I chose ‘Seasons in Fashion’ as my portfolio theme, attempting to capture what I viewed as iconic looks from the past. I photographed all of my images in one shoot, conducted in the college studio using high key lighting. During this shoot I worked closely with my models, directing them and posing them carefully. I also took some shots while, although posed, the model(s) was momentarily distracted, in an attempt to reveal a piece of his/her personality, and create a more natural looking photograph.
In putting together this portfolio, I have been strongly influenced by the work of John French, a photographer who, in my opinion, captured beauty and class in every image he took. I have always been very inspired by elegance and beauty, and worked hard to create outfits that would resemble fashions from ‘another season’, but also allow me to produce beautiful, stylish images. French’s dedication to composition has also had an impact on my work.
I have also been influenced by the animation captured in the work of Richard Avedon. I absolutely love his action shots, and attempted to take some action shots of my own. Although my action shots were far from perfect, I like the feel they create and the way in which they allow the viewer to get glimpses of the models’ personalities.
In addition to this, in preparing my portfolio I have been influenced by the way in which Yousuf Karsh captures the essence of a person in his portraits, as well as the natural appearance of his portraits. In a very small way I have attempted to do the same in my images.
Like the work of all three of the photographers who have inspired me, the images in my portfolio have been taken against a clear white backdrop, and are minimalistic, forcing the viewer to focus on the subjects (and their accessories). I also paid a lot of attention to lighting while shooting my portfolio, in an attempt to create low-contrast images like those of John French, and to produce photographs that capture every detail, like those of Yousuf Karsh and Richard Avedon.
I am very proud of my progress throughout this course, as before I enrolled I had only ever used my camera on auto, and had very little understanding of the technical elements of photography. I knew nothing of studio lighting, or exposure and the elements that affect it before starting this course, so I really have come a long way, being able to set up the studio for my portfolio shoot, and producing images with half decent lighting. I am also happy with the mix of images I have produced, as some are beautiful, others are fun and animated, some seem to reveal a sliver of the models’ true self. I do, however, feel that my strength lies in the close-up head shots.