I believe my fairytale fashion photography project has been
very successful! I have learnt a great deal throughout the project and I
feel a lot more comfortable using the studios. I was able to do
things much smoother and with ease by the end of the project. I feel I have a
far greater understanding of the technology and lighting. Although I knew I
loved fairytale fashion photography, I now believe that it is definitely what I
want to focus on when I leave university because I really enjoy it. The whole
concept is really exciting and you can experiment so much with it.
When I first set myself this task I was excited because I love
fairytale photography but I was also so nervous because I had no idea how to
get round the issues I had in the studios. I knew that I was not very confident
with the lighting and general equipment and in the fashion business it is vital
I know how to use it.
I decided from an early stage I would have to plan a great deal
to make it easier for myself. This really helped and I found I was much more
organised with the Photoshoots. I was however still very disorganised with my
blog work. I'd forget to update it and it got quite confusing. I think because
of this I have missed out quite a lot of research I did for each individual
shoot. I focused a lot on lighting in my research but because of
being disorganised I have misplaced it. So this is definitely something that I
need to work on. Fashion Photographers need to be organised because the
industry is so fast moving and growing constantly. I will have to be up to date
constantly to be at the top! Hopefully in my next project when I have to team
up with someone else it will encourage me to be more organised because I have
others relying on me.
This project has enabled me to learn a great deal of skills that
I needed to be a fashion photographer. I Spent a great deal of time editing the
images as well, making sure to research how to do it so that I can become what
I want to be. I have studied a vast amount of airbrushing youtube tutorials as
well as adding objects such as wings and playing with different effects.
I worked really hard at this project for my university grade but
also to prove to myself that I can do things when I put my mind to it and to be
able to gain the skills to be a fashion photographer.
I was genuinely terrified of going into the studio by myself
with people I didn't really know. The project has built up my confidence a
great deal. I now don't feel as embarrassed or stupid to ask people
from the streets to model for me or to tell people what to do when I need their
help. This project has also helped me to see what its like to be a proper
fashion photographer. I had to study poses and fairies a great deal so that I
knew what to create. It’s clear that the field I wish to go into needs a vast
amount of creativity, which I’m happy to say I believe I have.
Confidence is really important when being a fashion photographer
so this has benefited me in many ways. I have also learnt that when I get into
the industry I need to always arrange back ups, or make space and time for
things going wrong. A lot of the work is based on other people turning up and
making as much effort as you do, so you need to be a good people person so that
they want to do the best for you that they can.
I have also learnt quite a bit about styling and make up which
is always useful in fashion photography because if the make up artist or
stylist drops out it means the shoot doesn’t have to be canceled if I can offer
the other skills needed.
I really like my final images, they follow my brief very closely
and I love the editing I have done. The images are not all edited exactly the
same to make them more individual and magical, it
implies inconsistency and randomness, which shows the care feel of
the fairytale world that I wanted to show. I didn’t want to make them too
serious and depressing because I was feeling low myself so I thought I would
lift myself by lifting the mood of my project and I so feel happy when I look
at them.
I think I should have made prints of my final images so I could
have seen what they would look like in a magazine and also because many fashion
photographer’s have to print their work for portfolios and magazines. However
after researching a great deal I found that more and more employers are doing
things digitally so it is not the end of the world that I haven’t printed them.
In conclusion the overall feeling of my project is very positive
and I really believe that I have gained a lot. Since I have done my fairy
photoshoots I have also started offering help and shoots to other students that
need it, which proves that my confidence has grown and I am far more willing to
learn now that I have got through the initial barrier. I’m excited to go on to
my next project where I will gain an even greater understanding of fashion
photography. I think the best way to be good in this industry is practice and
experience, so the more I get the better.
