On Friday 4th March I will be doing a photoshoot in Studio One, as a way of getting to grips with the shutter speed and aperture options on the DSLR. The theme is not related to my final photoshoot of "Identity of the Peak District", but it should be good preparation.
Where?
I am going to take my photos in Studio One at the UTC.
When?
I will take my photos on Friday 4th March 2016.
Timings of shoot?
I will take my photos after lunch on the Friday, 13:25 - 15:00.
Use of space (recce)?
My theme should only need a small amount of space, but hopefully that space could be in a bright part of the room to bring out colours.
How does it fit the brief?
The theme I will be taking photos for in Studio One is unrelated to my final photoshoot of "Identity of the Peak District, but I hope that it is good experience in the camera settings for when I come to do my final shoot.
Theme?
The theme of the shoot that I will be doing on Friday 4th March is "pencils". I will use plain graphite pencils and take photos of things such as: patterns, shavings, different perspectives, tops and bottoms. I could then use Photoshop to highlight colours in certain areas of the photographs to make them look really good.
Meanings you wish to communicate?
The meaning I wish to communicate is that even seemingly mundane things such as pencils can be made to look interesting in unique when photographed in the right way. I also wish to communicate that natural things like pencils can be just as interesting as state-of-the-art objects.
Equipment?
The only equipment I will need for my shoot is simply HB pencils. I will obviously use a camera and tripod to take the photographs too.
Lighting? Shadows? Reflections? Mood?
Hopefully it is a sunny day on 4th March, as it would bring out the yellow and black colours of the pencils and also create a lot of shadow, which I would want for certain photos.
Camera mode? Why?
I will have the camera in manual mode, so that I can adjust shutter speed and aperture differently for different shots. This will be good practice for my final photoshoot in the Peak District.
Aperture? Why? Think of what type of lighting conditions in Studio 1
I want a lot of light in my photos to bring out colours and to make them look as good as possible. Therefore, for most of my photos, I will adjust aperture to let a lot of light in.
Shutter speed? Why?
For some of my shots, I might have a slow shutter speed to blur sunlight. This would be a unique and effective choice for some photographs, while for some others I would have a fast shutter speed to capture a clean look.
ISO? Why?
The ISO choice I would use for my photos would likely be low-sensitivity, as it is usually very bright in Studio One so there is no need for a high light sensitivity. Also, a high sensitivity could add noise to my photos so I want to avoid using that in this situation.
Depth of field?
I will probably use a deep depth-of-field for most of my shots, in order to get the most clarity. However, I might use a shallow depth-of-field for one or two for effect and uniqueness.
Flash or no flash?
I don't think I will need a flash unless it is a particularly dark day, as it is usually very bright in Studio One.
Will you use the macro? (Close up) EV mode? (Lightens / darkens)
I will probably use the macro feature in some of my shots, to capture close-up details like pencil shavings and the stripes on the pencil. Most of the shots won't utilise it, however. EV stands for exposure value, and it is used for adjusting how bright photographs look. The camera usually does this well automatically, however, so I doubt I will need to adjust it manually.
Continuous or single shooting speed?
I will be using single shooting speed for my photos next week, because the pencils will be static so there is no need for a continuous speed. This is used for when the subject is in fast motion.
JPEG / RAW? Why?
I will capture my photos in RAW quality because this file format provides the best quality of image, meaning that my photos will look as good as they possibly can.
Equipment? Costumes? Props? What textures might they have?
The only equipment that I need for my shoot is a camera, a tripod and a few HB pencils.
Risks?
There are very few risks in Studio One. I could maybe trip on chair legs or table legs, so I would have to move some of these out of the way.
Contingency plans?
If I don't manage to bring pencils for some reason, I could come up with a shoot using the items that are on me, such as technology or books.
If Studio One is unavailable, this isn't too much of a problem as my photographs can be easily taken in a small area of space, such as a desktop, in pretty much any other room with enough light.
How will you protect your final photos?
My final shots will be stored on my SD card, my laptop and my external hard drive at home, so they will be well-protected once they are taken.
How will you get permission from your models?
I won't need any permissions because my photographs only involve pencils and no real people.
How will you ensure that your photos are in focus (e.g. image stabilisation)?
I will use a tripod to take my photos to make sure that there is no blur and none of them are out-of-focus. The photographs are actually fairly easy to take, as they involve little motion.
Framing? Where will you place the viewfinder to compose the best shot? Landscape or portrait?
I am unlikely to be using framing in this photoshoot as it revolves around details and patterns which can be made using pencils.
Describe a couple of the shots you intend to take...
- a circle created by the tips of pencils placed close to one another
- a macro of wood shavings and a pencil tip
- pencils in a line, with a splash of colour on one.
Centre of interest?
One example of centre of interest would be the first shot example listed above - a plain white circle created by pencil tips would be in the centre of the photograph.
Viewpoint? Above? Below? Eye level? Through a door/window/keyhole?
I will take photos using from eye-level, above eye-level and below-eye level, to show a range of angles and create photos which all look different. I am unlikely to frame using a door/window/keyhole because I want to keep my photos simple where possible.
How will you use the rule of thirds?
One way in which I could use the rule of thirds is by creating patterns in the two edge thirds of the photo, and leaving the middle one blank. I could also, really simply, place a pencil in each third of the photo and maybe use Photoshop to bring out the colour in the middle or two edge thirds, while making the rest monochrome.
Will you shoot in colour, sepia or monochrome?
Most of my photos will be shot in full colour, because I think the yellow-and-black of the pencils will look striking when it is covering most of the photo. For a few, however, I will monochrome out most of the photo and bring out the colour in one pencil, to make it stand out.
Will you use silhouettes or shadows?
I am likely to use shadows of the pencils in some photographs to create an imposing look. Hopefully it is sunny on the day so I can get long, dark shadows where I want to.
Will you use pattern or repetition?
Absolutely. Pattern and repetition are probably the most important aspects of my photoshoot because of the yellow-and-black pattern on the pencils, and the way I will arrange the pencils in the photographs.
Will you use leading lines? How? Create a sketch...
I won't be using leading lines in my pencils photoshoot because there isn't any larger subject for the pencils to lead to. It is a simple photoshoot focusing only on the pencils, their patterns and their arrangement.
What is the overall narrative? Is this achieved by using props?
The "narrative" of my photoshoot is that even things as seemingly mundane and ordinary as pencils can be made to look striking and imposing, when photographed correctly. My photographs will aim to show that almost anything at all can be made to look impressive.
Studio One Risk Assessment
