CRITICAL REFLECTION OF MY CONTRIBUTION PHOTOGRAPHICALLY TO AEON

As a group project we all have a key role within the collaboration ensuring the project has an outcome that fits all creatives. I as the photographer have been responsible for primary research, test shoots, researching photographic advertising strategies, documenting the collaboration and photographing the final outcome for sale. Within this process I have developed my studio/product skill and reached into other areas of photography.

Our project is to design, make and sell a sustainable face mask for the current covid-19 pandemic.

With the use of my photographic primary research of exploring the market. The group could further develop their work, creating designers and patterns for the final mask designs. Encouraging the collaborative process to move forward. ​Initially overwhelmed with the lack of interest I had from the first shoot and the market, I turned to the group for advice on what documentation they would like to use as a primary source for inspiration. As instructed, I set out again for a further shoot to photograph pattens and the inside architecture of the space for what I felt interesting. From gathering the primary sourced photographs (figure1), the collaborators could get to working on their individual designs. Without my images as there go to for patterns and line work, the group would have had to search the Internet for images of the market; these would have lacked artistic influence and only supplied an outer/inner outline of what the market has.

Returning to the market I took a different approach, one being shooting black and white imagery, as the market hast changed outside nor much inside they images feel timeless. Two being focused on patterns, lines and close-up shots to inspire the designer I’m working with. These images have a more focused feel with a sense of a narrative that can survive externally to the collaboration. At the same time, I experimented with my Canon T70 film camera from the 80’s. I felt using an older camera to capture the market in a timeless way fit to our past present and future response to the brief. After sending the film off to be process they were not ideal. Some were over/under exposed not focused or contained a strong yellow tone. As many of the images were the same as them taken on digital it wasn’t a huge lose. Although as a group project each creative is pushed for time to complete their part to pass the baton on through the group, so I decided not to continue shooting with film. This decision was purply to save time and correct any mistakes more efficiently using digital.

As a photographer whose usual practice is documentary based, I had the hurdle of product photography to overcome. Researching into advertising product photography, looking at how products are displayed, lit and put in an environment. From this research and looking at existing webpages for masks this has given me ideas of how to photograph our mask in its finalised form. I began by experimenting test shoots with mask at home with a mannequin’s head to model.

Although this research gave me the aesthetic ideas of the product photographs, I still lacked the knowledge and equipment for creative clean crisp adverting imagery. Shown in figure 2 and 3 above, both images taken with-out professional lighting. Each outcome lacked a professional aesthetic. Successively I set up a white sheet for a background, still using only natural light but places the camera on a tripod to allow the shutter to be open much longer creating floods of light within frame (figure 4&5). The overall outcome feels much cleaner and crisp showing the viewer the mask in full detail with dominance to the frame. The idea of being creative without access to high end equipment has really inspired me as an artist. No matter what is preventing you from creating there is always another way. I have adapted how to photograph the product ensuring the quality for the marketing material as the photo will be for the social media and website.

The prevention of using studio and a team to create shoots with models disappointed myself and nick Ashman (photographer). We found ourselves finding other strategies to shoot content worthy for advertising purposes. I wanted to use this opportunity to open new door within the photographic industry. Having said that the simple aesthetic shown in figure 4&5 created a blank canvas so designers could edit within their style. This ended up creating a united factor within the campaigns reinforcing the brand is one.

Still wanting to dive onto other genre of photography Figure 9-10 was a test shoot for ‘The new now’ campaign by Icey, experimenting with the fashion idea still. I attempted to shoot on my own because of the COVID restrictions with a friend. As figured a fashion inspired shoot to show case our mask would need a team. After returning the photo to ice it wasn’t something either of us was happy with, so we decided due to the restrictions not to pursue an ambition shoot until they are lifted.

This led me to shooting portraits of family member using the demo mask. Shooting portraits is something I was comfortable with as an artist. This ended up allowing me to build my portrait portfolio further with some portraits that tell the story of the current COVID situation. With the final product now ready to be photographed and my skills from the test shoot through up for show. I began by re-creating portraits of my siblings in figure 9 &10.

Figure 11,12 and 13 is a continuation from test shoot with a demo mask shown in figures 9 and 10. Some frames (figure 13) from the shoot have an orange tone to the natural light witch differs from the aesthetic from the test shoot. However, this enhances the colours chosen to contract the mask.

After gaining access to a studio very close to the deadline, I took the mask and photographed them in several ways (figure 14) to show the pattern cutters intricate detail, the groups colour pallet and to share on social media and website platforms to sell the mask. Only using a white background for them to allows all attention to be on the product.

---

Figure List

Figure 1- Boothroyd , H. (2020). shoot _2_market . [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield

Figure 2 & 3- Boothroyd , H. (2020). Test Mannequin head. [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield .

Figure 4 & 5- Boothroyd , H. (2020). Mannequin head . [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield .

Figure 6,7 & 8- Boothroyd , H. (2020). Mask_on_location . [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield .

Figure 9 & 10- Boothroyd , H. (2020). Test_portraits . [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield .

Figure 11,12 &13- Boothroyd , H. (2020). portraits . [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield .

DesFigure 14- Boothroyd , H. (2020). Mask_product_studio. [photograph]. Aeon research , Huddersfield .