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.