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.