TEST SHOOT NO.3

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SELFIE

When posting a selfie, sometimes I am misleading. I can be in the worst place mentally, yet still post a picture on social media where I am smiling from ear to ear. I feel as though I need to keep up a charade and a false persona that I am always ok so that my viewers do not think I am weak minded. I wanted to show this through the layering of images, in a ‘stages of a selfie’ way. At first I am all smiles but after the picture the smiles then fades away. This idea is quite literal and self explanatory unlike some of the other ideas I have produced within this project, however I think that it works well to have a variety of outcomes.

Unfortunately the outcomes that came from this test shot, weren't very successful. Due to the studios being fully booked and only one hour periods being available to use at such short notice, the photoshoot felt very rushed, meaning the lighting couldn't be experimented with enough and not enough images were produced for me to feel accomplished. The photographer used was a new contact that I had made within university, so I also felt extremely uncomfortable posing for pictures. I tried very hard to shake this feeling off, as I knew that this whole project only benefits myself and my own achievements, however I just didn't feel at ease at all and couldn't wait for the time to be over, which can be seen within a lot of the images as my posture and facial expressions look tense. I know that I should continue to push my boundaries so that I can overcome issues and continue to grow within the product, but for the foreseeable future I will return to using photographers that I feel comfortable around, so that the outcomes can continue to be of an outstanding quality as not to jeopardise the finalisation of the product.

I still used the few images produced to test out the post-production technique of layering two images and then altering the opacity. I think the concept works, however there needs to be improvements made so that it looks professional. I’m unsure how to move forward with this, so will need to seek out advice - either from other students, IT technicians or through online tutorials. 

RELIABILITY

Reliability and sourcing external help is a major issue that I seem to come across on an almost daily basis. Despite posting on the university Facebook pages asking for assistance with photography, makeup and hair a week in advance, I can’t seem to find individuals that wish to help.  Within this last semester of the academic year, everyone that I approach seems to be extremely busy or unavailable to shoot whenever I have studio time booked. The importance of having a small reliable team to work alongside has been made apparent to me throughout this project. Luckily I have a few friends who specialise in makeup, photography, or are willing to engage and learn new skills to help me throughout the production of my conceptual ideas. This has been a vital part of keeping my morale high throughout the disappointment of cancellations and let down of others as I have always had these few individuals to fall back on and ask for help when I was in desperate need.

Throughout my three years at university I have networked with others, however I have found that the connections I have made could indeed have been strengthened to ensure that I have loyal and reliable links to others. This would have made collaborating a lot easier within the last few months and sped the production process up a lot quicker, but I am not going to dwell on this as it has proved to be another learning curve that can be applied within the future. By maintaining the strong links to contacts I have already made and improving the relationships with others I can continue to grow my network.

This issue has also allowed me to take the edification of my own skill sets into my own hands, learning to improve my confidence within a wide range of subject knowledges and practice fields to completely personalise the outcomes of my projects.

Since changing the focus to a subjective viewpoint I have become reliant on myself and my ideas which has been shown through the willingness to learn and improve:

Retouching

Editing

Distortion within photoshop

Location photography

Studio set up

Studio photography

Make-up techniques

I am beginning to feel efficient within a broad range of IT programs and creative situations that I will be able to use as transferable skills throughout the rest of this project duration in the production of my ideas and also carry them through my career where I can then build on them further.

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

To make the project as personal as it can be, I have decided to incorporate some of my actual social media posts into my work. I tend to share every move I make with my online following: where I’m eating, who I'm with, where I’m travelling too, how I'm feeling, etc. But since the progression of this project and since researching social media dependency and habits, I am beginning to wonder whether other people actually care what I am posting or whether I am simply just posting for the self validation and benefit of myself?

I have chosen a selection of check in posts on Facebook, location and food images from my Instagram and random/irrelevant tweets that I have shared on twitter and combined them within a layout that I wish to incorporate into the final design of my publication. I think this works well alongside the creative concepts that will be included as it brings the focus back to the real life perspective and what is personal to me. This begins the investigation into whether what I am posting on social media is just a form of boasting -where I want to share everything with my friends and followers - or whether it as just become a habit that I haven't realised the extent of.

I think I will place this towards the beginning of my publication as a way of introducing myself to the viewer, so that they can understand my personality through my online posts. This will then hopefully allow the concepts that follow on from this to be clearer and more understandable if the reader can relate to the considerable amount of social updates I am sharing.

FINAL SHOOT NO.3

SOCIAL MEDIA TATTOO

The social media tattoo concept was reshot because of the change of direction the project has taken as well as the last set of images not meeting the standard of work I wished to be producing. Ellie Simons - makeup student - assisted with the application of the tweets to the body as I myself was modelling so was unable to do so. Having an experienced makeup artist this time around was evident within the final images, as the right application technique was used so that the product would stay on the skin and prevent smudging which did happen previously. 

The photographer that had planned to shoot the images, cancelled last minute due to delayed transport. As all of the text had even applied to the skin at this point and we were pretty much ready to start shooting, Ellie and myself decided that we would work together as a team to shoot the look together. Within our years of study we had attended photography workshops so we both had knowledge on how to set up the studio and shoot using the correct camera. The photographer also sent over some advice on what the best camera settings would be to use and things to experiment with if we were struggling to get the desired look to the image, which was helpful.

As I had taken mental notes of the lighting set up on the previous shoot, I was able to produce the same lighting if not better than last time. Shadows fall in all of the right places on the body, creating beautiful images. I expressed previously that the concept would improve if the model was nude, however as I am now modelling myself within my work I do not have the confidence to bare all, however by using my skills I have acquired as a stylist I was able to use minimal garments in a way that would compliment the text.

I feel as though I have really excelled as a creative throughout the production of this concept, as I was able to pose and create beautiful postures that are strong yet have a vulnerable feel to them at the same time. When reviewing the images I noticed that some of the tweets have coincidently been written in quite fitting places, for example: ‘How do people just east salad? I’m starving’ has been placed on my stomach, just below my belly button. This could be interesting to look into further, maybe interpreting the meaning behind some things posted online and how much relevance they have to true feeling and happenings in real life. At the minute I have just been focussing on the posts I am making myself, overlooking the replies and comments I am receiving back from people. Could these also be incorporated into the work?

GLITCH TESTING

To show how my online world is interfering with my reality, I wish to create glitch effects over the top of images as a representation of how the two are intertwined and causing noise, chaos and unclear visions for me. As I had success so far when relying on only myself to edit and retouch images, I chose to carry on this method as not only was it convenient and reliable, it has given me the opportunity to improve skills, learn completely new ones and boost my overall confidence in all things creative. Within my original proposal I stated how I wished to work with a huge team of creatives to achieve the planned goals, however during the production, this has proved to be a tedious task and as my ideas have grown and developed it has worked as a huge learning curve as I now want to use every opportunity to embrace challenges that I encounter and work twice as hard to learn how to deal with these problems and devise the correct solution that I can.

Within my project proposal I had already experimented with effects within photoshop to create a futuristic, glitch-like images. It was extremely successful considering this was my first-time in doing-so and I still love the outcomes that I produced from them, however I think that they could convey the wrong message to the viewer as they may be perceived as too space-like and futuristic. My project is focusing on my real life, and the present issues I am facing through my over use of social media, so this needs to be shown clearly throughout the imagery. The image in the bottom lefthand corner achieves this the most as I feel it is the closest representation of a glitch that may be found on a phone app or computer screen. I need to experiment further with this technique, exploring colour balances  and hues further to truly achieve a real technical fault vibe to the image.

Still wanting to achieve the outcome on my own, I asked other students within the university for advice rather than assistance as my photoshop skills weren't as advanced as I would like them to be, but I wish to improve through the completion of work. I received some wonderful feedback from a few people (shown below) explaining how there are mobile apps that can achieve my desired look and various ways that it is possible through photoshop. To my surprise, the photoshop advice I was given was actually the same way that I had actually produced the bottom left image from my proposal! 

Mobile app ‘Glitch’ was the chosen tool I used to test out the affects. The app had wide range of effects available to add onto my images, however after testing out various images that I had uploaded to my personal Instagram account, I found that it reduced the image quality quite drastically. Even after taking into consideration that a glitch isn't perfect and it is a faulty image, I still decided that I preferred the image outcomes that were produced within photoshop as all of my concepts so far have been of an industry standard and quality, which I want to keep consistent throughout my project. By having full control over the designs and creative direction of images this will be achieved. I also want this project to be a true representation of my skills and attributes, that I have been worked hard to perfect - by using a mobile app, I almost feel as though I am using someone else work, which I do not want to do. Experimenting further with blurring/glitch techniques, it will improve the consistency throughout my work and project overall allowing concepts to flow smoothly from one another.

FINAL SHOOT NO.2

INFLUENCED IDENTITY

After the success of the test shoot last month, I chose to reshoot these images using the infinity cove at university. The infinity cove is a white backdrop that reaches floor to the ceiling, ensuring that a crisp white background is achieved within images, allowing industry standards to be achieved. I felt that the lighting could be improved from the test shots so this was a perfect opportunity to use facilities to their fullest.

I was unable to confirm an MUA/hair stylist to assist me on this shoot, so I took it upon myself to use skills that I has acquired within my makeup technique classes in first and second year of university. Although I am confident in applying my day-to-day makeup, I felt that this was a little bit of a gamble to be doing on the day of a final shoot incase of any mistakes or mishaps, however it luckily paid off, as the application looked flawless within the images. This is another example of how much I doubt the technical skills I possess. I do feel reassured  that I am competent in carrying out such tasks since the completion of the photoshoot, however I really need to work on the confidence beforehand. By walking into a situation with a positive attitude, I am more likely to exit with positive outcomes than already feeling defeated.

Denby Axam, who worked alongside me previously on the data board shoot, agreed to return to work alongside me again as my previous photographer was unavailable. As I know Denby personally outside of studies, it enabled me to feel entirely comfortable in front of the camera, achieving great posture and poses which I could then work upon within Photoshop in post-production. Choosing the right photographer with skills that match the desired outcome has worked in my favour over the past two shoots, as I have barely had to retouch the images in photoshop as the quality was already of an impeccable standard. Throughout my studies I have found that when the photography/lighting is of a high quality, alongside the make-up artistry application, the amount of post-production and retouching is reduced. This also reduces the amount of time it takes to finalise the outcomes, as retouching can take hours on end which is easily avoided. As I am so far behind on my proposed schedule, it it essential that I take all of precautions necessary to give me a substantial amount of time to complete all aspects of the project.

I was unsure whether the collage elements of these images needed to be tidied up as sometimes the layered items aren't lining up correctly with the outline of the body. After sharing this concern with Jennifer and a few other creative students, they expressed that I need to stop being such a perfectionist as a collage isn't supposed to be neat and things aren't supposed to be perfect. I have taken these comments on board as after reflecting and reviewing the final outcomes I now agree with their opinions as the rough edges are what explains to the collage concept to the viewer.

In future, when I can feel myself stressing over images within the editing and finalisation stage, I will ensure that I show my work to other creative students as well project mentors. This will allow me to gain external opinions on positives and improvements that can be made. I worry too much when it comes to my work. When I send so much time on one piece of work, I start to over analyse the smallest, irrelevant things. This falls back to the issue of using time effectively within this stage of production, as I cannot afford to waste time over editing over unnecessary elements.

IM NOT OK CONCEPT

I found an article online that was explaining how instagram is full of images that are set up specifically for aesthetically pleasing purposes. Individuals will spend a lengthy amount of time trying to create the perfect picture for their followers to like and share. 

Muenter (2014) explains that ‘Instagram, like all social media, is about presenting the ideal version of yourself. It's not not yourself per se. ... It's more like, all the best parts of you displayed to the world and ignoring all the worst parts. Because as attractive as I am while I watch Real Housewives of Orange County and eat random food I find in the pantry, I feel like I should spare the world of that Olivia. So I, like most people, post the things that are going to reflect the best aspects of my life and personality.'

I hadn't given it much thought previously, however I have realised that I do actually abide by this as well within my own social media content. Very rarely will I post something online when I am feeling under the weather or in a sad frame of mind. Purely for the reason that it will ruin the persona and online peronality that I have created for myself.

I gained an idea for a concept to include within my publication from this, which is shown below. It is quite a literal representation, showing how what I post online is only a portion of the true feelings that I am experiencing in real life. Even though it is a small and minimal concept, I really feel as though it achieves the desired outcome as it shows a really power image to the reader that will leave them questioning whether they maybe do the same.

Sometimes I get carried away when thinking ideas, thinking that every idea has to be over the top and have a million different elements to it. However sometimes it is aesthetically pleasing to add in something minimal and easy on the eye as sometimes these are the ideas that are the most relatable and powerful.

MUENTER. O, 2014. What I Instagrammed Vs. What Was Really Happening, Or My Entire Life Is a Lie [viewed: 6 April 2016] Available from: http://www.bustle.com/articles/32177-what-i-instagrammed-vs-what-was-really-happening-or-my-entire-life-is-a-lie