Final Thoughts.

As I come to the end of the course it's time to reflect on what I've found a truly enjoyable process that has helped me to progress as a photographer learning a lot about myself and my view of the world. Focusing on the area where I live helped me to see the place in a very different light and when I look at what I produced for my Major Project I still feel that there's more life in this idea. By this I mean there's still different elements of the area that could be looked at and some of the sections could be expanded by looking say at the way thinks change for the better or the worse as the year goes on. One fact about my Major Project that did surprises me as it evolved was the very bleak undertones to the whole thing, maybe it's just because I'm heading towards 30 and already I'm looking at the world with the view that things seemed better when I was growing up and this is then reflected in my work with the changing landscape of my home village. I never original intended my project to be this way as I've said before but it was just how the idea matured and evolved during the process, having never done a project on this scale before it was to begin with a very daunting proposition but with the help of a very good tutor she was able to keep me on track and give me the support and encouragement that was needed to end up with a collection of photo's that I'm very proud of regardless of the mark I end up with after assessment. I'm even considering showing them to the rest of the village in some way which is a bit odd for me as usually I'm very shy about letting other see large amounts of my work, I'm my own worst critic but I feel much more comfortable about what I've produced here so I find myself asking why shouldn't I show my personal view of the village? It might even have an effect on how others who live here view the area and some of the problems I've highlighted might actual be resolved, so here's to the future and who know's where my photography will take me next.


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Thoughts On My Major Project.

As I'm now waiting to hear back from my tutor on my final assignment I find myself looking at my Major Project an feeling pretty happy with what I've produced but at the same time being surprised at what it evolved into during its creation. When I started I intended it to be a fairly mild manner reflective piece looking at the village I live in at a time when I'm in the process of considering moving away for the first time in my life. By the end though when I now look back it's become something much more, it now is almost a study of a changing area that reflects alot of what's happening throughout the country because we all going through hard economic times that is changing landscapes and life's everywhere. I'm glad I approached the subject in the way that I have  because some of the imagery personally I find very strong and the use of black and white photography only makes the mood of the work even stronger. I feel that Fay Godwin's work has probably had the most influence on my major project but also my study on Ansel Adams work also played a part on some of the decisions that I made. I think one of the major point's about my own personal photographic preferences is that I'm still not happy or particular that comfortable when it comes to photographing people, I think this has a lot to do with my natural shines as a person and this I think is then reflected in my work. Leaving the People section till last was defiantly not the best idea I've had, if I'd started with this section I could have slowly added to it throughout the course building it up as I went. Instead I created a lot of unneeded pressure on myself by trying to do it all as the final part of my project and this meant that this part isn't at the same standard as the rest of my work. I now look forward to reading my tutors final comments on my 5th assignment and on my work as a whole, but at the same time I hope anyone else looking at my work can take as much away from it as I have because if you can I know that I've defiantly done a good job of illustrating the feelings I have about my home.

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Traer Scott.

Saw an article on Traer Scott's work in last months issue of National Geographic and was instantly interested to find out more about her work and the aim of the images I'd see printed. Below you will see a few example of what I captured my attention.

 

 

 

Images taken from http://www.traerscott.com/portfolios/natural-history

In this collection focusing on taxidermied animals in glass case see looked to capture the public reaction to certain animals, for example in the top image of Panda's see comments that she found it an interesting insight that people tended to rush past the more endanger species hardly stopping. Is this because they somehow feel guilty for taking pleasure in viewing such a beautiful create in this state? In the final shot I find it quiet apt that a group of Far Eastern children look on in wonder at a animal that there cultures alternative medical practices is driving to the very brink of extinction because of there need for rhino horn. As a group of photo's its a very different and unique approach to capture peoples reactions and emotions by simply using the reflective nature of the cases to capture both the subject and the reaction.

I really like this collection but on her website http://www.traerscott.com/ there's a lot more depth and variety to be found, my favorite's being her Street Dogs and Wild Horses work because she's caught in both there nature and wildness but at the same time capture there personalities and made each photo feels so full of life.

What I'll take away from studying her work is something I saw she wrote about her work with people in which she said she doesn't like to interact with them because she doesn't want to compromise the candid nature of the photo. This I think is referring to the above photo's because she wants there reactions to be as natural as possible. Can I use this candid approach in my own Major Project I don't really know but it's an idea I could bring into it.

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Surprise.

Don't think I was expecting how personal a study my Major Project is beginning to become. I probably should have expected this being that it's focused on my home village but it's still surprised me by the strength of feelings that have arisen. To be honest where ever you live you don't always notice what's happening around you until you dig a little deeper below the surface and this was definitely the case with my Abandoned section I've just completed. I had some idea about how people where finding times a little harder these days because in small communities you hear rumours about how this person is struggling a bit and what someone else might be up to but I did quiet realise how bad things were getting. Its a little heart breaking in away to know how blind you've become to thinks happening right under your nose but we become so court up in our own life's that we miss these things all the time.


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The Start Of A New Course.

So here i am again faced with the start of a new course and the usual worries that come with it after my first flick through the course material, do i understand the theory/principles that are being set out, can i be as productive and creative as I'd like to be, being a level 3 course is my work really up to this standard and even have i picked the right tutor to work with! After my moment of panic and the return of some form of sanity i can fall back on the experiences from working through other OCA course to know that they always seem a little overwhelming to begin with but when i actually sit down and take my time and read through it properly a couple of time i know that I'll be more then alright, and as for the rest only time will tell but with my tutor selection I'm sure I'll be OK as I've work with her in the past and found her to be focused and dedicated with a real love for the subject (which is never a bad thing).

What i want to get out of the course is further improvement in my work and to continue developing my own style. With the way the course appears to structured this should be possible because there's nowhere near as many projects to complete so i get more time to focus on the Assignment side. I did find in the last course i did that some of the project work seem to be repeating itself which got a little dull after a while. Also i need to improve my research as my work can sometimes be a little lacking in this department but its a vital part of the learning experience. So here's to the next 6-12 months who knows what it'll bring.