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.