20200726-Strengths_&_Weaknesses

Evaluation of yourself is, at times, the hardest thing to achieve. You will always try to understand your common areas to improve, but you do not identify your weaknesses. Males tend not to show our weakness, mainly as a sign of weakness. However, this should be looked on as a sign of strength. By identifying your gaps, you see where Strengths lay.

My 4×4 (S & W)

Strengths

• Compositions
• Camera techniques
• Editing process
• Ideas/Concepts

Weaknesses

• Academic writing
• Reading
• Rushing to complete
• Dive in feet first

Strengths

I would like to think I have a fairly good eye when looking for compositions and subjects. I appreciate that a lot of my work has been towards a street/urban style. It is something I enjoy and use as to try and keep my artistic mind occupied. Black and White is my go to style although areas of this course and tutor feedback has pushed me to shoot in colour producing a different side and openly I side where I can venture away from the norm.

Sometimes I see a picture straight away other times I visualise how it will look once I’ve finished the edit. You can be happy with it straight out of camera. Though the edit process will place the finesse to it. This becomes a combination of composition and editing process that compliments your initial ideas.

Weaknesses

The academic side of studying has placed a mental burden on me during this part of the course. From reading through the course book I was dreading the written work. This proved evident with assignment four and the essay. Party my choice of images may have been to blame and not having the faintest idea of how to structure or even write an academic essay. This part of the course has indeed placed a somewhat uneasy feeling on me whether I have what it takes to complete the degree learning. I left school without a single qualification and joined the military. I’ve had to gain national levels in English and mathematics to progress, though I’ve never done anything that would prepare me for this. Taking a picture is easy for me. Critical analysis of it is something I’ve not done, I could tell you how to attack or observe someone but placing this into a form of academic written work has pushed me to my limits.

Reading falls nicely into the above, I find that I can become quickly bored from reading if I’m not engaged in the first few paragraphs and pages. It’s not that I don’t read I probably just don’t read enough to enjoy it. I’ve tried to find more online visual articles and videos to explore then read. I know I need to read little and often, to proceed further I have too.

Rushing and feet first has often been the case where I have an idea and I’ve not war gamed the outcome. It’s something I’d do in a work environment so not sure why I’ve not done it here thinking of it now?

My overall thoughts on context and narrative where initially going to be slightly negative. I don’t think COVID-19 has helped with the learning process though it has helped with the ideas and thought process. Online learning is at times harder than expected, I probably need to push further with some more peer to peer work and presentation of my work for critic feedback. It’s been hard to get at times the answers to the questions and help if I’m being honest. Interaction works both ways.