Live Briefing "Change"

I had just decided to start up my Business for a range of Personal photo shoots for Clients, I was brainstorming ideas of my home studio so that the clients feel more relaxed and comfortable, I system of how I can keep each of the clients in order in the Calendar Year and was constantly thinking about my Price List and actually about to set it up.

I have been going over all of my Promotional Material that was made last year for my Professional Practice module like my Social Networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter and Blogs and I would like to Change them, even if it's just for a temporary time, to say and talk about a business for the personal individual photo shoots that I want to offer.  At the moment my social networking says that I am a photographer and shows all my previous work but does not say anything about the specific photoshoot packages that I can offer, so therefore I would change all of these.

Here below is my Logo design, other design and my Photography Name and big logo, these are already on all of my promotional material for me as a general photographer but I would like to see my Purple, White and Black design on postcards and flyers for the specific shoots.  This is something I was planning  and was getting started on.

I have been looking at many different Flyers and promotional materials for business's in the photographic field and there are so many.  it is quite common, but I would love to do it.  I have lots of designs in my head I just need to get going and start designing my posters and flyers around my colour theme which is previewed above and with some of my own images on the flyers. I would need to have all my contact details on the materials and an idea of my pricing list, or maybe just list a few and say about getting in contact for more information. 

An Issue; One issue that is very important and something that I need to focus on before developing this business, I am not sure if I actually have enough of my own images to work with.  I have done 3 Weddings and the odd shoot with family portraits and children, but as of yet I have not had any Maternity Photo shoots or Newborns, and I have not, had any couple or engagement shoots.  This is a big problem when it comes to showing my materials as i am limited on my images so may have to change to just a Wedding business for now, which I would prefer to shoot all of them and create a bigger business but this might have to be something that waits.  I have been looking at examples of business in this field (examples below) and each have a lot of images to show their particular style of shooting, this brings me to want to change my ideas to jus Wedding and mention how I will definitely do this in the near future with the other categories. 

Change in Idea - CLIENT CALL !!
Strangely enough, as I was just mentioning above about not having enough of my own photographic images to use for my promotional material for this business, meaning I wouldn't actually have any examples of each of the shoot categories, I received a phone call from a client.

I had a Cold Call from a Client who wanted to talk directly to me.  It was a phone call from a young woman named Christine, who was asking about a photoshoot. She said that she was browsing through Facebook to see if she could find any local Photographers that seemed as if they were starting out, and one of her friends had liked my Photographic Page, she browsed through it and called to see if I done any Maternity Photography? This immediately made me happy as I thought that I could make this my first ever Maternity Shoot and the photos can build up to eventually help start off a photographic business in all of the categories that I wanted originally. So I said yes to the Client and said that I am more than happy to photograph your Maternity and can do so in my Home Studio.  She was delighted and we discussed more details which I will show in the next post.

The reason that this had worked so well in my Favours is that I need more photographic work in the categories of Maternity, Newborns and Children, so this has popped up in the Perfect timing and I'm over the moon.  So now i need to get ready for preparing my first Maternity Shoot and talk to the Client and sort out a Briefing sheet.

Because I have now received this phone call from a Client/Customer of my already produced Business, I have now thought about changing my Brief for this module whilst still keeping a big link to both.  I am adamant on starting up the Business and really want to do it as soon as I finish University, but realistically, I need to get out there and do more photo shoots and create a big portfolio for each separate category so when it comes down to create designs for flyers and postcards and uploading to my social networking sites, I actually have lots of images to choose from. So I have now changed from "Developing a Business" to "A Commissioned Project", whilst still linking the two.

My Live Brief - My Briefing Ideas

So after my Original ideas of the Elements portraits for my brand 'Suzi-Rae Photography' and found out that it was wrong, I was steered towards the right direction after a tutorial I had.  I then wrote out a list of the thee possible things I could do for my Live brief;

• A Commissioned Project; of looking back at anyone that has asked me to take any photographs for them before, I could send out a general message and see if they would be interested and get in contact.  I could actually ask a general question of, 'anyone looking for a photographer for a personal project?, I'd be happy to help', this might find me able to shoot images for a Client.
• Development of a Business; for this idea I would extend my Brand to an actual business and get creative.  I would focus on making sure my website is up-to-date and then create a business in fields of photography that are personal to a client.  I would set up a small business that would be for Couple shoots, Engagements, Weddings, Maternity and Newborn & Children.  for this I would create posters, postcards, flyers or a brochures about my business and then give the out to as many people as I could. I would decide and come up with my Price List for each shoot and stay with them, as they will go on materials. With this I should have new and exciting things for 'Suzi-Rae Photography.'
• Charitable Photographic Work; For this live brief I would look around my local area and see whats going on at the time, I know there are men-cap shows that my Nan is involved in that would love voluntary work done, But I have a contact who asked me to be a photographer at their charity Hair & Beauty show at her College.  They needed a photographer to take photos as a Catwalk show, and also portrait images before going on the catwalk.  I would be more than happy to do this brief, but i am not so sure If I will have the time to do this work yet.  

These are three great Ideas and all would be fantastic for my brand 'Suzi-Rae Photography'. 

I have been a photographer for around 5 years now and have already had around 4/5 Weddings, and some events parties and Children Shoots, but i have never really extended on this as a Business because I had never had the time before.  I would love to do this so that I can really start getting some money in from the work that I produce. 

I have always wanted to set up a Price List of what I would charge for each of the Shoot Packages mentioned above.  I would list all of them as it would expand my business already.  Because I wanted to do this anyway, I have chosen to Develop a Business expanding on 'Suzi-Rae Photography' and creating a front to the business for; Couple Shoots, Engagements, Weddings, Maternity, Newborns & Children.  This I have put in traditional order of how life happens so, whatever stage someone is at, they would be able to contact me and have a photo shoot done.  

I think developing this forward as a business should hopefully get me some clients in no time and then I could potentially have some Commissioned Briefs and Project to work on too.  I can link a business development and  Commission at the same time because they would link together, one would be helping the other.  And charitable work can be done at any point to develop the business even more. 

I am happy with my ideas for this Brief and would like to start developing a business in this field. 

Working to a Brief : 2 ( Location) - The Shoot Day

The shoot day went accordingly to plan.  We all met up at the University and once everyone was there and the equipment that we had booked was ready then we packed it up in my Car and the went down to Joss Bay in Broadstairs.  It was such a freezing cold day and especially colder at the beach.  When we got to the beach the tide was coming in really quickly too so we needed to get done as soon as we could with enough shots to work with.
Myself as Stylist told Madalina to tell her found model if he can wear a suit and jacket and when he turned up he wore a blue short sleeved shirt with a brown blazer so it was very strange to see and not a very good colour to show an office worker but I did not have access to any mens clothing for the shoot so that part let it down - I would have preferred from a Stylist eye if the suit was Black and if there was a tie.

We made sure that the light stands were deep into the sand so that they were sturdy as it was quite windy as well.  We were all on hand to help and made sure we all agreed on the locations and positions.  We decided to capture the cliffs in the background to meet the brief that says to have some of the British Isles showing in the image.  One other critical thing would be that fact that our model is actually Romanian and i think the shoot would have suited a British model to show the british isles a little better. The shoot went well and the lighting met requirements of making the subject stand out from the background, the clown trousers worked well and so did the briefcase.  Every thing that the brief asked was completed apart from maybe trying some different angles to see what was best, we seemed to shoot most of them the same.  Here below are some images from the shoot.

Evaluation of the shoot - Brief 2

Here below are the final Images for the advertisement.  I think it would have looked so much better if out model was wearing a long sleeved white shirt with a black tie and had a black blazer jacket to match the briefcase, this would have also made the clown trousers stand out a lot more.  The blue shirt is a distraction and doesn't really give the traditional office worker feel to it.  I like the compositions and the background of the final images and think that compositionally the shot meet the requirements of the brief.   My input to this shoot was the organising of the styles that we wanted and the clown trousers, I also think that being the only one who could drive means that is a big part in the team otherwise we would have had a lot of trouble with transport on the shoot day.  I do think we worked well as a team, and managed to come away with an image that has enough dead space around it, is on a beach with british isles in the background.  The sad expression is shown on out models face and the office worker style from waist up was met and the clown trousers are there.  I agree that it could potentially look a lot better but given the weather conditions as it was bitter freezing, we managed to work quickly together. 

Working to a Brief : 2 ( Location) - Facebook Group

The is once again another Facebook group page that we can all comment on and communicate with each other - I have included some of the messages as proof and evidence of our conversations.
We established that I was the only one in the group that could drive therefore, I had to drive the whole group down to the beach we were going to.
The messages on the group show the planning of every stage of the brief from the very beginning.  It shows the Location scouting by Richard, Myself finding the Clown costume for the styling and us discussing the Call sheets and model recruitment.  Clare posted the call sheet so we could all have a copy.  W were set to meet in the morning of the shoot and I would drive us all down to the beach.

Working to a Brief : 2 ( Location) - The Roles

I do not need to run through what each role does as I have done that for brief 1.  There are six people in my group and we decided on the Roles quite quickly and I was with three of these people in the group before we all decided to stick with what we already wanted to do. 

Producer - Ellie Freeman            

Photographer - Madalina Diana

Prop / Stylist - Suzi Slough (ME)

Model Recruitment - Madalina Diana

Assistant Lighting - Clare Rowden

Assistant Props - Richard Burke 

Working to a Brief : 2 ( Location) - Interpreting the Brief

The Brief I was given & What I think About it
By the sounds of both of the shoots I actually much prefer the Daz shoots, it sounds a lot more fun and exciting to work with.  Once we were put into our groups of 5, The most of my group actually wanted to do the Samaritans as we were given the choice of choosing what Brief we wanted to do ourselves.
Because the most of my group wanted to do the second brief I automatically thought that It was going to look quite simple and for this brief the whole image will change depending on what the model looks like.  We have to have a model on the beach with half a suit on and then clown trousers and shoes on.  I would expect to see a model, probably male in a black and white suit or a grey suit with a black tie, this would look like the traditional office worker for the british Isles.  I think this shoot could potentially look good but we shall have to see once we get started.

Interpreting the Brief - Samaritans
O - Sketching out initial ideas for this brief could be beneficial and show ideas that portray this concept.
O - Looking at descriptions in the original brief, 'fresh' 'bright' and 'sad', could helps to reach what is needed to be conveyed.

O - The Format for these images is important.  We need to know what parameters we need to fit the images to.  Need to make sure it will fit as a single page magazine spread and probably at 300dpi.  We need to make sure that there is enough deadpan space around the subject for text and logo's to go for the client.

O - The Location for this location shoot is down to us as a group.  We need to go on the hunt to be able to choose which we think is best for the advert. We need to go as a group to each of the possible locations and check accessibility for props and equipment, what direction the sun appears from, work out the ownership of the land by investigating for signs etc.  We also need to remember to get any permission landowner or council forms.  The possible locations are all beaches around the area.

O - Street Casting can be cheap and fast, but also not as reliable, the model may not turn up. Using people we know may be a little easier, as long as we stick to the age group.  W r need to take the description from the brief and apply that when looking for the model.  We have to learn to engage with complete strangers, which I think is something I can do very well. We need to decide if the model we choose has the right temperament to be photographed, especially on location.  We as a team could get details from all the potential models and find out their availability for the shoot day.

O - The Prop / Styling is something that one person should be responsible for, which might be me again if I do the same role as brief 1.  This person is responsible for sourcing clothes and props for the shoot.  They need to be savvy with the budget given, and try and get the best props available.  We can also use our own clothes and props if we have them.

O - Lighting / Equipment will need to match what is given in the brief.  We will have to work out what lighting and equipment we will need, and when we will need it and how will we get it to the location.  Do we need a back up system, camera etc?  What other equipment will we use if it rains or is too windy.
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The Roles of each person with in the groups were all explained in the previous first group task, so i can just look back at that particular blog post to see what everyone does.  I have taken Role as Stylist agin as I like the role a lot and I can still have a big enough input to the way it looks.  The other Roles are Producer, Photograper, Prop/Stylist, Model Recruitment, Assistant for props and lighting.

Working to a Brief : 2 ( Location) - The Briefs

This is now my second workshop task in this Professional Practice module, this time we were split into small groups of around 5 people in each group.  This workshop in the on Location shoot using models and props.  Each group again would have to handle street casting, model release forms, styling and prop re-sourcing, organisation of location times and location equipment.  This was test number two to see how well we work with a different team and on location, whilst dealing with an industry standard brief, along with lighting skills and photo-shoot knowledge.

This briefing explained and assigned today is for a shoot that will take place in One weeks time and therefore means we again have one week to plan out and produce the shoot.  Next week will be the shoot day and then the week after will be the de-brief about the shoot.  The same as before, i know that I am capable to play any of the roles in a team, even producer and handling everything but I thought I would wait a while, see who was in my group this time and see what happens.
I played quite an important part in Brief 1 and think that I could play just as big role if not bigger in this second brief, the reason for this is because the group is smaller and therefore I could speak up and take charge for a while and help group the team together.

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The Two Location Briefs were explained to us;

Brief One - DAZ
Proctor & Gamble want to produce an advertisement for their leading washing up powder, Daz. 
They are after a fresh, bright image to appeal to young men / women between 18 & 25 to show the benefits of using Daz, i.e you only have to wash your clothes once, thus giving you more time to pursure the life you enjoy.  The idea is to have a young man (18-25) dressed as a goalkeeper, in front of some goalposts which he has used to hang up his washing.  He proudly shows off this washing by resting one foot on a packet of Daz, in a self-congratulatory/proud pose.  

Format - The image will appear as a double page spread, for various mainstream mens / womens magazines - GQ, Heat, etc.  The Daz logo must appear on the top left of the image, so be sure to leave space for it.
Location - A football pitch, with generic buildings in the background.  The setting should feel urban, but also have a sense of freshness and openness. (The client wants to see a selection of locations, to see that the right one was chosen).  Also check with landowner / council to confirm permissions are in place.
Casting - As previously described, the client requires a young man between 18 and 25, who looks fit and healthy - a goalkeeper.  Your average Joe, no catwalk models.  (Again, the client wants to see evidence of a selection process, you need to street-cast  potential models).  The client also requires a model release form.
Prop / Styling - A selection of clothes for the washing up line, as well as a goalkeepers outfit/kit are obviously essential.  The wardrobe should be that of a young male.
Style / Lighting - The client wants the viewer on the individual and particularly the box of Daz at his feet.  You need to develop a way of bringing the product and model out of the shot.
Conclusion - The client expects to see a fresh, bright style to the images.  They also expect to see a selection of angles shot in different formats both landscape and portrait for multi-purpose use in advertising.

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Brief Two - SAMARITANS
The Samaritans require an advertisement produced for a new campaign they are running in regards to the well - being and mental health of office workers.  Depression effects many office workers, but usually due to their hectic lifestyles, they are often able to appear happy on the outside, while depressed on the inside.  The idea is that the client wants to show this visually by creating an image of an office worker (male or female), and have the top half of them dresses in a suit holding a briefcase, and the bottom half dresses as a clown.  The office worker is to appear  to look sad, by over exaggerating his / her facial expression as a clown might do. 

Format - The image is to appear as a single page spread for various newspapers and magazines.  The Samaritans logo will run along the bottom of the image, so leave enough dead-space for this.
Location - The client wants to portray this office worker standing on a beach, holding his / her jacket over his / her arm and briefcase in hand.  Ideally, there should be some headland in the background of the image, to indicate it is located in the British Isles.  The client wants to see a selection of locations, to see that the right one was chosen).  Also check with landowner / council to confirm permissions are in place.
Casting - The client requires a male / female, between 25 and 40, who looks like your average office worker.  Straight looks and haircut, he or she has to look believable.  (Again, the client want to see evidence of a selection process, you need to street-cast potential models.)  The client also requires a model release form.
Props / Styling - A simple shirt, tie and jacket, as well as a briefcase for the top half of the individual.  A pair of clowns trousers and shoes for the bottom half.
Style / Lighting - The client wants the viewer to focus on the individual and have the lighting appear to separate the figure from the background.
Conclusion - The client expects to see a fresh, bright style to the images.  They also expect to see a selection of angles shot in different formats both landscape and portrait for mulit-purpose use in advertising.