Curve of Life #7

I know in #6 I said I wouldn't change my mind, well I lied. I changed my mind...twice!
I had an amazing idea that kept getting better and better. "A Sudden Gust of Wind"
The idea, which you can see in my visual diary all plotted out, was really possible. The weather was right for it, everything was falling into place, except for time.
There was no way I could organise everything in such short time and have it all come together. The only image was taken on film of my mate Martin posing as someone trying to read the paper in the wind.
I'd like to maybe try the idea again, perhaps, but it was obvious that there was no way this could be done in time.

Panic started to set in and I had to go for an idea very quick and simple.
So this, I can confidently say, IS THE FINAL IDEA!

I've done 10 environmental portraits of people in their bedroom. Its their space, unaltered, exactly how they interact with it.
For some it is simply a place for sleep and storing a few things. For others its their play room, their dressing room, their work room...you get the point.
I was glad I was able to shoot my Nan. She had another stroke so I thought it would be nice to include her in my folio. Although she cant speak she was fascinated by my medium format camera and wouldn't sit still. While there may be a bit of motion blur I don't care. Its a lovely expression on her face and its exactly how I remember my Nan.

Although after that I realised I need to shoot both on digital and film, just to be sure. I cant attach a Polaroid back to my camera so I used the digital to check exposures and to have as a backup.
Majority of the photos turned out alright, out of the final 10 only 3 will be digital, the rest were shot on film.
Most were shot during the day, although some people couldn't make it / don't use their bedroom at all in the day so they were shot at night using a bit of flash bounced off a wall.
Everyone except for Dad who was trying to do work and really wasn't in the mood for his photo to be taken were good sports. Everything was shot last week giving me the rest of this week to sort out printing and mounting.

Work with a Client #5

FINISHED
I've gotten over my massive panic attack from the other day which is good. I've come to the realisation that it is best just to get on and hand something in than nothing at all.

I'm sending off my Artechoke images to be printed today and then I'll mount them onto foamcore and hopefully have that all done within the next few days and be able to (like mad) push on with trying to get this curves of life folio done.

I decided to stick with the non-ringflash shots. Simply because they're what the client wanted and I don't know how to work the ringflash into the others.
Trying to keep the images big seeing as they're going on foamcore, they're being printed at 11X14 so that should be large enough.
I'm way too lazy to mount them myself so I'll have them done by a professional:
Here is a few final images.

Everything is fucked - current evaluation

With 2 weeks I'm officially up shit creek. Its neck deep and pretty soon it'll be over my head.
All the ideas I've had for Curve of Life should have been done ages ago. I should be up to printing them. I've made small start but they haven't really gone anywhere. Then when I do get an idea it seems great at first before all the too hard elements kick in.
This is fucked. I've never been this bad or drained out of ideas before in my life. And the ideas I do have are too over the top.
Why cant something quick and simple come into my head...even now though its too late. Quick and simple in 2 weeks; even now that's looking impossible.
What do I do? I do have my medium format camera that shots 12 6X6 per roll. But is that a cop out?
Plus film is risky with 2 weeks, if something happens it'll be too late to re-shoot.
I cant not do anything...but what do I do? This really is fucked and this defiantly is not my finest hour.

To make matters worse my Working with a Client turned to total shit. Everything I envisioned in my head never happened. I don't know why though? I had all these ideas and everything planned out...but nothing.
At least they're shot and done. That's a plus.
At least the client is happy with them. That's a plus
I'm not. They're exactly like what I produced last year. They're not 3rd year worthy.

There are a number of things I can take away from all of this.

1. For Christ sakes, start early. Just make a damn start on anything so you're not as fucked as you are now.
2. Keep it simple. Pull back and think simple instead of this over-the-top ideas.
3. If possible don't shoot with the client with you. Write everything down, then do it and show it to them. Having them there isn't helping, its almost a set back
4. I guess I should have asked more for help instead of thinking I can deal with an issue myself. i.e. The curve of life problem.

I say this at this exact point every semester: But come on, just shoot something early in the year and stick with it.

Hopefully my trip overseas will clear my head and recharge the batteries (that reminds me I really do need to do that) so that come next semester (at this rate if I'm even allowed back) I'm not this deep in shit.

All this said, I'm not giving up. A lot can happen in 2 weeks...at least God I hope so...

Work with a client #4

All the shooting is finally done, no its just a matter of post-production and then finalising everything ready to print for my folio, and then get everything ready to give to Zoe & Lyn (the designers).

If only it was that simple. This shoot has been loaded with challenges, some easy to overcome and others not so.

1. The first problem was the male model booked for the first shoot on the 3rd of May called up Saturday night to say his uncle died and he wont be able to make it on Sunday. I ended up calling on my friend David, who I used last semester, to help out. He was the right height and could (key word there) fit into sample sizes.
   This leads on to problem number two...
2. David isn't a professional model. When you compare photos of the female model we had to David they just let everything down. She knew how to pose and handle her body; David didn't. Also David is much skinnier than I remembered and he actually didn't fit into sample sizes anymore. Everything needed to either be clamped at the back or pinned which didn't help.
   In the end it made sense to re-shoot the menswear with a professional model.
3. Even though I sketched out where all the lights were and what power they were on you can never get it exact. The photos look fine, but its bugging me because I can clearly tell the difference and I'm just hoping my lecturer cant.
4. The final thing that is shitting me is they're boring. The designers wanted a lookbook that is very safe. No props no nothing. While the models were all good they were no fun. Their poses are safe too. Anyone could have shot these. There is nothing in them that give them that little bit extra that differentiate them from what your average hobby photographer takes and what your 3rd year photography student does.
   But then maybe that's just it. Photographer's say and make everything sound hard and difficult to stop everyone from doing it. The "taking the photos" part was really easy. Maybe that's what I wanted. A challenge there.

I say this every semester but next semester I'll do better.

The gray photos are for their lookbook and the others are shot using (the very heavy) ring flash for their catalogue and to use online.
For my folio I'll hand in a bit of both.

Curve of Life #6

FINAL CHANGE!

Ok I promise now that I wont change my ideas anymore after this. Time is running out and I really need to make a start on this...which I have (finally!)

I was all for the 80s idea until I forgot that 80s is retro, and retro is in again meaning everything is highly sought after and so people can jack up the price because they know that these dumb kids thinking they're all cool will pay anything.
Problem is I wont because I'll only be using it once. Plus once again I want to keep clear of people.

With this photography job I have, I have to drive through industrial Dandenong to get to get to Heatherton. I never realised just how different Dandenong can be. I knew of the ghetto side but I forgot all of this big ugly industry side.
My idea for Curves of Life is this whole:

Industry vs Environment vs how we use blah blah blah

I can bull shit 10 images out of that. It shouldn't be too hard.
Anyway I got up at the nice early time of 4:42AM to be at Dandenong just before first light. To my surprise so was everyone else. I was hoping that if I got there before everyone I would get some good shots without being busted and assumed that I was trespassing.
But that wasn't the case. Out of the..20 photos I took only 3 are sort of useable.
But at least I have an idea now. I know what I'm up against. I know dusk works really well (the smoke stack one were taking about 40min before sunrise).
Not sure what colours I'll use, this is just an example. I needed something to mask the horrible tungsten glow every photo seemed to have in it.
I think I now need to find other locations (Dandenong doesn't have enough and the few that it does have (the smoke stack thing and the Elgas plant) are heavily fenced off).
I have the following places / things in mind:

• Freeway interchanges, such as Eastlink and Monash
  
• Empty carparks at night, so shopping centers
  
• I think though to really get these industy shots I'll need to cross the Yarra and head for Spotwood and Alton.
  

Curve of Life #5

BIG CHANGE OF DIRECTION!

Finally! I have an idea. Much better than the cult one and here's why!

• The problem with the 'cult' idea was that I could produce 2 knock out images but that's it. To get 10 they'd either be too repetitive or to literal
• So to fix that problem would mean doing 10 totally different shots. There is no way or could afford or even orchestrate 10 different shots each with different models and setups and ect...

That left me with a massive problem what do I shot!?!?
Well the past week I've been racking my brain out trying to work this out and I think I finally have an idea. I am going to shoot.... Trends of the 80s.
10 different shots of 80s fashion, culture and objects (such as CD players, phones...)
They'll be studio shots, with a contemporary style to them. I want to treat the images almost like a document. Pretend there was an 80s exhibit in a museum, these will be stills, what you might see if you went walking past it.

There is a current trend to go back to the 80s, this whole "retro" look. All props and fashion shouldn't be too hard to find. Our house is littered with CD players, headphones and fashion. Infact given that it was only 2 decades ago everyone will have something.

I'll have two models, male and female. Dress them in different clothing, have them in make-up and interacting (where needed) with a prop. The images will be shoot in the studio.

A few problems I can see happening are that this may become a bit...corny. To an extent corny is ok. What I don't want is for them to look silly. I'm not wanting to take the piss.
I want them on completely white background, (like my previous still life shots) and to be recording information. I'm not saying there isn't going to be any 'fun' in the images, but I want it to show the different trends the decade influenced.

I've already started researching this (and I'm finding it much easier than the cult). What is helping is that I've been able to get first hand account from people who live through the decade, such as parents, grandparents, friends and so on.
Some useful websites I've came across are:
- http://www.liketotally80s.com/list-eighties-fashion.html
- http://www.hilary.com/fashion/quickie-80sfashion.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s
- http://hubpages.com/hub/80s-Clothing-Trends

I'll start also trawling through garage sales, markets and op-shops to find different clothing and props. I'll also call on friends and family and hope they'll be kind enough to loan me different items.

I want to get the ball moving with this pretty quickly. I'll spend the next 2 weeks (from now until April 17) researching and organising everything so that when I go back I can hopefully make a start on shooting stuff.

I don't want to spend anymore that $300 for this section, that's including props and studio costs.

To add to the contemporary feel of the images they'll be printed fairly large and mounted onto foamcore.

Locations

Locations for "Curve of Life"
Taken around my area, the horrible man made park provides a perfect backdrop for the 'cult' series.
I'll be looking at shooting around late to just after dusk.

Locations for "Working with a Client"
This ones a really pain. I want to shoot on the top of a multi-story carpark in Southbank with a view of the city skyline. The problem is: all carpark are behind a building and don't have a full view. Its understandable on one hand, who is going to waste prime real estate on a carpark? But its really annoying because I have an idea in my head and no location to shoot it.
That's not to say I didn't find anything.
The first is the carpark at Eureka Tower & the second is 'riverside quay' carpark. Not sure yet what time would be best to shoot. Obviously the less cars the better, so probably either a weekend or late afternoon.
However with daylight savings ending that could be a little difficult.