Styling for Graduation Photoshoot
Jonny Smart, Promotions Assistant for the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries got in contact with me over email to offer me a stylist opportunity within the production of the graduation photoshoot profiles.
They were looking for stylists for the photoshoot to help the photographers gain the best images possible for the university website.
Every year students get nominated by their course leaders to have a profile written about their success at Portsmouth university; it wasvery inspiring to meet these individuals and learn more about the deadlines and demands of other courses at our university.
The Photoshoot:
During the photoshoot I had to check the positioning of students for the photos, was used as a prop to create a ‘candid’ image and, my opinion was also valued for how the students would pose during the photoshoot.
The golden rule of the photoshoot was that “students are not allowed to smile at the camera”.
Each photoshoot had to take place in a different part of the Eldon building, because it is the creative arts building it had the best settings and backdrops for students.
The Experience:
•The photoshoot took part in two separate days and consisted of 16 students having their photos taken. The experience was great meeting different individuals from different courses and learning what they wish to do after their studies and how hard they have worked.
•However, I did find it very hard to get comfortable putting people into poses and positions that would best show their features; getting a candid photo that looked the part and was focused, was very hard and only worked for one individual. Many of the other images were staged.
•When styling a photoshoot you have to be very knowledgeable about what poses, hair styles and angles work for different individuals and I did struggle trying to make it work for the photographers but, I did enjoy learning new skills from Oli and Tom about lighting and how to speak to the ‘models’ to make them comfortable whilst photographing them.
