21st August 2020: The Domestic Violence Themed Shoot

Today I have been more satisfied with this shoot than any I have done so far. I put this down mainly to the use of a professional photographer and model. I really used the reference images throughout the shoot also, constantly carrying around my laptop with me with my mood boards for compositional and styling inspiration to create a more rational shoot process and subsequently a better result.

The day started with me arriving around 1pm in which I laid out all my clothes on the floor and chose outfits. As can be seen in my R and D book, I was inspired styling-wise by Serge Lutens. This type of styling captures women in a sort of femme-fatale image, perfect for the theme of domestic violence in the notion that the women is blamed for the way the man is treating her. From a purely aesthetic point of view however, this kind of styling is a more artistic twist on the way Steven Meisel images are styled. I wanted the domestic violence shoot to be shot in that of the same setting as the ''Horror Movie'' shoot from Vogue Italia shot by Meisel however wanted to bring my own individual style and personality to the shoot.

The model I used was a family friends sister who was very young at the age of 18 and despite having the image was an inexperienced model. I aimed to make her as comfortable as possible by providing her with refreshments and snacks upon arrival. This is something I wouldn't have thought about if it was not for stylist Danielle Griffith's workshop during the styling module. I also learnt about the importance of having basic underwear in nude, black, and white colours and various sizes which again would have gone over my head without this insider information into the industry.

I proceeded to do makeup on the model inspired by Steven Klein shoots- simply an icy, wet look highlight from Tom Ford over the eyes and cheekbones to create a 'dead' effect facially. I was also inspired by Lady Gaga's makeup in her ''Alejandro'' video for this look. I could not afford a makeup artist but I am luckily quite experienced in makeup myself so was able to use my skills in this respect.

Thankfully, the photographer who was stuck in Hungary was now available as he was able to get home. He turned up an hour late but it was ok as I was mentally and physically prepared for the shoot. The photographer was very knowledgeable of lighting so was able to immediately comment on whether flash or additional lighting would be needed to fit my vision, and was able to recommend rooms in the huge house which would be the most visually effective. We got to work straight away.

The shoot went amazingly overall. It was over within only two hours which is much quicker than the shoots I had done before. I was able to achieve my Steven Klein style vision in terms of the photography style due to the great support of the photographer and input in composition and lighting. I am proud of how well the styling went too- the outfits were coherent but interesting, editorial but artistic, and symbolised many aspects of an abusive marriage, the character of the people in the shoot whilst being relevant to my sources of inspiration. I was in a good mental space which enabled me to make recommendations in how I wanted the model to pose, and had a clear head.

Additionally I must admit that I am aware that my good mental state was also down to how prepared I was for the shoot. I am happy that with at least one of my shoots I was on target and incredibly educated in exactly what I wanted to carry out. I proved to myself that I am capable of not just leaving things last minute and hoping for the best. But also proved to myself how important it is to stay on target with time management and work.

On Monday, I am going through the shoot with the photographer over zoom to talk about editing and cropping. I am looking forward to this part of the process as I will be able to have professional input rather than just gut instinct which is what I nearly always simply utilise.