Development - SD card issues and redo of social anxiety shoot

Since the first Photo shoot which is here I wanted to recreate the same image and mood again but with the better know how and skills. During the second attempt for this Photo shoot my camera's SD card ran into some trouble and I nearly lost everything I have taken up until this point. Which was all my photography, development process and small film footage clips.

Luckily found some software called 'Card recovery' and it allowed me to recover most of the files back some have been damaged but least I got the most important ones back. I'm not even sure what happened to my SD card and as far as I know I didn't change the settings or anything on it to change it. It had to be formatted completely and just hope the problem will be fixed for the future. Also has taught me to back up all my work more often and that their is software to help with that.

But yes I pushed a lot further for the redo of the first image of social anxiety and collected a lot more props to get the better mood I wanted. Even painting around the chair to emphasize the negative energy of the figure that will be sitting there. That they have their own negative feelings and their projecting into the space around them which is susposed to be a positive environment.

Prop Making

Just got some A3 paper and trimmed it using a guillotine and painted with black acrylic paint with a roller and a paint brush. Then stuck the paper together using strips of tape a bit rough but it let me fold the paper up to be easier to carry.

For the new studio space I wanted to try out the production studio I've been finding it a lot better to use for more dramatic shoots especially ones that use softer lighting. It's been good practice with backgrounds as well experimenting with different lighting and tones. It also gave me more practice with a tripod which had some trouble getting the camera on it. After looking at it further the editing suite team had to fix it for me cause someone had gotten something on the screw and it made it stuck.

I got the lovely Charlie to be my model again and I found the new space and backdrop worked a lot better with the fabric and the painted paper around the chair. It made it a lot easier to edit and take away the edges of the paper.

Test shots with props

Wanted to get some practice shots in first before bringing in any props and to get the model more comfortable. I had a better idea of exactly what I wanted to portray the mood and body language of the figure. This led to some more experimentation with the fabric and props which in the end worked out very well.

I started to bring in balloons which are associated with a happy celebration and their colors were a high contrast against the black fabric and figure. Started to bring in each prop in and to try different body language to set the negative tones better. The lighting for these shots was also with the light boxes and their was some adjustments to make them a lot softer.

Image meaning and digital editing

These shots were cropped in Photoshop and edited to create a higher contrast and a better idea of what the end result would be like. Wanted the back fabric to blend in with the paint around the model to create an effect as if her anxiety and emotions are dripping from her in a sense and downwards to add a subconscious image of sadness.

Some close up shots of the wine glass which has blue ink inside and to add again another subconscious attempt of the negative imagery. As well as another prop to suggest alcohol which is symbol associated with being merry but the model seems uncomfortable holding the glass. Like it is a type of poison and she could be using it to forget herself and the surroundings which is the other side of drinking. Her body language is also very introverted and her arms are creating a cross image that is yet again another negative symbol to suggest she is unavailable and closed off from contact.

I then brought in the rotating disco ball light with all of the other lighting switched it off and I feel very pleased with the result. It seems to add the final touch of atmosphere I wanted to portray for the social anxiety image. We tried different positions of the ball to get different points of color and light. Charlie suggested we try it under the chair which worked well to create a silhouette of her form.

Selection of Final Images

The pictures start to be cropped and edited from this point on and I feel positive about the results. Some of these images will be used for the final pieces and final results of this photo shoot.

Development - Media tests and first photoshoot

Since after researching different types of Anxiety disorders and the effects it has on individuals and the mind. It has given me a clearer plan of how many pictures can be done for the photo set and which photographs can represent each disorder.

These disorders are that of

Generalized Anxiety disorder
Social Anxiety disorder
Post-Traumatic stress disorder
Body Dysmorphic disorder
Agoraphobia
Depression

The series will be representations of different phases of the disorders either by the start of the Anxiety, the triggers and also the conclusions or dangers. Such as how depression is a high outcome of the condition and how it ultimately effects the individual. The props will also be involved by their meanings and how they relate to causes of the disorders in different ways.

Anxiety - Social Anxiety Disorder

To start off with one of these Anxieties I have did media experiments with one of the storyboards which represents that of Social Anxiety disorder. The name speaks for it self but it is basically someone who suffers with anxiety in social and public situations. Which causes them to have negative symptoms in crowed environments and social connections.
I have taken the storyboard image I did for this and experimented with different digital media in Photoshop with it.

Meaning Behind the image

I wanted to be expressive with these images and use different textures and shadows to help me visualize better what I wanted in the Photo shoot. The initial idea for the image was to have black ink/paint in streaks around the model from the chair they are sitting on. It was to emphasize the negative energy coming from the person and how the chair makes them a more central point. The body language is also supposed to be quite tense and awkward with the legs closed and the arms crossing over the body. The shadows are supposed to emphasize this further as well as the black fabric.
As for it being in a social situation I wanted it to represent it as someone being in a place such as a bar or a party. Since the chair is a type of high chair and the model is holding a drink in their hand but they seem disinterested in it. That their body language isn't very positive to be in a situation that would be in a place such as a party or bar.

To further this I arranged a studio and a model who is the lovely Charlie and assistance from the amazing Maddie to test out this image. I also had a lighting tutorial in the morning before the photo shoot which I found very helpful in terms of atmosphere, mood, tone and being expressive with lighting.

Equipment and Tests

Blonde lights were booked out for this shoot which are incredibly powerful and bright lights and they tend to get hot very quickly. They have a yellow hue to their light source which is why they have the name Blondes. Also a camera tripod to help keep things steady and I needed the practice its been a long time since I have used a photographic tripod.

Testing out some of the lighting before we began shooting and before Charlie got ready.

We first tried out some simple shots with the lighting and fabric and negative expression.

Digital edit test with a blue hue to emphasize a experiment with color and mood.

Some close up tests of the face and expressions.

We also tried moving the camera and tripod around as well as the lighting and the slight changes made different contrasts to the moods and expressions. Which has taught me that the simple changes and movements can really change a meaning or image in huge ways and I felt positive about it once in practice.

I did like the tones of these images and their was blue and white skrim used over the light and I found I enjoyed the subtle more lighting than to the blondes. This has made me want to use the other lights for the future shoots since they will suite my themes better.

The reason I added the disco light ball was because I wanted something to represent a vibrant social theme in a non complicated way. This is a simple way of seeing what other props are like introduced to the photograph. As well as I wanted to play with other light sources and I found that this light source needs to be in a smaller and darker environment to be used more effectively.

I also felt that once I moved the fabric to sit on Charlie's shoulders it made her look more authoritative and less vulnerable from the image I wanted to show. This was another lesson I learnt about how simple changes can portray different meanings effectively and will be something I must be aware of during sessions.

Since practicing with photo shop again on my own for this project I was playing around with different filters and effects. I tried to be more expressive and ended up playing around the image option of threshold. I cant help but think that Charlie's shadow looks like its grabbing or trapping her in this image and felt it was really strong and expressive. This may be another way I plan to use in the photographs to see the different moods and effects I can get.

I found that while doing the shoot it was a lot more tricky and difficult to get shots I wanted and how I wanted them. Charlie is a great model and she was great to photograph but I feel I need to learn more and practice more before I can get what I want to portray.  I found my self being to disorganized in how I wanted to direct Charlie and setting up the scene. This has taught me to plan out the next one much better and have more resources. Also that I know how lighting works a lot better and which ones will work out better to get the mood I want.

I have learnt a lot by doing this one session and feel more confidant and positive to get into the studio again and start shooting more. I have had more interest in models for the photo shoots so I will be working on getting them organised. As well as working further on the storyboards, sketchbooks, development, prop gathering and learning more about the equipment. 

Onwards to the next shoot!