Sunday 7th November...

                             9.00am
Today is the day of my shoot. I am quite stressed but I'm really excited, and most of all prepared! I am going to pick my model up at 10.15am and start on her hair and make-up, I told her to leave her natural hair and have no make-up on to give me a blank canvas to work on.

After The Shoot
The hair and make-up took longer than I expected but I was happy with the result as It was just as I wanted it to be. I had previously practised working with her hair so I knew what to expect when working with her hair on the day. I had images of what I wanted the hair and makeup to look like beside me so I knew what I was working towards. She told me she really loved the look I had given her after I had finished making her over. I gave her the outfit I wanted her to wear and then tweaked it when it was on to give the look I wanted for the shoot.

I ran through the poses with her again like I had previously done with her on the Friday night, just to make her feel at ease with what I was expecting from the day. She told me she was really excited which was great for me as I knew she was then going to enjoy the day and work to the best of her ability.

The weather was beautifully sunny which was how I pictured for the day. We got to the location for the shoot, and I tied the 6 balloons around her wrist and tweaked her ready for the shoot. It went really well and I found her extremely photogenic giving me great results for all my photographs.

Over-all the shoot took around 4 and a half hours including a quick coffee break to make sure I gave my model a rest to keep her enthusiastic. I showed her all the images I had taken of her and she said she really liked them which was a big confidence boost. I'm really glad she enjoyed the day as much as I did and I am really pleased with the results I got.

Looking at British Heart Foundation Campaigns...

I thought I should look at past British Heart Foundation campaigns, to help me visualise my own shoot.



Comdedian Alan Carr doing a campaign



I like the use of a heart and the red clothing here





I love the concept of this photograph, it relates to everyone reading it



Past BHF Competition Winners

More Inspirational Photographers...

I have always loved classic, glamour style fashion photography, and two artists I love are Richard Avedon and Mario Testino and the fact that most of their photography is black and white makes their photographs even more beautiful.

Richard Avedon changed the style of fashion photography by shooting outside the studio. His photographs in the 50s included a very famous image of the beautiful icon Marilyn Monroe. I found this video which shows some of Avedon's work and his styles and to watch it was really inspirational to me.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fciMg-z0vSc&feature=related



I  love the set-up and poses in this image, and the style of his images also really inspires me.



I love the angles in this photograph with the points of her feet and the straightly held umbrella.



Mario Testino is a more up-to-date fashion photographer, photographing for Vogue and the Royals, he is definitely a big inspiration for all. Testino has photographed almost all the big celebrity icons and the most beautiful models in the world. His style can go from extremely classic and sexy like his photographs of the model Gisele, to modern and colourful to his recent photographs of Lady GaGa.



This is one of my favourite most inspirational photographs of Testino's. I think he has captured model Gisele absolutely beautifully.  



This is another photograph of model Gisele. I love the NYC backdrop in this photograph, and of course the 50s inspired clothing and hair.



Making My 50s Inspired Shirt...

To make my shirt I wanted to keep my budget low, so I knew I could get plain white mens' shirts from Primark for £3. When I got it home I realised that the shirt had long sleeves, but I was going to make the shirt sleeveless anyway. I unwrapped the shirt and cut off the sleeves and a few inches at the bottom of the it to make it cropped, I then cut slits in the shirt to make a waist tie, and I ended up with my 50s inspired sleeveless shirt.

Camera Testshots...

I wanted to test out some different shutter speeds and scene settings on my camera, so I can see if any of the settings would suit my shoot.


Shutter Speed 1/45
Aperture F5.6
The effects in this photograph are quite 'normal' looking, as both settings on the camera are mutual.



Shutter Speed 1/6
Aperture F13
In this photograph the background objects are more blurred which makes the subject more clear.




This photograph is taken in landscape mode, the colours are quite yellow and orange, and this is because this mode usually copensates the harsh natural light outdoors.



This image is taken with the macro setting on my camera, this allows me to take extreme close up pictures and keeps it in focus.

This photograph is taken in sports mode, but I kept the object still.

This photograph is also taken in sports mode but I added movement to it, to create different effects.



Sports mode.




This photograph is taken in night mode, I think the effects here are very orange, and I think this is due to the camera making up on lost light that occurs at night time.




This is another image taken in sports mode.




This image is taken with an aperture of F27, here the image is clearly an unatural colouring but it gives a mysterious effect.



This photoraph was taken just using the lighting of the room, I turned the flash off for this shot. I think there is less visable detail but this would be good for day light and bright shots.

This photograph was taken with a shutter speed of 1/200, as it took a while to take the photograph i also added movement to the image.

In this image I used a shutter speed 0f 30" which was a very slow shutter speed, for this I think it would be best to use a tripod to get the best results.

Inspirational Icons From The 50s...

Celebrities in the 50s were known as icons, and they were also idols for everyone to look upto some of which for their style.

I found five of the biggest women's icons from the 50s, and really inspirational photographs taken of them.

Audrey Hepburn *





This image is typical of the make-up in the 50s, with the dramatic thick eyebrows and the deep red lips.
This style of make-up was definitely a sum-up of the 50s.



Audrey Hepburn wasn't always typical of your 50s woman, she did things differently like the slick back hair and differences in make-up styles.

 Grace Kelly *


Grace Kelly had the typical hair style of the 50s woman. This image boasts natural beauty which was key in the 50s. Everyone seemed beautiful because of the natural beauty 'look'.



I love this image and its symetrical feel, I like the glamour appeal to it, and this is what I hope to create with my shoot.

  Elizabeth Taylor *


The thick eyebrows are definitely fashionable in this photograph, again it captures a feel of natural beauty.




Red lips and thick eyebrows appearing again in this image, dramatic make-up was definitely key to every 50s woman.

Sophia Loren *


I think Sophia Loren was the sexy twist on the 50s style icon, the sexy half pout with the lip linered lips gives definite sex appeal.




What I love most about the 50s was the natural sexy curves of women, and Sofia definitely had the womanly curves.

Marilyn Monroe *


Marilyn Monroe was definitely the most iconic 50s pin-up, here she has the typical hair and dramatic make-up that everyone else followed.



With her curvy size 16 figure, she was definitely a sex symbol.





With her very pale complexion and dramatic makeup she's definitely a sum-up of the 50s icons.

 

Plan of Action...

Scouting a Model
I had a list of a few possible models I could use for my shoot, but as my shoot is 50s inspired glamour I was quite fussy on my choice. I knew I needed natural beauty that would support the 50s makeup and hair. I decided to go for a younger girl to support a 'fresh face' look.



ProfileName: Alex Parry
Age: 16
Height: 5'7
Size: 8
Shoe Size: 6
Occupation: Student

Sourcing Props

This week I am planning on going to buy some padlocks to make jewellery with and put in the model's hair. I am also going to buy some synthetic white roses to put in the model's hair, when buying them I need to ensure they have bendy wire stems to wrap around the hair. Also this week I need to properly decide what I am going to have my model wearing, I want it to be quite plain so it doesnt distract away from the other props I am using. I also need to make my 'over-sized' necklace key this week for the model to wear.
Towards the end of the week, either Friday or Saturday I will go and buy the balloons - 7 red heart hellium balloons.

Doing My Blog
I plan to add to my blog every day, just explaining any futher steps I have made or anything interesting I have done or found. I think if I add to my blog often I can look back to finalise my ideas and help my organisation for the shoot.

Informing My Model
I have finalised that I will meet with my model on Friday evening to show her the poses I would like her to do and the outift and props I want her to wear and use. I have also informed my model that I will be photographing her all day Sunday and what I need her to do in preparation to Sunday. When I have completed the shoot, I plan to give an extra copy of the photographs for her to keep to remember the experience.

The Outfit
I have been scouting around for a 50s inspired outfit for my model. I have quite a few different ideas in my mind, for example, a 50s tea dress, a sleeveless waist-tied shirt with leggins, or a swing style coat. All of which will be a modern take on the original styles.

Hair and Make-up

Both my hair and makeup are going to be 50s inspired: thick eyebrows, red lips, eyelinered eyes, and pale skin. I want the hair to have that 'umph' with the subtle curl under and a slight comb over at the parting.

Hair and Make-up

Styling Ideas

50s sleeveless shirt and capri pants

Inspiration From Books Continued...

As well as researching into 50s fashion and make-up I took out another book called 'Man Ray Bazaar Years' which I really liked for its black and white photography and the poses that the women are in.

I specifically chose poses that I want my model to do in my shoot. I analysed the the poses and decided they boast the themes that I have chosen, for example:
- Reaching to the sky with an innocent facial expression could symbolise belief.

Mainbocher's triumph in black net with long tight sleeves -1936
- With where the model is holding the fan, I could have my model holding the balloons. I like that the positioning of this is to the side of the model, giving the photograph a kind of symmetrical feel.

Serpent of the Nile - 1936
- With this pose I could have my model holding the balloons to her chest keeping the love close to her heart.

Rise from a bed like a mermaid in a sea-shell pink chiffon night gown - 1937
- I like this pose for the model looking upwards, I visualise my model doing this whilst holding the helium heart balloons.

Olga Hitrova's diaphanous gift to the evening in clear aquamarine - 1936
- This pose is sort of structured and care-free at the same time, and I think I could use this pose in any kind of situation of my shoot.

The red badge of courage - 1937
- I chose this image simply for its red lips. The inspiration for me is the black and white photography with the key red lips.

Untitiled - 1936
- I think this pose is nice for the model if she was to let the balloons go, to sit back and watch them drift away.

Miss Eleanor Boardman wearsa black satin evening dress from Mainbocher and over it a tailored tunic of red and gold lame - 1936
- I like this pose for its innocence, I think that this pose would look nice if my  model was to let the balloons go as it has a 'care-free' feel.