For my test shoot, I set up everything in my location which proved to be a challenge with some of my props. Getting the bed in my location was surprisingly easy however, trying to set up the four poster bed canopy was extremely difficult. After a lot of failing I finally managed to find beams and branches that were high enough to hold the canopy without being in shot. Because of this, the canopy wasn’t completely straight however, when reviewing my images I came to really like this as I think it adds to the dark tones but also I think it reinforces the fact that this bed has been left to rot for a number of years.

I used a Canon 1dx with a 16-35mm lens to shoot these images, I used this lens as it gave me a wide angle and I was able to fit more into the image in such a small area. I not think my images would have been half as effective if I didn’t use a wide angle lens.

The lighting I used varied in this shoot as I moved them around to experiment what effects I could create and what looked better. The lights I had were, a soft-box, triggered flash and a continuous light on a tripod. When the flash was through the tree it created the dramatic lighting I wanted causing a fantasy atmosphere, it also lit up the background ( the wall) adding depth to the image. Despite this, when I moved the flash to try and light the foreground ( my models face) the background lighting disappeared. If I were to use a tripod, I could have put both lighting in one image however, I didn’t. When I do my final shoot, I hope to have both the background and the foreground lit in the same image.

I also think, before I shoot my final images I could add some more props into the image to make it more successful. I think I could add more vines and cobwebs to show the time scale more. I could also use the purple flowers that are mentioned in the original story and dot them around my set. It was mentioned to me that the blanket used in these images didn’t suit my image as it was a knitted cotton blanket and my story contained a princess. To show the models status I need to buy a silky fabric to drape over the model as it looks more expensive and elegant.