Final Summary Post

These are my main aims I created for my project as listed in my FMP plan: 

•   Look at fashion history from the perspective of the working class

•   Produce a collection of photographs

•   Get a better understanding of the history of the 20^th century

My final outcome was a hardback book called Lost and Found; it was a collection of photographs I took, which are presented as found photographs from the 20th century. I feel I have moved on a lot from my original proposal as I planned to focus on fashion history and ended up focusing on how we present ourselves in photography. I feel like I made a lot of progress throughout this project, and my photography skills definitely improved as the shoots went on. 

I used 3 methods of recording my project, my blog, my tumblr and my sketchbook, these all were vital in keeping my ideas together and helping me progress, by using my blog I could plan what I had to do next week so I was always prepared, and my being self critical on my blog I could see where my weaknesses were so I could work on them in the following weeks.  I normally do not like sketchbooks but I feel like they were a very important part of this project as it fitted in with my theme well. I really like how my sketchbook turned out and the planning section does have a more scrap book feel but that is what I wanted to show how I planned each shoot and how I was inspired by certain images from my family.

My targets from my FMP Plan were:

1. Complete all research for end of week 2

2. Complete all planning and organising of shoots by end of week 4 

3. Have all shoots done and book sent off to the printers, with 2 weeks to the deadline (so I can have it made and sent to me in time) 

Reviewing my targets: 

1. I did have a lot of my research complete by the end of week 2, however I feel like research is an ongoing thing throughout a project, so I was still researching in week 6. 

2. I had completed my planning by the end of week 4, and I had got most of my outfits put together earlier than that. 

3. I did have all my shoots completed on time and it was sent to the printers with time to spare so I received it a week earlier than I had originally planned, this then gave me the chance to look at the branding side of my book. 

Overall I am very happy with how my FMP turned out, the book is a lot better than I expected it to be and it looks very professional, which is what I wanted. The biggest development was how it changed from fashion history to being focused on photography, this was hard for me as photography is not my strongest skill, involving the use of film photography was even more complicated as I normally use digital but I am very happy that I chose to use film as it was a great learning opportunity to learn about vintage cameras and how they worked. I used 5 cameras in total: 

Kodak 66 model 3 - 120mm film 

Halina 3000 - 35mm film

Polaroid 600 - 600 Polaroid film

Basic disposable camera - 35mm film

Canon 600D - digital 

All of these cameras, apart from the digital was a camera I purchased for the project, I did a lot of research into cameras and which ones came from different eras and which ones used film I could still easily purchase and get developed. 

At the beginning of the project, I planned to use entirely digital images, this changed in my first group review, where we discussed the idea of using film cameras this was the best advice as it gave my project more believable images and dated them with out editing. In a one to one tutorial is where I got the idea for using a tumblr for my research, as it was an easier way for me to get all my research done, but not to clutter up a sketchbook with a lot of imagery. Later on in the project is when in a one to one tutorial the idea of branding my book came up, this opened up a whole new area for me to look at and is something I am interested in, it meant I could do a whole new lot of research but in a marketing aspect, as to where I would sell my book and the current competition on the market. 

There are a lot of things I will take away from this project, I will firstly learn to look at ideas from different perspectives to give my work a more rounded finish, I had not considered branding, but this added more to my project. I will also like to improve on keeping myself calm during projects as I got myself very worked up and this made some weeks progress significantly less than others as I was worrying and not doing the work. 

I have learnt a lot of photography skills, meaning I am able to take better photography in general, which will be very helpful on my degree course and then in later life. Another skill I learnt was a lot more knowledge of the 20th century from different points of views and perspectives, this was through research and talking to family members. 

Planning my set up for assessment and for the show

I had a lot of ideas for my show set up and assessment set up.
For my assessment i decided to present my book in a box:

 Outside of box 

 I lined the box with a material i used as a background in a 60s photo shoot

Inside of the box, i filled the box with props i used and the cameras i used in the shoot, i wrapped my book in brown string with a label saying "read me". 

This will sit underneath my photograph, for the show, and be shut my sketchbook and paperwork will be next to it.

I chose to put it in a box as it suits my theme of lost and found, i imagine the box being found in a loft or attic, and someone finding it and looks through its contents.

Show:
I originally wanted to use 3 smaller images for my show set up, but instead i have gone for one A1 image:

This is one of my favourite shoots, it is based on the film This Is England, and it was shot on a olympus camera, on 35mm film, it was taken in a back alley by my house. 

This image is a very bold one and it stands out very well against the plain background of the board. 

Photoshoots that didn't make it in to the book

I have 2 photoshoots that did not turn out well and did not go in the book.

This photo was suppose to go in 1910-1919, next to the young boy photograph, the story behind them was a father and son photograph, that had been separated,i used the same lighting and set up but the clothing did not look right and the model didn't suit the time period. I also didn't like how it came up when i edited it as it looks like a modern photograph and completely unrealistic. I did not have time to reshoot this photograph or any other suits i could use so i decided it was best to leave it out of the book.

This is the other photograph that did not come out well, it was meant to be 60s inspired but it ended up looking odd, the hair and make up looked too modern as did the outfit. I wanted to see if i could edit this photograph to make it look more realistic but the editing only made it look more modern and i didn't feel it was believable at all. 

Im glad i decided to discard these to images as i feel they would have stood out (negatively) in my book and would have looked like a modern photograph. 

What I have learnt going through this project: what I expected in comparison to how it turned out

When I started my FMP I planned for my project to be heavily based on fashion history through out the 20^th century however by the end I have realised I created a book showing how family present themselves through tout the 20^th century in photographs.

At the beginning of my project I was focused on involving as much fashion history as possible and planned on focusing all my efforts to the fashion side, I had originally planned to shoot in digital and to create highly styled images focusing on the clothing, as my planning went on I decided to shoot using original cameras and film, this gave me a whole new aspect to my work. When I started looking at film and cameras, I started to learn a lot more about photography and how people presented themselves in photography.

When I started looking at family photographs I learnt even more about not only my family history but also how people used photography. I have family photos from the beginning of the century to modern day and this has helped me a lot in moving forward in my project and developing my ideas.

My ideas started to change when I started planning my shoots, I realised that I wasn’t focusing on the styling but the atmosphere of the photograph, although I did plan the outfits in great detail I realised they were not the most important part of the photograph. The first shoot I did was the earliest photograph in my book, this was the main point where I realised that the mood, atmosphere and camera I was using were the main and most prominent elements. 

As I went on with my shoots, i focused on getting the models into the correct moods and made sure they understood the atmosphere of the shoots. I tried to use friends and family together in shoots to get the most realistic and natural relationships between the models. A key example of this is my 90s party shoot, shot with two best friends, their behaviour was natural which meant the photos came out well as they were actually enjoying themselves and not acting for the camera. 

When i shot my photos i made sure to tell the model the life i had created for each person, and the story that would be accompanying them in the book, this meant they knew what emotion they had to portray and were able to play a character, the 1930s woman in the doorway compared to the 90s woman in the doorway are both the same person but they were told completely different live stories so she acted and posed how she would if she had been the character i gave her to "play". 

I am glad that my book and project turned out to be a lot more based on how we present ourselves in photography rather than fashion history as i think it is a lot more interesting and something very personal. 

Weekly Update: 12.05.14

This week, i decided to move into branding my book and focusing on how i would sell and market my book. I went into this in more detail in my previous post, i finished doing my sketchbook, planning section and focused on the marketing side of it.

For the marketing side of my project, i want my presentation to be very clean and neat and professional looking. The other main aspect i focused on this week was my presentation for my assessment and final show, i thought a lot about how i want it to be presented and then I drew a couple of layout ideas to decided what i wanted. I decided on 3 A3 images in a  line, of my three favourite/ strongest images, it took me a while to pick these as i had to use a Digital image to avoid images being pixelated. My 3 images are going to be in chronological order too to show the transition of photography through the century.

My next problem to solve was how will i present my book? as my final piece is a book i had to think carefully about how i wanted to present it to fully reflect my theme. I considered a lot of things, but i think i am going to create a book and fill it with the items i used through out my project with my book resting in it.

Next week I will:
I will be putting  up my presentation, and i may need to think up some more ideas incase something does not work out with my current plans.

Taking My Project Further : Creating A Brand

As i have been moving quicker than planner with my project i have decided to add branding and marketing into my project. I have now decided i will now discuss how i will price my book, where i will sell it, my target market and the current competition on the market. I also want to look at how i would have to present my book to buyers at companies and how i could possibly edit the book to make the book more approachable and to make it more appealing to as many people as possible.

I have already looked at possible places i would like to sell my book these are:
Blurb Bookshop
Victoria and Albert Museum Bookshop
Urban Outfitters
& Other Stories
Topshop - Flagship Store
Beyond Retro
Whitechapel Gallery
The Photographers Gallery
Tate Gallery Bookshop

I chose and looked into these book shops as they all have a different target market but all ones i feel would be interested in my book, as it is a book that could appeal to a lot of different people.

Weekly Update: 05.05.14

This week i recieved my book, which was the most exciting part of the week, as it felt like my project was finally coming to an end and was all coming together. I am very happy with how my book turned out it is exactly how i planned it. I focused a lot on my sketchbook this week and the layout of my sketchbook.

I have decided to make my sketchbook and planning of my shoots have a very relaxed feel, i have included my todo lists for each shoot and a quick sketch of the outfit on each page. i have kept a continuous layout through out all of my planning so it is simple to follow but shows all my inspiration and planning behind each shoot.

What I would do differently (book):
I would have tried to take more images, i had planned more shoots but i did not have the time or clothing to do them, i shot over 25 shoots so i am happy with that amount, which equalled to 80 pages, but i would have liked to get my book to 100 pages or more.
If i could do this book again with more time i would maybe make it bigger (height and width) as to accommodate more photographs and to make it a more impressive looking book.

What I want to achieve next week:
I want to finish my sketchbook and start planing my presentation for the final show.

How My Film Turned Out (in detail)

Although I briefly explained that my film did not turn out as planned i wanted to discuss it further, i shot on 3 film cameras, all using 35mm film, all the cameras were fully working, however when i went to pick up my photographs (from the 2 main cameras) many of them unfortunately had not developed, one of my cameras had had a light leak, this meant that most of the film had be destroyed. on my other camera, the film had not been damaged but the photos did not develop. I had a similar problem with the one disposable camera i purchased, i was not given a reason to why my photos had not developed, so i am unsure to why they did not come out correctly.

The positive to my film not coming out properly were that some of the photos had slightly different effects to them, especially the camera which had a light leak, as it seemed to age the photographs without editing. Below is a good example of the light leak, which has made the photographs look aged and i love how they have turned out.

Below are examples of using the same camera and film but with different types of lighting at different times of the day, the top one was shot with artificial light at night and the bottom one was taken with natural lighting at midday. My favourite of the two is the top one as i love the orange glow that has been created, i think it adds to the mood of the photographs and suits the decade well (1970s) 

Weekly Update: 28.04.14

This week i focused on my book being finished and sent off to be published, which i did have completed on the 30th and sent it off. After this i focused on my sketchbook, throughout this project i have learnt a lot about how to use my sketchbook correctly, and how to make it work for me, as i do not normally like my sketchbook i tried a lot of new techniques to create my sketchbook, for me i found using different papers something i liked and by bringing in a more personal touch in the layout, similar to my personal diaries. I also looked at Kurt Cobains journals as inspiration.

NEXT WEEK:
Next week i will be focusing on my sketchbook again and then at the end of the week i will be focusing on my presentation for the show set up.

Blurb Books

http://www.blurb.co.uk

Why I Am Using Blurb Books: 

I decided to use blurb books for my project as they gave me the most amount of freedom when designing my book and also it had quick delivery and was inexpensive. 

Software I Used: 

I used BookWright which enabled me to completely personalise my book and gave me the freedom to add or take away as many pages as i wanted, it also gave me the opportunity to create a printable pdf version which meant if the delivery was delayed i could print up my own book. 

How Long It Took To Produce My Book: 

I took me a week to compile and complete my book, as i knew i was under a tight deadline, i focused solely on my book so that it would be completed in time. 

MY BOOK

Font: American Typewriter

Colour: Light grey 

Background: White and  Cover Dark Grey

Why: American typewriter is a fitting font in my opinion as it is a vintage looking font but the grey gives it a modern edge. I chose to have a white background so the book looked simplistic and the writing and photographs would stand out. 

Weekly Update: 21/04/14

This week i did the main bulk of my photoshoots, and focused entirely on taking as many photos as possible.

 40s wedding

 60s protest 

 90s

 40s casual (unedited) 

60s party 

What I Have Learnt: 

I have learnt a lot this past week, i have learnt how preparing well for a shoot is vital and how it makes the shoot a lot quicker and easier. 

By preparing for shoots i was able to finish them quickly and made sure there were no hold ups, this week also taught me about different times of days and the difference in light and how it effects photography on film , which has been brilliant in ageing my photographs. 

What Went Wrong: 

The biggest problem this week was my film not developing properly, this was a big problem, although i luckily have digital versions of each shoot, however this has meant doing extra editing which i had not given myself time for which held back the production of my book and meant that i had to put the publishing of the book back further which risked me not making the deadline.

What I Would Have Done Differently: 

I would have tried to do a lot more experimenting with my cameras before my final shoots so i knew how each of them shot and how the films developed. 120mm film takes 3 weeks which means i have not had enough time to get these developed, as disappointment as i was with this i am glad i had my digital versions so that i can use them in my book and still have photos from every shoot. 

Looking To Next Week: 

Next week i will be finishing my book and sending it off to be made. 

Doing my first shoots

I was incredibly nervous to do my first shoots, as i wasn't sure how they would turn out (and as the film hasn't been developed i still do not how it came out). As it was the easter weekend i decided to get all my family together so i could shoot them all at the same time and i could go to different locations with them.
The very first shoot i did was the 1905 shoot which i modelled myself, i really love how the digital version came out so im hoping the film version works just as well.

I then did a 1980s shoot using my brother, i got him to watch clips from the film this is England so he could understand the themes i was going for, i also love one shot from this shoot (below)

I also did a series of 1950s shot using myself and the same location but at different point of the room and creating different feelings to see which style i liked best. 

I really like this shot, it looks natural and relaxed but still is in line with 50s photography. All my outfits and props are vintage, i feel like this is the best way to make the shots look realistic and to make the photos look interesting. 

Shooting with friends, i wanted my photos to look realistic, so i decided to shoot people who were friends with each other so that they could act as natural as possible.

Finding locations

Finding locations has been quite a problem for me, as i have to find authentic locations to make my photos look authentic and realistic. I have chosen awkward angles to shoot at so that i can shoot with out getting any modern items in frames.

So far i have found a couple of good locations, I have used my Grandparents bedroom as one as it is decorated with vintage items and the colour scheme matches my ideas. I have used a back alley for the 80s as the garages i am using as the backgrounds were built around the 70s so they have a good weathered look to them. i have used various front doors of neighbours who still have the original features and original victorian fireplaces. i have used the outdoors a lot as it is a lot easier to remove modern items and also these locations have been left and unchanged for decades.

Weekly Round Up (beginning 14th April)

This week i focused on getting the feeling for each decade of the 20th Century, i created various moodboards, and created collages about women in each decade.
Ive found that colour is a key element in the 20th century, pre world war two colour is very bland (minus the 20s for the rich). the fifties onwards had a lot of colour. which shows the changing moods through out the later half.

I also started to plan and test shoot my photoshoots, i have planned out (roughly) around 20 at this point, i am planning to shoot all of my photos on digital and film cameras, so that if anything goes wrong with the film i will have a digital copy

09.04.2014

Creating 1960s paper dress and cape.

 Summarising my findings on fashion history throughout the 20th century. 

Over coming problems with using film photography

As I am using film to take my photographs there are a lot of risks with the photos not coming out when I developed them. Due to this I have decided to take a digital photo on my dslr of every shoot I do so that I can have a digital copy if the film version doesn't come out. 

Creating props

As it is very expensive to buy turn of the century garments and accessories I have decided to create my own, so I can keep the costs down. 

Above is an example of a hat I made copied from a vintage advertisement from the decade 1900-1910, although it is not exact it will create the same feeling in my photographs.

I plan to make a lot more pieces and to create a lot of props for my photos to give an authentic look to my final outcome. 

Experimenting with expired Polaroid film

When I purchased a 600 Polaroid camera it came with a set of expired but unused film, I thought that this would be something interesting to play with. 

My first shot didn't come out what so ever and I thought that that would be how the rest turned out however they did not, and it actually created some really interesting effects. Each photo came out slightly different and with a sepia tone, with stripes down the middle. 

I found these really interesting and they look distressed, I have now bought in date Polaroid film so that I can shoot my photos with that to see how it comes out. 

What I've Learnt So Far and What Could Go Wrong

So far i have learnt a lot about photography in the 20th century and how it developed, to start my research i decided to go to the national gallery, i did this so that i could see how people were recorded pre the 20th century to see what an impact photography made to the public and to common people who would have be unable to pay for a portrait.

I have already purchased various cameras and film and although this is very expensive i feel like it will be much better to recreate the photography using cameras from the correct time period. when using old, damaged and out of production cameras there can be a lot of problems, such as; the film not working correctly with the camera, the photos coming out smeared, or not at all, not understanding how to use the camera, the film not being able to get developed as no where is able to.

Solving and dealing with these problems:
1) I have bought a lot of film and checked that it is able to be developed at a local photo specialist store.
2) The photography is domestic so mistakes may and will have been made this should hopefully only add to the look of my collection.
3) i have downloaded the original instruction manuals for as many as the cameras as i have been able to and have read them over so i can use the cameras correctly.
4) I have tested out the effects of using expired polaroid film, which i will discuss in my next post.

Researching

Today I was researching fashion throughout the 20th century, and posting photos on my Tumblr, I also sorted through personal photos, this gave me a personal insight into the late 20th century, i enjoyed doing this and gathering my research this way. i will need to look at a lot more photos to understand more about the period, i plan to focus on pre sixties when i look tomorrow.
I also want to doing some further research into photography in the 20th century and do some posts on how it developed and the introduction of colour and television.