Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice

Research of other photographers work (P1, M1, D1)

Photographer: Tom Andrew

Photo 1/ H&M Summer Shoot 2014

Photo 2/ H&M Summer Shoot 2014

Photo 3/ H&M Summer Shoot 2014

Photo 4/ H&M Summer shoot 2014

Photo 5/ Ted Baker Autumn / Winter 2013

Photo 6/ Ted Baker Autumn / Winter 2013

Theme or focus of images

The first 4 of these photos are from the 2014 summer season at H&M. I haven’t got pictures of them actually featuring in store but these were the exact images from the shoot. And photo 5 and 6 are photos from the Ted Baker Autumn / Winter period in 2013. I don’t know the exact people featuring within the images. It’s the same man in the Ted Baker ads and he is wearing the same outfit. He is just posed differently to show off the outfit from different perspectives. With the H&M ads there are 2 different models. Again, I don’t know the exact names of the models that feature but In photo 1 and 2 it is one model then in 3 and 4 it is another. In all of the pictures the models are nice looking and have a unique sort of look about them. Obviously they are dressed specifically

There are similarities in the 2 different company’s photos. For example The H&M photos are all taken portrait and look staged. There isn’t that much to the images is what I’m trying to express. No props, nothing featuring in the background not even an interesting background it’s just a blank screen like another cliché like any other clothing modelling pictures. Where as the Ted Baker ones are portrayed as more real

life. Even though they’re staged images. They look more real and unexpected when compared to the H&M ones. The feelings at which the Ted Baker ones are trying to pass over are incredibly clever. It’s as though they’ve tried to make it look as though the Male model is actually at an event like a wedding or a smartly dressed party. However no one else is featuring within the images and it almost looks discarded and old. It’s effective. And when you consider the target audience for Ted Bakers products its quite a smart company so therefore that’s why the venue looks really smart and fancy. So you get a feel of the main target for Ted Baker products. There isn’t really anything secretly hidden with the H&M ones only the fact that obviously the clothes are relevant to the season at the time. You could say that it helps that the fact the models look really happy in the pictures is a message because its summer time. It’s a really happy fun time of year with all the bright colours and sunshine. That’s why the clothes their wearing is really bright and in your face.

Composition

With the H&M images they were done with a camera stabilized on a tri-pod as you can see it’s at quite a high angle. That’s mainly so you can see the whole outfit without it looking too focused on one particular area of the outfit. Obviously with these images they’re quite close considering. Like I mentioned in the section above. There isn’t much a background to these images because it’s up against a black screen. That’s so there is more attention on the model and the outfit rather than the surroundings. This is why when you see photos like the H&M ones with more of a background they’re never usually busy backgrounds. So it doesn’t take your attention off the main feature and purpose of the photo. Also for the H&M ones there must have been a separate camera flash on our right of the photo. You can tell this by the shadow of the models.

The Ted Baker images are completely different when compared to the H&M ones. As they’re a different style of photo when compared. There is more of an obvious background as well as foreground. And you can’t actually see the whole of the Mans outfit when that is really the point. Unlike the H&M ones, if you extended the frame on these images it would be interesting because as you can see it does look like quite a cool and busy type of background. I like the lighting in the Ted Baker images. I like the fact they’re darker. It feels as though they hide parts from you. But I mentioned this above, with summer images they’re usually really light and bright but I think because the Ted Baker images are from the Autumn and Winter season so they’re going to be a little darker. One thing I especially like about the second Ted Baker image is the over exposed part in the corner. It’s meant to look like smoke and it works because it adds to the other drab bland colours in the picture. It’s almost as though within the 2 images The man is posed differently to show the different parts to the outfit. In the first image you can only really see the top half. Then in the second image there is more emphasis on the legs and lower areas. It’s also as though the first image is like the beginning of the party, like as though he is just walking in to the party looking super smart then he is sat down slouching with his blazer undone because the party is over. This is why the colours could be different within the two images. Almost as if the colours are bland in the second image because it’s the end of the party and its over.

Techniques used

With the H&M images I feel as though the main feature is more situated within the centre of the frame. Whereas the Ted Baker ones look as though they took the Rule of Thirds into consideration as like I said the whole of the mise en scene is busy. There is so much more going on. Even the man within the Ted pictures isn’t located central within the images it’s as though he is situated off centre because the rule of thirds was considered strongly.

In the H&M ones they look as though they may have had a higher shutter speed as the lighting is quite light. And by the positioning of some of the images. In the way that some of the models are jumping. This suggests that the shutter speed much have been fast to be able to capture it right without it blurring or looking grainy.

Strengths & WeaknessesStrengths within the H&M ones, they definitely show off the clothing and do what they’re meant to so. You could generally walk into a shop, see those images and then want to buy them clothes. However they could’ve been improved by maybe adding more to the image, like a more interesting background. Just generally more things going on in the image.And the Ted Baker ones don’t look as staged and as obvious as the H&M ones. But then I think they’re only really relevant to a specific class of people. But I like the general composition of the images. The way that it expresses feelings. Like I mentioned above about it being as though the first picture is the beginning of an event then the second being the end. It’s really effective how you can gather information like that from photos.

With the H&M images I feel as though the main feature is more situated within the centre of the frame. Whereas the Ted Baker ones look as though they took the Rule of Thirds into consideration as like I said the whole of the mise en scene is busy. There is so much more going on. Even the man within the Ted pictures isn’t located central within the images it’s as though he is situated off centre because the rule of thirds was considered strongly.

In the H&M ones they look as though they may have had a higher shutter speed as the lighting is quite light. And by the positioning of some of the images. In the way that some of the models are jumping. This suggests that the shutter speed much have been fast to be able to capture it right without it blurring or looking grainy.

Strengths & WeaknessesStrengths within the H&M ones, they definitely show off the clothing and do what they’re meant to so. You could generally walk into a shop, see those images and then want to buy them clothes. However they could’ve been improved by maybe adding more to the image, like a more interesting background. Just generally more things going on in the image.And the Ted Baker ones don’t look as staged and as obvious as the H&M ones. But then I think they’re only really relevant to a specific class of people. But I like the general composition of the images. The way that it expresses feelings. Like I mentioned above about it being as though the first picture is the beginning of an event then the second being the end. It’s really effective how you can gather information like that from photos.