Photograd Instagram Takeover

So, this week, I have taken over the PhotoGrad Instagram. Majority of my posts were photos from my series 'Joan' as this is the main body of work that I have recently completed.

I planned my posts and captions the day before and was ready to post the following day. Mon-Wed I focused on photographs from 'Joan'. Then on the Thursday I posted photos from my older project 'Family Album'. And finally, on the Friday, I posted some current photos from my newest project.

I really enjoyed posting to the platform for the week and big thanks to PhotoGrad for allowing me access to their instagram!

Photograd Open 2018

So pleased to announce that my photo book 'Joan' is going to be part of an exhibition run by Photograd at the London Metropolitan University as part of Photomonth!

The exhibition is on from the 16th - 29th November, in the Atrium Gallery at London Metropolitan Uni. If you're around, pop in for a look, there are some talented photographers included and an interesting range of projects.

Find a list of the people exhibiting printed work here.

And the list of people who are exhibiting photo books/zines here.

Photograd // Highly Commended Artist 2018.

Since graduating University, I have been submitting my work in various places. One of the places I submitted work to was the photograd PGZ2018 zine. As well as selecting work for the printed zine, they also selected some standout work to be featured on the photograd blog. I submitted work from 'Joan' which was my final major project. Getting the email back, I'm happy to say I was on the list of the Highly Commended 2018 photography graduates alongside some other great work! 

Check out the blog post here 

Graduate Exhibition // 2018.

On friday, our graduate exhibition opened. Previous to this was a week that we were putting the work up. I was in at the beginning of the week when the space was empty, and I also came in a few days during the end of the week. From doing this, I found it interesting to see the change in the space from day to day as more work was being put up. With each piece of work that were being displayed, it seemed to really transform the space. Overall, the process of seeing the exhibition and displaying my own work, I found to be interesting.

That then lead us to the opening night which was also a great night. After spending the week in the space seeing the work being displayed, it was nice to be able to have it completed and celebrate the past year.


Exhibition display plan:

Entry for the BJP Portrait of Britain Award 2018.

I spotted on social media that it was coming up to the Deadline of the Portrait of Britain Award that the BJP holds every year. With University coming to an end, I want to keep looking and entering my work in as many competitions that are suitable as I can. Competitions are a great way to get your work out there, and even if you don't win, specific people within the industry are still seeing your work and name in these various competitions and opportunities can come at anytime.

I entered the Portrait of my Grandmother below that I took as part of my Final Major Project in Dec 2017 as it immediately came to mind when I saw the competition.

CV workshop and Careers Meeting // 2

Laura had come in to run a CV writing workshop. This had some really useful information as I hadn't really had to think much about a CV coming straight from Sixth form to University. She gave us some tips on what to put on our CV's and how to write them in a way that appeals to the employer. 

• Targeting is Key - When applying for a job, we need to adapt our CV to specific features to match the job. Having all the relevant information but tailoring it specifically to the organisation or the specific role requirements. 
• Listing your skills is a part of a CV. Laura stated that a lot of people write their skills yet dont demonstrate them. This is something that makes your CV stand out more and shows you can do specific things rather than just telling the employer a list.

She also went through other elements of the CV such as the personal profile which is a good way to set a first impression, and introduce yourself and your interests in 3 simple questions. 1.Who? 2.What do you do? and 3. What are you looking for? 

This workshop made me think about CV's differently and I know that I can book an appointment with the career advisors when I come to producing my own which is useful.

Today, was my follow up meeting with Laura. I had filled out my self awareness table which I had written the projects I had done and what Skills I had developed from these. This helped to see which Skills I have developed over the years of being at university and which skills need improving so that I can have a wide range.
I had also researched into the different areas that I could potentially enter after Graduation, yet I still don't really know what I would like to do.

With this, Laura tried to narrow it down and I spoke about the elements of projects over the years of University that I have enjoyed. Exhibitions and Galleries are places I like to visit, and my own practice is project based also. With this, Laura suggested an Arts Administrator type of job. And the next steps would be to look at volunteering in a gallery in order to place myself in the specific environment and see how it turns out.

Another element she suggested to look into was events planning and organisation. I can explore different events and fairs to volunteer at and maybe look into some specifically to do with photography. This allows me to test different working environments, which some may work for me and some may not. However, putting myself in the environment is the best next step and also allows me to network with like minded people and also a variety of people from different backgrounds. 

Creating a Website

The idea of creating a website has been with me for a while now, but I've never really known where to start and also wasn't fully happy with the work I was creating.

Finishing second year I had created a few series of work that I was really happy with and knew would sit nicely on a website. Going through third year has also created my Final Major Project which again would take up space on my own website.

I start using Instagram at the start of my third year, setting up a page specifically for my photography. After using this for a while, as good as it is, as my work is project based, it was becoming hard to upload photos together, often resulting in me not uploading anything. Also instagram isn't designed for photographs to be viewed as series and I found it to be limiting in the various ways I wanted to present my work but couldn't due to its grid format.

This is when I decided I needed a photography site to display my work and allow the audience to see my work more easily and how I want to present it and also it could be used as a portfolio in the future for jobs, reviews or even competitions.

I discovered I already had access to Adobe Portfolio as I had the photography package. After picking a template and spending a good few hours adjusting various elements so that it was how I wanted it, I got a final product I was happy with. Then I spent another few hours, planning and creating pages for each project I want to show. I started with 4 projects so far from my second and final year, but I have a few more to add in the future.

Sequencing and Dummy Book no2

Thinking about my final display for the Graduate Exhibition, A book accompanying my work on the wall would work well in showing a bigger picture. My project had various different areas that all link, yet this can not be shown on a wall so a book is a perfect way to include the various elements.

With this in mind, I began to spend time with my images I had printed and started experimenting with sequencing. Throughout, I also sketched out a rough plan for the book that I can then produce and print to see how well it works when looking through it as I normally would.

I created my first dummy book just on the computer, so having the physical prints were a slightly different method than previously but it was useful being able to move, add and take away different photographs easily to see what worked and what didn't.

I started by collecting up all the prints I had from various shoots over the year and sorting them into categories of the different shoots. I then narrowed some piles down further so I could see the different areas I had photographed. This helped as I then could locate specific photos easily when sequencing them in the images below. I also used plain A4 paper as the separate pages of the 'book', that I could then move the images about on.   I kept some of the images from the first dummy book the same, however, I also took into consideration the feedback from my interim and from the Alumni. From the feedback. I have added in some images that seemed to be missing from my first dummy book.

Alumni Review Day // 2

Today we had another group of Alumni come in and have tutorials with us about our final major projects, we could discuss ideas for the Graduate show and any areas that need developing etc.

Sam Welburn:
I booked a tutorial with Sam as I had one with him on the first Alumni Day last year so thought it would be interesting to re visit now my project has developed has he has seen it before. He picked out how my work is now showing things that are recognisable to other people (for example the wallpaper I had photographed in the image below were also familiar to him). I also spoke of re shooting this, as when taking this I had my ISO slightly high with has resulted in slight grain. However, he said to re shoot, but don't discard this one as I may prefer the aesthetic of this image even with the slight grain.

I also showed him my first dummy book which he said worked really well, but to make more until the sequencing is just right. (He pointed out the book needed more of the 'Around the house' images which I hadn't realised weren't in the book). I will take this into consideration when making my next dummy book, to make sure I have each aspect of my project which is relevant to be included in the book.

Josh Wilde:
I also booked a tutorial with Josh who I hadn't seen previously. I was aware that Josh's practice was commercial based so very different to my own, however I think it's also useful to get a completely different perspective on it and it was really useful to hear Josh's feedback.
He picked out the image of the dog cushion below straight away has he had seen it in the interim which was useful as the interim was the starting point to the tutorial. Like Sam, he had also commented on the familiarity to his own grandparents through some of the objects I was photographing. This was useful as it allowed me to realise that the objects I am photographing are personal but they are also common within a specific generation of people, therefore not only making this project personal to me but it is also starting to reach a wider audience.

I also showed him my dummy book and as he was looking through it, he picked out a few points. The studio images within my book worked nicely in breaking up the sequence and isolating the objects. I mentioned the influence of Liza Dracup's animal studies and he instantly saw the link in how I've photographed them. Also with these images, he commented on the museum/archival link and the way I've photographed it on the black background makes the object feel precious and adds value to it unlike the photographs of it just in the home.

He also kept revisiting a specific image I had as a full page spread within my book that can be seen below. The reason I added this initially were to break up the sequence within the book with a slightly more abstract image which also added texture with the book. However, Josh read this differently within the book, and described it as being trapped/isolated in some way. This is interesting as my Grandma doesn't really leave her home, and when she does leave, she is never alone, so in a way this does reflect her as a person which I thought were interesting and something that I hadn't considered before.

Also following this page in the book were shown on the right. I had made the link in adding the same image of the glass on the next page but collaged with others from the bathroom. Josh also made some links on here which I hadn't thought of when placing them on the page. Through my sequencing he had linked the hot tap and the radiator which I had placed on one side of the page and the cold tap with the 'cold' atmosphere of the window image on the right.

Overall, this was a really successful insight into my own work and how it is viewed by others. It also provided me with points I can now use to develop my project into the final show and the final book which will also be included within my display.

Careers Meeting // 1

Today was my first Careers Meeting. Although meeting with the career staff a few times throughout my course, I had never booked an appointment for a meeting, as I am unsure what to do after graduation which is coming up quickly, I decided it would be a useful place to start for information and next steps. I was aware I could get a job or apply for a masters but wanted to know each of the different paths I can take before I decided on one.

I booked in with Laura who was super helpful as I really turned up with very little ideas on what I wanted to do. She had a general chat to see what I was interested in and how the meeting could help and then she talked me through 2 steps to follow as a starting point and gave me activities to explore these steps.

1. Self awareness -
This is about me and the skills I have developed over the past few years of doing various things. In order for me to explore this, I have a table to fill out that states the Project/Activity, the Skills developed, and examples of where these skills have been used.

2. Opportunity Awareness -
This is the various opportunities that are available. This were a step where I was unsure on where to start looking so Laura showed me Prospects (which I have used before but hadn't visited it in a while) to start researching a little bit into the types of jobs that are available out there related to photography. She also gave me another table to fill out with Jobs/Pros/Cons/Next Steps which can hopefully help lead me into looking at the next steps.

I am going to do a little bit of research and fill out the 2 seperate areas and then I will book another appointment with Laura to discuss things further.

Final Interim Show

This week we put up our final interim before the Graduate show. This was a chance to test the images that we could potentially select for the final show and to test layouts for displaying them. 

I chose 4 close up portraits of my Grandmother and placed them so that they all fit together with the beam of light that runs through them. I also selected 6 smaller images that I took of objects around her house that for me remind me of her and her generation. This work were also placed with a statement that read:

This project is a personal project focusing on the life of my Grandmother. A document of a particular generation who, personally I find fascinating in their differences. From photographing the everyday objects that I see in her home to the more intimate portraits of her which reflect the close relationship between the both of us.

Exhibition Fundraising // Bake Sale

Today, we had a table in the student central to run a bake sale. This were to raise funds to contribute to our final graduate show and catalogue. I contributed by baking cupcakes and also boxing slices of cake for people to take away. Then I also stayed and helped my peers to sell as much as we could!

It was a good day switching from sat at the table to walking round with trays of treats in order to sell them to people visiting for the applicant day, students and also some of the staff around campus.  

Rachel Brown // Work Review

This friday we had a group tutorial with Rachel Brown. Rachel is an artist and is currently working on a solo show. As well as being the photography director of Harpers Bazaar and Town & Country.

This was the first time I had met Rachel as I didn't make it to her last review so I took recent work, and also a few from Term 1 so she could see my project from the various approaches I have done throughout both Terms so far.

As it was a group tutorial, it was also interesting listening to the feedback she gave on others work as well as my own, and overall was just interesting to sit with and listen.

She gave me some great advice on the strengths of my project and what is working, and also areas to develop and experiment with, which I'm sure to take note of and follow in the next coming weeks.

The talk also got me thinking of the final exhibition and what images I include and different ways in how they can be displayed. An example she gave was to display them in old style frames, following this was advice to visit the 2nd hand outdoor market thats on a Thursday in Huddersfield. So this is on my places to visit when I get the chance to have a look and see what I can find. Even if not for my project, it may just be an interesting place to visit and see what's there.

Also suggested was displaying them in an album which I will take into consideration also, as I also would like to create a photo book to go alongside this project. Also looking at the images, she also spoke of how comfortable my Grandma seemed to be with me photographing her and this coming through the imagery. This is an interesting point as if anyone else were to take photographs of my Grandma she would hate it and most likely wouldn't allow it, so therefore, with me having the advantage and relationship with her to be able to take such photos, is more motivation to do it. 

She also picked up a few themes that was coming through the work so far:

• Looking at ageing through relatives
• Use of an existing archive
• Creation of my own archive of my Grandmother that can be kept in years to come

View Rachel's work here

Adrian Davies // Talk

Adrian Davies came in to talk to us this week. As well as doing his own practice within photography, he is also interested in the photo book. His work has been exhibited and published in numerous locations, as well as gaining experience he has also been a Lecturer at Leeds.

Throughout his talk, he spoke about his own practice. From photographs, to using google maps to produce a project. He said his love of the photo book correlates with his love of photography and both of them go hand in hand with each other. His google project consisted of travelling virtually to different ikea shops placed in different parts of the world.

(at first, he considered whether using google could be classed as photography, however, he said that if he were there, he would take the same picture as he captured virtually so there is little difference other than the object you are using. Also Google maps is constantly updating and changing so it's still the user that constructs the image)

This were a really interesting project that he is currently still working on. Through looking at the same shop but in different parts of the world its starts to become unclear where the shops actually are due to there very similar exterior. He did also progress onto going into ikea and photographing various aspects also, so it was a mixture of the google imagery and photographs. This is still a project he is currently working on.

This reminded me of a project I worked on in my first year, where did a similar thing. I used Google street view for the project and visited Mcdonald's and Hard Rock Cafes around the world which is a similar concept. Maybe one day, I might revisit this project and see how it may develop now.

This talk was an interesting insight into his own work and processes and the development of the projects he has worked on. Below I'm going to list a few points I've taken away from the talk:

''Use your intuition - respond to things you feel like you need to. You may not know what or why your attracted to something but just photograph it''

''Embrace accidents, and also embracing bad techniques can sometimes work in your favour''

''Keep shooting even if you have no place for it''


 

Owen Harvey Talk // Metro Imaging

This week Owen Harvey came in to talk about his practice from graduating 5 years ago up until now. His work focuses interest in youth and subculture, and on the notion of individual identity and social groups.  View his work here.

He spoke specifically about his work he was showing to us, which was an insightful look into some of the thought processes and inspiration behind his series. He also mentioned his interest into the subcultures he was photographing which inspired the project and creating timelessness within the Mod UK series of pictures (above), which made sense viewing the images, as your really not sure when they could've been taken.

He also spoke about his 'Ground Clearance' series (above). This is a series he produced whilst out in America of a particular group of people known as the Lunatic Low riders. This was an interesting series to look at as he talked about where he started and his journey in creating this series. From limited time in New York which affected the way in which he worked, to not quite getting the images he wanted from the project initially.

From this he began to shooting differently, and through this his images developed a cinematic aesthetic to them. He then realised this was working in terms of what had initially inspired him to do this series, which were his interest in the hip hop scene and watching films growing up such as Drive and Up in smoke.

What's also interesting with this project, is the risk he took traveling to America and not really knowing what he was going to produce. This is something Owen said to us that we should ''Take risks and make yourself feel uncomfortable'' and it may not always work out but it may also work in your favour and create something you didn't think was possible.

He also talked about making money alongside doing your personal projects and how he has done this throughout his career. This made me realise that getting a job that may not be anything to do with your photography isn't a negative, and to still work alongside this on the projects that you want to do.

He also spoke about many other things, including how to get your work out there, your online presence, building networks and creating your own opportunities.

Overall a really inspiring talk from someone who was recently in a situation similar to our own and how his career and work has developed since then.Im going to leave a quote from his talk that he shared with us about imagery that I really liked in terms of thinking about photography:

''Pictures that asked questions are a lot more successful than pictures that answer them'' 

BERLIN // Galleries

C/O BERLIN
The first exhibition we went to view was the Joel Meyerowitz 'Why Colour? Retrospective' and it's got to be one of my favourite exhibitions I have been to. The work was beautiful and was the type of work that as a viewer, I could of spent all day in there looking around at more than once. They were presented simply in frames against a black wall, yet every photograph was amazing in their own way. Below, are a couple of examples and two pieces which in particular caught my eye.
The display on the left I thought works really well. As you first walked into the exihibition, this was on the far wall facing you and the large print works with the distance you get when you first walk in, but also works well when you get closer to it. Also, the first image in the row of frames were the same image as the large one, which I think is a nice way to lead the viewer into this sequence of work. The print on the right caught my eye because of the colour, this had been a re worked print (the original were framed on the right) and although each are equally amazing, the colour on the large print really caught my eye as a viewer. I also think the size of this makes an impact and places you as the viewer into the scene a lot more than if it were smaller which I think is interesting experience when viewing work in this way. 
  

Museum fur Fotografie
The other exhibition we went to were the Helmut Newton collection in which we weren't allowed to take photographs and we also went upstairs in the museum to view work on display by Guy Bourdin. This is work I've been familiar with since my first year so it was interesting to see them in print and displayed. In terms of display, majority of these were kept simple and similar sizes, however there were a few in between which were smaller which I found interesting as you had to stand closer to the print to see the detail, and I also took photos of these for future reference and inspiration when displaying my own work.

BERLIN TRIP

From the 15th to 17th, a group of us went on a trip to Berlin for 3 days. In the 3 days, we visited galleries and landmarks and overall, had a great time. 

Day 1:
We got straight there, arrived at the hotel and went straight back out. We walked around to take in the sites and general environment of Berlin. Along the way we visited the Reichstag Building, the Brandenburg Gate, walked through the park, and to the Memorial of the murdered jews of Europe. This was something we said we would visit before we got there and after seeing images of this, I was interested to see it. Yet, images just doesn't translate the feeling you get whilst walking around this memorial. The memorial is one you have to experience yourself in order to understand how much impact it makes. 

After food, we walked to the Berlin Wall, which had some amazing artwork from one end to the other. Before returning to the room, we visited Pro QM book shop on the way back. We browsed in here for a good time, and despite being super tired by this point I tried to have a look at a variety of various things, from zines and magazines, to photo books. 

Day 2: 

We experienced the trams and tubes in Berlin and we headed to C/O Berlin Gallery. I actually spent a lot of time in the book shop at the gallery, and really had a look at the photo books that were available here. I noted a few artists down that I liked the look of for future references and also picked myself up a set of Tom Wood books - Men and Women.

Here, we saw the Joel Meyerowitz 'Why Color? Retrospective' exhibition and I can say it's one of the best ones I've been to. After this gallery we headed over to Museum Fur Fotografie. Here, we viewed the Helmut Newton collection and work from Guy Bourdin. There were a range of different work in this gallery and some interesting ways to present and display work also that I can consider when displaying my own. 

(I'm going to place the images and my thoughts on the exhibitions in a separate post you can read here - Berlin // Galleries )  

Day 3: 
This day was limited as we had to get to the airport and return home. However, we still had some time to explore and was free to do anything we decided. A group of us decided to go a visit Checkpoint Charlie and then walk over and visit the Jewish Museum.