ARD6504 – Creative Futures 3 Outside Client Work – Debbie & Arthur’s Wedding

When I got asked at very short notice to photograph a wedding, I really felt like I had been dropped in the deep end.  I had less than 24 hours to prepare before the event.  I was grateful for the opportunity as it would give a different aspect to my portfolio, but as this was not a first wedding for either client, they didn’t want the traditional formal shots, but a more relaxed approached to capture the event.  With the limited preparation time, which restricted the opportunity to discuss in detail with the client what they wanted, I was glad they wanted this slightly less formal approach.



My photographer’s eye was once again very aware that Chester Registry Office did not provide the most photogenic setting, but I still felt I managed to capture the beauty of the day within the limited setting.  I also discovered the problem of working with bridesmaids, and endeavouring to get them to all smile at the same time, fortunately the clients were also aware of this issue and had warned me before the event.  This emphasised the importance of the pre-wedding meetings, where I could get the opportunity to meet the bridal party prior to the event and build up a repore that would enable the wedding day photography go more smoothly.

When I discovered the reception was being held at the Lache Community Centre, I was glad I had invested in a backdrop set up, as  I had previously photographed a Birthday Party at this Centre, and knew how un-photogenic the centre was.  I therefore set up a studio like area in the back hall, and would be able to try out my backdrops and static lights, which although I had experimented with hadn’t had the opportunity to use in a professional setting. 

ARD6504 – Creative Futures 3 Outside Client Work – Alli Mace’s Birthday Party

When a close friend of the family turned 40 last year, I was honoured when she asked if I would photograph the party for her.  Alli Mace had several family members who hadn't seen each other for quite a while and she not only wanted the party shots but also the ability to have a portrait style photographs done.

I enjoyed the challenge of photographing the party in subdued lighting, endeavouring to catch the atmosphere, catching the partygoers enjoying their selves, whilst trying to ensure the photographs caught everyone in a good light.  Whilst I felt I did a brilliant job, I did discover that the Lache Community Centre (where the party was held) did not give the best of backdrops for the photographs, and this has caused me to invest in my own backdrop set up, that in the future should the facilities not be photogenic I can create a more suitable setting.

I also had the opportunity of taking some close up shots of the Birthday Cake, as the cake was decorated with hand crafted floral decorations (handmade actually by my Mum – Carolyn Argyle).  And I could experiment with really capturing the beauty of the roses.

ARD6504 – Creative Futures 3 Outside Client Work – Health & Wellbeing Massage Therapy Opening

When I got asked to photograph the opening of the “Health & Wellbeing Massage Therapy”, I was honoured but slightly nervous as it was the first time I had been asked to photograph such an event. 

Heulwen Williams trained as a massage therapist to help others, after suffering from neck, shoulder and back pain, Heulwen discovered massage therapy was the most successful pain relief.  In 2012 Heulwen opened Health & Wellbeing Massage Therapy, which provides a variety of different massage techniques to help reduce and manage pain and stress.

The opening actually gave me an opportunity I wasn’t expecting, as the guest to opening the facility was Councillor Bob Thompson.  Councillor Thompson actually approached me and asked with Heulwen’s permission if he could also have copies of any photographs that included him, so that he could use them in his publicity of showing his involvement in the local community.

I enjoyed this event as it enabled me to get a few contacts whilst also getting my name out into the local community.  I also enjoyed the challenge of photographing a business event and ensuring my photographs had a business brochure/website look to them.  Heulwen is looking to update her website with my photographs in due course.

www.hwmassage.co.uk

ARD6504 – Creative Futures 3 Outside Client Work – North Wales Fire Safety

Last year I had the opportunity of working with Legs Eleven Films and being part of the production crew for a series of fire safety films for the North Wales Fire Service aimed at promoting Student Safety.
The North Wales Fire Service wanted five films produced with each one having a different focus.  I was involved in various roles for four of these films.

Seven Deadly Sins.
This film as you may expect looks at various people who exhibit one of the deadly sins and therefore fail to respond correctly to the fire alarm being set off.  Each of the sins are portrayed by little sketches that illustrate the sin and end with the word being displayed in some format.

Wrath is the first sin covered and shows a woman who whilst cooking answers her mobile then leaves the kitchen.  This is followed by Lust which predictably features a couple in bed.  Thirdly is Pride which shows a woman looking at herself in the mirror and as in the previous scenes the fire alarm is always ignored.  Sloth again follows this idea with a woman in bed being more content to stay there then get up. Gluttony is shown with a man more interested in eating than responding to the alarm.  The sixth scene shows a man who initially looks like he is going to evacuate on hearing the fire alarm but then decides return to collect his valuable processions this is the showing the sin of Avarice.  Which leaves the last sin of Envy which shows a man in a green hoodie, the film then ends with the message "Don't be left in Envy, Get out, Stay out, call 999"
For this film I had the fabulous opportunity to not only be the cameraman but to use the shoulder cam rig.  As the only volunteer on this film I really got to develop my camera skills and discovered the true benefit of using rigs rather than just a tripod.  Using the shoulder camera rig did make me look forward to being able to use the university's steady cam rig when it arrived over the summer.

Don't invite Death to the Party
This film depicts various scenes where the person has got distracted, and there is therefore the potential for fire. The film then revisits each scene showing the person ensuring a fire won't start.  Throughout this film we see the figure of Death visiting or watching each scene but to walk away in the end dejected as he has been unsuccessful in his deathly mission.

As I was one of three volunteers for this film, Dave Fisher & Alex Burden being the other two, we each took turns at sound and filming.  For this film we used a conventional set up of a camera on a tripod for filming with a microphone on a boom for sound.  This film did give me an interesting perspective as I not only improved my own filming and sound recording skills but got to watch my peers as well, which gave me an observers viewpoint I hadn't really had chance to experience before as I had either been working or in front of the camera never observing from behind the scenes.

Don't be a Damsel in Distress
This film features Cuthbert and Betty, and is set in kitchen although filmed in present day when edited the film is portrayed as an old fashioned silent film in black and white with a grainy finish with scripted boards to tell the story.

Cuthbert is cooking but gets distracted by Betty and Miss Fire enters the kitchen, they endeavour to put the fire out by using a bed sheet but this only makes it worse and turns Miss Fire into Mr Fire.  Betty then phones 999 and ends up carrying Cuthbert out of the house to keep him safe. The film ends with the caption "Don't be a damsel in distress! Get out, stay out!"

This film gave us the opportunity to do green screen (live action faces imposed onto a sausage and egg).   I enjoyed the challenge of ensuring we captured the action sufficiently to tell the silent story of this film.

Leave it to the Real Heroes
Set at a student party, this illustrates how acting irresponsibly can have serious consequences.  As the party progresses we watch one male decide to dress up as a super hero using the fire blanket, in his drunken state he then lets off the fire extinguisher over the other students.  Sadly the film then shows a fire accidentally starting in the kitchen and the partygoers find their exit is blocked and are unable to use the fire extinguisher or blanket to escape.  The film fades out to leave the message "Leave it to the Real Heroes"

For this film I once again had the opportunity to use the shoulder cam to film the party scene, I really enjoyed the freedom of movement the shoulder cam gives you whilst still enabling the film to be recorded smoothly.

I really enjoyed the time I spent with Legs Eleven Films, and appreciate the experience and knowledge it has given me.  To work as part of a production crew where I was just the “hired” help meant I was able to experience what it would be like to work in industry where you follow instructions and have limited input.  I think the greatest benefit was having the opportunity to work with the shoulder cam, as it has really shown me the benefits of using rigs to enable movement within a shot without using a tripod, whilst still ensuring the quality of recording.  Thank you to Legs Eleven Films for giving me this opportunity.

Investigation of a Cassius Marcellus Coolidge creator of “Dogs Playing Poker”

Recently we were given the assignment to reproduce a Modern Master, when we first got given this assignment, there was only one picture that came to mind “Dogs Playing Poker”.  As I live with four dogs, Doris, Joey, Angel and Jack and several other animals, I have an appreciation of anything to do with animals especially artwork.  The thought of attempting to replicate the famous Dogs playing Poker picture but with actual real dogs was an assignment I wanted to investigate further.

Dogs Playing Poker actually is a collective of sixteen oil paintings by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.  Coolidge was born on the 12^th November 1844 in Antwerp, New York in America, he grew up on a Quaker farm.  Coolidge had the nickname of “Rash” to his friends and family as he was growing up.  Whilst he had no formal training as artist, he had a natural aptitude for drawing.  Coolidge started out drawing cartoons for his local newspaper in his twenties, and is credited with creating “Comic Foregrounds”, life sized cut-outs into which ones head was placed so as to be photographed as an amusing character, you often see these at carnivals or the seaside. 

Coolidge was a visual artist whose focus was illustration and painting, and it was for this reason he was commissioned by Brown and Bigelow (St Paul, Minnesota) to advertise cigars in 1903.  The contract was to create sixteen oil paintings over several years featuring anthropomorphized dogs, that is to say dogs with human characteristics (characteristics assumed to belong only to humans) engaging in human activities.

Although Coolidge created many work of arts till his death in January 1934 aged 89, his most famous work was still his “Dogs Playing Poker” series.  Critic Annette Ferrara describes “Dogs Playing Poker” as “indelibly burned into … the American collective-schlock subconscious … through incessant reproduction on all manner of pop ephemera”.  As the nine oil paintings, that feature dogs sat around a card table have become derisively well known initially in the USA but also round the world as examples of mainly working class taste in home decoration.

Out of the original sixteen oil paintings that make up the collection of “Dogs Playing Poker” two seem to be the most popular

  

Waterloo                                                (originally titled Judge St. Bernard Wins on a Bluff)

A Friend in Need

After Coolidge finished this assignment, his fascination with dogs didn’t end, and in 1903 Coolidge painted dogs playing Kelly Pool (a specific type of pool game, popular in Coolidge’s time).

Kelly's Pool

Coolidge really enjoyed painting dogs with human characteristics and in 1910 he painted another oil painting on this theme entitled “Looks Like Four of a Kind”

Four Of A Kind

Coolidge did base the dog portraitures on real life dogs, the St Bernard in the paintings “Waterloo” and “A Bold Bluff” was called Captain and was owned by Theodore Lang, a florist on Fifth Avenue who was a friend of Coolidge’s.  In February 2005 the original paintings of “Waterloo” and “A Bold Bluff” were auctioned as a pair for US$590,400.  Coolidge’s “Dogs Playing Poker” has inspired many artists since, in the 1950’s Arthur Sarnoff, an American illustrator painted a series of paintings of dogs playing craps, pool and poker.

Reflection on Creative Media Directions, Modern Master (ARD507)

“Choose a classical painting of renown and reproduce its essence and characteristics through photography.  You must replicate the pose, colour, character and lighting, BUT costume and location can be brought up to date.  Your finished image must bear a strong resemblance to the original painting.  Apply your completed image to an appropriate product using interesting copy.”

As previously mentioned, when we first got given this assignment, there was only one Master that came to mind.  As I live with four dogs, Doris, Joey, Angel and Jack with several cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and fish, I have an appreciation of anything to do with animals especially artwork.  The thought of attempting to replicate the famous “Dogs Playing Poker” picture by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, but with actual real dogs was an assignment I wanted to achieve.  As I found out when researching, “Dogs Playing Poker” actually is a collection of sixteen oil paintings.  With this in mind, it gave me greater versatility as to the layout of my interpretation of this classic.

I did however have the challenge of working out how to photograph four dogs sitting at the table playing cards.  Working out the typical staging for a photo shoot was one thing, but to add to this four live (normally very well behaved) dogs who had to sit still to have their photograph taken was another challenge.  Fortunately, I have two very willing assistants in the forms of my Mother (Carolyn) and my friend (Claire) who volunteered or were persuaded to help in this task.

To hopefully make the dogs behave better, I decided to change my dining room at home into a photo studio with the fact that Doris, Joey, Angel and Jack being in familiar territory would make them more at ease.  With the enticement of treats for good behaviour, and my two assistants located behind each pair of dogs, I decided the best chance of getting the photograph I wanted was to use the sports option on my camera, in effect continuous shooting as trying to get all dogs to pose and say cheese wasn’t going to be an option I could use.

 With a lot of treats, and an hour of shooting, with jack doing his favourite trick of climbing on to the table especially as he thought it was fun to investigate the cards and poker chips, I think eventually I managed to get the photographs I wanted.  At the end of the shoot my Mother summed it up quite well with that all famous quote “Never work with animals or children” , after making my two assistants a much deserved cup of tea, we reviewed the photographs and considering the dogs are not professionals, I’m really pleased with the results.  Joey stayed sitting at the table after I had finished taking photographs, I think he worked out that if he sat good at the table he got treats so wasn’t planning on moving.

Upon reflection, would there be anything I would do differently next time, probably yes, be better prepared.  Have a table cloth that was either thicker or somehow attached to the table so the dogs couldn’t knock it so easily.  Would I do it again?  Yes the photographs I have caught of my dogs have captured them brilliantly and although finding one photograph with all four perfect has been a challenge, even with humans you can have this same problem.  Dogs playing poker, Doris, Joey, Angel and Jack may not be actually playing cards but they did have a fun time and that is why humans play cards to have fun isn’t it?

Reflection on Creative Media Directions, Photo Essay/Editorial (ARD507)

“Write a short article about something or somewhere that interest you and illustrate it.  Research page layouts and think of this as a double page spreads.  Choose a subject and produce a photographic layout for publication in a magazine or journal.   Although the images may be of the same place or subject use a range of shots, CU, MS, LS.”

Initially this wasn’t my first choice for one of my two photographic projects.  It soon came to mind that it gave me greater wealth of diversity, but if I’m honest I didn’t like the aspect of writing the relevant related articles, as it’s not a line of work that interests me.  However I soon found the options of material interested me enough to follow this part of the assignment through to completion.

To detail magazines I read or have opportunity to look at, would be fairly extensive and extremely diverse.  They range from Neo, to Digital Photography, to National Geographic, to Heritage in Wales, to TV Guide.  What I have realised is that most often it’s the photographs or drawings that captures my interest and causes me to read the article.

When I first started researching and planning for this project, one of the options I considered was an article based on the soon to be released film “Blue Eyes”.  This is actually my film for the Film part of this assignment, and the article was to give details of the film, the actors involved and a behind the scenes interview as it was being recorded.  Although the film work is my own, and several of the photographs were taken from the footage I had shot, I felt this article did cheat slightly for this assignment, so I decided not to pursue this.

I finally settled on doing an article resulting from a trip I went on with a friend.  We visited Castell Coch in South Wales, and had the opportunity to go on a guided tour.  Castell Coch is in the village of Tongwynlais just outside of Cardiff.  From this photography session, I had a wealth of photographs covering all three ranges of shots, they also covered a broad range of areas.

As my friend has a long time fascination with this castle, she has helped me with the background and factual details of the articles I have wrote.  We came up with several angles for the article, from reviewing the tour to a detailed look at Burges’ work in the Drawing room, the one I eventually settled on was a general history of the castle.  This was decided in main due to the photographs I had taken and the ones which I felt were the best examples of my photographic work.  It also gave me the layout design as Cadw produce a quarterly magazine called “Heritage in Wales”, I reviewed several of the magazines and decided to produce my article in the format of one of their most typical frequent layouts, as this I felt would add authenticity to my article, and give it the professional look.


Although initially this assignment did not appeal as I don’t consider myself much of a writer, the knowledge I have gained from doing this assignment I believe is invaluable.  It has made me look at magazine articles and layouts in a new light.  It has also given me greater perspective as a photographer to consider the application photographs might be needed for.  I have also enjoyed the challenge of putting together various types of shot with a narrative to create an article.

Upon reflection, even though I don’t think I will ever take up magazine writing, the knowledge I have gained from spending an afternoon with Dave Kelly has been invaluable and has given me an appreciation of the graphics world.  Would I do anything differently, probably not, but the skills I have learnt will remain with me throughout my photography career.

Reflection on Creative Media Directions, Film Narrative (ARD507)

Blue Eyes, Disrupted Narrative by Andrew Argyle

As I detailed in my assignment of the Influence boards, I enjoy comedy and the way they can take a simple event and turn it into a programme.  How I Met Your Mother, is one of my favourite comedy sit-coms and they actually use a disrupted storyline on a few occasions.  A disrupted storyline is a narrative technique, sometimes used in film, wherein events are portrayed out of chronological order. It is often used to mimic the structure and recall of human memory .  When I saw that disrupted storyline was one of the options on this assignment, I got excited as a disrupted storyline is something I have always wanted to try since I became interested in film making.

How I Met Your Mother, is an American sitcom, premiered on CBS in September 2005.  The series uses a framing device in that Ted (the main character) does a voice over narration talking to his two children in 2030, the narration explains the events leading up to how Ted met their mother.  The first episode that uses a disrupted storyline in How I Met Your Mother is called Lucky Penny (aired February 2007), and appears as episode 15 in Series 2.  Ted misses an important business trip to Chicago, and ends up retracing his steps through the past few days to ascertain what triggered the events that made him miss his flight.

Whilst it will be obvious to anyone who watches How I Met Your Mother, that my film of Blue Eyes has a lot of similarities with the episode of Lucky Penny, this is in part deliberate.   As it is my way of acknowledging how much this episode has stuck in mind, since I first saw it.   As I stated in my Influence boards, I want as a film maker to take iconic films and remake them in my own style, and although I know an episode of How I Met Your Mother can not truly be classed as iconic, but to me it is as it shows the benefits of using a disrupted storyline, and so Blue Eyes is my tribute to a great Television series.

Since finishing my Film Blue Eyes, I have endeavoured to get people’s opinions on it, initially this started with family and friends, but has also included lecturers, professionals, peers and ex Creative Media Students.

I have received several positive comments from the 3D camera effect on the opening credits, to the depth focus on Scene Two, Jaden’s fault.  Several enjoyed the comedy elements in Scene Two, Jaden’s fault.  I also received positive feedback on the crossing the Line angles in Scene Six: New Boat and Scene Seven, Blue Eyes (It showed enough of the other actor to provide continuance but not too much).

I am also glad to say I received some criticism, I did have the fear that the viewers would be nice rather than honest.  Some was obvious which I had already picked up on that were simple recording errors which I had been unable to rectify as time was short.  Others I have seen as a learning curve in filming like the Crossing the line, being on both Jack’s and Boat Terminal Assistant 1’s right shoulder in Scene One, Missing and Scene Three: Boat, it was something I hadn’t stopped to think about, and therefore hadn’t appreciated till after the film was edited.

 One smart eyed watcher spotted a continuance error – Jack’s posture in Scene Six: New Boat and Scene Seven, Blue Eyes.  The other thing I discovered with recording in HD on my Canon 500D is that the viewfinder doesn’t clearly show if you are filming 100% in focus, this is something to bear in mind when undertaking future recordings.

Blue Eyes I am proud of whilst acknowledging it has its flaws, but providing I learn from these and do not repeat them in my next film then that in itself is another benefit of this film.