Unleashing the Power of Visual Storytelling: Exploring Nicole Fazlinia’s Stunning Graphic Design Portfolio

Words & Images by Nicole Fazlinia.

For my Graphic Design portfolio, Mark Wheelwright kindly allowed me to borrow his gorgeous photography space, a professional studio located in the very centre of Leeds, and only a minute long walk from the Train Station, which I will get into the importance of in a minute. 

Aiming to present my University of Arts London (or, UAL) portfolio in a magazine format of sorts, it was important I got some shots in to edit, draw and create on top of, using the shots as my base. What better way to ensure my success in getting my spot guaranteed in one of the best universities in the world than using a professional photography studio to do it, ensuring quality from the top-of the-line editing softwares and expertly adjusted computers to the fine-tuned customised lighting and cameras with the crispest quality. First impressions matter, and your portfolio (and experience in a real, working studio) is what will get you that lucky interview, not your grades!

After Mark helped me adjust the lighting and camera setting, with his help and his years of expertise, I got to shooting, using friend Sumedha as my model and muse. Unfortunately, this didn’t last very long. It’s not a good idea to press random big red buttons, and I somehow managed to ruin all the lighting and settings Luckily, one very short phone call later, Mark dutifully took time out of his own day, and helped me readjust them back to perfection, explaining all of the technicalities of the equipment, talking me through each dial and button. 

As advised, Sumedha bought multiple outfit changes, hair products, straighteners, and makeup, all of which was used in our available in-house dressing area to glam her up, trusting me to do her makeup (to the best of my ability, at least) so she would ‘pop’ that little bit more on camera. Due to our industrial lights, and bright flash, it would be recommended to go a little overboard with bronzer or fake tan to avoid being washed out for fashion shots. However, if you can’t, we can always fix it in post at the studio. Proceeding, we mixed and matched outfits, which proved fundamental to achieving the ‘vibe’ I wanted to incorporate for each section of the shoot, either 

Whilst conversation flowed, and her playlist hummed along in the background, we went through a cycle of looks, incorporating backgrounds I thought would be best, and provide an artistic yet chic look. Using coloured film, I used it to shade the lighting, creating a vibrant, water-like reflection onto the white background of pinks and blues - you might find this similar to the effect they use for HBO hit show ‘Euphoria’. In the studio, our range of backdrops allowed for plenty of inspiration, whether that be artsy, moody, low exposure shots, or traditional white, similar to what you would find on popular fashion websites like ASOS or Pretty Little Thing.