Criteria 1

Know when location photography should be used






1.1 - Describe when location photography should be used.


A photographer’s main aim is not only to take a picture but to capture an image that creates feelings in others, to tell a story with one image and to create an atmosphere. According to (Ref Two) “As a photographer, you are a storyteller. The nouns are your subject matter; the verbs are the color and contrast that keep the story moving. A cast of characters all working together to get your point across.” When creating images thought needs to go into every aspect of the image, not only the subject, but the background and foreground. Thought needs to go into what type of message we are trying to get across. Therefore where the image is being captured is very important to the story, for example, a beautiful bright countryside scene would be useless if the atmosphere being created was of sadness.


Brief One


The first brief is to create images for a travel magazine capturing the essence of the location being photographed. You could take parts of the location into a studio and capture it but the images would not tell the story of the location. To be able to capture the essence of the location you need it to be natural, the lighting, background scenery, capturing the emotions of the people in that place and how beautiful it is. If you took all the objects from the scene, the people off the street, cars and anything else movable and put them into a large studio with a plain backdrop and studio lighting you would not be able to create the same atmosphere. The people would not display the same emotions walking up and down. This is why for brief one you need to take the images on location to capture the impression of the place and create an image that the client will be happy with.


Brief Two


The second brief is to create documentary images for a photo book publisher to show the modern north. Documentary photography, according to (Ref Three) “Documentary photography is a style of photography that provides a straightforward and accurate representation of people, places, objects and events, and is often used in reportage” To create the right atmosphere for documentary photography you cannot put it into a studio. It is not set up or staged; it is a natural image that is created to tell the story of what is going on in that very moment. This type of photography is often used in newspapers and you need everything in the photograph to all come together to create a certain impression. In this case it is to create images of the north as it is now, so you would need normal northern people in average northern places, relaxed and carrying themselves as they would naturally. It needs to be a record of exactly how something is, this means that you need to tamper with the scene as little as possible, which you are unable to do in a studio.


Brief Three


The third brief is to create a series of portraits from people you meet. When you first read the brief it seems that you could carry this out in a studio, but when you research the client and the project that the images will be used in it shows that you cannot. This also shows the importance of researching a client and what they want before capturing your images. The Humans of New York Project provides portraits that give a glimpse into the daily lives of strangers. If you were to capture these images in a studio you would not be able to achieve this. To capture someone’s daily life you need them to be in their daily surroundings, carrying out their daily activities, this would only be achievable by carrying it out in their own environment to be able to create the story the is required. The subject needs to feel and display the right emotions which they will not feel or be able to recreate in a studio, this shows that only location photography is suitable for this brief.


Brief Four


The fourth brief is to create images for a fashion magazine modeling high street clothing items. This could be done in a studio as all you need is the model and the clothing items, but when you look at the brief that the client has provided and the other work on their website they seem to prefer images taken on location. These images are to capture the style of the model, not just the items of clothing she is wearing but to create an atmosphere and feelings about these items. I feel that to do this you could not achieve the images that the client wants in a studio. The background and surrounding area needs to connect to the model and the clothing items to create the correct scene and style that is required. For example if you were to create an punk style fashion photo, you would need a punk looking model wearing punk clothing, but to tell the full story of the image you would put this person in a place that adds to the style, a rock club, graffiti building etc. This is to create the feeling around the style, the rebellious and creative culture that surrounds punk.






1.2 - Develop ideas for location photography.


First of all to develop ideas for each of the briefs I have researched the client, their website and other work they’ve displayed and researched different styles linked to this type of photography. This is necessary for any photography job to make sure that you create images that the client is 100% happy with.


Brief One


The first brief is for Conde Nast Traveller Magazine, when looking at their images and the brief it shows that they want you to take a location and sell it. They want images that tell the whole story of the location from start to finish tempting people to come and visit that location, they want you to tell the story of why others should visit this location. Below are few images that I have taken off their website.


















For this brief I would choose to photograph my hometown, simply because I have lived here all my life and I know it inside out. I would photograph images of Townley Hall, the town hall because these are places of interest in Burnley. I would take pictures of the hotels, the Premier Inn and the brand new Holiday Inn to show places that you can stay and what they are like. I would photograph The Woodland Spa and Turf Moor as places you can go for something to do. I would also photograph some of the restaurants to what food to expect when you visit. I would also photograph the old mills to show our culture and our history. This all together would show a full picture and tell the entire story of Burnley.


Brief Two


The second brief is for photo book publishers Dewi Lewis, when looking on the website and at the brief it shows that they want realness. They want images that document exactly what is going on in that moment to show the truth of the story you are creating. They are asking for images that show the truth and document the north exactly as it is. Below are some examples of their other work.














For this brief I would choose to photograph Burnley as I feel it does describe and show a modern north quite well. Firstly I would photography the homeless and the town centre, to show that as a northern town in our current climate we are struggling. I would photograph the pubs at night and the fighting, to show what most of the younger adults do with their spare time. Then I would contrast this by photographing the college, to show that we are willing. I would also photograph a football match to show that we have team spirit and support for each other even through the current economic struggle.


Brief Three


The third brief is for the photography project Humans of New York, when looking on the website and at the brief it shows that they again want realness. They want images that show the truth about the person you are photographing, images that give you an insight into their lives and capture the emotions of that person in the place that they are in. They are asking for images that tell the person being photographed story so well that you almost feel like you could give a good guess at who they are. Below are some portraits off their website.


















Humans of New York have created series of portraits on groups of people of interest, they have done, Pediatric Cancer, Inmate stories and others. For this brief I would like to create a series of portraits of a group of people, the subject would need to be something of interest and that links to current issues. With this in mind I would pick the subject of gender, as at the moment this is a very large issue and debate that many either are interested in or have an opinion on. The claim is that there are 71 different genders, so I would pick the 12 most popular and advertise for a model of this gender. Underneath I would caption the images with the gender of the person and the definition. I would photograph each person in a place chosen by them that means something to them, whether it is sad or happy to create natural emotions that I could capture in the images. I feel this would be interesting, current and link in with previous work carried out but the Humans of New York.


Brief Four


The fourth brief is for i-D Magazine, when looking on the website and at the brief it shows that they want images that are unique. They want images that are so different that they stand out from any other photos captured. They are asking for images that not only tell the story of the items of clothing and link them to the model and the backdrop to the photo, but that are also something that is bold and exclusive, that grabs people’s attention. Below are some photographs off their website.


















For this brief I would choose to photograph two very different looking models to add some variation to the 12 images. I would need to link the clothing to the location and also to the look of the model. I would also need to think of something striking to add to the images to make them stand out, something unique. As a photographer I feel everyone has their own style and I have found that I love colour, I love to take very simply set up shots and add colour to them in different ways. So for this brief I would want to add colour to the images to make them stand out and add my own style by using throwing powder, smoke bombs, paint or coloured liquid.






1.3 - Explain why studio photography would not be suitable.


For the assignment I am going to chose Brief Four as I feel it is the brief I am most interested in and it is also the one that is most achievable in the time I have, places and items I have available. The reason that studio photography would not be suitable for this brief is because of the need to create an atmosphere which will require the clothes, model and environment all used together. It is very important to get the location correct in fashion photography, According to (Ref Four) “Location, location, location! Getting the right location is important if you want to convey a narrative within your shot. For example if the clothing and beauty styling are edgy, hard or provocative you may want to consider an urban setting , alternatively for spring/summer and natural fashions find a rural environment like; a field, meadow, beach, woodland or river bank.” In my studio I only have plain backdrops; this would not add anything to the story of the images I am trying to create at all, so my studio would be completely unsuitable. If I am to use throwing powder, smoke bombs, paint or coloured liquid my studio would also be unsuitable because you cannot do some of these indoors and my studio is too small for the other ideas. I also feel that natural lighting from the environment you are in adds to the story of the images, for example if I was going to create a punk image, in an abandoned building it would give a shadowy lighting. That would add to the image or rebellion, underground the alternative.