Lipstick misconceptions- Work record

Basic information:
Date: 08/04/16
Camera used: Nikon D5300
Props or subject: Subject
Editing program: Photoshop CC 2014
Camera settings: 1/125, F16, ISO 200

Plans for shoot:
In this shoot I will be displaying a female subject with various shades of lipstick on in a stye similar to that of a glamour shot on a magazine cover with a mast head/title to the image stating a misconception about the type of woman whom wears each shade of lipstick.

What I hope to achieve:
This shoot will delve into the matter of people assuming certain things about people based on their appearance for example the shade of lipstick they are wearing, the amount of makeup that they were or the length of their skirt.

This series is heavily inspired by Barbara Krueger's bold use of font in he portrait images however will be straying from Krueger's style as it will not be incorporating black and white colouration.  I was also heavily inspired by Rosea Lake whom created a thought provoking piece depicting a woman's skirt with a ruler type line along the back of her leg stating what each skirt length meant about the women who wore it with phrases ranging from "Slut" to "Old fashioned" fashioned being used to describe the woman depending on her skirt length and nothing else.

In this shoot I will be using a deep depth of field in order to allow the camera to focus on the entire subject however to make them stand out I will be positioning them in the centre of the image with a solid white backdrop behind them.  I will also be incorporating text to create an interestingly composed image.

Outcome of shoot:
This shoot was largely successful due to the fact that the lighting in the image created a clean and professional look to the original portrait shots and the sans serif font used continued that theme when I edited the images.  

Whilst editing I increased the images saturation and to create a more pigmented lip colour as well as increasing the contrast and brightness of the images to create a more polished look.  In order to match the lipstick shades to the colour used in the text I swatched the lipstick colour and applied the tone to the font.  I also used rulers in order to keep the texts positioning similar throughout the series.

My only issue with this shoot is the way in which the the subject moves slightly between each shot due to the fact that she had to change her lipstick and so had to move between shots to correct this I could mark where the subject should stand on the floor and make dots using sticky tabs or dry erase marker on my camera's live view screen to make sure that the subject is correctly positioned.

Progression:
If I were to repeat the shoot I may try to find more interesting lipstick shades such as blue or black.  I would definitely investigate ways to mark the subjects position to create a uniform series.

Favourite image:

This is my favourite image due to the way in which the nude tones of the lipstick compliment the subjects makeup and outfit.  The framing of this image appeals to me due to the font of the images title lines up with the straps on the subjects dress.

The irony of the lipstick colour being called "Prudish nude" also appeals to me as these are both opposing ideas as people who are prudish would not generally be associated with nudity.

Denotation: This image is of a woman nude lipstick and has a title of "Prudish Nude".

Connotation: This image shows that people make snap judgements on others whatever they are wearing.  People may be judged in a negative way whether they are wearing controversial clothing or conservative clothing.

Context: The context for this image is the way in which society judges women however they appear they may either be to sexual or not sexual enough or trying to hard or not trying hard enough there is truly no way to win.

Least favourite image:

This is my least favourite image due to the way in which the darkness of the image has given the subject prominent shadows under her eyes which are not visible in the other brighter images.

I do not like the way in which the red lipstick clashes with the brownish colour scheme of the rest of the subjects outfit as I believe that it is too harsh of a contrast.

Denotation: This image shows a woman wearing red lipstick with the text "Whore Red" above her head.

Connotation: The fact that the woman's lipstick colour has been described as "Whore Red" shows the kind of negative snap judgements that someone may make about a person based on their appearance.

Context: The social context for this image is the way in which it fits into current rape culture where people will say that the victim asked to be raped by having a provocative outfit.