Katherine Liesl

I learned three things at this photoshoot:

1. Babies wriggle a lot
2. Nifty fifties are useless for macro details
3. My niece is absolutely beautiful

Here are my favourites so far - I need to select the best ten for my project theme. Your thoughts, comments, suggestions etc. as always much appreciated.

Here she is then, the little love:

Final frames

Three more wonderful willing volunteers have sat for me over the last couple of weeks to complete the assessed element of my 'Frames in conversation' project. I say 'assessed element' because I do plan to continue the project beyond the course; I've enjoyed it so much.

So here they are; the final three frames; Ian, Shannon and Charlotte...

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped me with this project over the last couple of months. Obviously I couldn't have done it without you :)

A change of heart

So, something happened the other day that has made me reconsider my second project theme...

Meet my new niece, Katherine Liesl Aldridge. She was one day old in the above photograph. She's now four days old and my brother has not touched his iPad since she was born. Yes, she's that good :)

I will be taking inspiration from talented reportage wedding and portrait photographers, Barry and Louise Khan - here are just a few of my favourites:

Khan Photography

Khan Photography

Khan Photography

I love the natural light and familiar surroundings in these shots; not a studio in sight. Just beautiful.

Project theme: Frames in conversation

After weeks of agonising over different themes, I have finally opted for a portraiture-based theme to try to challenge myself and face my irrational fear of working with models.

'Frames in conversation' will be a study in natural reportage portraiture. I've never been fond of posed photographs.

Statement of intent (DRAFT)

Candidate name: Kate Aldridge

Title of the theme: Frames in conversation

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken
To produce a series of ten images each consisting of nine individual photographs of each subject engaged in conversation. I will ask each of my volunteers to tell me about an event, person or occurrence that made them feel a strong emotion; any emotion at all. I will take a series of photographs to capture both when they are speaking and pauses of thought in between.

Reasons for selection of theme (including inspiration from the work of others)
I wanted to choose a portraiture as one of my themes to really challenge myself in an area of photography I have very little experience of. I have been inspired by Corinne Day's work; Corinne took a series of natural photographs of her subject - Kate Moss - mid-conversation. Her challenge was to present a fresh portrait of one of the world's most photographed faces.

Corinne Day - a study in conversation 

Most people would immediately delete photographs where eyes are shot or a sudden movement has blurred the shot but this is exactly what I'm hoping to capture with this project.

The photo imaging equipment and medium that will be used and why
I plan to use a 50mm prime lens to take the photographs. I will set up a tripod and remote shutter release to minimise the presence of the equipment and allow me to take the shots without hiding behind the camera myself. I will set the camera to manual focus and allow plenty of space around the subject when framing the shot in case they move around - the shots will be edited and compiled in Photoshop CS5.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message
I will produce the images in black and white. My reason for doing this - and I suspect this was the same for Corinne Day - is to remove all distractions and to increase the focus on the subject. I aim to produce a 'stripped back' feel to the images and black and white adds something quite dramatic to the reportage style I am aiming to emulate.

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message
Light quality will depend on the location of each series of photographs. Where possible I will position my subject indoors, next to a window, to cast light onto one side of their face. I will set up the shot against a light, neutral background, again to reduce distractions from the subject.

Safety considerations
I will ensure my subjects are in a safe environment. Where possible I will photograph them in their own homes, my home or my office. Where I need to conduct a shoot in public, I will seek the necessary authorisation and permissions before proceeding and ensure there are no safety risks in the vicinity of the photoshoot.
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So, I now need to find 10 models... who's up for it?! Pretty please!

Portraiture

Over the half term break we've been asked to think about portraiture. I am a bit gutless when it comes to portrait photography; I have hundreds of pictures of my cat batting her eyes at me and not much else. I looked around for some inspiration and came across some interesting photographs:


Anneke James - fashion photographer based in Leicester

I love the gritty location and the cloned subject - need to learn more about Photoshop before I attempt this but I've all sorts of ideas and locations whirring around my head...


'Portraying Kate Moss, a study in conversation' - Corinne Day

I love the honesty of these shots. It doesn't matter to me that it was Kate Moss, who Corinne had famously photographed as a child for The Face (1990) - it could have been anyone and been just as intriguing. Corinne sadly passed away last August aged just 48. Her work is incredible; take a look.

Picaso by Cory Smith - Orlando based specialist in creative portraiture and military photojournalism

Little bit in love with this - the light, the composition, the idea... just need some willing models... preferably a couple or this would just be weird!

Last and definitely not least, I'm fascinated by model turned photographer Ellen Von Unwerth's work - it's a tad risqué (some of it is very risqué) but the shock factor is a huge part of what makes your eyes stick to her photographs. They're graphic and gritty but they're absolutely beautiful too. Here are a few of my favourites:

 

 

Raaaa! Food for thought...