2. Freedom       f 3.5     shutter: 1/40     ISO 100     filter: levels and colour balance

 As the background of the photograph is blurred, and you can only see the bars of the cell, I think that this shows imprisonment particularly well. You do not need to know what went on behind the bars of the cell, the prisoners' belongings were no longer important. All that was important was that they were imprisoned, and no longer 'free'.

For part of our summer project, we had a list of 16 words, and had to produce at least one image for each of the words. 'Think outside the box', was one of the main things we had to do, since the list was made up of everyday 'plain' words. I will upload my images to my blog as and when I am happy with the outcome of them. 

Passion. 
Many people are passionate about a certain hobby they have, or a sport they play. I went to watch a charity football match and took as many pictures as possible - people scoring goals, heading a football. I wanted to capture the passion that the players had, and managed to do this on many of the images I took. However, I thought the images I captured didn't really stand out, so I decided on creating a panorama image of the two teams stood together before the match kicked off. 

1. Passion           f 11.0     shutter: 1/125     ISO 400     filter: sepia

 (sorry if my image takes over your screen!!)

The players in the image aren't necessarily all ready for the photograph, however it shows passion and excitement for the game they're about to play. Although this was only a charity football match, and the players in the image aren't pro footballers, this is an image you would see when watching the likes of Manchester City/Manchester United - passion for their team and the match they are about to participate in. 
P.s As you can see there is a photographer present in the bottom of the image... I like to think my image turned out better than his.

Feeling motivated. 

I plan to go out today to shoot some images for my summer brief. I have already been taking images throughout the summer, it's just a case of tweaking them on photoshop now! We were given a list of words and we had to take a picture for each word (without being too basic/literal). Some of the words are quite 'boring' as in 'happy' - the first thing you think of is photographing somebody smiling! However I have used my imagination for the words and come up with different definitions along the way, as well as being inspired by other people's work and ideas. 

I will be uploading each picture along with the word I linked it to and an explanation to go with it - well, when I am finally happy with the outcome of each imagine anyway. 

X 

P.s I went on a trip to Haworth this week where I was able to capture a few snaps... And the weather was just right for it! 

In college researching David Bailey for my essay. His images are so inspiring and I plan to replicate a few of them or do some in the style of his for my essay research 

The weather today has been absolutely gorgeous again. Me and my sister were being boring sat in the garden but decided to go for a drive in the sun, and went up to werneth low. We then took my dog out on the fields for a nice long walk in the sun.

I think everyone will agree when I say summer is very much needed and more of this weather will definitely be welcomed!

01/05

Today marks the start of the sunny weather if it's anything to go by the beautiful blue skies above us! I don't think I'm the only one who feels like pulling on a pair of denim shorts paired with a summer top and sunglasses!
Below is a typical instagrammed image of the sunny roads as I was driving earlier this morning...

A poster I bought for my bedroom wall

The September Issue 

Watched The September Issue in college the other day and loved it. Being involved in the fashion industry is undoubtedly hard work and anyone who works that hard deserves to be involved. 
VOGUE is one of the most influential magazines all over the world for having 'drop dead' gorgeous models on each and every edition's cover.

 

As well as looking at David Bailey's work for my essay, I'm looking at the 60s in general. There's so much I could write about... the Vietnamese War, 'Swinging London', England winning the World Cup...
I am focusing mainly on the music scene as it links into my David Bailey piece... he photographed many famous icons involved in music and I plan to replicate some of his work for my essay images. However... no one will ever capture images as well as Bailey does.

The ever famous Beatles

Mick Jagger recognisable by his lips!

 Jean Shrimpton

I love Jean Shrimpton.
We have an essay to write on an era of photography and the influences photographers had for their images, and what influenced them. Without Jean Shrimpton, who would David Bailey have had modelling in the beautiful streets of New York?
Jean Shrimpton was a natural.

Layered images...

For a recent brief, we were distributed random lines cut from a newspaper. We had to dissect the sentences, and begin trying to base our work around a subject. 

'draws deductions based on years of'

'in the near future, not just as Barthes'

'grandfather a master potter; he and'

'gap narrows again when the kids enter'

After researching certain words and elements of my sentences, I came to the conclusion that my  work would be based on the work of Idris Khan, especially his layered images on Roland Barthes' book 'Camera Lucida'.  Idris Khan imaged each page of the book aforementioned, and the digitally layered them on top of one another using photoshop. I especially love how he's done this, as I think it creates such a lovely ghostly effect - whilst also showing the occasional word through the blurred sentences.

Idris Khan 'Every Page... From Roland Barthes' 'Camera Lucida' 2004

I also looked at the work of Corinne Vionnet - a less known photographer. Although her work managed to inspire me and capture my attention, I didn't particularly like how she used pictures just off internet searches, rather than taking the images herself. She was bemused by the fact that when in a place of interest, people would all be attracted to taking pictures of famous landmarks and attractions, in the exact same spot. Rather than trying to differentiate their images from another person's, everyone would stereo-typically take the same image. So this is what inspired her to make the stereotypical landmark image, into a somewhat blurred and haunted image.  

Corinne Vionnet - Stonehenge 2005-2013

As the lines I was given, seemed to have an amount of links to family ('grandfather', 'kids'), I decided I would try and make a link in my images to past, present and future in family life. This fueled my initial idea of using Idris Khan as an inspiration, and I decided to photograph every page of 2 old family photo albums. By doing this, I was hoping to show how life moves on through a family, certain events happen in their life, that are important enough to be photographed and stored away as a keepsake.

First Final Image

The image above is the result of photographing every page of a photo album, and layering them on top of eachother using photoshop. However, I must admit that this image looks a lot better on printed paper, rather than a computer screen...

This is my favourite result out of the two photo albums... you can make your own mind up on looking at the next image. I just feel that this image portrays family life very well, and I love the bright colours coming through from all of the combined images. The haunted effect that the image shows, I feel is a beautiful way of portraying the 'past', which is one of subjects I wanted to focus on during this brief.

Final Image 2

This is my second image. You can probably see why I prefer the other one over this one... I find this image overall dull, and I'm not saying I wasn't happy with the result, but I just feel that the former one works a lot better. I placed the photo album on a brown background for this shoot, but edited it to black using photoshop as I wanted it to match the previous one. However, I feel that this took away too much of the edge of the album, removing it's look of a genuine photo album, so I would have liked to have initially shot this on a black background, rather than editing afterwards.
______________________________________________

We were required to shoot to images in the studio, and two on location for this brief. Fortunately for me, I was heading to South Africa over the Christmas period to visit family; I came to a decision of incorporating my trip into producing my two final images. While over there, I took many images of all sorts of things, animals, landscapes, family, sunsets etc... All of the usual holiday snaps!

On my arrival back to (not so) sunny Manchester, I chose to do my third final image on family and people, and my fourth solely on landscapes. So I digitally layered my chosen images for my third image, using photoshop and this was the result...

Final Image 3

I was extremely pleased with this image, infact I would go as far to say this is my favourite of the final four. I used a mixture of black and white images, and colour ones. I love how there are bursts of colour coming through the more dull parts of the image. On top of this, I think that it does a fantastic job of showing family life and the present times, as there is several different family members shown through the combined images.

Final Image 4

For my final final image, I used only landscapes to produce it. I was very pleased with the outcome of this image, as I love the fact that it gives the effect of a horizon along the bottom. I feel that this image is simple, yet beautiful, and it gives a lovely message off. The rose in the image, was a photograph taken on a beach that is quite poignant within the family, and I thought it would again, help portray family life, as well as past, present and future. 

Overall, I feel I was able to subtly depict a message through each image, without it being clear without explanation. I was pleased with the outcomes and will definitely be adding at least two of these images to my portfolio. 

X

Introduction 

I have decided to create a blog... one that I will hopefully stick to this time! I've had blogs in the past, but always ended up frustrated and wanting to throw the laptop out of the window... 

However, this time I have a purpose to. I will (hopefully) be posting regularly, my work and thoughts on current projects. I am am 18 year old photography student, living in Manchester.

If I happen to post anything other than my photography work, it is simply because 1) it inspires me/my work or 2) I have an interest in the subject I have posted on. 

Enjoy! 

You can find me on twitter here or instagram here