Criteria 4

Be able to capture location images

4.1 - Transport and set up location equipment.

Before setting off to the location chosen I will need to pack up the car with my equipment. First of all I always have a checklist for the items I will need to take with me so I always start with this. I will need to pack all my equipment into their bags, for example my camera and lenses will need to go in its protective bag before going into my rucksack, and my flash also has a protective bag. The smoke bombs will need to go into the boot of the car, if one goes off whilst we are driving it could cause a serious accident. The throwing powder needs to go on my knee so it doesn’t spill anywhere along with the bottle of water. Everything else will need to be securely put on the back seats of the car so that they do not move around at all. I will load the car item by item ticking them off my list as I go along. Once at the location I will need to get my rucksack on and help my assistant to gather all the equipment he needs to carry with him and then wait for the model. Once the model arrives I will need to prepare her by going through exactly what we will be doing and getting her to sign the model release form, I will also need to make her aware to be careful whilst she is walking to the place we will be photographing because of the floor being covered in sticks/branches. Once at the area I will need to get my camera and the correct lenses on the camera ready around my neck, the bag will then need zipping up to avoid any dirt getting into the bag and onto my equipment. I will also need to put my flash onto my camera if I feel I need it and set up the umbrella if it is raining or windy for the model. Then I will need to get the smoke bombs/throwing powder out and ready along with the wipes, bottle of water and gloves. I will then need to ask the model to prepare herself. If she needs to change I will need to set up the sheet round the trees so she can change in privacy and also remove myself from the area so that she feels comfortable. Once she is ready I will need to set up my camera settings and take some tester shots, whilst my assistant reads through the instruction for the smoke bombs/throwing powder once again to make sure they are fresh in his mind. I will also need to explain to my model and if need be show her how I want her to pose and for which photographs so she knows exactly what she is doing as I will only have a few shots to get the images that I need. Once everything is prepared I can start to photograph.

4.2 - Use a variety of photographic techniques to capture images.

12 Images

In all my images I used the same settings and style which I feel let me down slightly. I was nervous about the images being perfect and I also spent a lot of energy focusing on the smoke bombs and throwing powder I used, it was also very cold so I tried my best to take the images as quickly as possible so the model’s didn’t get cold. This shows in my images as I was very stiff and didn’t move around enough, my composition is all the same and I feel the images all look to similar and slightly boring. I used a wide aperture as in all the images I wanted the smoke/powder to have less clarity; this was to keep the focus on the model and the clothing and not to cause and distraction from the main subject. I kept the shutter speed relatively fast as it was very cold and my hands were a little shaky, I also wanted the pictures to be completely in focus and I didn’t want there to be any movement in the smoke coming out behind the model. I had to put the ISO up a lot higher than I would have liked simply because of the combination of the shutter speed and the aperture, if I hadn’t the images would have been underexposed and too dark. Lastly I chose to use natural lighting because I really dislike the way images look with a flash. I wanted the shadows to be nice and soft and the lighting to look completely natural with no catch lights in the models eyes from the flash. If I had had another assistant I would have used a reflector to change the direction and add more light onto the model which looking back would have been a good idea but the assistant was busy with the smoke bombs.

4.3 - Quality control the captured images.

Evidence: Observation record

4.4 - Store the captured images.

Evidence: Observation record

4.5 - Complete location photography documentation.

4.6 - Safely transport equipment back to the studio.

Once the shoot is finished the first thing I need to do is put the smoke bombs into the water to make sure they cool down and are sake to touch without gloves. I need to make sure the model is completely happy with what we have got and thank her, and then I need to put my camera, lenses and flash away in their protective cases and inside my rucksack to make sure that they do not get damaged. I need to make sure we have all our equipment and that nothing gets left behind. I also need to make sure that any rubbish or anything that we have used is disposed of in the correct way. Once my assistant and I have all my equipment we will then travel back to the cars with the model to make she gets back safely. I will then get out my checklist and repack the car in the same way we did to pack the car at the start, making sure we have everything with us that we brought. I will also need to make sure everything is secure strapped down in the car so that nothing gets broken, once that is done we can leave.

4.7 - Select and process final images.

Evidence: Observation Record