I was not happy with how this photoshoot turned out. Many of the photos are blurry due to difficulties with my camera, the lighting was not correct and was too one sided for the indoor shoot due to the only light source being a bay window. This would have made some nice images had my camera settings been correct. Additionally, for the outdoor shoot there were high winds which made it very difficult for my female model holly to keep her hair under control as well as it beginning to rain so i had to call it with what i had. Due to the small display on the camera i didn’t realise that the settings were wrong until i uploaded them onto my computer by which point my models had left and were unavailable to come back. In development software I did not succeed at improving the photos and making them usable. Due to having a deadline and a plan to stick too i decided it was best to not spend any more time trying to make the photos work and rather spend more time planning the rest of my photoshoots so that i could ensure that they would not go wrong.
My first photoshoot is going to be in the style of Richard Avedon. I will be photographing two of my friends who are a couple. This will be done outside using natural lighting. It will be on a cloudy day in order to get a soft lighting to get an even light on my models faces and prevent shadows. My models are my friend who is a car enthusiast and part of my car based friendship group along with his girlfriend. My models will be wearing casual clothing as that is what they wear when we go on drives. This ensures that the photos are natural as possible as well as sticking will the style of Richard Avedon who photoshoots his models in the environment where he finds them in exactly what they are already wearing. I will be taking another friend with me who will assist me in taking the photos by holding a portable backdrop so i can get a plain background to keep the main focus of the photograph on my models as Avedon does. Additionally, to stick to the style of Avedon i will be doing half body shots meaning i will only be photographing my models from the waist up. To keep with the theme of Richard Avedon the images will mainly be in black and white however i will shoot in colour and put the photos in black and white in photo editing software afterwards.
Where – Noirmont point
When – ???
Who – Rhys Barrot + Holly Valois
Weather – Overcast
Style – Richard Avedon
Noirmont point
Richard Avedon photographs
Photoshoot 2
My second photoshoot is going to be in the style of Danny Lyons. I will be photographing some of my biker friends in front of their motorbikes. I will do the photoshoot on a cloudy day also as that will give me even lighting as well as no shadows. I will be photographing my models both in in their bike gear such as helmet, jacket and gloves while on rides as well as without their gear on. Some photos will be of them stood next to their bikes, riding their bikes past me, sat on the bikes as well as some without the bike. Most of the photographs will be in black and white to stick to the style of Lyons however i will shoot in colour and make in images black and white in editing software afterwards. These photos will be a mix of full body as well as half body shots. This will ensure that the portraits are environmental as well as showing the features of my model. The photos will not be taken at pre-planned times rather we will all go out on a ride as we do most weekends. While we ride around and go places such as garages and carparks to stop and work on and talk about bikes i will walk around with my camera to get natural photos as Avedon did while during his time photographing hells angles which is what i want to recreate.
Where – ???
When – ???
Who – Bike People
Weather – Overcast
Style – Danny Lyons
Danny Lyons photographs
Photoshoot 3
My third photoshoot will be styled in a combination of Richard Avedon and Danny Lyons. I will be photographing my friend in front of their car which applies to Lyons’s style however i will be doing half body shots to show aspects of Avedon’s style. The photos will be in colour to provide some contrast from my other shoots. The model will be wearing their natural clothing however my model has an interesting fashion sense which will make the photos very interesting and show aspects of Avedon’s work as he photographs interesting people rather then people who have a regular look. Due to the half body shots most of the car will be cropped out which i believe will make a very interesting as different parts of the car can be used in each image to give the shoot some variety.
Lyons is most famous for his book called “The Bikeriders”. In this book Danny did not just photograph American bikers, rather he became one. He joined the Chicago Outlaws motorcycle club where he would take his camera out on rides with the club and take many photographs for his study. Lyons said the photographs were “an attempt to record and glorify the life of the American bike rider.” The series was very popular in the late 60s and 70s. So popular that he was invited to join Magnum photos which was a prestigious photography club that originated in Paris and expanded to form offices in the New York, London and Tokyo. He never became a full member.
Richard Avedon had a very distinct style of portrait photography that primarily focuses on upper body shots from either the waist up or chest up. His models would always be interesting people he found on the street. He would set up a portable studio consisting of a plain background. He used a large format camera that would capture incredible detail of his models as well as having up to two assistants that would use reflectors and light dampeners to create the perfect lighting on his models faces.
Image Analysis
This image from Richard Avedon has a plane background which was common is Avedon’s images as it ensures the viewers focus is on the model. The photo would have been taken in black and white due to the camera technology available at the time. The photographer took this image outside on an overcast day which is when he would go out onto the streets with a portable studio and ask people he saw if he could take pictures. He ran into Madelyn Monroe on the streets of New York when she was on a break from a movie she was acting in. There is a high contrast between the model’s skin and clothing as well her the background. The image was taken at eye level which gives the model accurate proportions when the photo was produced.
For my exam project i am going to continue with the trend of vehicles in my photos. However i am going to include portraits into the images. I am going to photograph my driving friends in the style of Robert Avedon as well as my motorbike friends to take photos photos in the style of Danny Lyons. I admired Danny Lyons’s photos during his time with hells angles. These are the types on photos i want to recreate but in a modernised form using modern bikes as well as different styles of bike such as sport. I will reference Avedon by taking photos of my driving friends in a portable studio. Additionally i intend to mix the styles of the two photographers by maybe photographing people in front of their cars but only part of the car so i can keep the upper body style of Avedon.
