Reflection of proposal

With regards to the proposal submitted for the Live Brief I believe I successfully managed to complete it and obtain a series of images which represents the concept I was aiming for. Promoting the rockabilly culture and the pin-up attitude were my main points of focus.
The series of images was published on the rockabilly.ro website and I am glad that I was able to contribute to that by means of my photographs.

Completing such a project meant that I needed to put a team together. There was no way I could have achieved these results without collaborating with other artists, models and brilliant people. Ana Maria Oana, president of the Rockabilly Romania Association was the co-ordinator of the project because she could provide me with an essential connection to Romania. I planned the entire thing whilst being in the United Kingdom and only went back home for the actual shoots.

I also had two designers on board, who provided us with some of the outfits. They are both amazing artists and I wish to thank them for their help. One professional make-up artist also joined the crew and provided the make-up for the first shoot, which took place on 16th February. The other 3 models were in charge of their own make-up and hair styles. On the days of the shoot, they all looked perfect. Thank you ladies! It was a pleasure working with you.

I did not have access to a studio in Bucharest which meant that I had to get in contact with someone who ownes such a creative space in order to get the work done. I found a person who is also a freelance photographer, owner of an excellent studio. I asked him if I could use his studio along with the backdrops and lighting kits and he allowed me to do so.

On the days of the shoot everything went smoothly. There were of course some moments of increased stress and tension but in the end, it was alright. I also had a person assisting me on the two days and he did an excellent job helping me with anything I needed. From changing the backdrops, to testing the light and playing around with the different light sources.
I have realised how essential the role of an assistant is. He/she makes everything so much easier when the sufficient amount of experience is gained.

This shoots have by far been the most complex ones I have organized untill now. It was a brilliant experience and I would do it all over again if I had the chance to do so because it was all worth it. I met awesome people, collaborated with talented artists and practitioners and last but not least, managed to create some connections which will hopefully help me in the future with my career.

Were there things I wish I had done differently? Of course! There is always room for better. The first one concerns myself as a practitioner and my ability to connect with the model in front of my camera. At one point I was so focused on getting the exposure, framing and lighting right that I forgot to pay attention to the model and how she was posing. I only realised my mistake when post editing the images and by that time, nothing could be done. The consequence was that I couldn't use some of the images in my portfolio because of the unnatural feeling created by the model's pose.

The other aspect would be planning and telling the models what time they should attend the shoot. On the second shoot I had three models and I asked them to come to the studio all at the same time. Looking back, I should have done things differently. Allowing myself 1 hour between the shoots would have been a wise thing to do. The reason I say that is beacuse one of the models ended up waiting about 20 minutes, all dressed up and ready to pose. That happened due to the other two models being photographed. The solution to this problem was finishing half of the shoot with the first two models, then photographing the third model in her two outfits in order to avoid keeping her waiting. After that she was free to go and attend the other appoitments she had in her schedule.

To sum up, I would say that this live brief has brushed up my skills, developed my sense of planning and organizing shoots, dealing with under pressure situations and last but not least, learing how to a successful creative practitioner. I intend to continue experimenting with pin-up photography because it is a subject matter worth exploring. The final images were used by the models, make-up artist and myself in portfolios and by the co-ordinator on the rockabilly.ro website. I retain the copyright for the photographs and therefore, I am able to used them however I see apropriate. Two of the images produced were submitted to 2 competitions (Adobe Awards and Duggal B&W contest).
I'd also like to state that my target was reached and my mission of creating images with a 1950's feeling was accomplished. 

Epica - Isaac Delahaye

I got the following message from Epica's guitar player Isaac Delahaye:

This was the requested image: 

Facebook Page - Epica Band

My photography Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/andradamihailescu.photography ) has brought me a series of unexpected and rewarding surprises.
I usually post images on a regular basis. Last summer, in August 2012 I managed to get a photo pass for the ArtMania festival taking place in Sibiu, Romania.

It was a 2 day art festival which also included bands playing on two stages. One of the band performing was Epica from Netherlands. After shooting the images and post processing them I posted the album on Facebook and tagged the bassist of the band in some of the images.

Next thing I know, the bass player, Rob Van der Loo shares my images from the Epica show and also uses one of my photos of him as his profile picture. I was very pleased to see that.

Full gallery for this event can be viewed by accessing the following link:
http://www.multichrome-music.com/epica.html

Duggal - Black and white competition

This is the image I entered the Duggal competition with.
The reason I choose to submit this particular image is that it reflects the nature of the project I have been working on for the Live Brief. The photograph was originally designed to be in color however, I also like the black and white version because it conveys a retro feeling which works with the atmosphere created in the image.

Adobe Awards Submission - Pin Up Nicoleta

Curriculum Vitae

ANDRADA MIHAILESCU

        Flat 6, 71 High Street, Broadstairs, Kent, CT101NQ

         Email address: mihailescu_andrada@yahoo.com

                                                                                Mobile: 07980042027

PROFILE

I am an international third year photography student at Canterbury Christ Church University, Broadstairs Campus, aiming to become a freelance practitioner. My creative practice focuses on portraiture and concert photography in particular.

EDUCATION

Ø  September 2010 – to present :   Canterbury Christ Church University, Broadstairs, UK

BA HONS Photography

·     Advanced Digital Imaging, Creative Photographic Practice,

Exhibiting and Exhibitions,

Professional & Community Practice,

Mixed Media

Ø  September 2006 – June 2010:     Dr. Ioan Mesota National College, Brasov, Romania

BACALAUREATE Diploma: Final grade 9.33

·         Bilingual education: English and French

·         Arts and Humanities Profile

VOLUNTARY WORK

Ø  May 2011:  Imagine Exhibition at Canterbury Christ Church University

·         Helping the Year 2 Photography students with painting the flats for the exhibition

Ø  June 2011:  Fatzada Art Festival, which took place in Brasov, Romania

·         Assistance with organizing events such as concerts and competitions involving different forms of art such as graffiti, painting and photography.

Ø  August 2011: Fatzada Street Festival, located in Brasov, Romania

·         Helping participants set up workshops and organize stands in order to present their work

·         Offering information regarding the event to people who showed interest in knowing more about the festival

Ø  October 2011 to present: Student Representative for BA Hons Photography Course – Canterbury Christ Church University

·         Collecting feedback regarding the course from photography students and delivering the information to the members of staff during Programme Committee Meetings

·         Informing students about the topics discussed in the meetings and what decisions have been made based on their feedback

Ø  January 2012 to June 2012:  Exhibiting and Exhibitions Team at Canterbury Christ Church University

·         Part of the Curatorial Team for the upcoming end of year photography exhibition which will take place at Canterbury Christ Church University – Broadstairs Campus in June 2012.

Ø  July 2012:  Accredited photographer at the Ghost Festival which took place in Rasnov, Romania. This event was a music festival which gathered musicians from Romania, Hungary, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany.

Ø  August 2012: Accredited photographer at the ArtMania Festival which took place in Sibiu, Romania. This art festival takes place every year and is a source of musical entertainment as well as inspiration for the ones who attend it. Artists from Deutschland, United Kingdom, Germany and Finland were present at the 2012 edition. 

Ø  September 2012: Accredited photographer at the Posada Rock Festival which took place in Campulung Muscel, Romania. This event was a competition aiming to discover emerging bands and help them become successful. There were also performances by artists from Romania, Republic of Moldova, Belgium and Portugal.

Ø  November 2012 to present: Collaboration with UK based publication, Metal Forces Magazine.

·         Attending concerts in the UK and photographing the performing artists. Until now, I have attended events in Norwich, Bristol and London.

·         Artists include: Anthrax, Eluveitie, Kamelot, Motorhead, Rhapsody, Sabaton, Steve Vai, Testament, Xandria.

·         Writing live reviews for the concerts.

·         Upcoming festival to be shot for Metal Forces Magazine: HELLFEST 2013 taking place in France.

WORKING EXPERIENCE

Ø  October 2011to present: Student Ambassador – Canterbury Christ Church University

·     Supporting students in their development, both within groups and on a one to one basis.

·     Delivering information regarding higher education and university life

Ø  November 2011 to present: Content Writer – Mediarun Search

·         Writing articles on different subjects, following a brief and having to meet certain requirements.

Ø  November 2011 to present: Student Guide – Canterbury Christ Church University

·         Delivering information regarding the CCCU Broadstairs Campus to applicants, friends and families on UCAS Visit Days.

·         Offering tours of the campus, explaining about the available facilities.

SKILLS

Ø  Communication

·         Being part of Fatzada Festival and Fatzada StreetFest has enabled me to easily communicate with other people, offering them information regarding different aspects of the art festivals, such as purpose, participants and schedule.

Ø  Teamwork

·         Helping the Year 2 Photography students with setting up the Imagine Exhibition required the volunteers to work well together in order to finish everything in time.

·         Helping the participants at Fatzada StreetFest arrange their stands and artwork during the 3 days of the festival meant that we had to work efficiently and be careful not to damage any creations.

Ø  Initiative and Problem Solving

·         Whenever a problem occurs I always try to find the best solution in order to solve it in a quick and efficient way.

·         I can easily adapt to different work environments and always do my best to complete any given task.

Ø  Independency and Time Management

·         When attending the concerts, I usually go unaccompanied. Therefore, I have developed a sense of independency and self reliance. I have to manage my time effectively so that the events I go to don’t clash with the courses and university timetable.

·         Booking hotels and train tickets in order to get to the venue on time for the show and afterwards have a place to stay at until the following day requires planning ahead.

ADDIONAL INFORMATION

Ø  QUALIFICATIONS

·         Languages: Fluent English, conversational French and Spanish

·         IT: Confident user of Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.

·         Effective verbal and written communication skills gained after being awarded Grade C (73%) in the Certificate of Proficiency in English

Ø  PERSONAL

·         Date of birth: 22.07.1991

·         Nationality: Romanian

·         I have obtained the Yellow Card work permit which allows me to be employed in the UK for up to 20 hours a week

Ø  INTERESTS

·         Traveling to foreign countries such as Hungary, Germany, Prague, Austria, Spain, France and United Kingdom. This has allowed me to experiment with multiculturalism and appreciate each country for its customs and traditions.

·         Promoting different forms of art such as photography, music, painting, sculpture, literature.

·         Discovering the meanings of human existence by means of philosophy. This subject blends with art because they complete each other.

·         Curating Contemporary Art is a field I have become interested in since my second year as an undergraduate. Therefore, my Mixed Media project focuses on exploring the Curator’s Eye and the process taking place when putting an exhibition together.

·         Combining visual and written information has always been fascinating to me. By applying for a Photojournalism MA at the University of Westminster I aim to extend my perspectives and explore this field.

Ø  WEBSITES

Please feel free to visit my websites:

·         Personal website which displays my portraiture work:

www.andramihailescu.co.uk

·         Website which focuses on my concert photography in particular:

www.multichrome-music.com

Websites and Bussiness Cards

Business cards ordered from the Moo.com website:

 

Two designs contain concert photographs and the other three depict portraits in an outdoor location, and indoor location and the last one was taken in the studio. 

These cards go hand in hand with my two websites:

1. My portraiture work: 

www.andramihailescu.co.uk  

2. My concert photography: 

www.multichrome-music.com