Photography and fabric manipulation

Photography induction
This week has been quite exciting, I have had a fabric manipulation workshop and a photography induction, both of these workshops involved learning new things and exploring different techniques which made it really enjoyable for me.
On Tuesday we had our fabric manipulation workshop. We were asked to bring in a selection of different materials; brown paper, lace, wall paper, paints, candles, wires, wool, old knit wear etc.
Using these different materials we used three different processes to fuse and bond materials together to create new fabrics or interesting textures. From these experiments we will take them forward to our interdisciplinary processes module and develop these materials to create an inventive and avante garde garment.
We firstly used a heat press to bond and melt materials together. I felt that this method was the most successful and the one I would most likely use to make a garment, because the fabrics came out fused and were still able to be manipulated. I started using polythene to encapsulate fabrics and different materials, to give them a shine and a waterproofed effect. I also used different papers and trasnfered the words onto different fabrics by using the heat. This also looked good, but the words came out backwards so they would have to be put in the other way around in the first place if I wanted to use this method.
The second method was using wax, I liked doing this and the effects that it gave off on materials such as lace, and also adding paint and using ink and the wax acting as a resistant and protection to the material. This gave a really good effect, and something I would consider adapting to use as part of a material. The only problem with wax is that it goes very hard and makes the materials very stiff, and also once it dries it starts to crack, so although it gives a good effect it would not be viable as a material.
The final method was sewing. Cutting out different materials and layers and sewing into them, and sewing them together to create different textures and thicknesses. I still have to complete some of my examples for this, I hope to do this in the coming week, so I can choose the most successful out of all of my experiments.

The photography induction this week was really fun and I really learnt a lot about the cameras and the lighting which I will definitely use for my final photo for Fashion, art and culture. We learnt how to use all of the different settings on the camera, and how to use a light meter and the camera on manual focus so that you can set it for what you want.
We want off into groups, and took photos on each of the different settings, and then we came back as a group and looked at what everyone had done.
Learning how to use the lighting and the different effects that can be created by use soft boxes and umbrellas, that scatter the light in different directions. I am going to use what I have learnt in this session to take my final photograph in the studio.
I have not quite figured out what I am exactly going to do for my final photo but I have a rough idea, I will take inspiration from Tim Walker, and what is appropriate for my fashion artefact.
This week I have almost finished my body cast artefact, I have completely finished the front and covered the back in images I just need to attach the ribbons so that It can be tied onto someone, or onto something. I will be able to do that at the beginning of next week, so it will be ready for Wednesday when I take my photo.
Today I modelled for someone else’s photo, which has actually helped me to be able to understand how I want my model to be and the situation that I want them to be in. Hopefully it will turn out well seeing as the photo is worth half of the mark!