How do you wear your hair?
With this first shoot, I decided to photograph everyone within my house and everyone who entered my house, asking them if I could take a portrait, front and back, showing how they wear their hair. Some people were willing straight away for the photo to be taken, others wanted to look in the mirror first to 'sort out their hair'. This was interesting to see even before I took the image because most people wanted to check what they looked like first, before the photo was taken, mainly to check their hair was looking right. Already this proved to me that people care a lot about how their hair looks in relation to their identity and the look they portray. I made it clear that I wanted a simple image, and told them to look at the camera however they want, whether they smiled, had a straight face or even looked slightly away from the camera, it was their choice. However, I did want these photos to be composed in very similar ways, mainly to show that the focus was on the different hairstyles and so to keep everything routine and structured, I left the camera in the exact same place, cropping the images so that shoulders and head were centred in the frame and hair was the focus against a plain background. These images were very successful, the low light in the room meant that the short depth of field created a strong focus on the eyes and head and let the body melt away into the background, focusing it again onto the hair as the important feature. However, I will try these again because I don't like the differing light and how this discolours the wall behind the models. I would prefer the wall to be plain and the exact same in each photos, so for the next ones I will try and get a background and maybe even more into the studio for these portraits to create a similar look for all the images.
Second Shoot
The second shoot I did was in a different location with a wider variety of people, ages, genders and races which was really interesting to do. I set the space up, using natural lighting and a plain creamy white wall so that each image looked the same. The shadow fell to the right on each image because of the natural light from the left and so for my next shoot I want to try and light it from the front so there is no shadow, maybe this will be in the studio. I took photographs of most people front and back, focusing on their hair, however I looked differently at one individual due to her look. I contacted her as she is a carer for a family member and is very interested in her hair. She has a selection of weaves and wigs to wear, depending on what she is doing and where she is going. When working she leaves her hair natural, cut short, but when she wants to be "glamorous", she dresses up, using her different wigs, long and short, to create and perfect the look. I took photographs of her from front and back, with both her natural hair and one wig. These photographs were great, and such a interesting thing to take. It was as if a transformation was happening in front of my eyes. This showed me how much hair can change, manipulate and create your personality, and how much you can use it to your advantage. I have put two photos I took together using photoshop, creating a diptych so that I could see both hair styles side by side. This was interesting to see and meant I could see the similarities and differences of each look, one is more natural than the other. This shoot was very successful, especially the photographs of Elsie the carer. However, again the lighting was quite off as it was a pop up shoot and there are also blue lines on the film which cut through each persons face, subtle but hindering the image. I am going to rescan the images to see if its a technical fault, but if not I will try to reshoot them, preferably in the studio or using location lighting and backdrop.