Construction Post 2: Week 2 Production

Week 2 of production was focused on getting our photo shoot for the album cover complete. This consisted of taking high-quality photos of our band members in costume against a white background in high-key lighting. To do this, we were able to use the mini-studio set up in our school that had lighting units, diffusers, and a white wall in order to get the best quality photos possible. We took a variety of shots for each band member in many different poses and framing. The group shared out roles evenly and we all hoped each other with the technical aspects of photography.

Jack in the photo shoot.

Tom in the photo shoot.

Emilio in the photo shoot.

I think our photo shoot went successfully, as our aaudience seemed to really like the photos and how the band showed a lot of personality in them.
Our school technician also said they were all technically good, with good lighting and focus, while our teachers said they were appropriate for a band website and album cover.

WHAT I LEARNED:

• I learned how to use the digital camera in conjunction with the synchronised lights to take a high quality photo. For example, I know now that when using a bright flash, to set the ISO to a low number like 100 so that I can achieve a high quality photo with  nice lighting.
• I also learned how to work efficiently in a photo shoot, which will definitely benefit me in later life. For example, I learned how to quickly fix lighting issues (by changing the intensity on the lighting units, rather than any camera settings).

CHALLENGES WE HAD TO FACE:

• We didn't have a lot of time to take our shots, as we were only scheduled in the timetable for using the mini studio for a few periods. This meant that we had to use our strengths to work efficiently so we could get a large variety of shots that we could use in both the album cover and the website.
• It was difficult to take candid looking shots of the band members during the studio photo shoot because it felt quite unnatural for the people in front of the camera. To overcome this, we had conversation between all the people present, mostly with whoever the photographer was at the time, to help ease the person into the role and look more relaxed on camera. 
• We only had around half an hour to use with Tom. This meant we really had to plan our photo shoot in advance to make sure we got everything done in time to be prepared for his shots, as they were in our last slot. Luckily, we had finished all of our other shots by the time Tom arrived, so we did not need to rush to much and we were still able to take a wide variety of shots with him in.

MY CONTRIBUTION:

Me as Casey Tyler during the photo shoot.

• I took some of the photos that I wasn't modelling for, including some photos of Jack and Emilio.
• I modelled for the shots of Casey Tyler.
• I helped to set up the lighting arrangement, including the placement of the lights and their intensity.