As with the previous evaluation for the first set of photos, I will be repeating the reviewing process with the second set.
Above is a selection of the images taken in this set, displaying a second outfit combination. Again, the theme and aesthetic is carried across, as well as the set the shoot was taken on to maintain continuity across the series.
There is a variety of image types from full body shots, close ups, clothing specific images as well as more experimental images for added character. This again combines the features highlighted in my research with the PHUG and H&M brands, as can be seen in the sample images below.
There is a strong use of colour and contrast to separate the clashing colours of the clothing, as well as making the model and the clothes stand out among the rest of the photo. Close up shots are used to draw the viewers eyes in and focus on a specific subject, which in this case is articles of clothing. This is a common practice used in the clothing and marketing industry as a way to create a narrative with the images as well as providing an idea of the product the are selling.
Thanks to a number of creative workshops with Photoshop and Lightroom I was able to improve my editing skills and thus the quality of my final outcomes. Techniques such as digging and burning helped me to balance out the highlights and shadows of my images to create a more even look. Combined with the blemish removal tools I was able to use an industry-level practice to touch up the images with accuracy, bringing them close to the professional look of brand images such as those below.
One major difference between this set of photos and the previous set 1 is that I reduced the workload on myself. I took extra time to refine the selected images even further, ultimately reducing the number of images I had to edit. This also helped me to maintain a higher quality across my edits as I wasn't working with images that weren't worthy of taking further. I will have to do this process again upon completion of all the sets as I need to refine the images down to the very best for display.
This is a key feature I noticed across my research; that brands used a maximum of roughly 5 photos for a product, be that in an article or on a product's page. This also applies to a campaign as it is better to show a variety of content rather than lots of the same image.
Were I to do this project or task again I would change a few aspects of the photos. Firstly I would use a less "noisy" set, by which I mean a set that has less going on. The brand images above show a model in a fairly basic and plain location, with solid colours and straight lines, plain backdrops and little going on behind them. With my own imagery, there is a bit more going on in the shot, from various backdrops to the odd car here and there. Overall the images would look a lot cleaner and sleek if there was less going on.
However, it could also be said that the theme of lockdown fashion explains the somewhat busy sets. For example, where people were at home for the duration of the lockdowns of 2020, people's cars would be left parked up outside, thus the cars in the images.
(1) H&M (2021) Magazine, A World Of Inspiration At: https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/life.html (Accessed 11/03/2021)
(2) PHUG (2021) PHUG, At: https://www.phug.co.uk (Accessed 11/04/21)
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