Photoshoot concept & Storyboards

I know feel that I have gathered enough inspirational imagery and research to develop my own winter wonderland concept and plan my photoshoot. These storyboards show my initial ideas of some of the scenes I'd like to try and achieve in my photoshoot.

As I have not viewed my location recently, I have found it quite hard to convey any specific details in these storyboards, as I don't know whether my locations will be completely suitable for these type of scenes.

Therefore, these images are really just sketches of the initial ideas that I imagine could portray a winter wonderland concept. I done quite know if I will re-create all, if any of these scenes as I really need to see the locations first and am happy to just go with the flow on the day.

I like the idea of using alot of props, to create a Tim Walker-esque fantasy feel, showing the discovery of finding unexpected objects hanging from trees throughout the winter wonderland.

I had this idea from the well known phrase, 'if only money would grow on trees' and expanded it to show what I wish could grow on trees if I was in a fantasy wonderland. For example, discovcering a tree full of presents or sweets in the middle of a wood, as if they had grown out from the branches and are free for the picking would be pretty special and give a very magical feel to my winter wonderland photoshoot.

When presents come to life

Lily Allen - The Fear (Explicit) on MUZU
I love the concept of this video, as it shows how Lily Allen steps into a small caravan which opens up into a beautiful mansion which is like her own fantasy world. As the lyrics in the song suggest, its can sometimes be hard to tell what is real and what is fake in the world we live in. Sometimes escapism is the only way of coping and dreaming of an imaginery life is for many, far better than the reality of their own lives.
From 1 minute 30 seconds onwards in the video is when Lily steps into a massive room full of beautifully wrapped presents the size of her, which then come to life and start dancing round with her. This creates such a fantasy feel to the video, as not only is there a room full of all the presents she could wish for but they actually come to life, as if she has stepped into a dream world. 
I also like the ending to the video when she steps outside to find the mansion she has just come from wrapped up with a big bow as a huge present with ballons everywhere, as if this was the ultimate birthday present that you could wish for.

The Lovely Bones

I deicided to start reading the book, 'The Lovely Bones' over chirstmas as everyone has always told me how good it is. Also, I've just found out that film director Peter Jackson has made it into a film to be released early next year and so I always like to read the book before I see the film version to see if it lives up to expectations.

This book is very inspiring and tells the story of a girl who is murdered and then finds herself in a world where everything she dreams of and makes her happy is in this world. This is the concept of how I want my 'winter wonderland' to feel as if it's a heaven like place where you can forget all your troubles and your surrounded by peace and the things that make you happy.

I've viewed the trailer online and the film is definately on my 'must see' list now as I was also really impressed with how director Peter Jackson (famous for Lord of the Rings) has captured the serenity and peace of the dream-like world she finds herself in.

I like the way the cloud filled sky is reflect onto the ground in the second of these images as though the heaven (dreamworld) and earth (reality) have merged to become one other worldly place that she finds herself in. I hope to try and capture this effect in my photographs as if the sky is part of the 'winter wonderland' to create a strong atmospheric quality the images.

Photographer: Jackson Wise

As I want to do my photoshoot back home on location in Worcestershire, I have been wracking my brain to think of a photographer I might know or be able to use for my photoshoot. Then I remembered that a guy I did photography with at sixth form college lives nearby, but we hadn't kept in touch since we left sixth form over three years ago.

Luckily, thanks to facebook, I managed to get in touch with Jackson and found he is in his third year of uni doing a degree in photography and said he was back home and free over christmas. 

Jackson gave me the link to his website so I could take a look at the style of photography he is into and the type of work he does. Even though his style is the complete opposite of what I am trying to achieve I know that he is a more than competent photographer and has told me he is happy to take my direction and is up for the challenge of something different.

Even though I haven't worked with either Jackson or Georgia before, I know them both well and feel confident I will be able to give them both direction as to creating my overall concept and final outcome.

http://thefutureofphotography.tk/

Model: Georgia Grace Palmer

The model I have chosen to use for my photoshoot just so happens to be my sister's best friend and also a successful model with top modelling agency, Models 1. Georgia has been modelling for a couple of years now and has done lots of top editorial work and also a number of campaigns for fashion brands. I feel really lucky to be working with someone who is such a professional and always takes beautiful photos, as you can see from the pictures above.

I like the fact that she has a very natural beauty and doesn't need much make up, which will work well for the angelic, porcelain beauty look I want to achieve. She has a youthful, fresh image that will compliment the crisp, freshness of a 'winter wonderland' setting.

Willy Wonka and his AMAZING Chocolate Factory

The story of Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house also reminds me of the fantastic film adaptation of the Rohl Dahl book, 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'. My favourite part in the film is when they first step into the wonka factory and enter a world where everything is edible and all the trees and flowers are sweets that can just be picked and eaten as you wish.
For all the sweet toothed people out there I'm sure this is one fantasy that many would love to be a reality. I'm thinking of incorporating some edible props into my 'winter wonderland' concept for this reason, as the surprise of finding edible treats were you least expect them whould add to the enchantment and fantasy element of my concept.
Clip from film of Willy Wonkas fantastic edible world.....

Hansel & Gretel for Vogue

        

This is one of Annie Leibovitz's most recent editiorials for US Vogue's December 2009 issue featuring no other than the fashion icon Lady Gaga and what seems to be the most popular fairytale feme fatal, Lily Cole.

This photoshoot is based on the story of Hansel and Gretel and incorporates props and costumes from the Metropolitan Opera's production of this classic fairytale. The stage props that have been set into the woodland setting make the images even more surreal and really do make you feel as if you have stepped into a magical paralell universe. 

I remember hearing this story when I was little and after, being quite scared and afraid of the thought of going into woods and getting lost. However, the image of a house in the woods being made from gingerbread and sweets and being completely edible was a dream that I wished would come true. 

Florence & The Machine

Recently I have become a massive fan of Florence and The Machine and I seem to be listening to their album 'Lungs' all the time and have found it really inspiring.

I have chosen these two images from their album artwork as they have such an interesting, otherworldy look to them. Florence herself, has an almost ethereal, mystical beauty about her and I love how this is mirrored in her surroundings in these images. Her style and look is always slightly removed from reality and captures the essence of escapism and a fantasy land.

Hatter's Summer Nights Dream with Smirnoff

Hatter's Summer Nigh..
Watch the ad...

I saw this advert on tv quite a while ago and was really impressed that Smirnoff vodka had created an advert with such a fantasy feel to it. The mixture of period, animal and fantasy costumes used in the advert means that this wierd and inviting world can only be described as a cross between, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'The Mad Hatter's Tea Party'.
It definately causes intrigue to the viewer as all the scenes are very fleeting and only allow you a quick glimpse into this fantasy wonderland. This is another technique I could use to capture the mystery and suspense of stepping into a winter wonderland for the first time.

Flower by Kenzo

This is another perfume advert which I enjoyed watching, as it again captures the magic and essence of what a dream world is all about. I like how it's set at nightime as she wakes up into a dream world which is beautifully lit and seems to have little glowing fireflys everywhere.
Again this use of film has created areally atmospheric and other-worldly feel and the music has a lovely melody which is very relaxing and makes you feel as though you are floating off into your own dream-world. These are all aspects I need to keep in mind and would like to reproduce if I decide to make a film to communicate my concept of 'winter wonderland'.

Flora by Gucci

Another great atmospheric advert, this time by music video director Chris Cunningham for Gucci perfume, Flora.
Again it seems as though the model is hypnotised by the fragrance giving her magical powers or the abitlity to conjure up the fragrance from the field of flowers she is standing in. The music is also extremely atmospheric and really adds to mystical, dream world qualities of the advert.
I can see how film and the power of movement and music have the ablitiy to transport you to another world and escape reality. It really helps focus all your senses on the concept as you can almost imagine yourself smelling the fragrance and it taking over you as it does to the model in the advert.

The Forbidden Fruit

I had no idea when I first saw this advert for Nina by Nina Ricci perfume that it was created by Eugenio Recuenco but it seems he is a master of film aswell as photography.
Eugenio Recuenco really makes this product the centre of attention of the advert not only for the audience but in the way the doors fly open and the model rushes towards the mountain of shiny, rosey apples, seemingly bewitched by what hangs from the top of the tree. She then sets about climbing up the apples, letting nothing get in her way (as if almost hypnotised or in a dream world) until she gets to the top, where she reaches out for the only apple left hanging from the tree.
I feel like this apple represents the forbidden fruit in the magical world she entered through the doorway and it's just hanging there at the top of the tree waiting for her to pick it. This also takes me back the disney story of Snow White and the seven dwarves where she eats the poision apples and falls into a deep slumber and can only be awoken by a kiss from the handsome knight. This truely is the stuff of fairytales and Eugenio Recuenco has captured this in such a enchanting but subtle way. Nina Ricci is know for their style of 'fairy couture' and the model looks so angelic as if she comes from a fairytale world.

Couture Memoirs

Couture Memoirs was shot for Italian Vogue in september 2007 by Paolo Roversi. I love the haunting, mystical atmosphere the model captures, especially in the last image where she creates a very statuesque pose as if she has just stepped out of a beautiful classical painting.
They way this has been shot make you feel as though she is completely at home in the woods, lying on the forest floor and running in and out of the trees as if she is some kind of beautiful woodland creature that Paolo Roversi is trying to capture a picture of.
I like the way the leaves and branches frame the model and how some of the images are shot through the foliage as if you are secretly looking into another world through the camoflauge. Most of the poses are quite natural and I particularly the one where she is looking out from behing the tree as if she is hiding from something or doesn't want to be seen.

The House on the Hill

This editorial was created by photographer Arthur Elgort for UK Vogue's November 2004 issue and features the almost ethereal Lily Cole, who is shot wondering through the woods looking bewildered like a little girl who has lost her way.
The feeling that woods or trees can hide sinister secrets is highlighted by the fact that a rather creepy man and boy seem to be following her every move by hiding in the trees that surround her. This seems to give an almost bewitching effect to the trees and scenery, which is increased by the mystical mist which looks as though it is about to engluf her on the last image, as she is succomed to the woods and the scary man that lurks within them.
Lily Cole's porcelain beauty is perfect for this editorial as it seems to highlight her fragility and vunerablity and contrast with the unknown darkness that surrounds her.
For my concept, I would ideally like to work with a model that has a very natural beauty with almost childlike features like Lily Cole, as this will continue the theme of children's fairytales and a dream like world. The couture dress that have been styled for this editorial are simply stunning and give Lily and enchanting, magical appeal.

Eugenio Recuenco

        

I came across the photographer Eugenio Recuenco whilst researching fairytales being used in fashion photography. This editorial based on well known fairytales was for Spanish Vogue in 2003. Eugenio Recuenco's style has been defined as "cinematographic" and "pictorial" and he has a fanatastic body of work on his website www.eugeniorecuenco.com/ which I have found to be very inspirational.

His style of photography is very atmospheric often portraying a dark, moody, eerie feel. Many of his works also have an aged look, as if the scene has been captured from a different era of history and makes you feel as though you are looking into a long lost world.

Many fairytales do have a dark and sometimes scary side to them; like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood or the Wicked Witch in Snow White, and I feel the darker sides to these stories have been captured perfectly with the use of rusty, aged props and the destressed, stained walls.

I hope to achieve a similar atmospheric mood for my 'winter wonderland' concept. Although I do not invisage the feel to be as dark and moody, I want to create an atmosphere that allows the viewer the feeling of escaping reality to a parallel world.

Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is one of my all time favourite adventure stories as I have fond memerioes of my dad reading the books to me and my sister when we where younger. Then I remember we would go into our wardrobes and come out pretending we were in our own winter wonderland just like Narnia.

When the film came out I was very impressed with all the scenery and how the snow and ice covering everthing made it feel so mystical and magicial. One image that stands out for me, is when little Lucy has just discovered the world of Narnia and is walking through the bleak and disserted woods when she comes across a lit up old-fashioned lamp-post in the middle of nowhere and is rather confused about what it is doing there. That is the first instance when the audience realise Narnia is different to what it seems.

Beauty & the Beast

                         

Another great photoshoot by Annie Leibovitz, featuring Drew Barrymore for US Vogue's April 2005 issue. The stunning use of props and scenery has captured another of Disney's classic fairytale films, Beauty and the Beast.

I like how the editorial also uses quotes from Beauty and the Beast to further enhance the story telling Annie Leibovitz has created.

The ballgowns Drew is wearing are just beautiful and really create the fairytale fantasy that is every girls dream to where such beautiful dresses and pretend to be a princess.

Tim Walker's Trees

        

Tim Walker is another fashion photographer whos work I find really inspirational. He always creates beautiful images which always have something about them which is abit out of the ordinary. For example, he relies heavily on props to create scenes on different scales and uses props where you least expect to see them, such as having bedroom furniture hanging out of a tree.

I love this type of fantasy imagery as it makes you give his pictures a double take and question why things are positioned where they are. For this reason, Tim Walker's use of props means he manages to make dream-worlds a reality. For example, who wouldn't love the idea of a world where trees are covered in cakes and sweets? Well he certainly makes it believeable thats for sure.

I particually like the fact that alot of his photography includes trees, which sometimes replace the model all together. This is the case when he photographed colourful, pretty dresses lit up hanging from a tree instead of a model wearing them. It's almost as if he turned the tree into the model, decorating and lighting it with the clothes to make it look as beautiful as possible, like you would normally do to a model.

For me, his images of trees also represents many of my childhood memories which involved climbing and exploring trees and escaping to an imaginary world, high up in the tree tops. Trees and woodland often feature in many childrens fairytales, as they can create pwoerful images of being scary, dark places where its easy to get lost and never find your way out, or magical, mystical places full of the beauty of nature.

Growing up in the countryside and having a wood on my doorstep, I have always viewed trees and woodland as having two sides to them. They can be great places to explore, feeling like you are escaping into another world or they can feel quite intimidating, as you never quite know what to expect around the corner having your vision blocked by so many trees in your path of sight. These memories have confirmed to me that I would really like to use trees and/or a woodland setting to communicate my idea of a fantasy wonderland.