I was quite taken with the final comments from assessment. I had not expected to get the score I got. Non the less I have learned from this part. It has made me think of how I work and how I place together works.
I fully agree with elements of the write up, the writing is the part that I will need to brush up on with later part if it is that I continue with the process. Over all I’m happy with what I scored and now fully integrated into Identity and place.
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
Weaknesses
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.
Something my tutor suggested in his write up was to see where my research and WIP could lead. Something I continued to push through with Ass five and my portrait image.
Ideas behind this and the use of layers through Photoshop has been something I’ve played with before. I’m able to show different realities through one image.
Just two I played with yesterday while looking for images to create. Facial expressions can lead the viewer into a new reality when the original picture was plain and simple.
Having a stand-in model has been an absolute game-changer. No arguing no hissy fits as you read about some models. And overall very cheap and cheerful.
Interesting to see how light falls on areas of the face. Now to see how to face the camera with different poses/expressions.
Lines, shadows, lights, darks, geometric shapes what more could you wish for
Something I hadn’t thought to add to my blog where all of the attempts I made during the process to assignment five. This assignment was something that became a project and works in progress from starting assignment three. By investing is a studio modelling lamp I was able to both control the light and myself as the subject.
Mood and expression have become apparent in my tutor feedback on a serious and dark atmosphere. By controlling how I placed my self and the light was able to achieve the desired look. Although I mentioned I wasn’t a huge fan of Crewdson work I become pretty obsessed by the way the light was falling onto my face. Trying to achieve the perfect Rembrandt triangle of light.
Image and Text lead me to think of how I could use both in a more poignant way of thinking. Had I placed more time and research with this image the text would wrap around the portrait, though I couldn’t get to grips with the way I wanted it to show.
Light can work in a number of ways when you want the image to convey thought and context. Id never wanted any of the images to be seen as fun or smiling. One I’m not a huge smiling person and two it provides more drama to the picture.
iMovie of images from the start of C&N
• Out of all the topics covered in this course, which felt most comfortable to you? Why?I’m always looking at street photography if I’m honest. Though part three and portraits have taken me by surprise. Being able to link both street and portraits together as been something I’ve enjoyed. Using them as layers to create a single image.
• Did you discover anything completely new to you? What was it?Yes, the jounerny of discovery into self-portraits in assignment three. Something i was not looking forward to. Through the research and practicing new techniques i found i was enjoying being in front of the camera than behind it.
• Which area enabled you to come closest to finding your personal voice? Assignemnt three and five through what I’ve mentioned above with the self-portraits.
• Which area seemed furthest away from who you want to be as a photographer? Why? Assigment four and the essay. Out of both my depth and comfort zone. Academic writing has never been my strong point, though something i need to do more of.
• What were the main things you learnt? Were there any epiphany moments?Confidence in your self with how ideas will become images at the end. Through assigment three i could see where it was i wanted to go with five. Assigment five is something im quite proud of producing now that this part of the degree course has come to an end. I never thought id be producing a porttrait let alone a stand alone self-portrait.
• Will you return to any of the assignments from this course at a later date? Did you feel as if you were on the cusp of anything? Assigment two will need to be refined before submitting for assessment. I have the concept although only a quarter of the images fit the bill. I have been out adding to this assignment. I just need this to snyc and this will be complete.
Whilst I continue to place more study time and research in. I need to address a few things in order of priority. All the emails I’ve sent in regards to my essay have been of benefit. I’ve started to read more, little and often. I’ve even brought a few books on my kindle to read whilst the wife is shopping and I’m sat in the car waiting. This has helped in how I will structure my work. My window in my room at work has become my new whiteboard for notes and an area to place any stickiness or keynotes.
It is still a struggle to read and hold the attention without getting distracted by something like a cloud moving or a bird circling above the car.
Its time then to take a break and rest the eyes and come back to it later on. How I write is the next step into structuring academic writing. Creating something that has an introduction and structure to it. No padding it out with how I’ve done it and what I used. More of how I’ve come about this concept and how I’ve decided to edit the picture the way I did.
It is a new playing field and new rules to learn. Picture taking and creating a composition is all part of the course, writing should now support my ideas with a solid foundation with writing to support the picture and not the other way round which I have been hoping the pictures paint a thousand words rather than having to write them.
Assignment five is not that far from finishing, just the final adjustments and this should be ready to submit. An introduction will need to suggest why a single composed picture id fit for this assignment. Compositionally it feels fine, the edit lacks something to bring it together, the concept is there. Soldier, Civilian and Veteran works.
Distractions are kicking in now, I keep looking at the pictures and how Ill make this tear work better.
Assignment four has taken the wind out of my sails, to be honest. I’ve taken my tutors advice and received some assistance from the student help and received some useful links.
At times it’s wise to slow down reflect and establish your weaknesses and address your areas of concern. For me, it’s clear mine’s academic writing. I’ve been trying to recall when if I was ever taught how to write an academic essay.
I’ve invested in a few new books and looked at the Open University free courses in the essay and critical writing courses. The online forum has various links to sites and apps to use. These are all going to be of assistance in the long run if I’m going to continue this course.
Next steps.
I’ve noticed this before during EYV links within the coursework don’t work or are not supported anymore.
I’ve raised this through the student help. Though nothing has come back. It’s annoying as your trying to find the correct piece of work and you end up watching something completely different. The link does say accessed 2014 we’re now in 2020 you’d think these would be updated and I’m probably not the only person to raise this issue. I sound like I’ve aged another twenty years. If you’re paying a substantial amount of your own money to get a degree you to expect the links to work or replaced.
Rant over
Part Two Context and Narrative BA HONS in Photography OCA 