Assignment three - initial thoughts

Buildings in use 

I started to think about this assignment some time ago with some initial research on the various buildings that came to mind. Which buildings have I shortlisted?

• Mary Rose Museum
• Aspex Gallery
• West Beach Cafe, Littlehampton
• Boathouse 6, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
• Spinnaker Tower
• Tate Modern

And why? 

The idea for this assignment is to produce between two and four images for each building that describe effectively and attractively the way this spaces are used.My selection are buildings that I personally like the look of and with the present exception of the West Beach Cafe have visited and used.

All bar the West Beach Cafe are in Portsmouth.Two are conversions of historic buildings, historic or otherwise e.g. the Aspex Gallery and Boathouse 6. The remaining three are 'new builds' which are architecturally very interesting.They may well present some technical challenges, particularly the Mary Rose Museum where low light and the banning of flash use is the order of the day.

I'll look at each building in turn in more detail looking at my research and teasing out how I might approach the shoot...

Using paper to frame images ( tutor pointers to next assignment )

I used a new printer for assignment two and asked my tutor to check the quality of the prints I sent in..

'Good to see the prints and they are of good quality. Consider also your paper quality, have you considered mat v gloss v satin or even the amazing array of art papers? For some of your projects these may prove successful. You have used the paper to frame the images well, consider being more experimental with this and see how it works. Look at exhibitions and magazines to see how other photographers use this to present their work'.

Reading this I was a little puzzled about how you could be experimental re using paper to frame images so queried this. Sam, my tutor came back very quickly clarifying things : 

'Re framing, I mean the image can be placed within the paper so it can have a natural frame provided by the paper. For example you can have a horizontal image across a vertical page, the addition of the white space can be visually quite calming and often it allows the viewer almost a pause in looking, so they really look at the image. Almost like a visual silence. Hope that makes some sort of sense! It is hard to write about such a visual thing. If you go to a variety of exhibitions you will see this used.

Also note the size of the presentation at an exhibition, think about the intimacy of the work, is is small so you have to be close and involved or is it large and all encompassing? '

This is really helpful as I can see that some of my Assignment prints could have been  presented in a slightly different way and that it may pay to use different kinds of paper rather than stick with the smooth pearl that I have been using recently..Another aspect to look for when I view exhibitions.

Reflection on tutor feedback on Assignment Two

Good to have my tutor's feedback on Assignment Two..my response set out below in orange.

Overall Comments

A committed response to the assignment and you demonstrated good preparation and logistical organisation by planning your photographic position and observing the event. A very topical exploration, I hope you continue this exploration until the polling day!

Good work spending time on documenting the event, that careful observation does inform the story. Clean and crisp photographs submitted.

Your assignment presentation is clear and relevant, keep working in this way. Taking the time to practice and read up about different approaches is informing your work.

You have created a body of work that documents a story. The images are bright, crisp and bold and connect the viewer to the event. I would suggest a development would be to take a variety of images, some with close up detail as well as some location work to almost set the scene, the sense of place.

Feedback on assignment:

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

A good event to cover and your preparation in your approach is good. Your decision to

follow the people has much potential. You have been documenting history in many ways. 

Image P853

This is an active image and I do like the waiting hands just caught on the edge of the frame. 

  

P853

P853 cropped

That sense of anticipation is good,I wonder if you could have cropped it a little at the top and on the right and it would have really driven the eye in. As you were shooting in available light it can be a challenge and having the faster ISO is a good way of coping with this. A good way to even up the lighting in a bright sunshine situation is to use a little fill flash, bounced off your hand to fill in the shadows some more. That way you would have more detail in the blacks and you could then change the exposure so the whites did not blow out. The print presented is clean and a good colour, and you are getting a pretty good match of the screen.

Thought that I'd crop my image as suggested - and yes, it does work better as it drives the eye in nicely.

Image P858

This image also has anticipation and action. 

P858

P858 cropped

Again I would consider cropping to the left and possibly a little top and bottom? This would
give the information of the team environment,the business of the day.

                                            A closer crop works better..

 

Image P872

This image does work well and tells the whole story with lots of colour to punctuate the picture. 

 

P872

The print could be a little softer as it has quite high contrast so some of the black detail 

is lost. 

Image P854

P854

This image does have more happening with the lady in the middle 

but it is much less carefully composed than your other images. I do like the line up of 

people all of whom are concentrating on their role. It is a much more spontaneous 

image and the participants seem less aware than some of the others, as you are a

little further back.  

Image P855

P855 cropped

 

P855

This is an image of the process, although I wonder if this could have been just as

successful with a close up of the hands, or even the stickers on the clip board as we 

have seen this woman a few times in other images? The bright white clipboard and 

black coat creates a difficult lighting environment but you have managed this okay in the print.

Having cropped this image along the lines suggested, I think for me the cropped version just showing the hands does not work as well as the combination of hand action and look of concentration.

 
Image P873

P873

This captures lots of expression and action and is well lit. I don’t mind the background 

too much although you could have managed a different depth of field to drop that out a 

little, it is a good energetic image.  

Image P865

 

P865

P865 cropped

               I think this image could have been successful with just the hands stuffing paperwork in the letterbox, I think it would have been interesting too to see the sticker on the door more, saying no cold callers and how that is ignored!!  

Yes, the cropped version works better!! Incidently, the 'no cold callers' sticker actually only applies to doorstep sellers sellers as opposed to canvassing or leafleting. Mind you, people who do not want canvassers calling or leaflets are usually very clear on this and have notices displayed on their door or window to that effect!!

Image P867

                          

P867

      This image does have a good story, the two   
      characters are  very  engaging and the light has
      caught them well (although those tricky white clip
      boards are hard to balance for!).  

Image P859 

 

P859

This is a nicely exposed image and the speaker has been caught well.
It is interesting that anyone involved in politics uses lots of hand movements and 

that is always something referred to during an election! I think the position of the person 

in the centre of the frame is interesting as he is static and outside, there is no 

movement forwards intended.

Image P862 


This image does look like one member is being told off, and he does look a 

little uncomfortable. It is a good ‘setting the scene’ image. A clean print.

P862

I heard the conversation here ...no telling off 
but a debate re opposition party tactics!!

 

Image P864

For some reason this looks a little forced and it almost replicates the image before 

so I am unsure if it adds much more. The print is a little blown out in the background 

but there is good detail in the foreground.

 

P864

Agree that this does look a little forced on second look 
but actually was a spontaneous laugh...
difficult though to get this over...

Image P870     

  I do like the angle of this image and the moment.

 

P870

                  That far away look is  reminiscent of political advertising posters of the past and it is interesting to see a a different angle. The focus is not  as strong in this one so that does  detract from it a little but the bold colours and angle are a real strength.

           

            

                                                   

                                                                    

                                                                     

                    

You have captured an event and have provided a body of work that follows the 

process. Have you considered where this type of photo story could be used?

I did think how this photo story might be used? It is basically a story of Labour activists out on the doorstep fighting an election. A  landmark election that Labour lost as it happens though this was in the future when the images were taken. Publishing the images before the result show a human interest story of activists in action in their local streets - this is what happens, this is what you do, this is how enjoyable it can be etc..Would it find a place as a magazine /press feature during the campaigning period - a change from the many pictures of a group of canvassers holding 'Vote Labour' posters? Another way of trying to interest people in voting etc.  Where though would this appear and who would it interest? Would it find a place in a more political arena? Politics in action?

The election result comes into play here  as the story only really works well ( for Labour anyway) before the election if you lose. It could have been or could still be used to interest people becoming canvassers e.g. in a 'how to do manual' or powerpoint presentation.Incidently,some individual images that didn't make the final cut for this particular photostory assignment  were good enough technically and image wise to be used (and were) in local campaign literature/ social media  as was P872 above



Would this body of work have a title? Or captions?


This is an interesting one ..I placed the images in an order of sorts to create a sense of story storyline i.e. starting with the handing out of the canvassing boards but there was no real 'concluding' image unless you could infer from the last image P870 a sens of looking to the future. So, perhaps captions might work well adding some clarity of intent i.e. what I was trying to portray. And yes, this body of work had a title -  'On the doorstep' . It needs to be amplified.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

You have been honest and searching in your evaluation and your pre

planning and visualizing did help you to cope with the various elements of

dealing with the event, people and the changing lighting.

You have looked at a real variety of artists and you have referred to them.

When telling a story by creating a body of work look at using a variety of

angles and compositions. I would really have liked to see some images 

from close-up, to much further away. I like the idea of a suburban street with

the posse of canvassers tackling it, but them looking rather small!

Your blog is really starting to work well for you. It is good to see you looking at some relevant critical theory and a variety of photographic artists. Use the Harvard referencing style when referring to this work as this is great practice and it will become second nature for you.

Continue to reflect on your journey. You are starting to become observant of elements of your own practice, this development will move you forward.

 

Suggested reading/viewing:

Context

Jeff Wall- uses photography to often make political statements, and although the work can look spontaneous it is very much controlled. (See mimic image)

William Eggleston- bold images of people.

John Kippin- commissioned to work with a county council

Liz Wells, wring about photography and truth and the documentary image.