1. Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practise
Project Proposal
(P2, P3, M2, M3, D2, D3)
Candidate
name:
Theme: Music Magazine Portrait Photo Shoot
Predicted final outcome
I’ll be carrying out a photoshoot in Salford around Guildford Road area in order to
produce portrait professional looking photos that will be used within a music magazine.
Ideally I’ll capture at least 50 photos, however only ten of these will make it to the final
selection.
Reasons for selection of theme (including inspiration from the work of others)
New Musical Express (NME) is a music magazine commonly associated with indie rock
and alternative music that I have drawn a lot of inspiration from.
Dean Chalkey is a freelance photographer known for taking portrait photos of some of
the music industry’s biggest artists. His backdrops for each artist are carefully chosen in
order to capture there essence- they tie in with the genre of music they’re known for.
The above two photos are of Jake Bugg- an indie rock/indie folk musician. Indie music
is known for being very low budget; therefore we tend to associate the music videos
with being filmed in parks, tunnels, undergrounds etc. Dean Chalkey’s photos
represent this- they stay true to the artist, which is something that appeals to me. The
low angle photo appeals to me the most since it gives this idea of being empowered-he’s
showing his presence. Dean Chalkey uses a small spotlight on his subjects in order

2. to make their faces stand out; however I’d preferably like to use the natural lighting of
the sun during late afternoon in order to give the photos a grungy feel.
Tom Oxley is another freelance portrait photograper known or taking photos for some of the
biggest production companies in the music industry. Colour is an imprtant aspect for me within
a photograph, therefore the vibrancy within his image really appeals to me- it adds an
element of fun. His use of simple bacdrops allows the artist to be the focus of the image. Tom
Oxleys photos are very ‘tidy’- the artist is posed perfectly, artisficial lighting is used in order to
remove imperfections and the photos are very crisp. Whilst his use of colour both appeals and
influences me, the plain background doesn’t really represent who the artist truly is. Florence
and the machine are known for their robust and romantic style, however other hat the use of
red, this cant be gathered from the photo.

3. Lawrence Watson is a portrait photographer that takes both portrait and live music
photos. His style of photography is very unique and differentiates from any other
photographer’s work I’ve seen before. Lawrence Watson takes his photos during
sunset or sunrise in order to capture the silhouettes of the artist he’s photographing. This
style of photography really appeals to me; however the problem we’re faced with is
that we can’t see who the artist is. Therefore if I was to recreate this style of
photography, rather than an extremely slow shutter speed that will create a complete
silhouette, I’ll speed it up a little in order for some of the facial features to be obvious.
The photo imaging equipment and medium that will be used and why
Use your camera.. plus what ever else you think put some info about your camera
I’ll be using a NikonD3100 in order to capture my photos. This is a fairly basic beginner
DSLR that allows for professional looking photos. I’d ideally like my images to be very
crisp, therefore by using the NikonD3100, its resolution of 14.2MP allows for this whilst
also capturing all detail within the frame. The camera is accustomed to shoot in most
lighting, meaning I can easily achieve my desired effect. Whilst automatic mod is
available, I’ll be using manual mode in order to control the three key setting- ISO,
Aperture and shutter speed. The camera has an 18-55mm lens with a built in vibration
reduction, making it even easier to shoot at a slower shutter speed without a tripod.
Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message
When thinking about the composition of my photo, I’ll keep the rule of thirds in mind in
order to produce more visually appealing images that will attract the eye. The subject
of my photo will either be positioned within the left or right hand side of the image,
since a centred image typically leads to an unnatural composition. In a portrait photos
the eyes ae always an important element, they’re typically what draws us in; therefore
I’ll place them within the focal point of the top third of the frame.
In order to capture images similar to that of Lawrence Watson I’ll need to use a shutter
speed of around 1/200-1/300- I want some of the subjects’ features to be visible. The
images will consist of a large depth of field, therefore I need to use an f-stop of f8 or
higher. Lighting is of importance when capturing a silhouette- it acts a backlight- this
means the photo needs to be taken during the sunniest tie of the day, o when the sun
is setting or rising.
Indie rock is commonly associated with grunge; therefore I want my images to include
more rich and defined colouring in order to represent this genre. In order to achieve
this I’d need to increase my shutter speed so that the exposure time is prolonged.
I’ll be using natural lighting, meaning manual mode is an important element to me- I’ll
need to change the setting in order to capture the right style of photo I’m aiming and
to suit the lighting dependent on the time of day it is.

4. Location
of shoot
Salford:
Guildford
Road/Light
Oaks Road
My photos will be used in magazines such as NME and Rock Sound- two
magazines that focus on both less well known ‘underground’ artists and
famous figures within the indie/rock scene. I’ll be taking my photos within
Salford in the back alleys of the Guildford Road/Light Oaks Road area.
Indie artist are known for their low budget locations, therefore I want this
to be apparent within the images- the artist need to be within their
‘natural’ setting.
Risk and health and safety considerations
A risk assessment will be carried out for each photoshoot.