Having been a member of two very different photography clubs (competitive and non-competitive) for 11 years and participating in a small informal local support group, you would be surprised if I suggested that I had not participated in sharing and discussing the photographs we’ve made, or talked on photographic subjects. However, there is a very big difference in audience and purpose to those discussions in the club milieu and a university course. I am confident of my ground when it comes to club competitions!
I have a friendly mentor (ARPS) who I have shared my work and engaged in 1 to 1 discussions with. She is my ‘critical friend’ even though we produce quite different images. I’m sometimes ‘put out’ by her critique following our discussions, and although we are very different personalities, producing very different photographic works, I do seek her opinion and consider her comments, as she has a very good ‘eye’, sees things differently to me, and can represent my potential audience.
I find online discussions difficult. Perhaps I’m slow formulating what I want to say, so I rarely get a word in edgeways.
I am a ‘found’ image maker. I take my camera/smartphone out with me on walks and visits and if I see something that resonates, I’ll attempt an image. I have thematic projects on the go and enjoy taking photographs that I think will hold together as a collection. In such circumstances the light might not be quite right or I can’t get into the space that is needed or I just have not quite captured what I thought I saw, and as it can be difficult to return when circumstances improve I have to accept the failure to capture that particular image as I had wanted.
I mostly handhold my camera for my images (my Fuji lenses have 5 stops of stabilization), and I know, I could probably do much better if I carried and used my tripod, used some of the filters I’ve got. However, it would take away some of the immediacy I enjoy about my photography. Pre-planning goes as far as putting myself where I will take the sorts of images I like. I rarely construct my images unless it’s a still life I get my tripod and lighting out then.
I print my own images. I decided to invest in a photograph quality printer early on for club competitions and learned how to mount the photographs appropriately. For my own pleasure I might print images to give to friends and family, or print my own projects to put together as a book or greetings card.
I want to be able to take photographs that ‘speak’ to a variety of audiences without having to tell the observer what to think about the image. I realise that the ‘take away’ will not necessarily chime with my intention, that’s true whether the back story is presented or not! But it would be my hope to make photographs that the observer will stand in front of for longer that the estimated 1-3 seconds that most images get! The question is, have I got something I want to convey or even can convey?
Having watched the video “On Being a Creative Learner” by Andrea Norrington, these strategies and thought process are probably integrated into my method of working now.
- Trying something new… if it appeals and is achievable, I will try new things – eg. post processing techniques, trying out different genres and new ways of presenting my photographs, but still probably while remaining within my comfort zone.
- Preparation and routine are really the only way to get things done effectively!
- I try to tell myself that failure to capture an image is a learning opportunity. It is often difficult to appreciate that! However rather than remembering that “Your work isn’t you!” as stated in the video, which suggests you have already accepted the label ‘failure’, I try to look to the positives I’d hoped to achieve. Yes console yourself, but accept the work is an expression of yourself, and find out why it is considered a failure and make changes if you need to. All the work you do is a facet of your ‘self’ and that is why, when a criticism is made, you feel stabbed to your core.
These are the strategies mentioned that I would like to explore and implement during the course.
- Experimenting (i) with different ways of being a photographer (‘make’ rather than ‘take’ photographs), and (ii) with different ways of making photographs.
- Consider other art forms.
- The quotation from Gordon Parks “If you don’t have anything to say, your photographs won’t say much” which I do agree with but with some reservations regarding the innovative or wild perspective.
- Resurrect my passion for photography in its widest sense (rather than formalized club photography I have experienced to date.)
I hope to have an interesting and creative year.
