Contact sheet

For this task we were put into groups of 3 and were told to use locations around our school to take photos that convey a story. For this photo shoot we used a typical DSLR camera, that we successfully used in terms of getting the correct exposure and shutter speed etc. We mainly experimented with different exposures. We found that our images worked better at a lower exposure, as most of our images had a dark mood. We achieved our goal of telling stories using the camera by experimenting with different angles framing and distances. Furthermore, in the composition of our images we had to really think about embedding all the different aspects of MES.

Collage

The aim of this photo shoot was to convey a narrative within all of our images, and I think that we successfully did this as a group. We managed to complete this through our understanding of Mise En Scene:

• Facial expressions
• Colour
• Body language
• Proxemics
• Pose
• Costume

It is important to remember that there are multiple parts to photographing a story. There is the set up of the image eg. MES, but then there is how you actually take the picture. Its how you take the image that tells the story. One of our photos that stood out to me was the bottom center image which had a denotation of the girl gazing out the window. I particularly like this one because the narrative is being fully connoted. We used mid shot framing in order to get the angle on this image. We used a mid shot so that the window could also be a main focus of the end result. If the window wasn’t there then the story in the photograph wouldn’t make sense. We also used the rule of thirds in the composition of it, again, in order to allow the model and window to be a main focus. The model is gazing out the window and this represents her as feeling quite lonely and possibly in deep thought. We also reduced the exposure on the camera – making the image darker and therefore emphasizing the connotation of a depressive/dark mood.

This approach of taking photographs will massively help me with my own music magazine production. It has allowed me to have a fuller insight into how images are able to go from being ‘just an image’ to being something much more – something that can tell a story. In my music magazine I feel I will now be able to display my knowledge of MES in my final product much more easily and successfully.