Photography update

I'm trying to think of different photography ideas at the moment, because i'm trying to think of new and interesting projects to do. I usually just go outside and find something, and i'd like to have something in mind planned out before i go to shoot this time.
I might do lots of little ideas, and decide in the end which ones are best to show. I will put the finished products on here though/a production folder to show my progress.

An idea that popped into my mind was after i was thinking about doing some photos of the general public. I've come to realise that i'd love to take more photos of people, but i love natural poses and reactions as opposed to a pose.
I found this photographer via tumblr, and after looking through their flickr, i love how they capture people in different environments, usually in silhouette.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rygo75/

I was thinking of how to capture the public in different ways. I like the idea of going around cities and finding gems like this, but i haven't decided where would be best yet. I feel like London is an obvious place, but i always feel more comfortable taking photos because everyone else is too.

I do have an idea involving Lincoln. As i'm going there for my music video, i thought it might be good to do some photos while i'm there. I've thought of taking photos of people walking up steep hill. Steep hill is a popular street and as you can tell by its name, it's a task to walk up. I'm thinking it might be fun to capture people walking up the hill, to show the struggles, but also i thought it would be fun due to the strange angles. People slant and walk quite strangely to balance themselves when they walk up hills, I always look at people's faces while they walk up the hill and it's usually tiredness! i thought capturing that would be entertaining.

I've found a couple of examples of how i think the photos will look -

My only problems are the fact that steep hill is quite thin, so i don't know how easily i'll get wide shots. There is a bench half way up that i can sit on though so should be ok.  Also, there's that railing in the way, so i'd have to try and capture people from behind and in front. If not, there are roads just after that are a little less steep, but without the railing. 

Anxiety Test

I decided to do a test on my anxiety project. I had already done a version of it, but i wanted to know how it would be with added sound equipment and for longer periods of time.
I got out the 'handy Recorder H4N' which is a little compact recorder. It was originally because the Marantz's weren't available but i think this recorder is better due to it's size and the fact it's all in one. Also it says goodbye to you.

I went out bright and early at around 6.30am, and went to Farnham Park. I wasn't sure where would be best to film, and once i got there i was reminded just how many dog walkers there are at this time of day. 

I made myself a make shift steadycam out of my tripod with robe tied to it to secure the legs & with my bag hanging on the bottom to try and stablise my shots, but i quickly realised the bag was just too long and it was really painful on my arm to walk for long periods of time. 

I decided to stick to the old technique i had when filming the last version, and just hold the camera close to my chest and walk slowly.

I also decided to change my location as the park just wasn't working. I remembered a path i'd found from the project Leah set us right at the start of the year where we had to walk a certain path and document it. The path was quite narrow but i wasn't sure how long it was. To my surprise, it actually led to a couple more paths with roads in between. I filmed a few times down these paths, and stupidly forgot to press record for the sound but i finally got a version while holding the recorder at the same time.

I came home and decided to do a quick edit. I used Audition, which was the software i used for my sound project in year 1. The only problem was i've since learnt other softwares which i've found a lot easier to use then Audition so it took me a long time to get simple effects. i did play with left and right channels though, but as i said, it just didn't seem right so i'll have to play more with pro tools/avid.  I also didn't edit the video in terms of colour grading, i just wanted to throw a version together.

I also recorded my breathing after the shoot. I sat in my bathroom breathing heavy and nearly fainting from lack of air but it was fine!

Click for the video!

From this, i've learnt mainly that i have to use better software, and also i think i might need a steadycam or just something to steady the shots. I don't like how shaky it is.  I also think the way i looped it worked quite well. It just popped into my mind while i was filming, and i think it's better then it just starting again. It will only work if i keep changing direction though. In terms of the distortion of the shots, i just put the macro lens on the camera instead of holding up since i didn't have enough hands. I think this just makes the shots look blurry as opposed to distorted, so i might look into post production ways of creating the same effect. 

In terms of how the project is going to progress, i have thought about the potential for a treadmill, to make the installation more interactive. It would literally put the person viewing in the shoes of the anxious person. 

I think it would be good to make a booth with a telly and headphones, which is an individual experience. I would cover it with black cloth so you can only see the telly. If the treadmill is there, it would still be black just enough to see the equipment. I think this way of presentation is also practical for the space at uni. 

An update on the music video

I've been spending a couple of weeks trying to organise the music video.
It's been quite frustrating, partly to do with mine and the bands organisation skills & also trying to find locations.
The main issue is that the band can only be free on weekends, so it's been hard trying to find somewhere suited that i can use whether it indoors or outdoors. I was a bit skeptical about outdoor shooting purely because after my last project i know how the weather can make scheduling hard.
My brother was thinking of venues near Lincoln while i tried to find places near Farnham. I decided to contact The Maltings since Alex is using a room there for his project. I found out that it's £38 an hour to film in the room that i wanted to use, so i realised that wouldn't be an option due to how long we'd need it for.

After this happened, i spend ages looking for more locations that were cheap to use and in good locations. This didn't get anywhere either because it's mostly village halls or small community centres and locations like that aren't very exciting. I also thought about studios for hire, but once again were too expensive.
I discussed about the project and finalising a song since i'd been given an option to pick the song i liked. I felt ok about this because the video would be a simple band playing video so the concept of the video didn't completely dominiate what the video would be. We decided on their song "Freedom" which is about being free spirited. The option which was put across, and the obvious option, was to do some shoots outdoors in grand beautiful locations. I thought of the peak district since i love the landscape and it isn't too far for us to travel.
I looked into location permissions, and found a few areas managed by the authority which were specifically pitched as potential film locations.
http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/news/filming/filmlocations
We were interested in -
Curbar Edge

Monsal trail/viaduct

& Stanage Edge

I emailed and so far have had an email back about it being passed on. 

Since then however, the band have had talks and decided on a different but final idea. The issue before this was that there was never a definite song or idea attached to that song. I think this ended up in us both being a little confused about the outcome as if it wasn't final. 

The idea that has been sent to me is as follows - 

Location/Band Shot:
Universal Law will perform the song at an outdoor location based in Lincoln. Possible locations: Bishop’s Palace Garden, Lincoln Cathedral Grounds, Castle Grounds, Arboretum  (Large/Historical Park), West Common (Carholme Road), South Park or Boultham Park. This will suite the song well on a bright day capturing shots of the city in the backdrop.
Pub Shot:
Universal Law with friends and family will use a pub in Lincoln to film a roughly planned secondary shot. The shot will begin with people entering the pub and seem quite reserved and enclosed. As the song progresses people become more open and mingle…more social.
Metaphorical Images:
We could even have the people singing the ‘gang style’ vocals in the chorus (the song recording and recorded audio could blend). Anything that shows progression or change in a positive way. Perhaps a shot of a flower opening up over time.(this is more up to you, be as creative as you like)

I am still getting my head around this idea but i think it could work. We just need to plan it precisely and i've really put across just how important it is that we get this sorted in time.
My brother is helping me collect information together, mainly for locations and date/time. At the moment, the idea is potentially 5th/6th April. I was hoping to film before April but as long as we get everything organised and i spend a lot of my time on the edit afterwards, it should be ok.
Lincoln itself seems to be ok for filming permissions - http://www.lincoln.gov.uk/your-council/news-and-media/media-centre/filming-in-lincoln/

For a reference, i thought i'd show the locations he mentioned -

Bishop's Palace Gardens

Lincoln Cathedral Grounds 

There's also Gardens & other areas inside.

Arboretum

West Common

Also one of the band members knows someone with a pub so they are sorting the permission for that. 

Universal Law music video

A music video for my brother’s band - Universal Law. The video will be a simple band playing video, but with an emphasis on the cinematography side. The video will be less conceptually led, but a way in which for me to present my technical skills through a client’s wishes. I am interested in using dramatic lighting as well as a mix of interesting shots of the band and their instruments. The option to do a two screen piece is there if I wish to do so in post-production.  Adam has contacted venues in which to film, and is waiting for permissions.

Looks: 

Daughter - Youth

Photography

Cat project:

Fusing the idea of movement represented in photography and animals. The idea is to shoot photos of my cat when he jumps in the air trying to grab his favourite toy. The idea is to capture his movements and physique in the photos and create a series. I would make a studio like set up with a plain backdrop for the shoot and try and get as many different ways of his moving as possible. 

If i can contact enough people with cats, it could become a multiple cat piece. 

Based on the typical dance photos -

Anxious/Panic

Synopsis -
Panic attacks are moments in which a person experiences intense fear, with physically and mentally distressing symptoms. These can range from palpitations and chest pains to a feeling of losing control and not being within reality. "Panic" is an installation using visuals and sound to create an environment in which the viewer can enter into a simulated state of panic. The visuals presented depict a point of view of a person aimlessly walking through a park with no human interaction and no real destination. The visual will be distorted to add to the feeling of dizziness and detachment from one's self as well as unstable. The sounds will contrast and change throughout, playing with the channels to make the viewer feel uneasy and almost off balance like the person depicted.
The aim of this piece is to make the viewer relate and understand more about how a person with anxiety really feels. It's a heightened situation that i am familiar with, and it stands to make people be able to feel more connected to mental illness even if they haven't experienced or don't know enough about it themselves.

Anxiety

Photography

After Chatting with Simon, i think it would be better for me to focus my photography on portraits.

I always shy away from taking photos & even filming people, so i think it would be a good thing for me to do instead of sticking to what i've always done.

I also think this could work well with the analog photography aspect since i love portraits shot in film.

Simon spoke to me about using my projects with a theme, so i think this project will be about using light to my advantage. I love minimal light, natural and artificial, so i think using models to put this across would be a new and exciting thing for me. I also would like to use black and white film, since i think it heightens the impact of the light.

Some inspiration -

From here 

from here 

By Natalia Abashidze 

Underwater photography by Jacob Sutton

George Clooney by E.J Camp

Chet Baker by William Claxton 

Yousuf Karsh

Natalie Portman by Frank Ochenfels

Nigel Parry

Walter Evans - Subway Portraits

William Eugene Smith

Marylin Monroe by Elliott Erwitt

Esther Bubley

David Heath

Bill Perlmutter

Music Video

The music video i am producing has so far been requested to be something not too outlandish, something simple but visually pleasing. I have looked into videos with bands playing as well as videos that i find have a good look to them that i can work with and adapt. 

A couple of ideas in making the simple band playing video a little more interesting is through a multi-screen video, or even multiple exposure in post.