Female Empowerment

Female Empowerment - 13th March 2014

This photoshoot has been designed to show the final stages of the healing process after the breakup. I created this represent the person who I am and feel like today. This shoot symbolises the turning over point where you look back on your relationship and its disintegration, and you look at how you have grown and how it had made you a stronger person for it. 

Another inspiration was Beyonce's flawless music video from her secret album. 

Here is a video from youtube I have included with the quote from a TEDTalks and beyonce's performance.  

This shoot in a way is a big part of my life and shows how I feel today.Though the breakup I did experience was was on the hardest periods of time within my life, I see it as a learning curve and has in fact made me a stronger person. I have realised that the most important things in life are your friends, family and yourself. Looking after yourself and respecting yourself physically and emotionally.

Here is the face chart I designed below showing the makeup and hair. The hair is wild and curly and represents femininity, freedom and being proud to be a woman. 

The makeup is golden and highlights the face, complimenting it, not overpowering it. 

The head piece symbolises faith, style and being who you want to be. It is an item of mine that I love and I wear frequently, however during the relationship and its ending, I would not have had the confidence to wear it. This is why all of the shoots in this magazine have aspects of myself and my experience subtly put in them.  

This shoot was taken outside, in an alley way between two roads near my flat. I used fashion photographer Bettie to take the images and she was brilliant during the whole shoot and really understood the concept and what I was trying to achieve.
The final images I saw on the camera looked really good though if I could reshoot I would get strong clothes for the styling and picked a location where we could have taken longer shots with maybe a strong beautiful scene in the background. 

To do:

• Get all final images, put them onto indesign
• Meet up with graphic designer and discuss set up and fonts
• Put all shoots in order and add in my work and other peoples e.g. writing and illustrations

Behind the scenes image of the shoot taken on my iPhone

Euphoria

Euphoria - 6th March 2014

This shoot explores the feeling of falling in love. The euphoria takes over your mind and body, making you feel like anything is possible. This shoot was inspired by the feeling which I felt at the start of the relationship. The addiction to one another, the constant need and lust for one another which takes over all your senses. It was the memory for the sexual experiences as well the day to day living in ore of each other.

This is the moodboard which I created. I wanted to create spring/summer fashion kind of feel along with the heat, sex, love and passion. 

The hair represents sexual explosion, the bursting feeling of love and happiest inside you. The glitter represents the glowing aura which surrounds you when you are in love, and the spark which is ignited when you first meet. 

This is the face chart which I created to show the makeup design. The eyebrows will be bold and defined, however the skin and cheek bones and eyes will be shaded subtly making the whole images focus on the colour and shape/movement of the hair.

Below are to examples of the unedited images from the shoot.

Changes:

If I was to reshoot this look I would have done it in an outdoor location. Ideally it would be a light and sunny to reflect the emotions. I think this would have given the images for depth and believably. 

To do:

• Edit these images to a slightly blue tone to bring out the pink in the hair
• Design next shoot and research concepts 
• Research places to print magazine and look into paper styles i.e. silk / matt

Estrangement

Estrangement - 5th March 2014

The makeup I designed to showcase the physical side of a breakup. The time which both parties in the relationship separate. The images start of showing the cracks and finally the very end where the words are spoken. 

I wanted the makeup to be flawless, classically beautiful with porcelain skin, slight contouring and shading with the cheek bones and eyes. I wanted the model to look almost doll like for an innocent feel to show vulnerability. 

The reason behind this particular shoot is to represent the actual spoken break up. From my personal experience, I had already started to deal with the fact that in a certain amount of time I was going to break up with my partner. 

The actual breakup took place after I moved out of the house we shared together and though I had already made the decision to be on my own, speaking the actual words was a lot harder than I though. The cracks represent the internal break down of my emotions and feelings after we separated. 

I was strong externally and only those who were the closest to me really knew how I felt on the inside.  

Here is the simple moodboard I created as a starter point for this look. I want this particular shoot to take place in a studio with a white back drop to show purity and so you completely focus on the makeup and the emotion. 

Below is the face chart I created showing shading, contouring and very minimal and simple colouring and makeup. I will use a collection 2000 eyeliner pen on the face the create a crack mark around one side of the face. 

I will photoshop to develop the images, making the face more fragmented and cracked as you turn over the pages. 

Below are some of the final images without the cracks edited on photoshop. I edited the images with a cool, slightly blue tone to highlight and bring out the models hair, skin and eye colour. 

Changes:
If I could change the way which these images were set up and shot, I would have a more diverse range of poses for the model rather than all head shots from different angles. I also would have painted the models nails or put a shine on top of them. There is no styling with jewelry or clothing, however there could have been some added to create a more flowing and contrasting range of images showing a narrative. 

To do:

• Edit these images with cracks developing over the course of the series 
• Create an inDesign file to practice the layout and set up of my images
• Look into fonts, typography and finding a graphic designer to help out with the layout
  

A shot from behind the scenes 

Caged

Caged - 1st March 2014

I originally created this photoshoot to represent a theme of jealousy. The face chart, and moodboards were created to represent the jealousy you feel when you are going through a breakup and you see them with another person.

However, I have been thinking, the jealousy theme wouldn't have worked as well as the caged theme I changed it to. The cage theme represents how you feel trapped within your relationship - like a caged animal. The location for the photoshoot was a pub in Southampton which uses an old metal lift which was perfect for the theme. I have also been wanting to do add more location shoots into my magazine for more variation as well as to create more of an intense setting and mood.

Here is the moodboard I created. I wanted to have some jewellery covering the eyes so it will be all about the lips - the words which are written the magazine, the location - being trapped inside a situation and the body language - the power which the model had to break free.

Here is an example of makeup test I created before the shoot. I tested different coloured lipsticks and products like illamasqua, collection 2000 and kryolan. 

One of the eyes is dark compared to the other bare eye to create an uneasy character and feeling, like she is unhinged and slighting menacing. 

The hair piece I used here is also the sally glitz glam 3/4 blonde to see how it looked with a blonde hair...

Here is the second look I created with a darker hair piece and paler skin. I prefer the darker hair as it adds a darker and deeper feeling for the makeup and goes well with the concept. 

Playing around with colours from my supra palette - white, black, turquoise and green

The images below are two of the final ones which I may use from the shoot. All around I am happy with the way these images have come out due to the lighting, the styling and the model. These images have come out looking quite sinister.

The styling has a slight religious feel to it due to some people who may find faith helpful to find the strength to leave the relationship.

Changes:

I would have liked to get more lighting involved to highlight the face, I would have also liked  to have got more full length and long shots as a contrast for the series.

A shot from behind the scenes

Lust

25th Feb 2014

Lust is the improved version of the previous post. This shoot is to show a sexual empowerment and lustful behavior which some experience after a breakup. The makeup and hair represents a lust, a colourful and classical beauty. The blonde hair contrasts against the models skin and is sterotypical of a 'classic' hollywood beauty/pin up girl with red lips. 

Here is the moodboard I created for the hair and makeup.

The eyebrows will create characters and shape the models face, contrasting against the white blonde of her hair. The skin will be flawless and soft looking. The eyes will be shaded with golden brows and subtle highlights to enhance the sexual and beautiful feeling which I am aiming to create. The eyelashes will be long and black contrasting against the rich deep red of the lips. 

The reasoning for the piercing in the nose is a test to add another sexual symbol within the image. I am not yet sure if I will use a septum piercing yet but I will see how the photos look with and without. 

Face Chart

Here are some examples of making testing I have done prior to my photoshoot in see shading around the eyes and the colouring of the lips. Below I used a combination of Kryolan's supra palette and Illamasqua's red lipstick in salacious.

The next two images are examples of practices I did with my blonde hair pieces contrasting against my dark eye colour, eyeshadow and brows. Here I used Illamasqua's brow and lash gel, collection 2000's eyeliner pen and Benefit golden brown eyeshadow.

This hair piece is from Sally Glitz and Glam and is a 3/4 hair piece. The wig which I will use will be a full head synthetic hair piece. 

Here is one of the unedited images from the final shoot: 

The changes I would make would be to do this shoot on location. Using a couple of male models along with the main female model. The lighting is quite bright and white whereas on location I could have created a more intimate feel like she is acting lustful with others.

Though I do like this lighting and the plan was to make it all about her appearance and character being portrayed in a studio so you focus completely on her look. 

I could have also had more jewelry and styling including nail painting.

TO DO:

• Edit these final images using photoshop
• Plan the next photoshoot concept with photographer and model
• Look at using more locations and do a shoot with strong styling