To Master: Sony Awards

This term we have been tasked with subitting an editorial to the Sony Student Awards, with the theme of "In a Changing World"

Usually with my assignments i try to look at shoot ideas that i would shoot outside of our assignments and try alter them slightly so that i can use them for university projects. That is why for this term i am going to shoot a project with this moodboard

The main reference image is from a music video.

I believe there to be a lot of meaning and emotion behind the colour choices and it is something that i can utilise for my own shoot.

I initially shortlisted models that i would potentially shoot but instead had a model in mind that I had shot before that i havent utilised in a shoot for a long time:

I had to pitch the shoot idea to my tutour

Inital feedback was to refine my 50 words to make it sound a bit more award submission worthy.

I had my idea down as well as my initial references and inspiration so all that was left to do, was do more research and plan out the shoot as much as possible.

I found my location on a site called "Peerspace" a site where people offer their creative spaces for different uses. A friend reccomended me it and i began looking for a space. I knew I wanted a big window for the model to look out from so i looked for something with that in mind, this is what i came back with:

This location had a big window which meant there was potential for natural light, as well as a patio area which would allow for a light to light the inside of the room from the outside in.

A photographer i looked at was Natalie Finley and her methods of using colour to convey emotion:

This is a photo series used to display the 5 stages of grief, titled: Grief – The Abridged Version. I belive the different uses of colours represent different moments in losing a loved one/experiencing grief, it can be such a hard thing to put into words so sometimes colour can be used as a type of language that crosses the boundary of communication. The yellow representing a calm and mellow mindstate, evolving into the more angry firey and passionate red, and then into the perhaps more positive and hopeful green.

I knew i wanted to use a haze machine to add some texture to the light, i have shot images in spaces that had haze machines turned on and i really liked the results:

I had my location and general aesthetic in mind, but my model unfortunately was unable to shoot on the day. So i had to recast my model and came to a model i have a good relationship with:

I needed to look at previous winners to determine what star factor they had that I can implament in my own shoot

As far as an actual concept relating back to the theme of "In a Changing World," i wanted to look at the effects that this changing world has on us, by using lighting and colour theory to tell the story of someone who has experienced negative effects, and is feeling drained by how fast paced and demanding it can be. Use of blue light to connote the cold and what comes with that, themes of depression, self isolation came to mind when producing and planning the final images.

Looking at the previous submissions there is a clear storytelling arc or at the very least a type of aesthetic that makes me look twice, wether that be becauseof the mise en scene or just from how striking the image really is.

There are ways i can make my shots look particularly interesting through use of props and different types of lighting. I put a rough lighting diagram together to plan out how i wanted to light my shoot:

I decided to use RGB panels as i knew they would be lighter and require less weighing down to balance them as the overall payload would be fairly small. For the top down lighting i rigged an RBG panel on a C stand with a knuckle and arm. For the outdoor lighting i was able to get away with a regular lighting stand

I finally shot the editorial and went through my capture one process:

I also played about with the idea of involving the moon as it is said to be something that has an effect on our emotions as some people believe, in cases of astrology. I felt like it made sense. 

I shot an image of the moon and attempted to composite it into an image that i saw fit:

I did however feel like i was doing too much and decided to scrap the idea entirely

After completing my editing process i needed to play around with a layout and order for my portfolio:

I changed the order around so that it read better and made more sense in terms of the story, leading me to this:

I felt like the mix of still life and portriats allowed for a more abstract and metaphorical approach toward the end of the editorial. The dying flowers being a metaphor for how the person feels emotionally as a result of this changing world. This is the order of photos i submitted as well.

Win or lose, shortlisted or not, i am happy as always to have brought a new vision of mine to life and am happy to showcase it to the world. This term has taught me a lot about being resilient and this submission has been no different as along the way i have had to face the challenge of bringing a vision to life that is extremley metaphorical and hard to explain at times, so i thought it best to let the photography do the talking.