Paint me pretty- Work record

Basic information:
Date: 10/04/16
Camera used: Nikon D5300
Props or subject: Subject
Editing program: Photoshop CC 2014
Camera settings: 1/100, F5.6, ISO 1250

Plans for shoot:
In this shoot I will be photographing self portraits of myself at various stages of the makeup process to create a series of comparative computer experiments.

What I hope to achieve:
I hope to show the various stages that people whom wear makeup go through on a daily basis in order to attempt to reach socially dictated beauty standards. 

I will be conveying my message through the use of self portrait photography in order to personalise this shoot.  Each of the images in my shoot will be of the nature of comparative computer experiments I intend to create a split image as well as a gif.  I will be aiming for my images to have a deep depth of field in order for the subjects entire face to be in focus.

This shoot is inspired by Ali Seglins image which features in my research log of a young woman reflection at a makeup counter.  The split image will be in a style similar to that of Ulric Collete and the techniques I used in my previous shoot we are all the same will be implemented once again.

Outcome of shoot:
Despite the fact that I only created three straight images in this shoot I feel that it was very successful.  I believe this as I think that my straight images were very thought provoking and strong stand alone pieces opposed to being presented in a strict series such as "Lipstick Misconceptions" where every image had a very uniform style.

This shoot was slightly problematic to complete due to the fact that I wished to complete it at home to experiment outside of the studio meaning that I did not have the college equipment of soft box lights or even a tripod.  The fact that I could not shoot in the studio meant that I had to move away from my regular camera settings however I was able to still achieve the appearance of a deep depth of field that I desired for this shoot.  I also discovered challenges when attempting to frame and shoot my images as I had to use a remote luckily my camera had a reversible live view screen.  I also experienced difficulty when getting up to add makeup to face as my distance from the camera a pose altered slightly.  

Below is an image of my "tripod"

I altered the images brightness, contrast and saturation levels to give them a better appearance before making my gif using the timeline features, creating my multiple imagery and split image.

Progression:
If I were to revisit this shoot I would not do it at home as it would have benefitted from being takin in a studio setting I also would have looked into ways to mark my position in my view finder to prevent a change in position between images.

Favourite image:

This is my image due to the fact that I like the way in which the gif efficiently displays the various layers of my makeup as well as the fact that it is an eye catching and engaging method of presentation.

Denotation: This is a gif of myself with various layers of makeup on.

Connotation: This image display the various stages that go into someones makeup everyday in order to fit into societies rigid standards of beauty.

Context: This image is particularly relevant now as women are being told to wear natural makeup however are criticised and asked if they are ill or tried if they are not wearing makeup.

Least favourite image:

This is my least favourite image as I believe that it's small size prevents the viewer from being able to see the changes in makeup in each image.  An improvement for this image would have been to show less stages in the makeup process and to only include the most vital stages as I feel that this presentation of the images is not as effective as the gif which I created.

Denotation: This image shows a series of stills of myself documenting various stages of makeup application.

Connotation: The way in which this image is presented shows the subjects appearance change in various ways in an attempt to alter their appearance a desire that has been installed upon them by the fact that we live in a society which is often driven by beauty.

Context: This image is socially relevant currently as it shows the way in which women will alter themselves in order to fit into societies brutal beauty ideals.