research & plan preliminary project

For my preliminary project I have decided to work on an alternate book cover for the novel "The secret history" by Donna Tartt.

I associate this book with a darker palette of colours. When I think of it the first few things that come up in my mind visually is a library with old dusty books, a cold and eerie forest at the end of fall and a candle burning in the dark. So that's exactly the energy I wanted to channel in my cover art.

Pinterest is an app that I frequently go to for inspiration (it will probably be a recurring theme in this blog) and I found a few photos that inspired me and that I think will help me in this project.

Although a bit different, the common themes that I like in these photos are:

1. the strong contrast between the darkness in the background and the blinding light of the candle/match in the case of the 3rd photo;

2. the way the light reflects on the models, with the image being quite blurry with certain details being more clear ( for ex: 1st photo - the jawline, 2nd photo - the cheekbone area & 3rd photo - the fingertips).

   
   

I am putting these photos together because they are all set in a forest. This is what I like about each one:

• 1st photo: I really like the angle this was shot in but especially the pose of the person, and the way the tree branches seem to almost frame the hand. I also like that even tho you can obviously tell there is a person in the photo, their arm and their spread out fingers almost look like a tree branch itself;

• 2nd photo: I mostly like the angle of the shot, and I think that while the black and white filter and very saturated white light is not what I'm personally going for initially in this project, it adds a layer of mystery and the person sitting with their back towards the camera definitely helps;

• 3rd photo: I love how the light shines through the trees and how the rays of sunshine kind of split up visually because of hitting the leaves.

Lastly, I included some photos that I think fit the overall visual image I have of the book :).

I know I have included a lot of different ideas here, but I want to try a couple of different things and have different options in case one idea doesn't work out + you never know what could surprise you when doing a creative project.

I have chosen my mom as the subject of this photoshoot, and we will go to different locations in Cluj-Napoca to try to capture the best picture. I will use an older camera I have from a second hand store for the actual photos, and for editing I intend to use Photoshop and probably also Procreate if I want to add more graphic details.

As for wardrobe and props, the outfit will probably be a pretty classic one, with some more formal pants, a button up with a vest over it and a long black coat and I will bring candles and a candle stand/holder as props.