I began this assignment by carefully reading the brief.
My interpretation of the brief is to produce a series of photographs in response to the concept of the “Square Mile”.
That concept is an area
- I know in detail
- May involve people and places
- Knowing is sensory experience “textures, smells”
Technical Aspects
- 6 – 12 images
- Form a series – linked in some way not individual images
- May have titles or captions
- P13 of notes “keep to basic image corrections without significantly changing the image as seen through the viewfinder”
Stylistic Aspects
- Fresh and experimental look at my surroundings
- Involve architecture, landscape and people
- Communicate about me, my:
- interests
- motivations
- ambitions
- Novel (to me) subject matter
The Required Submission
Although this is the last stage of the assignment, I looked at this in some detail too, as I wanted to ensure that the work I produce will easily transform into a format ready for submission and that I will have completed along the way all the elements required.
Submission needs to include:
- Electronic images 1500 pixels on long edge, Adobe RGB jpegs
- Digital contact sheet of all the photographs shot for the assignment
- Written analysis to contextualise the project including
- First impressions and response to the brief
- Practitioners looked at for inspiration and influence
- Technical approach
- Self-assessment of strengths and weaknesses
- Thoughts on improvement
The self-assessment and reflection needs to be against the assessment criteria in the course guide. These are:
- Demonstration of Technical and Visual Skills
- Quality of the outcome, including presentation of work, conceptualisation of thoughts and communication of ideas
- Demonstration of creativity
- Context ie reflection, research and critical thinking
My Initial Response and thoughts about the brief
In terms of the practical skills needed to produce the actual submission, I am happy that I have the IT skills to produce the electronic outputs and submit the images in the required format.
I have not used digital contact sheets and will need to learn how to do that from my usual software (Lightroom).
The images must have only basic corrections, which is how I tend to work currently.
I am used to writing documents and providing a written submission should be well within my previous experience.
Reflection and self-assessment are skills I have to use in my professional work outside this course, and while I need to set up processes for capturing my reflections, this is not a new skill to me. Self-assessment in this context however will be more difficult as I an unsure about the standards needed.
This latter point also makes me unsure about my technical and visual skills and I will be looking for feedback as to how to improve these.
The major area where I feel I need to work hardest will be in the development of creativity and novel approaches to the subject. Linked to this is a lack of knowledge about the work of others so a major objective for me will be to research the work of others and analyse how this influences my own work.
Next Steps
- Check how to create contact sheet
- Set up blog/notebook/record keeping systems
- Research other practitioners’ work
- Consider how to approach this and what aspects to address
Andrew Procter 