The shoot
This is a page dedicated to our photoshoot, it explains all of the prep work we did to get ready and also the results of the shoot itself.
Preparation
After my original idea to have 3D environments as backdrops was shot down by our photographer Jazmin we knew that we were going to find a premises to take aesthetic photos in. I was given this task just before the Christmas holidays and unfortunately for the group and the project, I had started to suffer under the tremendous pressure of this course and was seriously thinking of dropping out. I had even messaged Caron about this and she did manage to talk me out of it. Due to my mind being elsewhere I did not try my hardest to secure a spot.
I did however do some research into churches in fife and unfortunately most of them have modernised their interior and which would not fit the vibe of the photoshoot, I also am aware that religious people may not want an alternative photoshoot to happen in a place of worship.
I looked into a few churches that may still have some redeemable qualities such as the Pathhead baptist church which has a small but ornate looking courtyard that would be great for outdoor pictures, I also emailed Dunfermline abbey as they still have original stone interiors in some places which would fit the vibe. I thought about the location some more and figured a theatre would actually make a great place for a studio day as the would have lots of props as well as interesting lighting options, some theatres I emailed included the Alhambra theatre in Dunfermline and the Kings theatre in Kirkcaldy
All in all I think I emailed around 10 establishments (I have no emails to show as I sent a message to them all through their contact sections on their websites which apparently don't show as sent emails in my inbox) over the Christmas holidays and not even one replied back to me which left us still with no venue for our impending photoshoot date.
After we got back and I took a week off to deliberate my decision to leave, we had a meeting to talk about our flyer design to get models. We ended up moving our photoshoot date from January 31st to February 7th as we figured out a venue together. We sat on the call and and researched into actual studios that we could rent out and came across a studio called Kerry photography which is based in Kirkcaldy, ultimately we didn't go with them because even though they offer student prices they were still too expensive to justify for a full day shoot for students as well as the fact it is a completely white washed studio space with no character and the only thing they have in the way of props that would work for us was a black backdrop.
Jazmin let us know that she could maybe contact Caron about the studios at Carnegie campus the photography students use as that is where she studied and was very familiar with the space. She did this and Caron let us know we could have the space between 11 and 4 on Wednesday the 7th so we let her know that would work for us.
Next we had to secure models. We all collectively shared the flyer I made on our social medias Which drew the attention of two of Alisons friends Erin and Holly who were very keen to participate Kayleigh also contacted someone she met while out partying one night who was also interested in participating. Unfortunately since I don't use or have a following at all on my socials I didn't have anyone come forward nor did I know of anyone who would want those services. Jazmin had a lead from someone she had linked with from the #FemaleBoss program but she never ended up arriving to the shoot.
Lastly It was a job for me and the photographer to come up with ideas for the sets however although we came to somewhat of a compromise it was clear that the sets wouldn't really have any input from me at all apart from the witchy set where I could buy or bring props with me however upon messaging Jazmin multiple times in regards to finding/purchasing props for this set (which I was more than happy to do as I would like some gothic decor for my personal office at home) She did not bother to get back to me until the day before the shoot leaving it too late for me to buy anything that would show up in time and she didn't like anything I could offer to bring therefor we were left with only the props she was willing to bring with her to the shoot which left me with no creative input on the set
The day of the shoot
I arrived at Carnegie campus for about 8:30am as there was a little confusion with the scheduling and we thought we needed to be there early and for the models to arrive for 10 instead of 11 but we ended up being pretty early. I first met up with Kayleigh and we walked to reception together to wait for the other two girls as we also had no idea where the photography studios were located. Alison showed up next and I was impressed with the size of the makeup cases the makeup artists had brought, I had never seen a professional makeup kit before and it did make me feel a little self conscious that I hadn't brought anything but it's not like I could bring anything with me as Jazmin would not get back to me at a reasonable enough time for me to purchase any props that we could use.
We waited until 9:10 for Jazmin to show up but the makeup bags were heavy and the girls wanted to go set up so we asked reception where to go and walked over to the studio to meet Caron who told us we were a whole hour early for set up but she let us go in and put our stuff down anyway.
Eventually Jazmin appeared with a huge bag of stuff and it seems there was some commiunication error between her and Caron as she seemed annoyed with which studio she was given and then we ended up swapping with some other students who were kind enough to switch with us but not before we had already thrown a bunch of rose petals on the floor so I had to get on my hands and knees to pick them all up and redo it in another set.
During set up the models started to arrive, both of which's makeup was to be done by Alison so Holly was waiting while Erin got her makeup done first.I was used as a lighting dummy for Jazmin so she could figured out her light settings and I think I was probably flashed with super bright lights over 500 times over the course of the day which was pretty dazing. I went with Kayleigh at around 11:30 to walk her model over to the studio space. At this point Erin is on set being photographed and Holly and Florence are in the makeup chairs. I'm feeling pretty exhausted already and we have only just began the shoots.
Jazmin had allotted herself 1 hour for each session with the girls but she went over that by at least 30 minutes on the first model. I tried my best to keep her to the schedule as we only had limited time in the studio but she kept brushing me off saying that you can't stop an artists flow. I eventually got her to stop and we went to the cafeteria as a group for lunch.
When we got back we quickly changed set which was just a simple white background and started shot Florence in "high key" which is what the photographer called it. I was dedicated light holder as one of the swing lights kept moving on it's own and almost hitting the model.
Last but not least was Hollys turn which we had to set up the studio for, initially we went with a green chair and a journal but Jazmin didn't like this set so we switched over to having an alter set up. I did my best to add some whimsey, a little story to the image by adding 'The Lovers' Tarot card on the table to show she was crafting a love spell but this was later edited out of the photos.
We ended up having to pack in a rush as the man in charge of locking up wanted to head home at around 3:30. This made packing everything away super chaotic and I was running around trying to put all the props we used back in the place we got them, Alison almost burned her hand because Jazmin asked her to take the shade off of the studio light but did not warn her it would be very hot because it had been on pretty much all day.
Some behind the scenes photos
Editing
Jazmin spent around 3 weeks editing her selection of photos although when we pitched the shoot to the models it was with the expectation that they weould be sent a link with all of their shoot photos and get to choose which ones they wanted to be edited.
Jazmin also only shared photos on Whatsapp and never actually gave us any access to the high resolution images even though as a collective we should all have equal rights to them.
Our Clients Say
While we waited for the photos to be edited we sent out feedback surveys to gauge how the models liked the experience and this is what they said.
"Really good fun. Everyone was so lovely and highly skilled. Felt looked after and really enjoyed my experience :)"
Erin, Romantic Goth
The Final Photos
Reflection
Experience
My experience with the preparation of the shoot and the day itself was not very good, I felt like my role as an interior designer for the project was diminished to almost nothing and a large part of our criticisms for the shoot (not doing it in a church or castle somewhere) is all my fault as my mind was elsewhere at the time and we ended up having to use the college studios.
Refection
I realised during this process that I don't assert myself enough into dialog about task delegation and therefor I end up missing out on cool opportunities, instead I let myself be bossed around and end up with nothing to show for all the hard work that I put in. I also found out that if my mind is preoccupied with the bigger picture of my life all the time I will end up letting down my team by slacking on jobs I have been allocated.
Action
If I were to do another shoot for kApTured maJiK I will be sure to do everything in my power to not only find a cool location to shoot in by to also have my mark on the set, I will make sure in advance that I buy/rent furnishings and props and let the photographer know that my sets will be part of the process as it's not just a photography project but rather a four person collective who all have creative practices.