The Interim Review went ahead on Wednesday 18 November as scheduled. It was a great opportunity to see my classmates progress so far plus both give and receive feedback.
I had printed off a selection of roughly edited images as matt C-Type prints, which would give everyone a chance to see them in ‘reality’.
With regards to presentation, I displayed the images as below.
In general, the images were received well. The most positive responses received were from this print.
The elements that were most remarked upon were:
- Highlights – accentuated the details of both the tree and the surrounding elements of the environment
- The diffused effect of the sky/clouds
- Composition was good
What really did help was how the image was presented. This 20″ x 18″ print was by its own on a white board with a dedicated spotlight.
With regards to the other images, I think the presentation could have been much better. One aspect that Fergus remarked on in relation the majority to work shown was to let the individual images have their own ‘space’. When showing images together, the viewer will try to make sense of a sequence rather than looking at the image in front on them.
By showing the ‘landscape’ images in this way, it distracts the viewer. These images were not lit (the bulb had gone in the corresponding spotlight) so were in very dull conditions. These images do need light to bring out the details.
I also realised that seeing the images large on screen would have been a better way to present. My classmate, Mark, had presented his Black & White images of Waverley Abbey during the review and they looked magnificent. There was a key visual difference between tones and highlights, which I need to bring out in future photographs of the hawthorns.
One way in which this could be done is using a speedlight into the sun/day light. As my classmate, Ola, reminded me this will bring out the details of the tree and counteract the direct light when the tree is in shadow.
A further thought is to photograph the tree when the light is on the side of the tree. This would be similar to the Rembrandt lighting setups normally utilised in portrait photography. This lighting plays with chiaroscuro and creates a very dramatic effect.
The most interesting comment from two of my classmates is that hadn’t realised that hawthorns could be this ‘big’. They thought they were just bushes. This is one of the reactions I was hoping for. The whole concept of this project is to reveal the ‘hidden’ hawthorns of the park and change perceptions of these trees.
Overall, what did come through from the feedback on board is now I have to now focus on producing strong and coherent images. This was underlined by my tutor, Åsa, who commented that I should:
Take ownership of my images!
After processing the feedback, I realised that I need to develop and strengthen my technique and skills in relation to my practice-based research.
This involves:
- Lighting from different directions (using natural light and speedlight fill-in flash)
- Digital version of Black & White ‘Zones’ (Ansell Adams)
- Trying different ratios (1:1, 3:2, 4:5)
- Bracketing
- Subtle skies
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 