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Julita Jonca-Mbazuigwe
Photoshoot #1 Plan
The theme of the first photo shoot was inspired by the work of Cindy Sherman and her collection of photos called ''Untitled Film Stills''. I wanted to show in it a woman lonely roaming the streets of the city in the evening, wherein the uninterrupted way she walks and thinks. She is independent and strong, knows what she wants, and can handle it independently. Therefore, she is not afraid to walk around empty corners of the city at night.
The session is only an introduction to other events that are to change the course of action, which led me to the following ideas you will find in photo session number 2 and 3.
*All photo sessions were made for the project carried out at Wakefield College with the use of film stills style.
There were many aspects to consider before the session, which I will describe as follows:
Inspiration:
Location:
A narrow street in the city centre lit by the light from the lanterns, so I define the time of the day as late evening, around 8 pm.
The street I chose for my session is George and Crown Yard in Wakefield - in my opinion, it has the atmosphere needed for my photos. It is narrow, with cafes on both sides, and in the distance, you can see the towers of the nearby Town Hall. Lanterns illuminating a lean street add to its charm, and everything creates a mysterious mood.
Equipment:
The equipment I need to complete the session is:
- Canon 5D mark iv camera
- Manfrotto Tripod
- Lenses: 50mm, 70-200mm and 85mm
- Shutter Release Remote Controller
Technique:
For my work on the film stills, I will use a few rules of composition, which will allow me to make shots in which the viewer will have the impression that he/she is looking at a frame from the movie.
They will be:
1. the rule of thirds - the model will be standing in a sensitive point of the frame so as to attract attention immediately
2. filling the frame by placing the model in the centre of the frame
Contact sheet from the photoshoot:
Photoshoot #1 Post-evaluation
Coming back to my photoshoot plan aims, I'm sure I achieved some of them; nevertheless, I also encountered a few surprises that I had to deal with. Regarding the subject of film stills, I have noticed for sure that it takes work to do and it is not as easy as it may look. Not to mention that I raised the bar for myself by opting for self-portraits. Taking photos with the shutter release controller is also not trouble-free because it has many limitations - for example, it's hard to hide it, and in most of the photos I am visible with one hand because in the other, I had to hold the equipment, and I did not want it to be visible.
Assuming at the beginning that I will take the photos in a narrow street, I was lucky that the streets were empty there. Perhaps this was not a coincidence as it was a midweek, not a weekend. However, if there were any people there, I would have to consider whether to change the location or use more depth of field in the camera to blur their silhouettes more.
When I got there, a light rain started falling. If it was a downpour, I would have to postpone the sessions for another day, but it was not so bad that I would not continue my work. I got wet, but thankfully I took care of the equipment by wrapping it in a simple plastic bag.
Overall, the session was satisfactory, although I could read more about framing techniques to achieve the effect of so-called movie frames. I would be then able to prepare more ideas for frames and make more use of scenes, e.g. go a bit further to diversify the photos. I only used some of the space there as for outdoor session, though I could use more.
Lightroom / Photoshop:
Regarding post-production of photos, I used Lightroom and Photoshop, which I subsequently improved my lens correction - which is what I always start my work with. Photos, though made in colour, I decided to present in the final version in the form of Black & White, thanks to which I wanted to draw more attention to the emotions accompanying the model rather than pay attention to the scenery around. I used a ready-made B&W option in Photoshop, only slightly adjusting the brightness and contrast. For aesthetic reasons, I also used the Liquify tool to improve the model's face's oval slightly. In addition, using the Patch tool, I removed all skin imperfections. In the photo where the model is facing backwards, I also used the tool to improve the perspective because, in the original, it was distorted, and I wanted the buildings to be straight. Despite the limited light outdoors, which were only street lamps, I positioned myself as a model for photos under the light so that it would fall directly on my face - thanks to which I was able to use autofocus, but in Photoshop, I improved the clarity and noise reduction a bit for a more precise effect.
Selected photos:
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