For one of our mini tasks we were required to produce work in a group which responded to one of the Getty visual trends.
Getty Images is a media company of which photographers can be used to sell their imagery to, to be purchased by the public or companies for a variety of uses. As part of their brand, Getty lists a number of visual trends present within the media today. It is important as a practitioner in the arts/ media industry to be aware of the current visual trends so that the imagery you produce resonates with viewers today.
The trends we were asked to choose from included return of the flash, inclusive beauty, or clean slate. I worked in a group with Charlotte Akrill and Angel Rodger, as I consider both to be good friends and I therefore feel comfortable working with them. The trend we decided to produce work for surrounded the return of the flash. This was an aesthetic which we had produced work for previously, and after we had viewed our previous imagery, we decided to expand on some work produced by Charlotte at a house party. It was fairly easy to agree on this theme as we all liked the saturated colours and ‘fun’ atmosphere produced from the work, and producing work in the time scale given wouldn’t be too challenging.
After selecting this idea, we set a date for a party at Angel’s accommodation, as we liked the homely aesthetic her accommodation produces and we wanted this to be present in our work. We asked our models to dress colourfully and planned to purchase a number of props such as balloons, confetti, bunting and party poppers to suit the party theme.
Inspiration for how we would like our imagery to look came from photographers such as Juergen Teller, Dougie Wallace and Tom Wood. All of these photographers have produced work with a high contrast and high saturation aesthetic, which has a documentary approach, and portrays fashion in the time period they are shot in. This related to our concept as we also aimed to reflect the current fashion trends of young people today, as well as a realistic reflection of what a current day party looks like.
Sadly, due to illness, this meant that I was unable to attend the planned party, meaning that I missed out on the opportunity to collaborate with other practitioners. However, as we had thoroughly discussed our ideas and the aesthetic we were aiming for, I was able to capture imagery at a friends 21st birthday party which reflected our theme.
I enjoyed the experience of photographing my friends party and this gave me the opportunity to work professionally for a client. At the party I took both staged and candid photos, as the candid photos related to the group task of reflecting a party today, and the staged photos satisfied my clients requirements.
Through this experience I communicated with a number of people as to what images they would specifically like (i.e. group photos, photos of decorations etc). I regularly received feedback on the images as I was shooting to ensure that my client would be happy with my work. The experience also gave me the chance to network, and from meeting people at the event I was given the opportunity to photograph at another 21st birthday party. Moreover, I gained more confidence to photograph at future events, especially as my client was happy with the imagery.
Included below are images taken by myself and my group. I believe that the photos are linked by both being captured using a flash at real parties thrown by young people, and within the images you are able to see the current fashion trends of today. To make the photos a realistic representation of a young persons party, both my group and I’s photos are candid.
I gained permission from my client to post the images included in this post. The images included first in this post have been captured by Angel Rodger and Charlotte Akrill, and the ones further down have been captured by myself.
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