Evaluative
Summary
I
began this unit by making a statement of intent, identifying possible
career paths and opportunities for my future. I expressed an interest
in teaching photography, but also in joining the film industry,
perhaps in a role such as director of photography. Based upon this, I
was placed in a group with Amber and Emily with the joint interest in
moving image. We tried to figure out a possible subject for our group
presentation based around the topic of moving image and settled
on “Why
are there expectations of a Photographer to include Moving Image?”
To
begin with, I read a BJP article about photographers embracing film
making, and contacted people who were featured in the article. It
took some time for us all to figure out what our roles within the
presentation would be, but we were all decided on the importance of
moving image within the photography industry. Each of us had
different beliefs on what that was, and as I was contacting
photographers for my primary research, I began researching Sam
Taylor-Johnson (nee Wood) as she is a great example of a photographer
using moving image, due to her acclaimed John Lennon biopic Nowhere
Boy. However,
after our group project one-to-one meeting with Nick, I expressed a
concern that I was worried the presentation may not flow well, so he
suggested moving away from Sam Taylor-Johnson and towards a
photographer who had replied to me. Therefore, my focus changed to
cover practitioner Laurence Dutton, who I had a phone interview with
following a request in his email.
The group did have
trouble communicating a number of times, most significantly, we did
not clearly communicate what practitioners we were going to contact,
which resulted in some practitioners replying to me saying that they
had received almost identical emails from someone else. There was
also a communication issue between myself and another member of the
group regarding what practitioner we were going to cover, as two had
replied to both of us, and she was indecisive as to who to cover,
leaving me to wait for her to make up her mind for me to see who I
could write about. This was after I found very little secondary
research on Dutton and needed to cover a different practitioner who
had replied to me. There was also an incident where one member of the
group did not turn up to practice our presentation.
All of the practitioners
who replied to me all made it very clear how important expanding into
moving image is. Some said that it contributes to a project, some
said that they make more money from moving image, while some said
that it is essential to move into this field, as still images are
taking a downward turn in popularity. The responses have left me
deciding to at least experiment in moving image, something that I
think I will do for my project next semester.
The guest speakers were
very interesting. The way they presented their work kept me curious
and they spoke freely about they approached their careers, which was
enlightening. I especially liked Laura Hynd, who was honest,
friendly, and gave me good advice about my cultural descriptions
project. I identified with her approach to photographing people,
something I dread, and liked her personal style that was visible even
in commissioned work. Jason Larkin's use of square-format and film
photography I thought was refreshing to the field of
reportage/photojournalism, as it is rare.
The workshops such as CV development
and budgeting really helped me to understand what it is like to be a
professional photographer. The CV development really helped me, as I
had not had a lesson on how to make a CV in a few years. I found it
really beneficial and feel like those who had not gone to that
session would have struggled to develop their CVs without it. The
budgeting workshop really hit home on how much it costs to be a
photographer in the real world, and after completing my budget for my
cultural descriptions project, I was overcome with love for the tech
office allowing us to book out cameras and use the studios for free!
I will definitely be hiring out other cameras that I have not used
before, such as the Hasselblad, for free while I have the chance.
The compulsory documents for this
unit, such as cover letter and statement of intent, were great
practice for after I finish my degree and have to write a document
such as this. I have never had to write such documents before, and
also felt like the tailored documents, such as my cover letter, can
be used for any work experience placements I apply for next semester.
One of the things that I left to last was my website, as I thought
this would be the most daunting thing to do. However, I wish I had
made it earlier, as it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Wix
was quite easy to use and my website looks professional, however I
was not impressed with reading that I could buy a domain name through
Wix, then afterwards being told that I need to pay to upgrade my
account so that I can use it. I also set up a professional Twitter
account to inform people about my projects and work, and to
communicate with people in a more informal and accessible way. I have
had my personal account for almost four years, so I am very familiar
with how to use the site.
There were many strengths and
weaknesses regarding this unit of work. I feel that the most
problematic was the group project, especially in terms of
communication. This resulted in practitioners receiving almost
identical emails twice, people not turning up to group meetings, and
a slow start to me writing my case study on a practitioner. This has
taught me to be more stringent with communication in the event of
another group project. I feel like I should have made my website
earlier than I did, as it was not as daunting as I thought it would
be. My strengths include writing the emails to the practitioners I
contacted, and talking to them on the phone. I do not really like
talking on the phone to people I know, so to work up the courage to
call a stranger was a big deal for me. Amongst the details of working
as a practitioner and working as a group, I feel like this project
was very beneficial to me.
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