OUGD502: Jewellery Photoshoot

I booked the studio for Wednesday afternoon's late slot (3:30-9pm), giving us enough time to set up the equipment and Memory enough time to get the shots. Looking back, this was not enough time as Memory asked to keep my jewellery for another two weeks in the attempt to get better shots. We chose to shoot on a Phase One camera, costing £25,000 and being one of the highest quality digital cameras on offer. Memory has been inducted into this camera yet it was difficult to use, essentially being an unnecessary obstacle in the time scale of the shoot. 

To get the product shots we used a product booth, resembling a Punch and Judy tent. The jewellery sits inside this with the lights underneath, yet we got assistance from Paul, one of the photography technicians to make sure lighting was correct. In lieu of a model on the day, I used myself. I had previously contacted a model, however due to time restrictions on the shoot Memory didn't have time to shoot the model before she had to leave. The urgency I was trying to convey in the shoots schedule did not get picked up on by Memory, and in all the shoot was quite a stressful experience.

The standard of photography is not what I expected when agreeing to use Memory as a photographer. Despite seeing lots of really successful shots on the day of the shoot, these were not sent to me- nor was the full list or contact sheet of images. The issues with lighting were not resolved by Memory in the images, with the umbrella reflections being clearly visible in shot. This is my first really negative experience of collaboration, and in this instance would have much preferred to shoot the jewellery myself, using familiar techniques which I know work from the photography induction and personal practice. Never the less, the collaborative experience with Memory has taught me to be more cautious with who I work with, and possibly share work before embarking on collaborative journeys to improve the final resolution. 

My intentions with these images was to create editorial and Instagram content, giving me the initial kickstart to gage response and possibly develop a brand. The crop ratio's were not any form of preset, meaning that they just wouldn't would for the intended print distribution. I will experiment with grids to see if I can get them to function as envisaged  but I do not feel like I have achieved this because none of these images comply with the initial requirements and brief I gave to Memory. In our initial discussion she even mentioned how she was also inspired by Tiffany & Co, as featured in the mood boards, so I was expecting a wider veriety of shots and experimentation on her behalf. Throughout the shoot I Art Directed many shots, yet these were sadly not sent to me. We incorporated props which I sourced specially (including a bracelet stand and funky wooden boxes), as inspired by the mood boards. 

This experience has taught me to lower my expectations in some cases, yet to not rule out the opportunity of good things happening from collaborative practice- with the right people. I will still try and use these images, possibly clone stamping the high contrast studio shots, yet I will not prioritise this section of my practice until the summertime when I can focus more holistically on creating a personal brand and create more pieces.