Self Evaluation

For this unit the project was entitled Beauty and the Brand and within the criteria we had to select a fashion house or cosmetic brand and build a portfolio of images surrounding that brands aesthetic and dictated by the trends of Spring/Summer 2016. ­My initial impression was a mixture of emotions, the idea behind this unit was interesting as it allowed us more creative freedom however the concept of creating a look that embodied both the ideology of a brand and the current season trends seemed a challenge. Another first impression that slightly alarmed me was making a decision on what brand to use, the second semester I always feel flies by so quickly and therefore I felt it was important to make my choice as soon as possible so I could begin researching. The most enjoyable element of this unit was for me also the hardest and that was the final shooting of the images. I enjoyed this particularly as it gave us the opportunity to test out a variety of different photographic techniques and build a greater understanding of how makeup translates onto camera settings. Organising shoots is a challenging experience as trying to organise multiple people into one room is hard, however even when people don’t appear, from the skills learnt within technical sessions I was able to carry on regardless and produce final images that I was pleased with. In regards to new techniques I feel that I have acquired a fair amount of knowledge in regards to photography work, setting up a studio and orgnaising a shoot more effectively this year. Photography sessions have been of great benefit to me in supplying me with the confidence to take the techniques learnt in class and apply them to my shoots. The most beneficial technique that I have acquired in regards to shooting is that of working tethered, previously I did not know how this piece of equipment worked as I was unable to grasp the concept in first year, however this time round it made more sense and I found that by having my images on the computer I was able to produce a much better quality shoot.
Hair is still an element that I find most difficult in regards to this course although it is something that I am improving at. Due to my difficulty with hair I know that I need to put in additional practice so that I am able to create more finished styles with confidence but also test elements that previously I have shyed away from. That being said I feel that my hair skills have come on within this unit and I have produced more set styles within my final images than I would have previously attempted. In comparison to my other work which featured a lot of wrapping the hair, this unit showed I was able to create a few different styles including sleek ponytails, French twists and chignons. Although these are only basic styles I am proud that I was able to produce them to a standard that I’m willing to submit. Research dominated a large majority of this project and this was essential in gaining enough understanding of the areas that had to be covered in order for us to fully execute our final designs. I began the unit by focusing intensely on the original history of the house of Givenchy and then following it onwards to the modern recreation under the eye of Riccardo Tisci and the creation of “Tisci Black”. Gaining a knowledge of the Givenchy aesthetic was important to making sure that my images followed the visual connections of the brand, in addition by understanding the differences between the two versions of the house I could either choose to embrace either aesthetic. Once this base understanding was in place I was able to go on and analyse the creations from the Spring/Summer16 season and gain knowledge of how lead makeup artists such as Pat McGrath, Val Garland and Lucia Pieroni went about creating the looks for both Givenchy and other brands across the catwalk. For inspiration I tried to make sure I took small pieces of influence from both Givenchy and other brands so that I was able to create a fully rounded final body of work that was from a wide range of influences. Two trends that stood out to me in particular from this unit were the tobacco eyes of Val Garland at Erdem and glowing skin for Givenchy Ready to Wear by McGrath. These were the key looks that were taken and interpreted in my own work.
The biggest issues that I faced within this unit were a combination of struggles with collaboration and the impact that this had an impact on my confidence going forward with my final images. The main issue was that of organising a shoot and having no one turn up, this happened to me around 5 times within the course of the unit with a few incidences of even my model not appearing. I have come to realize that relying on fellow university students is taking a risk as without some form of payment or favor people are very happy to agree to commitments they don’t intend to fulfill. Despite these problems however I worked hard to overcome this issue each time it arose by taking on board the elements that were taught to us in class and organising more shoots myself. Overall I am pleased with my images despite these difficulties and feel it was down to my research and understanding that I was able to pull it together. That being said in future I would like to retry the collaboration process and would hopefully have better luck. There is always the likelihood that I may have been able to produce better quality images with the assistance of a photographer.