New Inspiration- Miss Aniela

Whilst doing some research I stumbled across a photographer called Miss Aniela who's work instantly gripped me. Miss Aniela (real name Natalie Dybisz) is a fine art fashion photographer based in London, and her work has been exhibited in the likes of Vogue Italia and the Saatchi gallery.

Miss Aniela's photography is similar to the likes of Tim Walker with its elaborate set designs and beautiful photography. I absolutely love her use of props to create the surreal fashion images, and am particularly keen on the images using stuffed animals like I will in my photo shoots, as they really inspire me on possible ideas that could be incorporated into my shoots.  

Fantasy Fashion shoot for Nikon D810 (https://lavidaesunatapita.wordpress.com/tag/fashion/)

'Dawn Treader' 2015 (http://www.surrealfashion.co.uk/#)

'Fantasy fashion shoot for Nikon D810' (http://www.missaniela.com)

Thoughts since my FMP Proposal

Since I handed my FMP proposal in at the beginning of the month I have decided to make a few minor changes to my project in order to make it the best it can be.

Firstly, I have decided to change the books name from 'Once Upon a Time' to 'Beauty and the Beast'. This is because I came up with the concept that I would like to use a variety of animals and insects in every shoot I do, all of them being stuffed real animals, so you will have the beauty of the model and the setting, and in some cases the beast like animals to contrast and help create the surreal look of the image.

I have also decided to enrol the help of a photographer to capture my images. This is because originally I wanted to do every part of the project myself but I have now realised that it is most likely too much work for just myself to take on, so I plan to work with a photographer who will photograph and edit my pictures for me to take some of the pressure off. The only problem with working with a photographer is that I will be doing most of my photo shoots at home in Hertfordshire, about 1hr 30mins away from Southampton, and a few shoots around Bournemouth and the New Forest, so the photographer will have to be able to travel to all the locations. In order for this to happen successfully I will have to come up with a strict shooting schedule and give it to the photographer with plenty of time warning to make sure they can make all the shoot dates in the time I have allocated, as I need to have the consistency of the same photographers work throughout my book so that it flows as one.  

Production Schedule

Week Commencing:

• 11th January: Plan each shoot, know what props are needed for each shoot,
  choose models for shoots and notify them, start to source and buy costumes,
  wigs etc., start to design make-up and hair for each shoot.
• 18th January: Continue buying necessary items for shoots, add onto any
  costumes that need altering, finalize all make-up and hair designs, make sure
  wig preparation is underway.
• 25th January: Continue photo shoot prep. Commence photo shoots.
• 1st February: Photo shoot x2, editing
• 8th February: Photo shoot, editing
• 15th February: Photo shoot x2, editing
• 22nd February: Photo shoot x2, editing
• 29th February: Photo shoot x2, editing
• 7th March: Photo shoot, editing
• 14th March: Make sure all photos are edited and saved in a high quality
  format.
• 21st March: Finalize book proof and send off for print no later than 25th
  March.
• 28th March: Australia
• 4th April: Australia
• 11th April: Australia
• 18th April: Check print is up to standard incase corrections are needed.
• 25th April:
• 6th May: FINAL MAJOR PROJECT DUE 

Test Shoots

For my FMP proposal I experimented with photographing two potential looks to use in my book. 

The first photo shoot was set in a milk bath where you could only see the models face and she was surrounded by some white roses. I am not too keen on this shoot, as the sliver on the models face started to become wet with humidity so started to come off of the skin. It also was not the most flattering look for my model, so if I decide to use a milk bath in my final shoots I will have to re-think the make-up used and the positioning of the model. 

For my second photo shoot I set it in the woods and covered my model in paper butterflies. I was really pleased with the outcome of this shoot and it's definitely something I will use but re-tweak in my final photo shoots. When I do the final photo shoot of this look I will use rice paper butterflies as they will perhaps look a touch more realistic than the normal paper ones.

'Beauty and the Beast'- An Introduction

For my FMP I have chosen to create an old-fashioned style hardback, linen covered A3 book with a gold embossed title containing various surreal fashion photography images.

I have taken great inspiration from photographers such as Annie Leibovitz, Tim Walker, and Kirsty Mitchell who all create incredible surreal and dream like images using a variety of props, costumes, hair and makeup and photography techniques.

I plan to do 10 photo shoots with each one containing a different model and theme. I will do all of the shoots outdoors in natural settings such as the woods, Bournemouth beach and the New Forest, whilst incorporating various props, hair and make-up designs and costumes to set the scene.

The book will contain around 50-60 pages, with roughly 5 photos from each shoot, and to introduce each separate shoot will be a blank page with a small amount of text, aiding in telling the story of the images.