-So throughout the course I have come across many problems, restrictions and considerations that have helped, hindered and enhanced my projects.
-Being able to find the motivation would seem like a simple and obvious one and from time to time, sure….but this hasn’t been my main trouble. My trouble has been finding the time and having the resources to complete and carry out my ideas.
-Having just moved to a new country means that I don’t have the network of friends and family to help by being models or simply putting me in touch with the right people. Not knowing the area means I can’t just ‘know’ where I can get a certain style of photo from. Not speaking the language is proving to be a massive problem. I am learning and can get by but am not confident enough to throw myself out there which is exactly what I need to do. It has now become a massive hindrance because I have ideas for all my remaining exercises and assignments but don’t know who to ask to do it. Or am too shy to ask a new friend if they will help me… Confidence and independence will come with time from being in a new country and hopefully it will reflect in my work too as I go along.
-I have been looking for an English speaking photography club in Rome but am yet to find one. Am considering trying to start one from within the UN agency I work for. The problem with that is that I don’t have time enough to study, get my photos taken and work full time as well as teach myself Italian and keep fit and regularly exercise (which is very important for my sanity).
-Work problems – I study and edit and write up my photos at work after I have finished for the day. I find it much easier to continue with a disciplined mind than to go home and relax for even just a second. It then becomes too difficult to get back into the right mind frame. My concentration does waiver even at work I have to admit as it is consequently a very long day and a long time spent at my desk. – It is difficult for colleagues and bosses to understand that although I am here I am not here for them but it becomes impossible to refuse help when present. Also come in at weekend which is great. Completely peaceful with no disturbances. But at the weekends I need to be making the most of the light and being free in the daytime to get the photos taken.
-That is another problem what with it being winter now and the days are remarkably short I can only do ‘night shots’ during the week. This consequently means that wherever I go or whatever I do at the weekends it is always busy and there are always people which can be great and can be exactly what I’m looking for but sometimes my ideas (and I’m finding out along the way that I am favouring) the more pensive, quiet and solitude feel of photography. I don’t know if it is because I have such a manic life that I seek solitude in my art. I love reading because it is time where I can go into my own world and know that only I need to understand my thoughts and I guess it is the same with my photography. I still of course enjoy the funky manic arty approach to photography too.
-I really enjoy taking pictures of friends. I find it is a great way to practice the whole thing from start to finish. You get and can give honest feedback. I have had the opportunity to take some really great and edgy photos of one of my closest friends (who conveniently happens to be a make-up artist) and was thinking, were it someone I didn’t know, I would consider printing it off and putting it on my wall or something like that but it doesn’t feel right….. too personal. Just for the portfolio I suppose.
-I am unable to type as quickly as I think so often find myself not wanting to or not writing down my thoughts and ideas for fear of chasing away the progression by distracting myself by the keyboard….. endeavour to learn to type faster and without thinking. Anyway, I am rambling now….
-Other things I have been trying to do/accommodate into my lifestyle. I try to take my camera with me wherever I go at the weekends just in case I see something I want to capture. I often find when I don’t have my camera it is when I see perfect opportunities for great shots but they are more often than not subject to human interference and can’t be reconstructed or returned to for the same effect. I guess this is just part and parcel of being a photographer.
-I’m also finding that I am analysing all pictures beyond what I would have classed as ‘normal’ originally. Checking to see how it was lit if it is a constructed shot or compositions, subject, colours, meaning. I seem to be no longer able to just look at photos and think they are ‘pretty’ or ‘cool’ although that is not such a new revelation, it has been like that since I realised that I could absolutely take photography further than just an interest.
-I get a lot of questions about how long this course will take me and if I continue at the rate that I’m going at it will be about 20 years… I have struggled getting back into the rhythm of allocating time away etc and self-discipline but feel like now I have a better system. My boyfriend and I work at the same place and he has just begun a masters so we both stay most nights after work to study. It doesn’t allow for that dangerous period in the day when you get home and relax for just 5 minutes…. All motivation runs out the door when you take your shoes off and sit down on the sofa and start thinking about chores etc. I am piggy backing off his discipline and think it is working well. At some point I will make sure there is a transition where I am in total control and think this will be a massive life lesson.
-Consequently I am sort of putting the massive delays on the first section as a bit of a write off and endeavour to carry on as I have been the last couple of weeks with more structure and momentum. I am thoroughly looking forward to the next section now and am so desperate to complete this one and move on. The only way is up!!!! Just don’t want to rush it and pay the price with a bad grade. (which I am very concerned about)
-Pondering the acceptance of post-editing photos:
I am starting to think more about the post editing process. I love some of the effects that can be created but am still on the fence about whether it disguises the true beauty of the photo or the talent of the photographer (or lack there of). I’m still a big fan of a well chosen black and white photo but don’t like to overuse it.
- I have been considering designing a website and starting to see if I can get some money for my work. This entails starting up a business or at least considering it so will be an on-going thing the year 2011. I need to get a feel for my strengths and where I want to go with it. Things included in this consideration are, subject focus, business name, target market, market research, advice and assistance to all who are happy to provide it or let me extract it and all the other millions of things to consider when starting or even thinking about starting a business.
-I am hoping to organise to either use some models from model mayhem if possible or paying for a model to try and get some more professional experience but need to have a strong idea of what I want from them and original ideas to add to my collection. Would be a great chance to diversify my shots too.
-So it occurred to me that (although my work may not be professional standards) if my photos appear on a Google search or anything similar that anyone could just copy and paste and use it. So I am thinking about watermarking them.
So I emailed my tutor for a little advice and he advised that it was entirely up to me.....
I always deliberately avoid putting any of my work onto sites like Facebook as they have interesting Terms and Conditions which allow for their use of any photos whether you have removed them or not (or at least they did the last time I checked and it is always better to be safe than sorry).
I have to admit it is slightly off-putting to have to remove all the photos on here and re-post them since they are all stored in different places - or perhaps it is a good thing, to make me address my organising of work, keeping my personal stuff separate and being more responsible with my photos in general.
I have thought it through and think that another aspect of making the decision is how much I value my work, which has left me in some confusion as I am a very personal person usually and actually haven't shown much of my work to anyone. So I am sort of still in the dark as to how my style and standard of photography will be perceived by the outside world as it were.
Anyway, I have decided to do it.... but not right away. I want to carry on with my assignments and exercises as a priority since I have gotten a somewhat behind (already). So it will be a project to go back through them and a starting point to protecting my photos in future projects.
Decision made!
On a more updated note to this I have organised all my photos properly now and it has made my life so much easier.
-I either need to learn Italian very quickly and makes LOTS of friends very quickly or I am feeling that being in Italy ironically is holding me back photographically. I have lots of ideas but they mostly require models and being foreign and not speaking the language has definitely taken its toll on me. Note to self…. Next time I move country make sure it is English speaking….
Having said that, Rome has been a beautiful place to take photos, so was the UK and also Cyprus. I hope to do more travelling throughout the duration of my courses to help with diversity and just because of my general desperation to see the world and what it has to offer, the colours of India, the cultural differences etc.
This course has taken me much much longer to do than I had originally hoped for but upon having completed it I have learnt a lot, about photography but also about myself. Self-discipline and the importance of structure running alongside creativity.
-I want to have more interaction with my tutor from here on out as I have been finding my footings by myself not really sure of procedures etc, I feel like I don’t want to bother my tutor and don’t know what is a normal amount of interaction.
- My equipment:
I count myself very lucky with the equipment I have. I am very fortunate and am thoroughly pleased with my gear. It means for me that the camera etc is less of a restriction on my work and means that the photos I take have to stand on their own and I cannot blame my tools for less than satisfactory images. The only problem is that the camera is capable of more than I can keep up with and it has taken me a long time to get used to the settings to the point that it becomes second nature. I am getting there though and loving it....
Canon 7d
Canon 24-70mm L f2.8 lens
Canon 70-200mm L IS f2.8 lens
I recently purchased Elinchrom lights and after having used them for a very short period of time I am realising that this has the ability to to take the quality of the images up massively and I am looking forward to learning more about them and using them throughout my projects from here on....
