Work Record - Shoot 3

Shoot 3
Two Personas
For my third shoot I decided to use the idea of a person having two personas to help them discover who they are as a person. This is a very personal topic to me as I have previously experimented in the drag world to help me identify who I am. The use of drag and female impersonation helped me identify myself and also gave me a better understanding in different cultures.

Improvements
From shoot 2 I have taken the mistakes I made and edited the time of the shoot. During shoot 2, I did not leave myself enough time during the day to take the images. This effected the lighting in the images as I am using natural lighting and not artificial.
I believe that this is, so far, the best photo shoot for my project for many reasons. One of the reasons being that the subject matter and context behind the images is very easy to recognise and understand. Despite the obvious subject matter and context, there are still many connotations that can be made to the images.

Editing
This first image is one of my favourites out of the 3rd Photo shoot. The image features me in bright, extravagant and expressive makeup and clothing. As the outfit and makeup is very feminine, I wanted to contrast this with a bare torso to reveal a male body. This adds androgynous elements to the image and links perfectly to the subject matter of self-identity.

The editing for this image was very simple and no special techniques were used. As I wanted some of these images to look like they could be featured in a fashion magazine, the editing is minimal but also very effective.

This next image shows me in the same clothing as before however I have changed character with the simple use of a blonde wig. The way I am posed and the way I am wearing the clothes also show a clear difference in character. When compared to the previous image, they way that the image is composed changes the character. For example, this image's lighting is very bright and makes the background look brighter than the first image. The use of this diverse lighting removes the masculinity represented in the first image and puts the femininity in the image yet still hold some masculinity because of the trousers. The pose also seems more innocent and vulnerable than the pose in the first image, which again, helps differentiate the characters.

This third image introduces a prop into the images. The prop is a Pride flag and is used as a background instead of the plain white background as seen in other images. The flag helps express the connotation to the image which is that of Pride and being yourself. The extravagant makeup and clothing on me also helps express this message to the audience. I am holding up the flag which symbolizes my pride and how I'm happy and proud to be who I am.

The forth image is a combination of all three images above. It uses the pride flag, the wig and also myself. I wanted to eliminate all masculinity with the image to show both a male and female side to who I am within different images. This image uses the Pride flag as a dress which eliminates the masculine trousers and feminines the character even further. The pose that I am portraying is again used in a similar manner as the first image; To show the fashion/glamour aspect of the project.


This fifth and final image is being use in a similar manner to the forth image; To eliminate all masculinity and enhance femininity - This image features more props to do so. The use of the hand held mirror and the liptick applicator shows me in the process of putting on the pink lipstick. This shows me concealing my male self to reveal my female self.
All of these images tell a story and a process of elimination and experimentation when it comes to discovering who I am.

All of these images were edited using the same tools but, similarly to the second shoot, at different levels.
I began by taking the spot healing tool and eliminating imperfections on my face, body, clothing and background to make the images as perfect as possible. This added to the fashion magazine aspect of the image.
After that, I took the smooth tool to smooth out my skin slightly so that it would look more perfect yet not so perfect that is looks unrealistic. I chose to smooth slightly because, despite the secondary theme of fashion, I wanted to keep some realism to the images so audience members could relate easier.
I then, finally, took the saturation tool and heightened the saturation on all images slightly to enhance colour and increase vibrancy. By doing this, I bring out the colour in the image and it also makes the images connotations become more apparent. If the colours were black and white, the connotation of pride would not translate to the audience.

Progression
For the next photo shoot I believe there is only one thing I could do to improve my images. I believe that I cannot change the way that the photo shoot was executed as all of the photos are, in my opinion, perfectly composed. The lighting is bright and helps intensify the colours within the images, linking to the subject matter of self-identity. The way I am positioned in the images connotes ideas of fashion and magazine covers which also relates to the subject matter. Finally, the content of the images link perfectly to the subject matter as they are featuring and Androgynous male. All of these three things allow for a perfect composition.
Despite this, the editing of the images could be improved and could be executed in a more creative manor. If more fashion-esqe images are taken in the future shoots, I could edit the images to look like a cover of a magazine or an advert of some kind. This would link to the ideas of self-identity and how people, specifically me, see themselves.