Final RMS make-up still life

I got into the still life studio after it being closed for a week and was shocked to see a brand new table. My first worry was continuity, all my images have been shot on a matte table and the new table has a gloss finish. While I actually prefer this table my images will look different. At this stage of the project I don't have time to re-shoot, or the studio booking. 

Although I was thrown off with the new table I had a really good shoot. I felt I was getting the images I needed quickly but was by no means rushing the process. I was content with the lighting and felt at ease even though time is short. 

 The first set of images I took I noticed after that the stickers on the boxes looked distracting, so i turned them round and felt the image looked more professional and clean.

 I love the simplicity of the white boxes and don't think the images look to bare or empty. I feel I have achieved the minimal look. 

I think I will use one of these images as the feature image as I think its powerful but simple. 

Products

Looking at these images I can see my skills have improved, I enjoy looking at this image and the minimalism, before when I tried shooting the products I felt the images looked boring and lacked substance, but this image works for me. 

I then took pictures of the products together and separately to sort of warm up and make sure the lighting was good. 

 I added some opaline and aura quartz to the set up, I didn't want to use crystals with intense colours as it might have distracted from the colour of the product.

 I tried out adding in some cardboard shred, I realised I'd gone too far after taking a few images and returned to take images of what i'd already shot to make sure I had enough images as I do not have time to re-shoot.

Creating water droplets

I was thinking about what type of feature image i should have for my Jojoba oil post. While I like the close up of the bottle, flowers and crystals I feel there needs to be a feature image that shows how nourishing this product is. 

I like the idea of water droplets on the skin. It's something that looks really visually pleasing and I'd like to try out an idea i've had to imitate the effect. 

 An example of the desired effect. 

Trial

I am really happy with how this trial went! I love the effect of the glass pebbles and feel I've managed to create the desired effect. While this was meant to be a test I feel like I have usable images. I am so pleased with the lighting and clarity, it did take me a while to perfect the set-up and at times I wasn't really sure how it was looking but seeing the images on a computer screen is much different. 

Arabian Oil Feature Image

The mood I am trying to create with the Arabian oil article is fresh, clean and luxurious. I have been in the studio with a model and tried to encapsulate the scent. I used white petals and grass to create freshness and also purity. I feel like the shoot went well and I am pleased with the images. i love the wet look of the oil and how the body hair creates texture. My model was worried about me shooting her bod hair up so close, but I assured her this was what I was hoping to achieve. Body hair is pretty unacceptable and while there is a body hair don't care movement, it is very much something that is seen on Instagram but not so much out in the street. I want to promote natural beauty and think I have done this in todays shoot without showing armpits or pubic hair, so i think it adds rather than distracts from the perfume post.

Zambia

I spent my time in Zambia working with my auntie and uncle on their environmental projects. My auntie is a Moringa farmer, she has a plantation called Mother Earth which also has a lot of other plants such as neem trees. My uncle is a builder and is in the process of building my Auntie a Moringa factory that washes and dries the leaves, which is hopefully able to function completely without electricity. This way when the power cuts they can continue working. 

Moringa

Moringa oil comes from the seeds of Moringa Oleifera Tree. These are extremely rich in phytonutrients and can make a great impact on your overall health.

Neem 

Neem is an amazing gift from nature! It offers unbeaten and medically proven health and beauty benefits. The oil derived from neem seeds is ever more amazing! It is used as a main ingredient in many skin and hair care cosmetics. 

I helped plant seeds and learnt about making black soil to grow the miracle trees. Moringa oil is gaining popularity in cosmetics with the body shop and Estee lauder launchig products with the ingredient. Though organic and 100% pure is much more beneficial. 

During my first week in Mongu I did not have my suitcase as it was left in Dubai, I was incredibly distressed about it as I did not have my skincare products for my eczema, suncream or shampoo, let alone a hairbrush. But I soon realised none of it mattered, everything I needed was already there. Instead of moisturising with coconut oil I cut down pieces of Aloe Vera each morning to sooth my skin, I hand washed my clothes every morning, wearing the same top and trousers for an entire week is not something I would do at home but it really didn't matter to me out there.

One day I learnt how to make concrete water jars instead of using plastic ones, how to make renewable energy with hand made briquettes instead of charcoal and how to make a solar cooker with a cardboard box, sheet of tinfoil and plastic bag. 

It was really amazing to visit such an organic and environmental place, I have always questioned the UK and living here, as I grew up in Germany which was much more environmental than England, i was confused at why nobody washed their yogurt pots out and didn't recycle that much when I first got here. I expect I will return to Zambia after university to learn and experience much more.

Website Issues

I'm having issues with designing my website on Wordpress. Unless I learn coding over night or pay a large amount to upgrade to the premium package I am unable to freely customise the template. The colour pallet is too important to leave to default settings, so i need to look for another alternative...

I attended the Muse tutorials John had in the drop in lessons but decided it would not be the best option for my blog. I found it easy to get the hang of and feel it is very similar to InDesign which is my favourite adobe programme, but even John suggested it is not the best format for my project. While i could design the site and add a blog in, john didn't seem greatly confident with the idea so I will look for something else.