-Where do you generally source inspiration? eg what blogs, mags etc.
I sourced most of my images from fashiongonerogue, knightcat, fashionising, fashiongrunge or studdedhearts. They are the main blogs/websites that i use. I love watching NME for clothing inspiration- the alternative-indie/electro have the best dress sense so i look at people like Andrew Vanwyngarden from MGMT... and tone it down ha. Magazine wise Pop, Dazed, I-D, Muse, Citizen, Man about Town. The list really is endless.
- Does inspiration come to you or do you have to go looking for it?
I would say both... I find inspiration pretty much everywhere. Most the time when you least expect it. I don't ever find myself being like 'I have a shoot themed around rock tomorrow lets see what I can find.' It is already there... I have seen bits and I just put it together, then walking around town I see so many different things. Half the time I don't even register that I have seen something that I like. I just work on it with the next project. But it can be anything from people, to words, to clothes, to shops, posters. Everything.
-How do you document your inspiration?
My blog. Everything I do see and I do like gets blogged. I have days when I do 8-9 posts and I have to sit down and go back through it all and work out if I have a trend or a theme. Thats how I work out whats on trend and what works best for my personality.
- What happens next? How do you start organising a shoot?
At the moment the shoots I am doing I usually choose the models, the photographer, the location. The whole package pretty much. With the Summer shoot it was different. 2 of the models were mine and two were the photographers. But I choose the theme... think who best would replicate that then think who would be able to capture the mood and the theme best then source a location. The whole time I am planning the outfits.
-Approximately how long does the whole process take, from inspiration to final outcome?
It depends... the summer shoot I had 2 weeks of being told the theme, seeing the models, sourcing garments and accessories. Sometimes someone can call me up two days in advance and it will be more spontanious. Some shoots just swap and change around so you think you have nailed it then you find something else. I never just sit on an idea I am always looking for ways to improve it. Sometimes I make huge changes the day or night before. I have gone off track but yeah it ranges from months to weeks to days dependant upon the project.
- Are you very specific on what you want out of the shoot or do you sometimes improvise a bit too?
Improvise. I think I know what I want, who I want it in and then it gets to the day and you are constantly adding, taking away and swapping things around. I could never be like this is yours and not look at it again. It never works that way.
- Have you ever had any photoshoot nightmares?
My first shoot actually. I had an amazing model to represent Coco Tangs, 'Dirty Cinderella' cocktail of their fairy tales and wonderlands menu and literally an hour before the hair was being done the model pulled out. She was beyond perfect for the roll with her tattoos and stuff. I pulled in as we couldn't reschedule with dates for press etc. It turned out fine though but that initial panic was not nice.
- What generally goes on on shoot day? (on set and off) Do you have any kind of rituals?
You arrive... hair and make up is done, first outfits go on and then you start snapping... dependant upon whether you are on location or in a studio you try different scenes etc. Hair, make up and clothes get changed 3/4 times- again dependant upon the theme and location. Then the model usually demands food or a drink as you get so caught in the day and what you are doing you just forget. It can last from like 3-4 hours to an entire day... or sometimes even two if you just can't get the picture you want. Its always fun though. I have never left a shoot and been glad its over. They keep getting better and better too which is always nice.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
[ Q&A SARAH ]
-Where do you generally source inspiration? eg what blogs, mags etc.
Fashion gone rouge is my first port of call whenever i need to feel inspired. The archive of editorial imagery that they have is beyond sensational and i will always find something that i havent seen before. I also have an elle subscription which i use as my Bible when it comes to all things fashion. i think that was my original inspiration to try out stylig and since then ive broadened the types of images and genres that i look at within fahsion. I recently did a ‘distorted image’ photoshoot that was inspired by creatives like David Simms and Fred Butler so this was a bit more graphical and futuristic than usual and meant looking into new photographers and artists in order to create the right feeling. Lula magazine is beautiful and i also love wonderland. In terms of celebrity fashion i follow the olsens blog, mostly for Mary Kate’s style! Some of my shoots have been inspired by her grunge appearance.
- Does inspiration come to you or do you have to go looking for it?
Its a bit of both really. Usually ill have an idea in my head, like a theme or title and an image that i find hard to describe to people in words. So then i go looking for images that act as a visual representation. I like to create moodboards around the shoot beforehand so that i have a clear idea in my head. Sometimes inspiration comes from things totally unrelated to fashion. like the other day i was driving down the motorway and there were workers with power-drills, massive machinery and signs and one of those machines that spits out fire. My mind went mad thinking about a fashion shoot in the midst of all that!
-How do you document your inspiration?
Ive got a blog that i keep up to date with anything that ive come across that inspires or interests me in the fashion world. www.totallysarahleigh.blogspot.com. I like to use it as a break from work or as a wind down at the end of the day. It keeps me up to date with what’s going on in the fashion world because i have to look for the information. i also use it to document my own work. I have a massive image archive on my computer as well and i did my final year dissertation on fashion photography so i guess i have it documented in dissertation-form too!
- What happens next? How do you start organising a shoot?
Confirming the photographer first is usually the best way to go about it because we can bounce ideas off each other. For example they may have shot in a location before that would be particularly fitting for the images or have a creative idea that we can add into the general mood of the shoot. Getting models is easy because of the fashion show event that i created with another collegue this year. We’ve both kept a good relationship from all the models from the night and theyre always willing to build on their portfolios. Once thats decided and i know sizes and colouring etc ill start collecting as much clothing and accessories around the theme as possible and then create a select few strong outfits and jus take the rest along as back up. Sometimes this helps if theres an outfit that doesnt hang right or isnt creating the right look. Its always good to have a bit of a mix and match!
-Approximately how long does the whole process take, from inspiration to final outcome?
It really depends how organised i am about it. One of the shoots i did was with a model whose full time job was an air hostess so she is constantly on call and cant book like a week or so in advance, so for that one it was a case of; lets do it in 2 days, this is what i wana do. And we did. It had been a theme i had been looking at for a while but just as general inspiration. On the other hand, when we styled the fashion show, months of planning went into each creation.
- Are you very specific on what you want out of the shoot or do you sometimes improvise a bit too?
Definately not. I always go with an open mind. Sometimes what you want to do just doesn’t work. Ive been on shoots before where every single outfit has been planned and the image that i think is the most successful from the day was a dress made from binbags and newspaper that we bought as a last minute inspiration and used with the accessories we brought!
- Have you ever had any photoshoot nightmares?
Only once. The day of the shoot for the editorial advert for the show (a BIG deal for our promotion) one of the models dropped out. Luckily it was all sorted relatively easily and the images still looked unreal but it definately caused momentary panic!
- What generally goes on on shoot day? (on set and off) Do you have any kind of rituals?
Whenever i’ve been involved with styling a shoot before its always been ensured that the clothing is ready and laid out the night before, even down to which necklace goes with which garment. Its good to be able to show the model what they will be wearing before everything gets started because ive found it makes them feel more involved and relaxed so the images generally look better. If we are shooting on location hair and makeup is done before we leave (usually because its outside and COLD) and then can be touched up throughout. I don’t really have any rituals that im aware of although i definitely think its best to dress the model in the outfit they feel most comfortable in to begin with to help them get into the role a bit more! Its more of a ritual once ive got them images...add to portfolio...send to model...facebook...blog...
Fashion gone rouge is my first port of call whenever i need to feel inspired. The archive of editorial imagery that they have is beyond sensational and i will always find something that i havent seen before. I also have an elle subscription which i use as my Bible when it comes to all things fashion. i think that was my original inspiration to try out stylig and since then ive broadened the types of images and genres that i look at within fahsion. I recently did a ‘distorted image’ photoshoot that was inspired by creatives like David Simms and Fred Butler so this was a bit more graphical and futuristic than usual and meant looking into new photographers and artists in order to create the right feeling. Lula magazine is beautiful and i also love wonderland. In terms of celebrity fashion i follow the olsens blog, mostly for Mary Kate’s style! Some of my shoots have been inspired by her grunge appearance.
- Does inspiration come to you or do you have to go looking for it?
Its a bit of both really. Usually ill have an idea in my head, like a theme or title and an image that i find hard to describe to people in words. So then i go looking for images that act as a visual representation. I like to create moodboards around the shoot beforehand so that i have a clear idea in my head. Sometimes inspiration comes from things totally unrelated to fashion. like the other day i was driving down the motorway and there were workers with power-drills, massive machinery and signs and one of those machines that spits out fire. My mind went mad thinking about a fashion shoot in the midst of all that!
-How do you document your inspiration?
Ive got a blog that i keep up to date with anything that ive come across that inspires or interests me in the fashion world. www.totallysarahleigh.blogspot.com. I like to use it as a break from work or as a wind down at the end of the day. It keeps me up to date with what’s going on in the fashion world because i have to look for the information. i also use it to document my own work. I have a massive image archive on my computer as well and i did my final year dissertation on fashion photography so i guess i have it documented in dissertation-form too!
- What happens next? How do you start organising a shoot?
Confirming the photographer first is usually the best way to go about it because we can bounce ideas off each other. For example they may have shot in a location before that would be particularly fitting for the images or have a creative idea that we can add into the general mood of the shoot. Getting models is easy because of the fashion show event that i created with another collegue this year. We’ve both kept a good relationship from all the models from the night and theyre always willing to build on their portfolios. Once thats decided and i know sizes and colouring etc ill start collecting as much clothing and accessories around the theme as possible and then create a select few strong outfits and jus take the rest along as back up. Sometimes this helps if theres an outfit that doesnt hang right or isnt creating the right look. Its always good to have a bit of a mix and match!
-Approximately how long does the whole process take, from inspiration to final outcome?
It really depends how organised i am about it. One of the shoots i did was with a model whose full time job was an air hostess so she is constantly on call and cant book like a week or so in advance, so for that one it was a case of; lets do it in 2 days, this is what i wana do. And we did. It had been a theme i had been looking at for a while but just as general inspiration. On the other hand, when we styled the fashion show, months of planning went into each creation.
- Are you very specific on what you want out of the shoot or do you sometimes improvise a bit too?
Definately not. I always go with an open mind. Sometimes what you want to do just doesn’t work. Ive been on shoots before where every single outfit has been planned and the image that i think is the most successful from the day was a dress made from binbags and newspaper that we bought as a last minute inspiration and used with the accessories we brought!
- Have you ever had any photoshoot nightmares?
Only once. The day of the shoot for the editorial advert for the show (a BIG deal for our promotion) one of the models dropped out. Luckily it was all sorted relatively easily and the images still looked unreal but it definately caused momentary panic!
- What generally goes on on shoot day? (on set and off) Do you have any kind of rituals?
Whenever i’ve been involved with styling a shoot before its always been ensured that the clothing is ready and laid out the night before, even down to which necklace goes with which garment. Its good to be able to show the model what they will be wearing before everything gets started because ive found it makes them feel more involved and relaxed so the images generally look better. If we are shooting on location hair and makeup is done before we leave (usually because its outside and COLD) and then can be touched up throughout. I don’t really have any rituals that im aware of although i definitely think its best to dress the model in the outfit they feel most comfortable in to begin with to help them get into the role a bit more! Its more of a ritual once ive got them images...add to portfolio...send to model...facebook...blog...
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Moodboards Larger
Sorry they came up really small last time so thought I would put them on again bigger!
Awe to Others
I thought I would remind us of the Primary Research we did with our target consumer so that we keep going back to the idea that "simple pleasures spur imagination"
Front cover Idea
This month Elle subscription magazine arrived and the collectors edition cover was really different as the front cover was blurred! I really liked this as it's quite imaginative giving the reader the element of mystery and desire to want to know more. I thought with Sedge's summer shoot this could look really innovative with maybe the images in motion?
Inspirational Layout
Article layout idea- start to finish article?
Trimmed edges, could do this for summer section? Would be like this for each zine's season section.
Like the negative space on gloss. Also like the gaps inbetween the sentences!
Monday, 24 May 2010
[ Roland Reiner Tiangco ]
Two of our biggest loves here at AWE:
1: Thinking outside the box.
2: Getting our hands dirty in the name of creativity...
...hence why when I came across this fabulously filthy poster by artist Roland Tiangco, I couldn't help but share. It really does just sum up our views in a kind of 'nail on the head' sort of way, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.
What an amazing concept.
Emma x
1: Thinking outside the box.
2: Getting our hands dirty in the name of creativity...
...hence why when I came across this fabulously filthy poster by artist Roland Tiangco, I couldn't help but share. It really does just sum up our views in a kind of 'nail on the head' sort of way, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.
What an amazing concept.
Emma x
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