Just received my tutor's feedback on my first assignment...pleased with her comments and mindful re suggestions on how to improve my work improvement and where I might go for ideas and inspiration. Thought it helpful to insert the images critiqued within the feedback below. My own comments are in italics.
Overall Comments
You have approached the
work logically and been prepared to practice a variety of techniques in your
understanding of the brief requirements.
Your standard of
presentation is good and the blog is easy to navigate. Good to see your
planning ideas for composing the photographs and working with a model.
Loo at artists bodies of
work so you really get a feel about their message, style and approach.
You have demonstrated good
technical and visual skills, your ability to work with people is obvious here
and a strength.
The reflection you provided
is honest and considered. Keep working on the refinement of your images, in
particular the lighting and composition, as you have bought together other
elements so well.
Feedback on
assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of
Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
Exercise projects
You have recorded your
explorations and have demonstrated good practice in discussing your findings
and outcomes. It is good to continue this experimentation in your projects.
Your observations in the
street are interesting and you have reflected on the difficulties you face with
this uncontrolled environment. Some of the images have a mix of lighting, the
harsh winter light can be difficult. Also take some time to consider the role
and responsibility of your as the photographer. Taking images with a long lens
means you can miss out on the story, but also you can often be challenged if
people see you. Research the place of a model release form. I remember the use of this kind of form from my work days when we used images of members of the public for branding and promotional activities. A complex area but yes, I do need to sort out when and how to use a model release form.
The action images clearing
the ice rink have a good energy and the lighting is more even so the
composition works well with less light and dark distractions. The Christmas
market images have some nice colours and compositions. In some of the images
your concentration is entirely on the person and the composition becomes a
little weaker.
Your practicing on ‘Fred’
and reflecting on your approach was an interesting exercise. It was good to
consider the lighting and also the time management of the ‘real’ portrait
shoot. When working with models (both ones you know and ones you don’t) it is
really good practice to be confident or at least appear to be confident in how
you want to work.
Assignment 1- A portrait.
The body of work presented
for this is pleasing. You have made a real connection with the sitter and there
are a variety of poses and lighting choices.
 |
| Image one |
Image one is serious and
strong, the colours in the warmth of the bricks and the cool blue tones are
pleasing. The lines of the bricks could have been further emphasized with the
model placed further to one side of the image? I did briefly consider this but opted to focus on and centre model more ...with hindsight, maybe my original thought might have worked better.. This would add to the dynamic
and energy of the portrait. The print for this is clean and sharp, I do like
the catch light in the eye. Watch the highlights, as this area on the face has
become a little blown out.
 |
| Image two |
Image two This is an image
that could lend itself to more space to tell the story. Your explanation about
the reason why you wanted to take this image and the message is a little
diluted I feel. I like the idea of the unusual surroundings and the complete
focus by the model. The bright dash of colour against the almost monochromatic
background works well.
 |
| Image three |
Image three. The simple
headshot is a pleasing capture of the model. I like the slight smile and the
lighting is controlled. The print actually looks gentler than the online
version so good control here. The burnt out background is a good visual canvas
for this image. The smiling image is also fun and it was good to keep talking
and working with your model to get the images you need.
 |
| Image four |
Image four. The model is cheerful looking in
this image and the idea of using the doorway to frame the image is good.You did need to better
compose and frame the photograph though to make this more successful. Consider
moving around some more and also moving further away to better balance the
image. You have reflected on the harsh light and this is a difficulty, in the
print the detail on one side of the face has been lost, keep looking for this
and either fill in the shadows with some flash or reflector to maintain more
control.
 |
| Image five |
Image five. This is a very
successful image, it has great impact with the dark background and bright
colour. The moment looks quite spontaneous and the close up crop with the very
direct gaze is very engaging. The print is bold, the red of the jacket is very
saturated?
 |
| Image six |
Image six. Well seen moment
here and this time the background helps to tell the story. I would like you to
further consider how this image differs from the others as it is the only one
where the model does not look directly at the camera. From the point of view of the 'viewer', I wonder whether there is more of a disconnect with the personality of the subject but more of a connection to the activity going on in front of the viewer's eyes? A sense of intrigue perhaps creeps into the picture..This change of connection
creates a different atmosphere. You mention wanting the background clearer but
I am not sure it would add much to the narrative.
 |
| Image seven |
Image seven. This image is
quite different from the others which do appear to be more directed but it does
have a energy to it and again the bright pop of colour really directs the
viewer. The lighting is quite harsh and in many ways raw.
Your prints are well
presented, I would like to understand more about the cropping options you
presented as some of the images are square, while others are more traditional
35mm format. Looking back, I think my cropping decisions were based on what I thought would work for the composition rather than looking for a consistent image shape - this does cause problems if I want to build any kind of consistent collection of images? Should I aim for better consistency here? I would also suggest you clean the printer heads as there are some
faint lines appearing across the prints. (Use the automatic function for this).
You have produced prints of a good quality and have managed a good translation
from the digital to print outcome.
Learning Logs
or Blogs/Critical essays
Context
The
written information is suitable and charts your shoot development and
technical
decisions well. I would like to see you connect more with the
research
and take some time to look at how others work and then reflect on
this
compared to your own work. Agree I need to do this more...
Also
consider your decision making a little more, why chose a certain format,
pose,
composition and what impact could this have on the viewer?
Suggested
reading/viewing
For
an inspirational log book (remember this is only one approach, you need to
experiment with what feels right for you)
Really like the feel of Dan Eldon's website and saddened that he died so young. I've been looking at his Journals in particular and I'm very taken with the mix of media used to capture the his thinking and experiences..I'm intrigued as to how you convert a paper journal to a 'live' version on a website and whether I could make this work for me..particularly when I'm researching an assignment or want to capture the feel of 'study visit '.Certainly, I'm very conscious that the template I'm currently using for this learning blog has real limitations ( not least how I display the images etc. ) but also that I need a structure which reflects a learning process..I notice that some of my fellow students use Wordpress and this may be worth having a good look at though whether it is practical to change over at this stage?
Portrait
photographers
Richard
Rinaldi
Reneke
Dijkstra
Bruce
Gilden
www.brucegilden.com
Steve
McCurry
Liz
Wells (photographic theory)
Prakel,
D (2007) Basics Photography: composition. Laussane: AVA Publishing.
Pointers for the next assignment
An engaged submission so please continue this
approach. Keep looking at a variety of artists and their bodies of work; I have
made some suggestions of useful photographers. Support your technical
exploration with critical reading about portraiture and the gaze. Look at
traditional art and in particular painting as this is where many of the rules
of portraiture have come from. We have been shaped visually by these
traditional rules.
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