Risk Assessment for Photo Shoot (Recce)

My photo shoot may have a few risks that I need to carefully minimize and control.By doing this risk assessment I can document all the possible risks and clearly state how I can prevent them for the actual shoot. 

Risk(s)of Home Location: 

1. Home location, specifically the allocated room in which we will be working, may be too small for everyone to comfortably work well with the equipment.
2. Temperature can be very temperamental, the home being too warm and stuffy can cause the model to sweat and not look as put together as acceptable. Similarly, too cold temperatures can cause the model to shiver and not pose well. 
3. Domestic life in the home may interfere and get in the way of the shoot. 
4. Certain household objects, which would ruin photos, could get in the way.

How would I prevent this:

1. It is important I visit the home first to find out how large the desired location room is and what the space would allow us to do in it. By doing this I can ensure that we do not overestimate and bring too large props, too much/large equipment or too many team members.
2. I must ensure that I keep the temperature balanced, I may do this through the central heating in the home or introducing electronic heaters or fans.
3. I need to choose a date in which the home will be empty of its usual occupants so as to avoid their daily lives being interrupted as well as the running of my photo shoot.
4. Household objects that would ruin the authenticity of the shoot need to be hid and removed from camera shot in order to keep the illusions I am creating.

Risk(s) of the Studio Location:

1. The studio has many large lights and structures which may be subject to fall and breaking or hitting heads of those around including the model.
2. There are also a lot of wires and stands on the floor which people could very easily trip over and either fall down themselves or pull the expensive equipment down.
3. There are a lot of lights used in the studio, these could grow to be very hot and burn the people handling them.

How will I prevent these:

1. The tall structures should be kept at reasonable distances away from the model so she is not in the way of falling objects, or people could be on hand near the structures in order to keep them standing upright and ensure they won't so much as wobble.
2. Wires on the floor should be covered over or strung around the edges of the wall were they are likely not to get in anybody's way.
3. The lights should be switched on only when needed so as to avoid the lights overheating and burning people that touch them to re-position them. This will also mean avoiding the light bulbs popping.

Planning a Photo Shoot.

What is the purpose of your photo shoot?

The purpose of my photo shoot is to create a portfolio containing at least ten photographs to be used for a youth culture magazine, VIBE. The magazine is producing a December issue in which they would like to feature fair trade gifts and accessories as well as working with charities to showcase vintage and retro clothing. My photo shoot will create photographs that reflect the December month and highlight vintage fashion in a unique way which will be used in the magazines new issue.

What type of photographs will be taken? 

I will take photographs that use unique and individual methods to present shabby chic in a imaginative and creative fashion. My photos will be lighted in ways that show off the individual pieces my model shall be wearing as it is important they do not get lost in the busy scenes I will be using. If any pieces i.e. jewelry are not as clear as I would like then I will edit the photos to ensure that the viewer's eye is directed to them. 

Are these on location or within a studio? Have you got permission to work there?

My photos will be taken on multiple locations. The first being a home in which the decor matches the theme for the shoot. Here I can create scenes which properly feature what would be considered a old vintage setting, while some of the elements of the house are authentic the rest is still designed based on retro style. I have permission from the home owner to use this location for my photo shoot. I shall also use a studio in which to take photos as here I can better light the photos to my liken and the plain backdrop offers more in terms of editing opportunities.

What equipment must you use and why? How will you use it safely?

I will use a Canon EOS 110D camera which I will keep safe by ensuring I always wear the neck strap and also keeping the lens lid on when not in use. As well as this we will use different lights in order to create different effects on the photos. We will use these safely by not touching when too hot and keeping them at appropriate differences where they won't be accident prone. For most of the photos in the home location I used natural lighting at midday in order to achieve the best, brightest sunlight possible. In the studio, I drew the blinds to block out natural light and relied n diffuser lights for my images.

What timescale do you expect to follow? Is there a deadline to meet?

I expect to follow a timescale of two weeks. The deadline is Monday 11th of November, at which point my photos shall be done and my chosen few selected.

Based on professional rates, how much will the shoot cost and what costs does it cover? 

I did some research into professional photographer rates and learnt that most charge; between £50 and £100 per hour, £5 to £20 on processing photos depending on the amount, another £20 to cover the equipment and finally a small fee (£1) charged for every mile traveled. I have calculated that this photo shoot should total to £480 to cover all these costs.

Do you require models, props, costumes and why?

I do require a model to present the clothes and accessories accordingly and create a real scene with 'characters', I have already found a willing model who meets the desired description. Only one will be used but dressed in different outfits. The costumes are also very important in order to present my fairy tale theme of 'Alice in Wonderland' I shall be using costumes that represent the different characters in the book. Props are also very essential for my photo shoot as it helps create very realistic and natural scenes as opposed to models in out of place settings. Plus there are a lot of iconic objects in the book that can be easily used prop wise. Props that I used were for example; a vintage tea set and cutlery, clocks on account of how prominent they are in the actual book and fake flowers.

What safety considerations will you need to take? Have you completed a risk assessment?

My safety considerations will include; ensuring the equipment (specifically the camera) do not get broken or damaged, making sure the model and other workers on the shoot are not put at risk in extreme weather conditions, checking out the locations before the shoot so they are not dangerous and that we also would not be upsetting the atmosphere/environment. I have completed a risk assessment to ensure the safe fluency of my photo shoot.

What legal and ethical considerations must be made for your photo shoot?

It is important that my photo shoot is both completely legal and ethical. To ensure this I have prepared a consent form for my model to read over and sign so that she is aware of all that the photo shoot entails and what is expected of both herself and the rest of the team. I have also gotten permission to work at my chosen locations, so here there is not an issue either. In terms of the ethical side of things I shall ensure that my photo shoot is by no means offensive to anyone and also make sure that my work won't harm any environments i.e. the shoot in the park.

How will the images be developed?

My images do not need to be developed in a dark room as they will mostly be present on my blog/in a slide show and only a select few printed.

What editing software/techniques will be used to finalise the images?

Once I have my selected photographs I shall edit them using photoshop, this will allow me to resize certain aspects of the photo whether it be pieces of jewelry or the model herself (this will work well with the Wonderland theme). I will also edit other aspects such as lighting in order to highlight the most important pieces and create a aesthetically appealing image. Airbrush may also be a helpful tool to perfect my photos to the desired effect.

In what format will they be printed?

My photos will be printed on regular photo paper.