Tagged: photography

“room service”: fashion editorial

(pre-editing)







I didn’t want FILLER to lose its roots in fashion and trend investigation, however fashion editorials are not a strong point of mine. I have always preferred candid, simplistic photography, and so I decided to use this to create a (sort of) style editorial for the zine, using people’s comfort foods as a prop, and actually quite a main focus, in the photos. My further knowledge and research into youth trends highlighted a trend in nightwear and lingerie, notably silky, pastel fabrics and loungewear – which coincidentally link to this rising trend in self care, looking after and loving yourself.

I wanted to create a candid, intimate photo shoot, which looked at the clandestine act of comfort eating in bed, perhaps in glamorous lingerie or nightwear. The photos focused on the act of eating more than the fashion itself, combining feminine pastel colours with grotesque, messy foods such as cheeseburgers and fries (which I styled with ornate glass and silverware to parody how inexpensive and unglamorous they are often perceived to be).

 

 

comfort food shoot

I conducted a survey online asking people (through social media platforms) to submit their ‘ultimate comfort food’ – some submitted simply a word or two, others a short description, and some a lengthy anecdote describing the nostalgia or pleasure created by consuming their favourite food. This formed the basis of a still life shoot depicting people’s comfort food. After researching and being aware of the ‘wellness’ and ‘clean-eating’ trend that is especially visible on social media, I find it intriguing how the foods people actually enjoy eating, that make them feel better when they are sick, sad, tired or just relaxing, are actually not the most aesthetically pleasing. I wanted to, visually, comment on how we are constantly Instagramming superfood-packed bowls of porridge, açai bowls, smoothies or fruit platters, because they are so typically ‘pretty’ and send out a message of health, purity and attractiveness to our followers, but really the foods we get real pleasure from are (to name a few submissions) toast, garlic bread, macaroni cheese, pizza, donuts and shortbread biscuits.

I wanted to select a few of these submissions and depict them against backdrops resembling bedcovers, to relate to the theme of comfort food and the intimate, clandestine act of bingeing on your favourite snacks in bed. I used silky, luxurious looking fabrics which when juxtaposed with the typically ‘unattractive’ food created a playful aesthetic, presenting cheap, everyday supermarket products as something glamorous.




initial portfolio research/inspiration

I began my research into online portfolios by taking a look at some that I find visually inspiring or pleasing, by artists and designers that I admire, to see what elements I could use (or should avoid) for my own website development.

http://www.marleighculver.com

Marleigh Culver is a graphic designer and illustrative artist, and her online portfolio showcases the combination of these two disciplines. Her website is simple but colourful, mirroring the use of bold colour, shapes and type in her work. It doesn’t feature any unnecessary details, animation or extra pages, simply a description of the artist and her work, and pieces separated by clients/projects. Her about page is a chance to see a more in depth description, list of contact points/social media platforms, experience, clients and features. Her descriptions are humorous, giving a personal insight into the artist’s personality and life, e.g. “SHE SPENDS MORE WEEKENDS OUT OF TOWN THAN AT HOME AND HAS AT LEAST FOUR PROJECTS HAPPENING AT ONCE. HER SINK IS ALWAYS ROTATING DISHES FROM A LABORED DINNER OR BAKING SITUATION AND HER PLANTS KEEP EACH OTHER COMPANY WITH HALF FINISHED PAINTINGS AND KNICK KNACKS FROM ANTIQUE MALLS,” which is a creative way for visitors to the website to feel like they know the artist a little more, and get to know about other interests/activities they engage in.

 

https://chloesheppard.com

I’ve followed photographer Chloe Sheppard’s work for years on Instagram and through various publications, but had never taken the time to view her portfolio. It is very simple in design, splitting photographs into projects or clients and viewing them in a slideshow – however I feel the titles on the sidebar are a little confusing – it would be difficult to find a particular piece of work on the website. None of the type stands out to separate it from each other, or highlight particular works above others. However, I do like the dramatic landing page when you first reach the website. A full screen slideshow of images appears, allowing you to enter the full website. I think that having an eye-catching entrance to the website could be something I can take on board, but also to make sure the entire site is cohesive and one page isn’t more impressive or polished than the others.

http://gracemiceli.com

I love Grace Miceli’s childlike, girlish and humorous illustrations, and so I was interested to see how this could be presented on a polished digital platform. Her website is bold and simple, reflecting the nature of her work. Her homepage consists of large images which show a heading when hovered over, which I like as headings can sometimes ruin the aesthetic impact of a page, so hiding them until hovered over is something I’d like to incorporate. Her about page contains a short bio and email address, but also shows a link to her Instagram and online shop to promote her other platforms. She has also included a CV, which is useful as this displays the large number of exhibitions and publications her work has been a part of (this has made me think about whether I will need a CV or not on my website – I feel it is only particularly useful once you have enough experience or exposure to showcase).

 

final major project: initial primary research

U S I N G  A R T  A S  A C T I V I S M : C H E E R  U P  L U V

To start off my investigation, research and idea generation for my FMP I wanted to experience first-hand what creatives are doing to provoke thought and change with their work, focusing on the feminist debates I researched for my statement of intent. Cheer Up Luv is a photojournalism project I’ve followed for a while, by Brighton graduate Eliza Hatch. Hatch interviews women all over the country on their experiences of sexual harassment and pairs their story with 35mm-shot portrait, to create a collection of profiles of victims of public harassment. The collected stories are posted on @cheerupluv on Instagram as well as on the project’s website, cheerupluv.com.

I love the goal of this project to raise awareness and create a community of support and solidarity for victims. Cheer Up Luv is a great example of using art as activism. I am particularly interested in the use of photography, film and journalism to spread messages and provoke change through a creative output.

I feel people are more likely to pay attention and engage with a form of activism if it is inclusive and easily accessible, and presented in a visually pleasing/intriguing way. Using the internet and social media to spread the word and gain support and awareness is an increasingly successful and effective way that projects can gain popularity.

Cheer Up Luv on Instagram @cheerupluv

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W E E K 3 ethnobotany: natural plant dyes

I conducted a still life shoot based on the concept of ethnobotany and natural dyes in textiles. I wanted to focus on vibrant colours and bold shapes to give the images a contemporary look and make them differ from already existing images around this subject (which often focus on neutral tones, minimal styling and low contrast photography). I purposely picked plants that are known to give strong/vibrant colour results, such as pomegranate, beetroot and turmeric, so I could create bright and fun images with them. I intend for the these photos to feature alongside samples of fabric that I have actually dyed with the plants to demonstrate how natural dyeing is possible and effective…to hopefully inspire a change in the way we think about the designs and colours of our clothing – maybe we should be dyeing garments naturally ourselves? Maybe we should simply source more ethical brands that do this already? Could this inspire a larger interest in up cycling and DIY fashion, that has so far only been picked up by outsider groups that do not “associate” themselves with mainstream trends?

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W E E K 2: Kew Gardens visual research

I visited Kew Gardens to get initial visual research to kickstart my project. I focused on interesting shapes, colours and textures that could be translated into a fashion context. I am looking to be able to use these as inspiration or even incorporate them into illustrations, fashion illustration and collage to be included in my publication.

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diversity now!: evaluation

For my response to the Diversity Now brief, I wanted to create a piece of work that built upon my previously explored interests and talents to end up with something that could still fit within my personal portfolio. As much of my work tends to focus on aspects of femininity and youth I focused my piece on women and girls and the diversity of appearance and style, to send out the message that there is not only one kind of beauty, or one “look” that is acceptable or fashionable. ­­

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portraits of girls: diversity in beauty


I wanted to shoot images of females with varying appearances, whether that be simply facially, in body shape, race/ethnicity or style. I chose several subjects that all had very different and unique appearances and shot a series of portraits. I let the models direct themselves and have fun with the shoot as I wanted these photos to show diversity in appearance, style and personality, rather than be a strictly directed and staged fashion shoot. I also kept make-up very minimal and did not use post-production enhancements except to correct lighting/colour as I shot in natural light to give a softer, more feminine feel to the images.

Inspired by the phrase ‘oranges are not the only fruit’ I made this my own by basing my photos around the phrase ‘roses are not the only flower’, which has references to femininity as well as roses referencing an ‘English rose’ appearance that is typically attractive in the Western world. For this reason I included other ethnicities, complexions and facial features to show the diversity in appearance and how female beauty is not limited to one type of look.