Competition entries

I have decide to enter 2 competitions which are as follows: the Adobe Awards - photography section and the Duggal - Black and White photography contest. Both images are portraits produced as a result of the live brief I have completed in February 2013. I entered the adobe awards because I edit my images using software from this provider. The programs I use are adobe Photoshop cs5 and light room 4. The black and white contest appealed to me because I am interest in monochrome imagery and creating such photos which would stand out is always a challenge.

For my live brief I have collaborated with rockabilly.ro in order to organize 2 photo sessions with 5 models In total. The final images would reflect the pin-up attitude, clothing, make-up and hairstyles. I have not had the chance to experiment with this type of photography and that's the reason why I wanted to complete this live brief and collaborate with the Romanian website.

The shoots took place in a studio in Bucharest Romania, belonging to Alex Csiki. The models involved were Isabel Beatrice Strat, Ioana Vieru, Luiza Clinciu, Mary Revery and Nicoleta Petre. There was a selection process which took place when it comes to models. The people selected identify themselves with the pin-up culture in one way or another. Not every one relates to this attitude, that for sure. I believe that i managed to choose the suitable girls for this project. I did not meet any of the models beforehand so the first encounter was a bit tricky but in the end, it turned out alright. I managed to win their confidence and obtained nice photos.

There were 2 designers involved in this project. They provided us with clothing and accessories. The first one is Diana Costache, owner at dystyle.ro and the second one is Luiza Clinciu, owner at madebyluiza.ro. I also had a make up artist in the team, who was in charge of the first photo session of the series. Her name is Isabel Beatrice Strat. In the second photo session, each model was in charge of her own make-up and hair styling. Liviu Zaharescu was kind enough to help by assisting me on both shoots, helping with light setup and anything else I needed. Many thanks to Madonna, the fluffy feline which was fabulous enough to pose for me in one photograph.

Another key person who made this project possible is Ana Maria Oana, president of the rockabilly.ro organization. Se helped me put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I had to plan everything from the uk so she my main connection to Romania whilst planning everything. I went back to Bucharest during reading week to get the 2 shoots done. It was quite stressful at times, but in the end the results were so rewarding that the entire process was worth it.

Due to the circumstances, we all had to communicate effectively via internet so that everything would fall into place and the shoots would be successful. I am glad to say we did and things went smoothly. I asked the make up artist to get in touch with the designer, Diana so that they would be able to try on the clothes before the shoot. They got along perfectly. the designers, make up artist and models are allowed to use the images in their portfolios in order to promote themselves as long as I am credited for the images. the photos are also going to be published on rockabilly.ro along with a series of interviews with each model. I have also answered a few questions about the project which has been published on the website.

The people involved in this project were as follows:
Models: Isabel Beatrice Strat, Ioana Vieru, Luiza Clinciu, Mary Revery, Nicoleta Petre.
Make up artist: Isabel Betrice Strat
Fashion designers: Diana Costache, Luiza Clinciu
Co-ordinator: Ana Maria Oana
Studio owner: Alex Csiki
Assistant: Liviu Zaharescu
Photographer: Andrada Mihailescu