Through my project, I understand more about sustainable fashion and know more about new natural material that designers has created. Before I only know a few things about sustainability, through research and lecture I am more aware of it and gradually change my shopping habits. Moreover, I know more start-up company that offer non-single use packaging or compostable packaging, we cannot get rid of plastic/ wasted paper immediately but we can slow change the habits. Most importantly, sustainable fashion is not only about buying organic products, it is about how we can reuse rotate our clothes and stuff we’ve already own. In class, I also had chance to work with old shirt or styling with random clothes. I made skirts and top from bubble wrap and tissue paper, honesty, it was quite tricky but it was fun and interesting that I can reuse unnecessary things in my house to make a fashion photoshoot. After this project, I still can keep these plastic things for other purposes.

In this module, I have learned more about camera settings and studio light. This is the first time I did work in studio. Even though it was hard to adjust the soft box and camera settings at the beginning, I am getting used  with it and I want to try more lighting set up in the future. I feel a bit proud that now I know the set up to create the image I want.

For my photoshoot, I have done some test shoots and experiment before did my final shoot. I think I understand more about what I should do through experiments. From the first idea I want to use old newspaper to make a fake bone and make surreal photoshoot, however it was impossible for my to make it. Therefore, through researching and experimenting, I came up with my final work. When looking at my work, I think I can do more about researching other designer who use tissue paper or plastic in their design. Also I still want to try crochet plastic bags as I’ve seen on social media, it would be great if I can turn it as a bone in initial idea. I feel a bit regret that my final shoot cannot do in studio where I can try with black background, it might make the pastel bubble wrap more stand out. I also practice my editing skills more on Photoshop.

At the end, I am satisfied with what i have done. I hope through my images and sketchbook, I can elevate the value of bubble wrap and show more interesting solutions for them.

After choosing some of my favorite images, I started editing them. I mostly lower the contrast or brighten the image on Photoshop. Some images reveal the background or model’s underwear, I used tool on Photoshop to erase them

I have research some layout to present my work (I show more in my sketchbook). I tried different layout to see what suits best with my image. I do not want to submit these images separately, I think they look better when I combine them.

These are my trial. I really like how the background and the image connect with each other. Also I want to put 2 images together to show the contrast between them: one close up shoot and another is full body.

Overall, I love editing images and trying different layout with my images. I’m in the last step finish everything before submitting

This post is about my final photoshoot. I have booked the studio, however, it was prioritize for 2nd year so I had to do my shoot on another room and Chris helped my set up the backdrop. I felt a bit worried at the beginning as this room has big window and I cannot close it, also it doesn’t have the hanger on the ceiling where I can hang my bubble wrap.

My solution is using tape to tape think on the wall and on the door, and I still used the light box. It is good that this room has lots of table and chair so I can use them to take photo in higher angle.

I was setting up the set by myself and waiting for the model- Racheal come. My plan was start at 1:30 setting up the backdrop 2:00 making the set and shooting at 2:30 and finish around 3:45 . However,  my model came quite late around 3:00 so I finished at 4:15. She has already known which poses I want so we did quite smooth.

Here are my contact sheet.

As you can see, I tried different camera setting, some get very dark and some quite yellow. I also tried with fast and slow shutter speed for moving images. I used transparent plastic cover the camera lens and it gave an interesting effect. Luckily, in that room, there were a box with bubble wrap so I also used it for my photos. While doing photoshoot, I had to adjust the light box and camera setting many times to have the best result. I want to have a wide angle, sadly the backdrop was not that big and if I do big angle, the other things in the back will show up.

What I need to do next is selecting the images I want and editing them

As I will do photography with bubble wrap and tissue paper, I would like to look at editorials/photographers that have used bubble wrap in their work. There are a lot of photography related to trash, plastic bag, however, I only research more about the one that match my theme most. Most of my garments are in white, pastel pink, therefore, I want to make my photoshoot in soft aesthetic, neutral colors.

Ahn Sangmi

Sangmi is korean photographer, there is  not much information about him in the Internet. I looked at some of his works and I think his style is bold, close up shoots. In Nu Beige for Harper’s Bazaar Korea 2019, he did this photoshoot with Sora Choi. In this shoot, a lot of interesting poses going on, and he combined 2 images in on pages. Also he did shoot through plastic bag, which I would love to do in my shoot.

The layout of this image is what I can learn to present my work in the end.

Stella Morais

In this editorial, Morais did combine bubble wrap and big plastic in her shoot. The colour theme in this is blue and white, it seems very calm and oceanic. There are lots of poses, and composition I can learn from this shoot. I think shooting through the bubble wrap is an interesting idea, however I’m not sure if my camera can do that. I think the colour background is useful to make the white bubble wrap stand out more.

https://metalmagazine.eu/es/post/editorial/recondition-stella-morais

These are all the images I like from my test shoot. I pick out here and I’d like to achieve t again in my final shoot. I think these images are clearly shown the garments I made. It gave the Marie Antoinette aesthetic I would like to achieve. Moreover, the lighting of these are quite good.

I really like the shadow of model in this image, however there was another shadow on the right which created by other light box. If I do that again, I will need to get rid of that. In this image, I attached the bog on the backdrop and the position of model seems like the bow is connected to her outfit.

I really like the posing and composition of this image, I feel like it both girly and power at the same time. I might need to photoshop her underwear to make the photo more neat.

On Monday, I had a short presentation in class about my project. As I shown in my slide, I want pastel colour theme but I do not have that much plastic in that colours so I just go with what I have. Tutor said I should do test shoot about background, tried with different plastic lens and do more striking poses.

I attached my ppt here

critiquepresentation

I used plastic bag and tie them together to see can I create a background. However, the colour of the plastic bags to not the same and they are not big enough to do what i want. And also they are not floating as I imagine since they are in different type of plastic so probably they weight different.

Therefore, I probably go with the idea using bubble wrap and hang it from the ceiling as they are longer and bigger and most important I have them in the same colour.

I tried the shoot through a hole in plastic bags and inside the bags. The results are amazing and I quite like them. I will do this and focus on the model.

I also tried taking photo through the plastic but it didn’t work as the plastic is thicker so the lens cannot work. However, I change to transparent plastic it worked quite well. It gave a foggy vibe, maybe it will look better in the studio with better lighting.

On the left is with the transparent plastic                                        On the right is nothing

This is another experiment with bubble wrap to make the background. To be honest, it was quite tricky to hang it from the ceiling as the tape is not strong enough to hold it. Also, there is not any hanger in this room, so I just taped it on the wall and the door. I tried different layer and even tied them together.

Somehow, I feel like pink green and white go on well maybe because the colours are not vibrance, so they create a soft atmosphere. Unfortunately, I don’t have much bubble wrap to make the backdrop more huge and more impact.

In the end I quite like it even though I don’t have a big area to make them stand out like the installation of Karla Black.

It will be nice if i took the photo when the model standing inside that and I will take photo in bird-eye angle or from underneath. If I was able to do this again I hope I can do with black background so probably the bubble wrap will be more appealing.

On Thurday 2 December, I did test shoot with Racheal- my classmate. Before, I explained her about my project my concept and showed her the styling board and posing board I made so she knew what I want. She tried the garment and I can attach other things when she worn it and adjusted the size

Here are the contact sheet of that day. I tested the lighting with my hand to change the camera settings. First few images I took in natural lights but I felt like it is not good enough. So I set up 2 light and the quality is much more better.

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We have tried so many poses and angles. I haven’t made the props and the background yet so we only focused on the clothes and posing.  We pick out some favorite pose which we will reuses in my final shoot.

I feel like communication is very important when do shooting, I need to explain to my model what I wish and I have to create an environment that my friend feel comfortable to pose. Luckily, I think we did that quite well.

I will need to create props for the final shoot which I booked the studio on 9 December.

In order to my photoshoot more appealing, I would like to have some props in the studio. I want to use plastic bags left to make the background as the purpose of showing trash can be beautiful in various ways.

I looked at Karla Black who is a Scottish sculpture. She most ly does abstract, immersive sculpture that explore  physical experience as a way of communicating and understand the world. The material she used vary from household substances like soap, makeup, cotton wool and toothpaste, to traditional art supplies

Karla Black Doesn’t Care In Words 2011 (detail), Cellophane, paint, Sellotape, sugar paper, chalk, powder paint, plaster powder, wood, polystyrene, polythene, thread, bath bombs, petroleum jelly, moisturising cream, Dimensions Variable. Photo: Colin Davison, Courtesy the artist and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne

Karla Black Story Of A Sensible Length 2014, Polythene, plaster powder, powder paint, thread, 300 x 300 x 300 cm, Installation view, GENERATION: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland, Scottish National Gallery, Photo: John McKenzie, Courtesy National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh and Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne

Lisa Keller is a contemporary American painter who explores the relationship between human and natural world. She also did installations. In her Silk Sculpture, she said that the silk works investigate sickness and biological processes in relation to human behaviour patterns and her goal was to create a sculptural painting that extends beyond the canvas’s boundaries.

Her sculpture make me think of transparent plastic bags, and I can attached them on the background of studio or hang them from the ceiling

Almost Perfect – silk, pigment, thread, surgical pins 42” x 31” x 6”

Gais Revenge – Gaia, the Greek goddess of Earth, is also the name of a controversial hypothesis in which the earth is viewed as a complex organism of interconnecting ecosystems that are feeling the effects of human dominance. 70″H x 82″W

Rainey, ”Silk Sculptures by Lisa Kellner”, Today Art. 17 Jan. 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 2021. 

”Karla Black” National Galleries Scotland. n.d . 

I have looked at several designers and artists for styling ideas.

First designer Susan Fang. She launched her label in 2017 in which focus on innovative textiles, colours and silhoutes. When looking at her designs, there are various colours and texture. The fabric lines are woven together, or look like sliced fruits repet across the body. This inspired me to woven plastic bags or old newspaper together to create garments. Detail of process are in my sketchbook. However, it was hard to knit the fabric so I changed to another plan

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Second designer is Yoshikazu Yamagata who launch Writtenafterwards in 2007 which the concept ”create something new for contemporary human living”. His designs are bold with lots of layers: dresses are usually in asymmetrical, giant hats and sleeves are embedded with patches. I can use bubble wrap and tissue paper for layering and drafting into a skirt or a top. Wrapping and drafting might be the best solution as I cannot sew on tissue paper because they are too thin.

I also look at Chinese artist Zeng Chuanxing- contemporary painter who known for his portrait of ethics minority women.  In Paper Bride series, Zeng’s realist portraits express a melancholic delicacy in his sitters. The texture of the dresses are painted meticulously. The dresses might make from paper and even the head pieces. This is what I will do for my styling by using tissue paper. However, the tissue paper I have are mostly in small size and I cannot make the whole big dress. Therefore, I can only attach them togother to create  volume for the skirt.

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