Natural Photos.

http://www.photographyblog.com/articles/how_to_take_natural_photos_of_children/

This is a link to a useful photography blog I found, giving you tips on how to get the best out of the photographs you want to take, if you feature children - which I think i may do in my photo shoot.

I also found it useful for just some general tips when trying to create a 'natural' photograph - the style I'm trying to achieve - like keeping the natural light behind the models and not facing them, and generally setting up the 'right' backdrop to the shots so they look natural yet professional at the same time.

Photo Shoot.

I've been thinking about the photo shoot - which has to take place within the next week - and where / what the backdrop will be for it. As I want to shoot a variety of people who have a variety of different relationships I feel the shoot would be best achieved if I photograph it at home, where I know more people and have access to a stronger variety of relationships.

Thinking about the backdrop I feel it would look really effective if I either can get hold of a red sofa and have the people sat on that, or, I've been inspired by the cards that we're featured on my last blog post, and was thinking I could have the shoot outside on a park bench, where the setting would look really natural and have more depth, and the natural lighting would be easier to work with.  

Cards.

Above are two cards which my friends have given me, I'm featuring them as I feel they fit my idea for the brief; the shots appear very natural and highlight the relationship and bond between the two children in each card. I also like the idea of using black and white photography as i think it gives the image more emotion and as my brief wants each photograph to feature something red in it, having the image in black and white will allow the red item to stand out.
Defiantly some inspiration in these photographs for me!

First Tutorial!

Today I had my first tutorial in small groups with Hannah. We got to show our blogs to the group and discuss our initial thoughts towards the project and what we think we may do for it. 
The tutorial helped me in deciding where I want to take the project and what I think I might do photo shoot wise; I realised I was lacking a bit in focus for the project but now I've talked about my initial ideas for the shoot I feel I've got a stronger idea. Hannah confirmed that the idea of looking at relationships and how they differ is a good theme to have for my final photographs; how different types of love is in portrayed in different types of relationships.

The idea we came up with was to have the same prop in each photograph - most likely a sofa or a chair and have different people - who have a relationship with each other e.g. lovers or siblings or best friends, and have them interact and relax - as they would normally if they were sat together. Then I can take natural shots of how they are with each other - therefore reflecting the relationship they have and how they care about each other.
The theme of general love between people / compassion / the comfort that people we are close to give, would be running through the shoot all the time - all the while reflecting what 'Heart' means to me.

I feel this idea could look really effective in a series of photographs as it's focusing on natural relationships that have formed and portraying them in an intimate way - I'd be photographing people when they are happy and relaxed. I feel I need to do a lot more research into this theme before deciding if it will defiantly work and if so how i will be able to create this shoot. But it's an idea I'm really excited about!!

British Heart Foundation.

In aid to find inspiration for this project I decided to look at the British Heart Foundation's website. The following is the brief they have set for this project:

The Brief

The theme for the competition is Red for Heart. The only rule is the colour red must be incorporated into your photo.
You don’t necessarily have to feature hearts, but think about heart as a theme and what that means to you. As we are celebrating our 50th birthday in 2011 the picture could capture an element of celebration. Beyond this, the brief is open to interpretation and we encourage creativity.

The winner of last year's competition in the student category was Tom Price (24) with his photograph which he named 'Pulse':

“In this image, the heart is represented by a powerful beam of light which punctures the surrounding darkness. Surrounding this are swirling images that clamour for the light and attention of the piercing gaze of the 'heart' “. Tom Price

“This was a strong category, but Tom’s photograph really stood out. The photo is experimental with the use of light, which does not feel contrived and has interesting composition.”
Sophie Batterbury, Judge and Independent on Sunday Picture Editor.

I like how Tom's photograph is slightly different and unique in his approach to the brief the British Heart Foundation set; it's an extended metaphor concerning what 'Heart' means to him. This has inspired me more towards my own interpretation of the brief and I feel more confident in choosing a theme for my project.

I think I want to focus on the the basic connotation behind the word 'Heart' love; the idea of having strong feelings towards an individual / individuals but also how relationships differ between people. Although it's a basic concept, if captured right, I feel the individual shots could look really effective.

I now need to think of how I want to portray love and different relationships and how they make people feel, in a photo shoot, without being too predictable; I don't want to create images which are already over-used alongside this theme.

Dolce and Gabbana.

This is a picture from Dolce and Gabbana's 2010 Fall ad campaigns. I featured this image as I like the emotion behind the image; I feel it's a picture of love and lust between two people - two emotions strongly associated with the word 'Heart.' I also like the black and white tone to the picture, as i have to have red featured in my pictures somewhere i think, in this particular photograph, if some of the flowers in the background were red that would look really effective - red flowers are strongly associated with love as well.  

Love Photography.

I found this picture on Google Images. I've featured it in my blog as i love the vintage style the image has but also the theme of Love running through it - which i associate the most with the word 'Heart.' Both the style and theme of the image work really well together i feel; they capture what the image is about. The photograph also features a subtle hint of red - in the female models skirt, and as this is part of my brief - to feature red in the photographs i take, i feel really inspired on the whole by this image and how it works.