Thursday 14 April 2011

Photo Story - Pitch

Photo Story Pitch: A day in the life of…



For the module “Photo Story”, we have been set the task of creating a story through the images we create. The work is based on 3 x 6; 3 sets of 6-hour shoots, all which are relevant to a person/or people, a place, and an event.

As a student, I thought it’d be interesting to follow a group of individuals from another university for the day – therefore, I decided to base my project on “A day in the life of…a music student”. My original intentions were to shoot on 3 different occasions, however I felt shooting for a whole day would be more fitting with the idea of my project and would give a genuine representation of what it’d be like to be a music student for a day. 

I intend to follow the group on a day out to Hyde Park, Leeds – which will be the choice of “place”. Hyde Park is known to be a popular spot for students who enjoy relaxing on sunny days, as well as for it’s attractive skate park. Skateboarding has become a fashionable and interesting form of transportation; a recreational activity which has also been considered as a form or art. On the day of my shoot, I intend to get some images of the group skateboarding, as many are keen on the activity – I consider this as part of my “event” segment of the project. The person I’m going to follow within the project is going to be my boyfriend, who is a student at Leeds College of Music. He attends studio sessions within his university most nights of the week to practice his drumming and productions skills. The group are known to work together in these sessions so I hope to capture some images of them working as a team in the music studio. 

Techniques I plan to focus on during the day will emphasis on mainly shutter speeds and aperture settings. Capturing decent photos on sports will acquire a fast shutter speed. I’ll have to take in to consideration light, however I intend to shoot for a good 12-hour period whilst the sun is at its peak, so this isn’t an initial worry for me. As for images on music equipment in the studio, I’d like to highlight and emphasize on instruments that are used during the session.  Using a shallow depth of field will allow me to highlight the importance of music to the individual. However, a range of aperture will hopefully be used during the day.


Research:

Glen E. Friedman is a well-known American photographer who is considered one of the most important photographers of his generation. Best known for his works with classic skateboarding originators such as Stacy Peralta and working with rebellious music artists such as the Beastie Boys. He considers his work as Fine Art photography, however it’s classed as more of a Documentary style of work. Whilst commenting his work, he said "For me it’s about inspiring people, with integrity and rebelliousness.” – and this is what I intend to replicate within my work. Fisheye lenses are often used for skateboarding photography, I find it brings a personal feeling to the images that you’re there in the photo!


Annie Leibovitz is a renowned American portrait photographer, best known for her image that made the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1980 – a portrait of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Her intimate photographs of celebrities were said to have helped define the look of Rolling Stone. She learned that you could work for magazines and still do your own personal work, which for her was the most important thing. It is much more intimate and tells a story for her as she works with people who love her and who will "Open their hearts and souls and lives to you." 
The famous photograph of Lennon and Ono was originally planned to just show Lennon, however he wanted his lover to feature on the cover too. Leibovitz then tried to re-create something like the kissing scene from the Double Fantasy album cover, a picture that she loved. She had John remove his clothes and curl up next to Yoko. Leibovitz recalls, "What is interesting is she said she'd take her top off and I said, 'Leave everything on' — not really preconceiving the picture at all. Then he curled up next to her and it was very, very strong. You couldn't help but feel that she was cold and he looked like he was clinging on to her. I think it was amazing to look at the first Polaroid and they were both very excited. John said, 'you've captured our relationship exactly. Promise me it'll be on the cover.'






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